Actor and producer Nabeel Zafar doesn’t hold back when it comes to award shows.
Appearing as a guest on Faysal Quraishi’s Pressure Buhat Hai podcast, Nabeel expressed frustration with biased award selection process and emphasized the need to honor those who truly deserve recognition.
“For me, awards hold no personal significance. Be it national or private, I view awards as a form of appreciation. However, if the appreciation is discredited toward the wrong individual, it can be upsetting for those who truly deserve it,” he remarked.
The Dhuwan actor raised concerns about the unfairness in the award system, saying, “In our system, there’s so much bias that even when someone receives an accolade like the Pride of Performance, they end up justifying themselves, saying they have no political affiliations or ulterior motives. It makes one think, I believe awards should exist but must go to the deserving ones. After all, real recognition comes directly from the audience, starting the moment you step outside.”
Nabeel shared a special moment that showed him what true recognition really is.
“Recently, I received a call about a child with Down syndrome who wanted to meet me. When we met, he enthusiastically discussed Bulbulay, asking repeatedly about the characters, including Mahmood Sahab and Khoobsurat. His father told me that the child believes the show’s world is real. Moments like these, for me, are the true awards,” the Bulbulay actor shared.
Nabeel looked back at the early days of Bulbulay and shared the challenges they faced in casting Ayesha Omar.
“Casting Ayesha Omar was a challenge. She was transitioning from being a VJ, and many actors hesitated to take on comedy due to its delicate nature—too much, and it seems overdone; too little, and it falls flat. Despite initial skepticism, Ayesha joined, though she often faced criticism from her family about the show’s ‘nonsensical comedy.’ But, as I once assured her, Bulbulay would eventually define her identity,” the Qissa Saat Raaton Ka actor said.
Earlier, Nabeel Zafar appeared as a guest on FHM podcast hosted by Adnan Faisal and shared an exciting story about his on-screen mother and fellow colleague Hina Dilpazeer, who plays the character of Momo in the show.
“When I called Hina, we had previously worked together on the telefilm ‘Burns Road Ki Nilofar,’ which was very successful. In that project, we had scenes together and it was a very good telefilm. People knew ‘Burns Road Ki Nilofar’, so I called her and said, ‘Look, you might be two or four years younger than me, but the role is of a mother.’ To which she said, ‘No, no, no, I will do it’.”
