These prominent actresses are portraying villainous roles with a dominant part in various plays, proving that women characters are diversifying beyond the stereotypical damsel in distress.
With intriguing plots and commendable performances, Pakistani television plays are usually family-centric and women always seem to portray critical roles - positive or negative. When it comes to female leads, there remains a strong presence of regressive characters but the fact is that our drama productions are evolving with time and now we see strong female characters, thanks to scriptwriters who have started adding layers as far as roles for women are concerned. In the recent past, not only progressive characters have emerged on television, but now actresses can be seen portraying complicated, villainous roles with a dominant role in the story.
Instep gives a low down on four actresses who are portraying negative characters with great depth and skill.
Nadia Khan
The actress and host is currently appearing in drama serial Kamzarf, which is directed by Zeeshan Ahmed. Apart from Nadia Khan, the play stars singer-actor Junaid Khan, Ali Ansari and Rubab Hashim in key roles. 10 episodes into the play, the story revolves around an elder sister Aima, essayed by Nadia Khan, who is a typical conservative sister. She is dominant and selfish to the point that she doesn’t care about her siblings’ happiness.
Aima has a strong influence on her younger siblings and wants complete control over their lives. Aima goes to the extent of breaking her brother Azar’s (essayed by Junaid Khan) heart when she gets him married to Fauzia (Rabab Hashim) even though he is in love with someone else. However, things don’t go as Aima had planned and things take a turn when Azar develops feelings for his wife. Nadia Khan’s performance is commendable in the play because as the selfish and stubborn Aima, she has no room for compassion and that is hard to pull off.
Uzma Gillani
The veteran actress plays an antagonist in drama serial Kaisa Hai Naseeban. Directed by Ahmed Bhatti and written by Sameena Aijaz, Kaisa Hai Naseeban stars Ramsha Khan and Muneeb Butt in key roles besides Uzma Gillani. The story highlights issues such as marital violence and abusive relationships faced by girls who move abroad after they are married.
Uzma Gillani essays the character of Musarrat, who is manipulative and acts sweet in front of her brother but doesn’t miss any chance to torture her daughter in law who also happens to be her niece. 18 episodes into the play, Uzma Gillani is just brilliant as the evil mother-in-law. She helps take the story forward with her conniving plots and definitely stands out in Kaisa Hai Naseeban.
Hina Dilpazeer
After playing comic roles in Bulbulay and Qudoosi Sahab Ki Bewah, Hina Dilpazeer can be seen in a negative role in drama serial Baandi. Written by Asma Nabeel and helmed by Syed Kamran Ahmed, Baandi stars Hina Dilpazeer, Muneeb Butt, Aiman Khan and Yasir Hussain in key roles. The play follows the story of a girl, Meeru, essayed Aiman Khan, who sacrifices her life in the name of honor.
Hina Dilpazeer essays the role of Faiza Begum, who belongs to a reputed and well off family. She is a religious preacher who uses religion as a tool to exploit others. She not only believes in ill treating the servants but even attempts to kill her servant Meeru. A brilliant actress, Hina Dilpazeer is surely remarkable as Faiza Begum.
Asma Abbas
Written by Radain Shah, Khudparast features Ramsha Khan, Shahzad Sheikh, Nausheen Shah and Asma Abbas among others in lead roles. The play follows the story of a girl Uswah (Ramsha Khan) who is bold and selfish and wants to live her life without any boundaries. However, she gets married into a family that is conservative and her mother-in-law’s (essayed by Asma Abbas) dominating and manipulating personality is something that she just can’t take. Asma Abbas brilliantly plays the stern Bakhtawar in Khudparast. Being the head of the family, she is rigid and likes to control everything and hence makes things worse for her sons and their families.
Asma Abbas portrays her character so well that as a viewer it becomes easy to hate her and that proves her ultimate acting prowess.
