What do you get when you combine the writer of Sang-e-Mar Mar and the director of Udaari, an Aangan that will keep on delivering.
Although this is the fourth collaboration between Mustafa Afridi the writer and Ehteshamuddin the director (after Partition Stories, Aseerzadi and Mohabbat.pk), they have been around for quite some time, developing content that stays with the audience because of being different than the run-of-the-mill stuff.
The two talented individuals were asked what made them go for Aangan, their strange casting decisions and why they chose to produce a play that is from a different era altogether.
Before starting the interview, I asked director Ehteshamuddin about the probability of having so many good-looking men (Abid Ali, Ahsan Khan, Omair Rana, Mustafa Afridi and Ahad Raza Mir) and gorgeous women (Zeb Rehman, Madiha Rizvi, Sonya Hussyn, Mawra Hocane and Sajal Aly) in one Aangan. ‘That’s the ‘beauty of Aangan’, the director replies as we sat down for a chat.
‘The reason we went for Khadija Mastoor’s classic novel is that it’s a throwback into our past,’ the man behind Udaari said while talking about the decision to go for a novel that is set in the pre-partition days.
‘We felt that the current generation needed to know how people dressed, spoke and what were their beliefs in the past. Since those nations that stay connected to their roots succeed, we went for Aangan as it was the best way to join the past with the present, so that it affects our future in a positive way.’
It was at this point that the writer of the serial Mustafa Afridi joined in and before the question could be asked, he clarified that he didn’t write the character he plays onscreen for himself.
‘I came later into the picture!’ The man who converted the novel into a TV play says, ‘What appealed to me as a writer was the fact that no character in this play is Black and White, every person has issues and whatever they do they have a reason; just like Sang-e-Mar Mar where every character had shades of grey too. What fascinated me were the strong characters as it eased my work as a writer, as is the case when you have characters that drive the story, not the story that drives the characters.’
For Ehtesham, the novel was one of the first in Urdu literature to talk about women empowerment, a movement that is at its zenith in the modern times. ‘Aangan was written at a time when there was little concept of women empowerment, and that shows how futuristic the writer’s thinking was.’
Ehtesham says as he talks why the women in this play are more powerful than the men. ‘Each and every woman in this play is strong-minded be it the mother, the daughters or the daughter-in-law and as presented by the writer, our problems will lessen only when the women take charge of family matters.’
The play has an ensemble cast and like many plays with stellar actors, the biggest hurdle would have been to select the best of the best. Ehteshamuddin clarifies that after Mustafa Afridi had completed the script, it was easy for them to rope in actors as per the merit of the characters.
‘Although the character of Aaliya who is the narrator of the story, goes in the background and all the other characters become main characters.That’s why it was easy to choose actors – Ahsan Khan as he found the double role challenging; Ahad Raza Mir’s age is similar to the character he is playing, Mawra Hocane fit the role of the graceful Aaliya while when we profiled Chammi, Sajal Aly came to mind instantly. Rabia Butt’s Kusum Didi, Hira Mani’s Tehmina and other characters of the play are versions of love even if one is rebellious and the other is madly in love.’
The writer Mustafa Afridi must be credited for updating the timeline of the novel as he picks up the back-story and puts it in linear form so that the audience gets the feeling of watching a story from the beginning, instead of going back and forth.
However, why they chose actors like Omair Rana and Madiha Rizvi as parents of MawraHocane and Hira Mani is beyond imagination, considering they aren’t that old at all. ‘In those days, people got married at a young age’ Mustafa Afridi laughs hard before moving ahead with his explanation.
‘Since the play is about a family’s journey from the 1920s’ to 1948, we had to take actors who could carry both the young as well as old look convincingly and since Omair Rana and Madiha Rizvi fit the bill, we went for them and they have done a fantastic job.’
As for Mustafa Afridi’s induction into the cast, Ehteshamuddin took the credit as he felt that no one could have played the character better than the writer himself who was there at the shoot, always accessible and looked the part as well.
‘Initially, we were interested in casting legendary Bollywood actor Om Puri in the role of Jameel’s father and even had a discussion with him on the sets of Actor In Law in which I had a role as a lawyer.’
Ehtesham’s disclosure brought back memories of Om Puri’s only film in Pakistan, after which he passed away in India. ‘We began production after his death and shortlisted Rehan Sheikh for the role who is not only a good actor but would have brought experience to the character.
However, when we finally went on the floors, Rehan was busy elsewhere and I told Mustafa that he would be playing the role of Baray Chacha. He wasn’t willing at first but he had to do it otherwise there would have been a delay, something we couldn’t afford,’ Ehtesham explained.
from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online http://bit.ly/2TMde4b
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