There’s nothing small about the new TV mega-production Faraar. With a massive star cast, big budget and extensive shooting locations, its producers, Sana Shahnawaz and Samina Humayun Saeed of Next Level Entertainment, pulled out all the stops. They hope the new series, which began airing last week, will take avid drama enthusiasts on a rollercoaster ride of action into the adventure-laden lives of its lead characters.

“When we read itas a script, it was a page-turner,” says Sana. “It’s very rare that a script such as Faraar [written by Mustafa Afridi] comes our way, where the momentum and the pace just keep building up, with all its logic and storylines so well defined that it just grabs your attention from the get-go.”

“We’re betting that the audiences will get as hooked to Faraar as we all did,” adds Samina.

So, does this mean that Faraar could potentially be the blockbuster TV drama that forever changes the way television productions are made, produced and also watched in Pakistan?

“Pakistan has so many stories to tell and we’re really hoping Faraar will open the doors for the drama industry to explore stories outside the drawing-room drama spectrum,” says Sana.

The duo point out that, on average, a local drama is shot at around 15-20 locations, with 60-70 percent of the shoot indoors and the rest usually taking place outdoors. “Faraar has 54 locations in total, out of which 85 percent is outdoors on the road, as it is written all over Pakistan,” they point out to explain the magnitude of the project.

“Hats off and a big thank you to our amazing directors, Syed Wajahat Hussain and Mussadiq Malek, the wonderful cast and a hard-working crew for this journey, to deliver such a difficult project,” Sana adds.

Both Sana and Samina are confident that the varied landscapes of the country, which serve as the backdrop for the various circumstances and scenarios we see the characters faced with, will be a visual treat for the audience.

When Icon approached writer Mustafa Afridi — known for acclaimed dramas such as Aseerzadi, Aangan, Sang-i-Mar Mar, Ehd-i-Wafa, and Sang-i-Mah — to discuss the complexity of juggling five or more parallel storylines and whether any characters were inspired by real people, he chose to withhold detailed comments. Afridi remarked that it would be more appropriate to share his thoughts once the drama unfolds further and the characters, like pieces on a chessboard, fall into place.

The mega-star cast of Faraar includes Hamza Ali Abbasi (Pyaray Afzal, Mann Mayal, Jaan-i-Jahan), Sohai Ali Abro (Gentleman), Ahmed Ali Akbar (Parizaad), Mamya Shajaffar (Contractors, Crossroads, Jhok Sarkar), Daniyal Zafar (Let’s Try Mohabbat), Faris Shafi (The Legend of Maula Jatt), Noor ul Hassan, Sami Khan, Meerub Ali, Nadia Jamil, Hassan Niazi, Iffat Umar, Haroon Shahid, veteran Mehmood Aslam and others in leading roles pivotal to the multi-dimensional storyline.

The first episode of Faraar, aired last Sunday from Green Entertainment Channel, introduced viewers to Fasih, a very agile and God-fearing police officer, who has been wrongfully suspended and facing an official inquiry that he hopes will clear his name.

Pakistan has so many stories to tell and we’re really hoping Faraar will open the doors for the drama industry to explore stories outside the drawing-room drama spectrum,” says producer Sana Shahnawaz

On a parallel but completely different tangent is Hamza Ali Abbasi playing Batish, a misguided political worker and thug, whose menacing ways have his adversaries quaking in their boots. His lady love and the object of affection is the unassuming middle-class girl Sadia, essayed by the ravishing social media star-turned-actress Mamya Shajaffar. How she responds to Batish’s feelings for her, and if at all love blooms and thrives between the two, is yet to be seen in coming episodes.

Meanwhile, in Batish’s character, there are much-needed lessons to be learned and an underlying moral message concerning the exploitation of youth, who are morally misguided and inspired by certain ideologies that do more harm than good in the long run.

In answer to a question, Hamza Ali Abbasi confirms that essaying the misguided thug of Faraar, Batish, is a deliberate attempt by him to bring about awareness and reforms among the youth against corrupt practices. He says he wants to warn them against the hidden evil found in certain sections and malevolent elements in our society, which can manipulate their thoughts and influence their actions.

Green TV’s new drama Faraar already has viewers glued to the screen because of its multi-star cast and massive production, with storylines filmed all over Pakistan. But its real attraction and test will be how its multiple storylines play out over themes about the perseverance of the human spirit and about moral redemption…

“The answer to your question is yes, I have always tried to impart a positive message in every role that I play,” he tells Icon. “In Faraar, Batish, too, is like some of our misguided youth, who are exploited and victimised by certain religious or political ideologies, and who step outside the norms of decency by unlawfully claiming lives by their criminal actions, or [effecting] other manners of destructiveness,” he continues.

