Separated in 1947 the liking, tastes and preferences of the people of the two divided nations, Pakistan and India, are similar in more than one ways. Cashing on this is Zindagi channel, airing Pakistani serials in India, Humsafar being one of them.
The story is weaved around two characters Asher and his wife, Khirad poles apart but tied in matrimony , and shows how they gradually fall in love. Mahira Khan essaysthe wife’s role opposite Fawad Afzal Khan. Mirroring the real world, just when everything seems perfect, a misunderstanding between the two leads to their separation and then of course reunion later.
The serial, directed by Sarmad Khoosat, is based on a novel of the same name by Farhat Ishtiaq, one of Pakistan’s best selling authors with 13 novels ,two of which, Humsafar and Mata-i-Jaan Hai Tu , have been televised. HumsafarMata-i-Jaan Hai Tu
Farhat is a civil engineer-turned-writer, and screenwriter. Her novels focus on the Pakistani society. “My writings reflect the ground realities of everyday urban life, and is about people living in cities like Karachi or Rawalpindi,” says the writer. About her characters, she says, “Most of them are city-based, educated professionals and belong to middle class the upper strata of the society.”
The author asserts that her career as an engineer helped her in writing. “I have seen and observed a lot of things during my stint as a civil engineer and that exposure influenced my writing. The interaction with professionals, including doctors and those connected with university, too has played a part.”
Opposing critics’ view that her writings were far from reality, the author says, “I do not think so. Being positive and optimistic, my writings portray those very traits.”
Farhat expects Humsafar to be popular here since it received appreciation from Indian viewers who had watched it on the Youtube. “Indians love to watch Pakistani serials and I have a fan following in India. In fact the serial has received positive reviews on some Indian blogs.” Disagreeing with the view that Urdu, the medium of the programme, will affect the viewership, she says, “Hindi and Urdu are close to each other and Pakistanis who watch Hindi serials are able to understand the language.”
Expressing her happiness over Zindagi’s initiative to air serials from across the border she terms it as a “very positive”. “We are neighbours and share a common heritage. There should be exchange of literature, art and culture to maintain good relations,” says Farhat. Incidentally the screenplay of Humsafar has been written by Farhat who made certain changes from the novel “to adapt to television”.
(Humsafar is to be aired on Zindagi channel shortly)
