Iqra Aziz is certainly on a roll these days. Nominated for Suno Chanda’s debut season in the Best Actress category at the upcoming, 2019 edition of Lux Style Awards, the actress is presently playing protagonist in two of the most talked-about drama serials these days.
Iqra Aziz is certainly on a roll these days. Nominated for Suno Chanda’s debut season in the Best Actress category at the upcoming, 2019 edition of Lux Style Awards, the actress is presently playing protagonist in two of the most talked-about drama serials these days.
One is Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, directed by Kashif Nisar, in which she features as Noori – a young girl married to a mentally challenged man - while she is also playing the female lead in Suno Chanda 2, directed by Aehsun Talish.
The two plays revolve around completely contrasting themes: Ranjha Ranjha Kardi is more socially driven while Suno Chanda 2 is a light-hearted, romantic comedy of sorts.
Speaking to Something Haute (SH) in a recent interview, Iqra talked about the characters she is portraying on the small screen. She is of the view that while Jiya in Suno Chanda is a likeable character, Noori in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi has generated mixed reviews from viewers.
“For Jiya, I always get positive feedback because it doesn’t really highlight a social issue kind of a thing,” Iqra shared. “Suno Chanda 2 highlights progressive content, in an attempt to send out positive messages. For instance, by raising the issue of Jiya’s higher studies, the play conveys that if a girl wants to study, or do something for herself, she should be able to do that, whether she is married or not. She should follow her dreams for herself as an individual.”
“Noori, on the other hand, is a complex character,” the actress continued. “I am really happy with the project [RRK] and the character; viewers sympathise with Noori on one hand, but, then there is also a feeling that she is not doing the right thing. There are so many ups and downs, so many social issues that are in your face but they exist in our society. I got appreciation as well as criticism for Noori. I really like that character because it led to both positive and negative reviews.”
Iqra also spoke about the kind of relationship Noori and Bhola (Imran Ashraf) share in the play and that this is not something we have seen on the small screen before.
“Sometimes Noori has the positive side, sometimes Bhola has the positive side, and sometimes they both have the audience’s sympathy about what’s going on with the characters,” she maintained. “It is a very different relationship. When we were shooting for it, director Kashif Nisar, Imran Ashraf and I used to discuss that we don’t know how the audience is going to digest the relationship between Noori and Bhola. We haven’t really shown such a relationship in-depth on the small screen; Noori gets married to a mentally challenged man on top of struggling with circumstances that surround her life. I am so glad that viewers have received it so well.”
Few episodes back, Ranjha Ranjha Kardi took a traumatic turn when Bhola – under the influence of heavy medication - sexually assaults Noori, and continues to do so every following night. It is here when a turning point emerges in the serial. It becomes very harrowing for Noori, who may have accepted life as Bhola’s wife, but without the physical abuse that becomes part of it.
Sadly, due to lack of awareness, a major part of the audience felt that there was no such thing as marital rape.
Reflecting on her social media post regarding the subject and why she deleted it later, Iqra informed, “People don’t want to talk about it and that’s fine, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is not right. They don’t understand what Noori went through and what she felt.”
Ranjha Ranjha Kardi has picked up in the last couple of episodes with Noori likely to rebel as Sahir (her love interest), continues to manipulate the situation to suit himself. However, given the recent episode that went on air last Saturday, Noori isn’t too happy with Sahir’s plot against Bhola and his family, particularly when Sahir insists that he doesn’t want his reputation affected within the family.
When asked what the play holds in store for viewers and if there is a tragic end coming, the actress responded, “It’s not tragic - for Noori and Bhola. It ends on a happy note. Ranjha Ranjha Kardi is going to teach you that no matter what the situation is in your life, you can survive it if you have the will.”
