For Rizwan Ali Jaffri, Saima Hussyn, Mahnoor Sheikh and Noor Xarmina, the road to showbiz has been

In aninterview, the emerging actors opened up about their journeys into the entertainment industry, the families and careers they came from, and what they have learnt since stepping in front of the camera. Their paths have taken them from education and corporate jobs to modelling, school performances and childhood Dubsmash videos — proving there is no single route into acting.

From football to film. View this post on Instagram. For Jaffri, acting was never part of the plan.

Jaffri said his father, who holds a PhD in computer science, initially wanted him to focus on academics and was not particularly enthusiastic about his modelling ambitions. Eventually, Jaffri found a way to pursue both.

“Wherever you’re going, marketing also plays a role — the theories of how to approach someone or go about a brand.”A second career for Saima. Unlike Jaffri, Saima Hussyn did not grow up with a clear ambition to become an actor.

“They thought my face was very innocent for that role, so they gave me another drama.”About a year into her television career, Hussyn had appeared in. Daam-e-Mohabbat, with another project, Kaisa Yeh Ishq, yet to air.

She, however, believes audiences are capable of deciding for themselves who deserves to move forward. “If people say, ‘Oh, it’s easy because she’s her sister,’ I think the audience is intelligent enough now to know that you only go beyond if you excel in acting.

If they like her, they’ll make her go ahead.”Having accompanied Sonya to sets in the past gave Hussyn a glimpse into the industry, but observing from the sidelines was very different from experiencing it herself.

I love my work, whatever I’m doing, and being excited.”Leaving finance behind. View this post on Instagram. Noor Xarmina’s journey took her from finance to acting, with a detour through drama school and modelling along the way. After completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Xarmina was working in finance when she decided to walk away from a conventional career.

Out of nowhere, my whole year went into that.”She eventually moved to Karachi, where she felt the opportunities for an aspiring actor were greater, and began working in television. Her entry into acting also involved a chance connection with actor Sheheryar Munawar.