Renowned television and stage actress Sania Saeed is all set to grace the small screen in a never-seen-avatar in Geo’s upcoming period drama, Mor Mahal.
The 40 episodes long period drama has been conceptualized by Imran Aslam; written by legendary poet and writer Sarmad Sehbai; produced by Babar Javed, and directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat.
Sania Saeed while talking about her role said that it was the weirdest thing she ever did on television.
“I play an oracle in the serial.An oracle was an entity that parlayed prophecies delivered from a divine source, a type of character that has never been envisioned, let alone portrayed on Pakistani television,” she said.
Pakistani television is riddled with female characters that are shown to be indubitably dependent on the men in their lives. But Saeed gleefully relates that her character in Mor Mahal is not buoyed by such draconian limitations.
“I have no sons, husbands, son-in-laws or any male relatives around who my life revolves. Thankfully, my character is further unique in that way,” she added
Saeed’s character is also free from any physical as well as representational barriers.
“I tried to bring something new to the table. My voice, my mannerisms – everything is different,” she explained.
She also added that the drama cast attended different acting workshops to understand the nuances of their roles.
“My character is so different from the rest because she doesn’t look, act or dress like any of the other women of this world. I had no restrictions on how to portray her,” the actress added.
The director Sarmad Khoosat while talking about the play said that it was essentially a story of fiercely resilient and powerful women.
“There will be no weeping willows here. Mor Mahal is a ‘once-upon-a-time’, plot driven story. It has costume, drama, music, glitz and glamour and it’s still a relatable story because it boils down to human relationships,” the director said.
‘Mor Mahal’ stars rock-star Umair Jaswal in his TV debut as Nawab Asif Jahan; Meesha Shafi as Farrukh Zaad, one of his three scheming wives. The stellar cast also included Hina Bayat, Fizza Ali , Janan Malik, Ali Saleem and Sania Saeed.
Set in the fictional state of Jahanabad around 200 years ago, the drama represented an era fusing Mughal, Greek, Egyptian and Turkish civilizations. It will be the first Pakistani “fantasy drama” to be televised since Alif Laila and Ainak Wala Jinn almost 25 years ago.
Mor Mahal has also been named as Pakistan’s most expensive television series after GEO TV’s Bashar Momin. It will air on GEO TV in the third week of March 2016.
