Pehli Si Muhabbat starring Maya Ali and Sheheryar Munawar in the lead premiered last week and received mixed reviews from the audience. While many thought that it took them into a fairytale world where everything looks filmi and beautiful, some criticized it of being typical and rather slow-paced.
It is penned by renowned writer, Faiza Iftikhar, who has written some of the most popular plays on television including Dil Lagi, Akbari Asghari, Aunn Zara, Bilqees Kaur, Baba Jani, currently airing Prem Gali and award-winning drama Ranjha Ranjha Kardi. She’s also the writer of upcoming film, Tich Button.
Read More: Faiza Iftikhar talks about a crazy kind of love in Pehli Si Muhabbat
“If I write a story after a gap of one year, it won’t be as typical as people assume it to be,” said Faiza in an exclusive chat with Something Haute. “Obviously, there is much more to the drama than what is shown in the first episode.”
The writer went on to add that if Maya and Sheheryar choose a script to make a comeback to television then they must have seen something special or unique to accept it. She also added that if HSY is making his acting debut with this project then he probably saw something too. “He wouldn’t have just said yes to play a religious big brother who is against the lead couple’s union.”
Faiza also clarified that while people might think its a fairytale, it’s much deeper and close to the harsh realities of life. “Love story in itself is not a story. We use a narrative, be it love or a tale of a household, to give a bigger message to the audience. I wanted to relay my message to the audience through a love story.”
While Pehli Si Muhabbat may look like a love story, the real story is something else. “The beginning of a love story feels like a fairytale especially at the age where our main characters are. However, as the story unfolds you’ll see that everyone will be able to relate to it,” said the writer explaining her perspective. She added that if a drama does not have a dramatic angle, it would be called a documentary.
Read More: Episode 1: Pehli Si Muhabbat begins on an engaging note
“Even the names of my characters are common names in Pakistan to keep the story as close to reality as possible,” Faiza said.
While at times, the script doesn’t translate on-screen the same way it was written, the writer is happy that so far, what we see in the first episode is exactly how she penned it referring to the pathrao scene.
“We often feel that if we haven’t experienced something then that probably doesn’t happen,” stated Faiza answering the audiences’ criticism about a close-knit neighbourhood shown in the play.
“If one child gets kidnapped on the same route to school as other kids, their parents would say that it doesn’t happen and how is it possible since it did not happen to one of their own. The pathrao scene might not be something that everyone has experienced but it’s not like it can not or does not happen anywhere,” she said adding that the scene will make more sense to the viewers in the coming episodes. “In a film, you only have to wait till the interval to see how the story unfolds. In a drama, the wait is a little longer.”
Watch the complete interview here:
