“Parizaad” was already on the top charts for its off-beat story coupled with the inclusion of greats like Nauman Ijaz, Urwa Hocane, Saboor Aly, Ahmad Ali Akbar and a few yet to-be introduced characters, which will be enacted by Yumna Zaidi, Ushna Shah and Mashal Khan as can be seen from the trailers.
It was when the viewers were twelve episodes into the serial that another much-adored celebrity, Nadia Afgan made her appearance. Afgan happens to be playing the role of a police inspector who will be probing the case of Urwa and her beloved’s disappearance, backed by Nauman Ijaz’s character. The moment the actress made her entry as a priggish lady inspector, social media witnessed an unforeseen outpouring of love for the serial. Afgan’s entry has doubled the charm of “Parizaad”, as the actress has become a heartthrob among Pakistanis ever since she played the role of a Punjabi mom in the rom com “Suno Chanda”.
This in no way means that Nadia Afgan wasn’t a known figure before. The actress has been entertaining us since the days of “Shashlik”, a sitcom from the times when the genre had just been introduced in Pakistan. Since then, the actress has been making frequent appearances on the screen with notable performances in blockbusters like “Afsar Bekaar-e-Khas”, “Larka Karachi Ka Kuri Lahore Di”, “Pichal Pairyan”, “Laado’n Mein Pali”, “Be-hadd”, “Faltu Larki”, “Biquees Kaur”, “Shehr e Zaat” and “Sammi”. Afgan, however, had a breakthrough when she appeared in the role of a Punjabi woman in the family Ramadan special season called “Suno Chanda”, enticing lots and lots of viewers with her spontaneity and eloquence in the Punjabi language, the kind that is a rarity among contemporary actors. With an articulation meeting the level of Bushra Ansari, Afgan also became the recipient of a best actress award in a supporting role.
Ever since, Pakistanis have been wanting to watch more and more of Afgan, and their wish came true in the most incredible way ever in her appearance in a serial that had already garnered a lot of appreciation. It seems as if Afgan’s entry into the serial had to be the last nail in the coffin to turn “Parizaad” into one of the most successful and star-studded modern dramas.
With Afgan adding to its stellar cast, the serial has acquired a whole new fan-base now. Right after the episode aired, it could be seen on social media that a lot of people who were earlier not much interested in the serial, have promised that they will be watching it hereon, as one of their favourite actresses is now a part of the project. What has further inspired people is that “Parizaad” continues to break stereotypes by introducing yet another inspirational character, that of a female cop who is not ready to make any compromises in her job and wants every task to be done on time. Afgan just had to be chosen for the character as she is one of the best character-actresses in Pakistan.
Written by Hashim Nadeem and directed by Shahzad Kashmiri, “Parizaad” can be watched every Tuesday at 8pm on HUM TV.
