Baby: the new serial in town

The Anzela Abbasi and Asim Mehmood starrer show will air on Express Entertainment

KARACHI: Anzela Abbasi, daughter of Shamoon and Javeria Abbasi, has only entered the Pakistani entertainment industry just a short while ago. After working in several ads and music videos, she made her television debut with Gila in December last year and now, she is working on another serial titled Baby.

This marks her first venture wherein she will share screen space with her mother. It revolves around Anzela’s character Alia – lovingly called ‘Baby’ – who falls in love with a man from rural areas who belongs to a lower social strata than her.



Speaking with The Express Tribune, Anzela said the entire experience has been wonderful. “My character is a bubbly yet bossy person who wants to make everything better in the world. She doesn’t like to see people hurt. She behaves like a typical teenager.”

Anzela shared Alia’s older version will be played by her mother, Javeria. “Alia falls in love with Asim Mehmood’s character and then he moves to Australia. As the story moves forward, the characters grow old. The older Alia is played by my mother.”

photo:publicity

It’s a totally different ballgame when one enters an industry that their parents are already well-known in. Asked if this limits her potential or creates undue pressure, Anzela said, “Not really. Everyone has been really supportive and wonderful. Now I just want to keep working and improve. I do have a chip on my shoulder because I want to prove my worth.” About working with her mother, Anzela said,” She’s obviously someone I look up to.”



When it comes to Baby, which is directed by Muhammad Iftikhar, the storyline doesn’t seem so much out of the ordinary but Anzela disagrees. “What makes Baby different, apart from the fact that a mother-daughter duo will be sharing the screen for the first time in Pakistani dramas, is that it tackles societal norms. Early marriages are common in rural areas. In the serial, Asim’s character was married at an early age but he doesn’t tell Alia. So, the drama deals with societal issues on a certain level.”

Anzela’s venture into the industry makes us curious as to how she will find her path. “I don’t really have a way figured out yet. I am just going to show up and keep working. I am interested in character acting so I want to take on as many different kinds of roles as possible,” she said. Asked whether she will be working in any film projects anytime soon, Anzela responded, “I don’t think I am ready for a film yet. I want to work and improve my craft now and maybe, in a few years, I will consider working on a film.”

Baby airs at 7 pm from Monday to Thursday on Express Entertainment.

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