Mushk is the current favourite on TV these days; mostly because of its eccentric characters and out-of-the-box story. One stand out performance in the drama serial is by Zara Tareen, who plays the sinister taayi Zulekha. However, the way Zara has played the role, has redefined the portrayal of negative characters by women in our TV serials. We have a love-hate relationship with her; we love her power and authority but we hate to see her torment others.
Something Haute got in touch with the actor to find out more about her role and how she got into its skin.
Here are some highlights from the interview:
- What was your reaction when you were offered the script?
- How difficult was Zulekha to play?
- Going forward, where does she see herself and her career?
- Do you think there is different kind of storytelling that works for different mediums?
What was your reaction when you were offered the script?
“It was being written while I was doing it. I never expected it to become so big but I knew that the character is distinct. Also, I had a few apprehensions in the beginning. So, when Imran and Aehsun bhai narrated the story to me, I really liked Guddi’s role. I was expecting that they will cast a much older woman in taayi’s role but then they asked me to play her and it took me a while to wrap my brain around it. I thought the taayi and Guddi’s interactions will be interesting and I started enjoying it as I started playing it,” Zara said.
How difficult was Zulekha to play?
“I didn’t want to play her like a typical negative character. I didn’t want her to be just a bad and nasty person; she is a product of her circumstances. She is sensitive and very protective about her daughter even if it appears like she is the worst mother of the century. Outwardly, the actions of her character are pre-defined by the dialogues but from the inside, Zulekha is fighting another battle,” she added.
Going forward, where does she see herself and her career?
“I always say that our industry is ignoring a decade in a woman’s life that is the most important, which is from 30 to 40 years. Women who fall under this age bracket in our dramas are shown to be either too old to get married, divorced or a loser or a depressed side-kick. In real life, it is totally different,” she said.
Do you think there is different kind of storytelling that works for different mediums?
“Of course, there are differences. But there are always creative ways to merge the two and make them work. The web is raising the bar of the content, at least a little bit. We can start introducing elements on TV because if we don’t we are losing an entire segment of the society that only watches content through YouTube, Netflix and other portals,” she said.
Watch the full interview to find out more:
