Asma Nabeel is the mastermind behind hit TV play Khaani, which has outranked every other drama serial that is on air these days. Asma has also also co-written (with Ahsan Raza Firdousi) the screenplay for feature film Maan Jao Na as well as last year’s socially relevant play, Khuda Mera Bhi Hai, which tackled the sensitive and taboo topic of unisex children and how society treats them. She’s a highly acclaimed writer and we couldn’t help but get some insight on what went into the writing of Khaani.
What was the thought that went into writing Khaani; was it inspired by real events and meant to be a social commentary or will it become a romance?
Asma Nabeel: Khaani was never meant to be a romance. Obviously, there are elements of a love story in it and those tracks are open but the story will unfold ahead and people will realise why I wrote it. I always have an agenda when I write a story and I like to raise issues, which I have. I can’t say more otherwise I’ll be giving the storyline away but I will say that the purpose behind Khaani will become evident in the last few episodes.
It isn’t a romance but people are romanticising the villain and saying that it’s more his story than Khaani’s. Is this the way you wrote the character or did it just take a life of its own?
AN: If people are romanticizing the character of Mir Hadi then it’s more to do with Feroze Khan and his personality than anything else. When we were brainstorming the story and I was writing the character, it was a completely negative role; Mir Hadi is a bigra hua bacha. It’s Feroze’s personality that people have started falling in love with him. He is the main character, which is a little negative, but Feroze is also a hero. The way he’s acting and the way he has taken ownership of the role is why people are loving him more.
Also read:Â Feroze Khan talks about forgiveness for Mir Hadi
