The audiences know her as Shazia from Mera Naseeb, or the strait-laced Kashaf from Zindagi Gulzar Hai, but she isn’t half as naïve as Sania, nor is she as giggly and bubbly as Samar, her character in Dobara Phir Se. “I don’t think we ever get close to performing the real us. If you look at the TV projects I have done, I would say my roles have a lot of me in them, but I don’t think I have done a closest version of the real me.” This leading lady got the key to the modelling world when she was 16. “I was doing a play with Aisha Alam and Shayan Malik was having a show. She asked me to attend the modelling rehearsal with her. I had no desire for I was rehearsing for my play. All the top models of the time, Nadia (Hussain), Vini (Vaneeza Ahmed), Iraj (Manzoor) and Gia (Ali) were there,” Sanam goes down memory lane recalling her runway venture which lasted 10 years and then the world of acting unfolded. Many who venture into the world of glitz come for fame, while others go for the money it has to offer. But for this lady, her point of view was always clear. “I knew what I always wanted to do – to act. Whether it’s the big screen, small screen or stage I just want to act. I want to keep challenging myself, leaving an impact on people, not playing, but cracking into their emotions.” Sanam joins MAG for a quick and fun rapid fire. Here are 60 seconds from her life. Excerpts:

Idea of a perfect life?

Travel three times-a-year.

If you could, what is the one thing you want to change about yourself?

I wish I had picked up on things faster.

One thing you can’t leave home without?

It was never my phone, but it has become now for that’s the only way you can stay connected to friends, family and work.

If you could act alongside anyone from anywhere in the entertainment industry, who would it be?

Could be any, Meryl Streep, Irrfan Khan, Nauman Ijaz, Saba Qamar, Christian Bale, Tabu.

Three words that describe your?

Peace loving, confused and passionate.

Favourite TV show?

Mad Men.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I’m home spending time with friends and family.

What do you spend the most on?

Food! I’m a foodie! My favourite cuisines are Pakistani, Thai and Italian.