My daughter’s death was the reason I did Meri Guriya: Mohsin Abbas Haider
Actor talks playing sexual predator in latest serial, how it can help educate families about rape
PHOTO: PUBLICITY
DUBAI:
The first episode of Meri Guriya aired on June 27, beginning with the rape and murder of a little girl and the police speaking to the media about it. A shifty young man by the name of Dabeer was also introduced. Dabeer owns a grocery store and a games shop in the city and is also about to get married soon.
But while he seemed an okay fellow upon first glance, the youngster will soon be revealed as being the rapist and murderer of the little girl. The Express Tribune caught up with Mohsin Abbas Haider who essays Dabeer to find out more about the nascent serial and what made him take on the role which, undoubtedly, has to be the toughest one he has done so far.
‘The Express Tribune’ (ET): So first things first…what prompted you to sign up for ‘Meri Guriya?’
Mohsin Abbas Haider (MAH): Had my daughter not passed away, had I not understood what it meant to be a father and to bear the loss of a child, I would not have understood what it meant to cope with loss.
My baby girl died due to an illness. But to think that someone’s daughter dies in a way that Zainab Ansari from Kasur did, and the way other parents have lost their children to such crimes… I wondered how they [the parents] must have felt. My daughter may have left this world but I am still a father and always will be. Her loss was the reason I did this role.
ET: Ahsan Khan, before taking on Imtiaz in ‘Udaari,’ received a lot of cautionary advices from friends and family about his role. Did you get similar advice?
MAH: Oh yes! My co-actors said it was a brave decision and a lot of people also said that maybe I shouldn’t have made that decision. Some claimed it would be very risky for my career; people’s love for me would turn into hate.
But what I believe is that someone had to play Dabeer. And we’ve been entertaining audiences too for so long… why can’t we educate them too? The purpose of Meri Guriya is not to generate TRPs; it’s not a sensational story. Sania Apa’s (Sania Saeed) character as the victim’s mother shows us how to protect our daughters and educate our children. Through Faris Shafi and Sonya Hussyn’s roles as Dabeer’s brother and wife, we see how families should react when they find out that they’ve got a potential predator amongst them.
ET: How did you prepare for this role?
MAH: Our director Ali Hasan and I would have long discussions and even observed some sex offenders. We saw these people change behaviours when they were in front of family and when they were with their victims. We studied these characters deeply and prepared for them before going on to the sets.
ET: What has been the feedback to the first episode? How do you look at it?
MAH: The response has been good. I feel that our audiences have matured, and can accept stories and roles like these. They can now digest difficult subjects such as sexual harassment, rape and murder.
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ET: Are you afraid of being type-casted as a villain; and that your image will become negative after this?
MAH: Well, this is going to be a long answer. It had only been a short while since my daughter’s death when producer Ali Kazmi asked Ali if I would even do this role. I said I indeed would because I felt that through it, I could possibly save a lot of other girls from the evil that exists in society.
But when I went on to the sets, I had no idea what I had walked into. I saw a little girl – Bakhtawar, who is playing Abida – and realised I had to act opposite her. And I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t act, I couldn’t respond, I couldn’t look at her the way a sexual predator would. Eventually, we had to send her off one she had done her parts so I could shoot an empty scene.
When we saw the promos, OST and the episode, we would cry. When Sania Apa would be shooting, we’d cry. We’d sit silent for a long time after shooting. There was no drama or fun or entertainment. This was a serious subject that was important to us all and we have simply tried to tackle it as responsibly as we could. We’ve tried to show different aspects of abuse, especially educating children, parents and other family members about it.
ET: What has been the most difficult part about portraying Dabeer?
MAH: Honestly, I have no idea how I did it. That little girl was just like my daughter and this was possibly the most difficult, the most badtareen (worst) role that I have done.
ET: Have you received any backlash for ‘Meri Guriya’ yet? Do you think this was the right time to make a television serial on a topic such as this?
MAH: Right time? There are many things that were never discussed before in our society but now they are, on TV, on social media… And I think that’s great, whether it’s transgender rights or something else.
We’re already late in talking about child sexual abuse, I think. So many cases have happened… such events take place and we need to stop them. We’ve talked about it in Udaari. There are different organs of society that work to bring awareness about the topic – whether it is the government or the civil society. So it’s our responsibility as actors and members of the media. We can entertain people in other projects but this play is our attempt to educate the masses.
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ET: How do you plan to disengage yourself from playing Dabeer? Do you plan to do something light or take a break from work?
MAH: In the 12 years of my career, I’d always hear people say that they needed a psychiatrist after a certain role and I never really understood it. Now I do. I’m still shooting for Meri Guriya and Sania Apa is my de facto psychiatrist. She counsels me and consoles me on set and I’ve been very disturbed because of this role.
There are many shades of Dabeer ranging from his naiveté to pure evil, which I’ve tried to do to the best of my abilities and I do believe I need a psychiatrist now. But yes, I might do a lighter role next, maybe.
ET: What is the desired impact that you wish for audiences to have after they have watched Meri Guriya for the next few weeks?
MAH: I want everyone to learn – especially parents. They should empower their children with enough confidence and trust so they can go to their parents with anything. I want everyone to watch Meri Guriya, even children because they need to be aware of what they should and shouldn’t do. I’ve even asked my nieces and nephews to watch it.
ET: Do you have any discretionary advice for viewers? What should they keep in mind while watching Dabeer do what he does?
MAH: Like I said, my coworkers did say my audiences would hate me after this. But I hope they are mature enough to understand that I am not Dabeer and that the characters we actors portray onscreen are simply for the sake of telling the stories of our society. They are not who we are.