“For those who can heed the voice of sanity, there are all kinds of positive lessons to be learned from Batish’s character in Faraar.”

Another character is the upright and righteous political columnist Professor Hamdani, who is a single parent to Mamya Shajaffar’s Sadia. The role of the professor is essayed by veteran actor Noorul Hassan, whose criticism against the morally corrupt practices of political party leader Azam Shah (Mehmood Aslam) has him facing death threats.

In a conversation with Icon, Hassan compared the drama to life. “Like life has its ups and downs, so it is in this drama,” he says. “The battle between good versus evil is as old as time, and ignorance and oppression have to end after some time,” he continues, adding that evil can never flourish for long, or survive indefinitely.

“Like Professor Hamdani, who is morally righteous and steadfast in his ways, trials and tribulations are to be taken in stride as a part of one’s life,” he continues.

Hassan credits the writer and directors for Faraar’s “relatable characters, especially for Karachiites, who can readily relate to the many travesties and adversities of life in a bustling and booming big city such as this.”

Hassan continues that the drama provides many parallels to real life, including the need to learn from our past mistakes. “But we seemingly don’t seem to be doing so, as a result of which there will ultimately be a much bigger and heavier price to pay for our sins and ignorance,” he continues.

“Some people win despite losing, and vice versa, and this is the narrative around which the storyline of Faraar revolves,” he concludes.

What’s perhaps most intriguing for viewers is the promise of romance between Batish and Sadia, Professor Hamdani’s only daughter, as towards the end of the first episode, the thug’s services are called upon to ‘remove’ the threat to Azam Shah’s political career. Will it be a case of unrequited love? Only time will tell!

About Mamya’s portrayal of Sadia in Faraar, does she embody the typical girl-next-door, or is there more depth to her character? “My portrayal of Sadia comes from loss — she’s multi-layered like Faraar itself, and not the typical girl-next-door,” Mamya tells Icon. “But at the same time, it’s not easy to be a typical ‘girl-next-door.’”

She explains that Sadia is a headstrong girl facing the tragedy of a lifetime, and finding a way to survive without creating any melodrama. “So, while there’s less visual action, it’s always harder to play characters such as Sadia, because you have to visualise her mindset without actions,” she points out.

And just how was her experience of being a part of such a star-studded ensemble cast and navigating a story with so many layers?

“It’s been delightful to work with the likes of Ahmed Ali Akbar, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Noorul Hassan and Hina Bayat,” she says. “I enjoy scripts that don’t focus excessively on a girl and guy, and have deeply knitted connections between different characters, because

only that truly depicts real-life situations,” she adds.

Sohai Ali Abro’s aggressively tortured Nazish at the hands of Nadia Jamil’s character Shakeela — apparently for having married a man almost twice her age and accused of being a gold-digger — switches the scene in Faraar from aggressor to victim in the blink of an eye.

The hair-pulling, slaps to the face and kicks to the stomach seem all too real, leaving behind a terribly bruised and battered Nazish, and the audience feeling terribly sad for her predicament. From the precious little we see of her severely tortured character in the first episode, we can only hope Nazish gains strength to fight the perpetrators and survive the odds.

Would the audience be terribly off-cue to expect her to gain empowerment as Faraar proceeds? One can only anticipate with bated breath.

From the bustling coastal metropolis of Karachi, Faraar switches scenes to Swabi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where an archery contest results in a bitter feud between the passionate and impulsive Babrik (Daniyal Zafar) and the winning opponent Gul Wali, played by Asad Chaudhry.

As Babrik’s story arc continues, we see him wanting to spread his wings and aim for foreign shores, like many of his Pakhtun kin, at which point Meerub Ali as Zallay gets written into the narrative.

With more main characters and key players being woven in and introduced as Faraar gains momentum, leading to more intriguing scenarios and unfolding situations, where conflicts arise and then resolve and karma naturally occurs, viewers are likely to remain on tenterhooks.

It is but natural to root for your favourite characters and to hope against hope that complex-yet-lovable characters, such as Batish, don’t really get what they deserve towards the end of their long, convoluted journey.

After all, managing to escape from the shackles of destiny and dodging karma is the greatest feat one can perform in one’s life.

The writer is a member of staff.

He can be contacted at

quraishi.faisal@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 24th, 2024