The three-day Indus Valley School (IVS) Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday with an engaging panel discussion on the creation of characters in mainstream dramas and films.
The panel, titled ‘Heroes and Villains – Stereotypes and Nuances in Film and TV’, included drama writer Bee Gul, director Nadeem Baig, and actors Sarwat Gillani and Sabeena Farooq.
The discussion was moderated by famed journalist Fifi Haroon, who discussed fixing the concept of heroes and villains.
Gul stated, “I feel a villain is way more liberated, free of fear of judgment, as compared to a hero…because he is not cautious of what people will say about him.”
“In Pakistan, we create kind of ‘cardboard’ villains…we never get to refer to the back story or the psychology behind even the characters,” Gul added.
Haroon then asked Gul if there was enough space for impactful heroes. “There is not a lot of space, but as an artist, you have to create the space. For example, in Raqeeb Se, I have created a villain who is a domestic abuser. However, the audience couldn’t hate him completely because there is a backstory, so in the same way, we can create heroes with human elements,” she responded.
Sabeena Farooq shared her experience from the drama Tere Bin, in which she couldn’t relate to the character she played: Haya. She noted that while some characters might not resonate with actresses, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
“My director and co-actors told me that such characters exist, and then I went to research on my own. That is how I was able to manufacture this character the way the audience saw it,” she added.
When asked about the lack of ambitious female heroes in Pakistani media, Farooq expressed hope for more layered female characters in the future.
“I wish that someday we progress enough to show layers of ambitious characters the way we unwrap characters in love because we need it.” She acknowledged the presence of strong female leads but noted that “there are not enough; however, we’re trying.”
Baig also shared the challenge of writing and directing multiple female characters in a show. He emphasised the importance of believable writing and the creative process of making different characters’ stories fit together.
“The major craft lies in writing, and then it is up to the director how they weave these multiple characters with different backstories together,” he explained. He shared that during Sinf-i-Aahan, he asked Umera Ahmed, the writer, “to change the approaches of a few scenes.”
“One person’s protagonist can be another person’s antagonist,” Gillani said.
The discussion concluded with a call for more female-led films in Pakistan and characters that drive change. The festival ended with an award ceremony for aspiring filmmakers and a musical performance.