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
The first episode of Meri Guriya aired on June 27, beginning with the rape and murder of a little girl and the police speaking to the media about it. A shifty young man by the name of Dabeer was also introduced. Dabeer owns a grocery store and a games shop in the city and is also about to get married soon.
But while he seemed an okay fellow upon first glance, the youngster will soon be revealed as being the rapist and murderer of the little girl. The Express Tribune caught up with Mohsin Abbas Haider who essays Dabeer to find out more about the nascent serial and what made him take on the role which, undoubtedly, has to be the toughest one he has done so far.
‘The Express Tribune’ (ET): So first things first…what prompted you to sign up for ‘Meri Guriya?’
Mohsin Abbas Haider (MAH): Had my daughter not passed away, had I not understood what it meant to be a father and to bear the loss of a child, I would not have understood what it meant to cope with loss.
My baby girl died due to an illness. But to think that someone’s daughter dies in a way that Zainab Ansari from Kasur did, and the way other parents have lost their children to such crimes… I wondered how they [the parents] must have felt. My daughter may have left this world but I am still a father and always will be. Her loss was the reason I did this role.
ET: Ahsan Khan, before taking on Imtiaz in ‘Udaari,’ received a lot of cautionary advices from friends and family about his role. Did you get similar advice?
MAH: Oh yes! My co-actors said it was a brave decision and a lot of people also said that maybe I shouldn’t have made that decision. Some claimed it would be very risky for my career; people’s love for me would turn into hate.
But what I believe is that someone had to play Dabeer. And we’ve been entertaining audiences too for so long… why can’t we educate them too? The purpose of Meri Guriya is not to generate TRPs; it’s not a sensational story. Sania Apa’s (Sania Saeed) character as the victim’s mother shows us how to protect our daughters and educate our children. Through Faris Shafi and Sonya Hussyn’s roles as Dabeer’s brother and wife, we see how families should react when they find out that they’ve got a potential predator amongst them.
ET: How did you prepare for this role?
MAH: Our director Ali Hasan and I would have long discussions and even observed some sex offenders. We saw these people change behaviours when they were in front of family and when they were with their victims. We studied these characters deeply and prepared for them before going on to the sets.
ET: What has been the feedback to the first episode? How do you look at it?
MAH: The response has been good. I feel that our audiences have matured, and can accept stories and roles like these. They can now digest difficult subjects such as sexual harassment, rape and murder.
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ET: Are you afraid of being type-casted as a villain; and that your image will become negative after this?
MAH: Well, this is going to be a long answer. It had only been a short while since my daughter’s death when producer Ali Kazmi asked Ali if I would even do this role. I said I indeed would because I felt that through it, I could possibly save a lot of other girls from the evil that exists in society.
But when I went on to the sets, I had no idea what I had walked into. I saw a little girl – Bakhtawar, who is playing Abida – and realised I had to act opposite her. And I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t act, I couldn’t respond, I couldn’t look at her the way a sexual predator would. Eventually, we had to send her off one she had done her parts so I could shoot an empty scene.
When we saw the promos, OST and the episode, we would cry. When Sania Apa would be shooting, we’d cry. We’d sit silent for a long time after shooting. There was no drama or fun or entertainment. This was a serious subject that was important to us all and we have simply tried to tackle it as responsibly as we could. We’ve tried to show different aspects of abuse, especially educating children, parents and other family members about it.
ET: What has been the most difficult part about portraying Dabeer?
MAH: Honestly, I have no idea how I did it. That little girl was just like my daughter and this was possibly the most difficult, the most badtareen (worst) role that I have done.
ET: Have you received any backlash for ‘Meri Guriya’ yet? Do you think this was the right time to make a television serial on a topic such as this?
MAH: Right time? There are many things that were never discussed before in our society but now they are, on TV, on social media… And I think that’s great, whether it’s transgender rights or something else.
We’re already late in talking about child sexual abuse, I think. So many cases have happened… such events take place and we need to stop them. We’ve talked about it in Udaari. There are different organs of society that work to bring awareness about the topic – whether it is the government or the civil society. So it’s our responsibility as actors and members of the media. We can entertain people in other projects but this play is our attempt to educate the masses.
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ET: How do you plan to disengage yourself from playing Dabeer? Do you plan to do something light or take a break from work?
MAH: In the 12 years of my career, I’d always hear people say that they needed a psychiatrist after a certain role and I never really understood it. Now I do. I’m still shooting for Meri Guriya and Sania Apa is my de facto psychiatrist. She counsels me and consoles me on set and I’ve been very disturbed because of this role.
There are many shades of Dabeer ranging from his naiveté to pure evil, which I’ve tried to do to the best of my abilities and I do believe I need a psychiatrist now. But yes, I might do a lighter role next, maybe.
ET: What is the desired impact that you wish for audiences to have after they have watched Meri Guriya for the next few weeks?
MAH: I want everyone to learn – especially parents. They should empower their children with enough confidence and trust so they can go to their parents with anything. I want everyone to watch Meri Guriya, even children because they need to be aware of what they should and shouldn’t do. I’ve even asked my nieces and nephews to watch it.
ET: Do you have any discretionary advice for viewers? What should they keep in mind while watching Dabeer do what he does?
MAH: Like I said, my coworkers did say my audiences would hate me after this. But I hope they are mature enough to understand that I am not Dabeer and that the characters we actors portray onscreen are simply for the sake of telling the stories of our society. They are not who we are.
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.