Hit Pakistani drama, Humsafar, is making its way to India
Sarmad Sultan Khoosat and (above) a still from Humsafar
The hit Pakistani drama, Humsafar, is making its way to India and its director, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, couldn’t be more excited. Speaking to us from Pakistan , Sarmad said, “It’s high time India sees our work! We have been watching Indian TV shows. The language between both countries is similar, so is the commercial standpoint. Everyone wants peace and collaborations and that finally seems to be happening. We have had 65 years of learning, and a lot of people are loosening up… the hate is more of an agenda imposed by an irresponsible media. India is the bigger market, and whoever wants to make an impact hops over to India. But the exchange of talent has become more reciprocal.”
Sarmad says that compared to the big screen-small screen scenario in India, in Pakistan the two industries have a slightly different equation. “For the last two decades, films had died in Pakistan, TV was the only offering. So in terms of the ratio, TV is a much bigger industry here,” he said.
Coming back to his show Humsafar, Sarmad says that it works on a different level from the novel it was based on. “The novel was for a select audience, books are not romanced on that level. I wasn’t too scared to pick Humsafar up, as it was the novelist herself who adapted it for TV. In fact I didn’t read the novel, as it’s a completely different medium and didn’t want the book to influence my work on the show,” he said.
Apart from its plot, Humsafar’s big selling point has been its cast and of his lead pair, Sarmad says, “It was fantastic, I hadn’t worked with Fawad Khan and Mahira before. Fawad and I had started our careers around the same time.
“Before Humsafar, I had worked on dark mysteries and romance was an unknown territory. Fawad and Mahira had that freshness and vulnerability that actors should have. They were willing to grow and dispelled the myth that more experienced actors have a mental block towards experimenting.
“I recently watched Fawad’s film Khoobsurat. Fawad has a star charisma that transcends borders. He looks good and acts well.”The director adds that the romance in Humsafar is old school, which is what has connected with fans: “For this show, the script demanded old school and simple romance. In fact, there isn’t any more proximity beyond holding hands. Surprisingly, the show appealed to all sorts of age groups, even high school kids who usually watch western shows. I was surprised when they liked it. The sensibility is retro without being stereotypical.”
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