Veteran actress Shehnaz Sheikh may have stopped acting in dramas long ago, but she remains one of the nation’s favorite celebrities. She will be hosting a talk show on PTV soon, but she won’t be returning to acting anytime soon.
Talking about her hit drama Ankahi in an interview with BBC Urdu, Shehnaz Sheikh said, “I was paid Rs. 800 per episode. Clothes, food, nothing was provided; we had to arrange everything ourselves, even transportation. After three years of ‘Tanhaiyaan,’ the payment increased to Rs. 1000. I am talking about a top-grade actor.”
She also discussed her thoughts on social media. The host asked how does she see social media.’ She said, “I am thankful that during our time, all this wasn’t there. These phones didn’t exist, you can’t even imagine how our lives would have been exposed. The thought of someone recording, imagine if a camera came out, you’d know. In our entire class, there was hardly one person with a camera; it was so rare and your privacy is gone. But oh my god, the information you get! I can’t think of my life without social media. I love it. I watch TikTokers, reels, whenever I see them. As I said, if I don’t like something, I just scroll ahead.”
Everyone who uses the internet knows about the beloved trope ‘she fell first, but he fell harder’, and how it keeps on winning the hearts of audiences. In this trope, it is the woman who falls first, but becomes a cynic after getting rejected. Later, the man learns from his mistake and falls even more in love with the woman than she does with him.
We know Pakistani dramas aren’t the first things that come to mind when you think about well-written male leads who aren’t misogynist man-children, but there have been rare occasions when we got to see what happens when romance dramas empower women, and actually don’t rely on depressing tropes to generate interest for the audience.
Fairy Tale
Starting with the drama that really proved how much Pakistani women needed to see a healthy romance where the male lead’s ego did not rely on taking away another woman’s independence and vivacious nature. Farjaad starts off as the typical saroo man with a strict schedule he refuses to break for any woman. When Umeed enters his life, he dismisses her off as too careless and irresponsible for him. But the way this man shifts positions, doing everything to prove his love for Umeed, made the internet sob oceans because can’t Pakistani men take a blueprint from Farjaad?
Dude started the show as someone who is completely cold and aloof and after marriage, he began learning how to make tea just because he promised Umeed? He was the strict one whom no one could ever think of displeasing, but is now purchasing a shop to help Umeed fulfil her dream of owning a chai business? Kudos to Sarah Majeed for spoiling us with this show. There’s no way we’re setting our standards low after Farjaad.
Ankahi
Every one remembers the cult classic show with a brilliant performance by Shehnaz Sheikh as the hilarious Sana, but few people talk about the love story between her and Taimur, the sariyal boss who grows to fall in love with her. Taimur starts off as a cold and brutal boss who makes Sana miserable as his secretary, but soon her lovable nature and warmth makes him fall for her. His unfamiliarity with love holds him back when he realises how good of a match Faraz is for Sana. In the last moments of the show, the audience realises how much Taimur has fallen for Sana and wants to find happiness with her, but knows she would be happier with Faraz so lets her go.
Dhoop Kinare
Haseena Moin, you were the absolute best. Even today, your dramas continue to inspire viewers with portrayals of complex and empowered women. Dhoop Kinare was startlingly unique, with three dimensional interesting characters, and an endearing love story between the two leads. Dr Ahmer Ansari originally clashes with Dr Zoya Ali Khan, a new intern at the hospital where he is the most respected doctor. He calls her careless, while continuing being cold and aloof, while Zoya’s carefree and warm nature continues to win hearts at the hospital, eventually winning him over too.
