Behind the scenes: Nabila

Stylist: Nabila

Photography: Amean J.

Hair & Make-up: Creative Team @ Nabila’s Karachi

Model: Veena Malik

On the day of the shoot, while waiting for Nabila and Veena to show up, one could see Amean, pacing down the studio, intent on starting the shoot, and anxiously peering out the window every time a car passed by to see whether it was them. Very few words were exchanged and in the post-shoot conversation, I asked him whether he had any apprehensions going into the shoot? “I did because I had never photographed Veena before, so I was not sure. Obviously I took Nabila’s word for it that she is fantastic once you pull out the camera”, he replied and paused for a moment, “and she was so right”.

Forget the voluptuous siren swinging her hips to cheesy filmi numbers, Veena — after she arrived — was completely unrecognisable and would not have been identified had she not been introduced. With hints of the black khol that rimmed her eyes visible underneath the bangs weaved artfully into her hair which framed and complemented her wide-set, strong jaw line, Veena looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine herself.

When shooting, one could clearly see that Veena took direction really well. Right down to the minutest adjustments, she did exactly what was asked of her. Amean would often show her a photograph he’d taken of her to show her exactly what he was wanted from her. Keeping an eye out for detail, under Nabila’s direction, every single stray hair was snipped perfectly out of place, and make-up re-touched wherever it was needed. “I’ve always enjoyed about Nabila because whenever she walks in a shoot, she knows exactly what she wants.

“There are no ifs and buts and it never takes that long to be honest, she is one person who never compromises”, said Amean after the shoot. Talking about what he had in mind for the layout, he said he was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of The Vitruvian Man, “Obviously, I didn’t want to copy exactly what was in Leonardo’s drawings, but just take it as a point. And it’s year 2008, we wanted it to be for the ‘tomorrow’ and not yesterday”.

First Published:
Images
January 13, 2008