In conversation with Sanam Saeed and Mohib Mirza who are reuniting for ‘Deedan’

Storytelling is supposed to be an art that transports you to another world which you are often not acquainted with. Viewers always appreciate dramas that transcend the hackneyed subjects and bring something new to the table. Sanam Saeed and Mohib Mirza (who we last saw in feature film Bachaana) are all set to star as Resham and Zardaab in a similar thrilling story – Deedan – that deals with forbidden love and its complications in a different cultural set up.

Sanam will now be seen essaying the role of a village girl living up north. The lead pair recently spoke about their upcoming project in a press meet and expressed how women are held accountable and judged quickly. We have seen Sanam portraying strong female characters previously, but this attempt of hers is quite different – apparently a subdued character with a dramatic look.

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Talking exclusively to Something Haute, the actress said, “I was nervous about doing it after reading the script. Inadvertently, I have taken on this responsibility of being a strong role model for women all the time. Film is like my escapism where I get to experiment with characters. I realized that television is also a medium for me to show versatility. I, Sanam Saeed, should be a strong role model but my characters don’t have to be always like that. For Resham I even opted for a dramatic dressy look which I normally tend to stay away from, because it was the demand of the script.”

Read: Sanam Saeed returns to television with ‘Deedan’

“An inspirational thing that people may take from Resham is her persistence to do what she thinks is right and she deserves to be loved,” Sanam revealed.

Sanam gives due credit to the director of the project, Amin Iqbal, for explaining the intricacies of her role. “When I work with different directors, I am constantly corrected because you are limited in your experiences but some things do happen in an unusual way in the world you are projecting,” she said.

The Cake star has a theater background and thus her attention to detail is on point. “Resham has to have a certain look and a northern accent; it won’t make sense if she will speak in salees [pure] Urdu,” the actress expressed while acknowledging that they have to be careful about pronunciations and linguistic variation.

The story of the play is about star-crossed lovers, but Resham’s father doesn’t let her marry him and then she gets married to someone else which doesn’t work out. Zardaab — Mohib’s character — keeps trying to marry her but faces rejection. “It is a series of very many unfortunate events and it’s their journey of how the two will end up together but the crux of the story is that how we are so quick to judge and punish a human particularly a woman, before ensuring her rights first,” Sanam explained.

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She expressed that she (being a woman) can never understand how a man feels that their mother, wife, or sister’s honour is in his hands. “I think ezzat [honour] is also a little bit of ego and personally I don’t have a big ego. Log kya kahenge [what will people say?] doesn’t bother me. But it matters to a segment of society and it isn’t a bad thing unless it is dealt with properly. To what level you are ready to protect your honour and where do you bend the rules is where it gets out of hands,” she added.

Official soundtrack of Deedan

And her co-star Mohib totally agrees with her. “We should not suppress any gender with overpowering cultures and traditions,” he said. Talking about his character, Mohib said that Zardaab is the modern-day embodiment of Majnu. “He is the only positive force in the play who is sacrificing so much time and again. I don’t think it is humanely possible for someone to do that.”

Working together is always a pleasant experience for both of them as they are good friends in real life. “We get along in all other aspects as well. Both of us are particular about our food, where we are staying, and exercise and rehearsing line. Also, we have always shot abroad; we were in Panama, Florida for our first project then in Mauritius for Bachaana and now up north. You always bond more when you are away from home,” said Sanam.

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Mohib said that they spent major chunk of their previous project running in Mauritius together which was a tough task. “She is a thorough professional and is accommodating to provide space to fellow actors. Due to her theater background, she is very well equipped in delivering an extempore reaction which is a scare quality today,” he said.

Concluding the discussion, Mohib was vocal about the unfair portrayal of men in our dramas. “I think we should portray men in a more refined light, especially for our young generation. It is important to produce counter content where men can be projected in different roles such as an athlete perhaps,” he emphasized.

The two also hinted towards their possible movie in the pipeline. “We will probably start shooting in January or February next year,” Mohib quipped.

The play is written by Attiya Daud and is scheduled to go on-air on 13th October at 8pm on A-plus.