Breaking through the entertainment industry is not an easy task for an aspiring entertainer, let alone two of them. But here are siblings who have sailed through together. One could easily assume that just like Bollywood, the local industry too is dominated by certain families, but these sisters defy all such notions — they made it completely on their own.
Breakhna and Zarmeena Yusuf
Energetic, passionate and talented, choreographers Breakhna and Zarmeena are always a treat to watch with their effortless performances. The dancing queens came to the fore when anything artsy was looked down up on — dance being the least appreciated. Nonetheless, the two continued to show their dance chemistry on stage and soon became the face of hip-hop dance in the country.
“The passion for dance easily comes to Zarmeena. However, both of us manage to do it effortlessly,” says Breakhna about her younger sister Zarmeena. “I guess I am more passionate when it comes to dancing. Our forte is hip-hop, classical and contemporary, whereas with other genres we struggle at times,” she says.
Women in Pakistan often have to sacrifice their rather non-traditional dreams due to family pressures, but Breakhna and Zarmeena were lucky to have escaped that phase with immense family support. But did they always dream of doing so? “No, honestly it was never a dream; we never even had an idea. In 2008, after getting an exciting response from Karachi’s audience, we decided to launch our choreography and event management company. It’s always a blessing to have your own sister as your partner!” asserts Breakhna.
It’s hard to divide things equally when it comes to a partnership, and sibling rivalry plays a major role in breaking up partnerships, but with the BZ sisters, there is never a sole front-runner and that’s what leads them to success. “In some situations, we completely divide the same work while in others, I handle the meetings, costumes, marketing and production work whereas Zarmeena takes care of the creative department concepts, music, editing. But there is no department where our input is not present so there is not really one front runner,” continues Breakhna.
The duo has done many exciting shows in the past including the successful Upbeatables, and now they are on their way perform a musical titled Ajantaa in Dubai.
Syra and Alishba Yousaf
Actors Alishba and Syra Yousaf are both equally refreshing on screen with their innocence and effortless acting, but that was never their ultimate dream. “I actually thought I couldn’t act at all,” says Alishba. “About four years ago, I was working with an Indian team and that’s where the passion for acting sprung up in me. Sweetly enough, we were both working in that ad together,” she says, adding that she dreamt of becoming a commercial pilot.
Coming from a conservative family, it is surprising how the sisters have quickly associated themselves with major projects. “Initially, our parents were a little worried but they never gave us a tough time accepting it. In fact, they turned out to be quite supportive and understanding,” says Syra, the younger sibling. However, Alishba admits that mom wasn’t so easy to handle. “My mom’s not very fond of our acting careers though. She thinks we should take up work which doesn’t require so much hard work. She’s a mother, you see,” she says.
Alishba never really thought that they’d end up working together. Syra, on the other hand, always thought it would happen. “Well yes, since we were in the same field, the thought of working together was always there and I consider ourselves really lucky to have worked together for the first time in a brilliant project like Tanhaiyan Naye Silsilay,” she asserts.
While Alishba is a bit more vocal about her opinions, Syra is slightly more contemplative, but both believe that it is hard work and the right attitude that leads to success, apart from luck. “You have to have the right attitude. Things come easily if you do,” says Alishba.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2013.
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