Taking up Pakistan's arguably most 'controversial' project

Nimra Bucha and Sarwat Gilani share why they gave Asim Abbasi's 'Churails' a nod and wowing the audience in India

KARACHI:

One look at the poster and you will realise Churails is anything but your girl-next-door show. Asim Abbasi brought out the big guns in his first-ever web series, produced by Indian streaming platform, ZEE5. The trailer only confirmed what many speculated: the show is unlike anything Pakistani we have ever seen before.

Now that it has been a week since Churails released, suffice it to say that the gritty feminist drama has garnered mostly rave reviews. However, there were - as expected - a few reservations. Hence, it made sense to ask stars Nimra Bucha and Sarwat Gilani why they decided to take up what many are calling Pakistan's most 'controversial' project.

Gilani told The Express Tribune that she was blown away by the script. "The story was the hero, the antagonist and the protagonist and that was something very refreshing and amusing to read." Bucha said that she “Would have been an idiot to have said no.” She added, "It was a magnificently well-written part, set in a script that was a winner. Tragic, comic, gritty and honest. What was there not to like? In fact, I was worried they might change their minds about casting me!"

Speaking about the criticism Churails has received, the Jawani Phir Nahi Ani star remarked, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. We can’t make people change their minds and think like us. But we surely can make a story which gives them a lot of insight to the rising issues that women are facing locally and globally. We want people to watch the show and have an opinion then."

Bucha continued, "What is art if it doesn’t spark a discussion? As for gratuitous trolling, it’s a nuisance but doesn’t get in the way of what needs to be said and done. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, even glowing."

The characters in the show are poles apart from one another. The actors also revealed how they got into the skins of their respective roles. "I had to unlearn a lot of my previously-applied acting skills. I had to reinvent myself as an actor by researching new characters that were already established on the web and this medium," Gilani confessed. "There was no other way but to nail it and so, all of us had to work hard and recreate these characters in a way that was required...that’s how Asim’s set works."

Bucha is in awe of her character Batool. "She is fearless, cool, and unapologetic. But she is also flawed and human and relatable. Asim is a writer-director who really believes that God is in the details. I was actively involved in creating Batool but never left to fend for myself," she said. "He held my hand through it all. Whenever we struck a false note, we would go back and do it again. Asim knew and loved Batool down to her thoughts and impulses and made me fall in love with her too. Also, wonderfully, we had some young and feisty female assistant directors onset (Zoobia Anwer, Ariana Khan, Sana Jafri) who were all egging me on to make Batool better and cooler!"

Out of five projects produced by ZEE5, Churails is the first one to be screened. "We are very lucky to have been given this chance to present Pakistani content on such a global platform. This could very much be the turning point for our entertainment industry," Gilani said. Bucha, on the other hand, shared that she is thrilled that the audience base is huge with this project. "It’s also very exciting to have our neighbours watch this with us. Love begins at home and within the neighbourhood."

Lastly, the actors talked about the state of local entertainment and why Pakistan is behind its Indian counterparts when it comes to it. "We lack respect for the craft. If we do give it its due respect, we will be able to move forward and by respect I mean, respect the people who are part of it, respect the boundaries that set us apart as professionals and respect our co starts and everyone who’s part of the industry," Gilani responded. "We need to rise above our complexes and shortsightedness and look at the bigger picture and be part of the bigger goal, practice inclusion, acceptance, and appreciation every day."

However, Bucha disagreed. "I don’t believe technology is the messiah. We have our stories, they have theirs. We have a lot to say and a lot of brilliant world-class storytellers. The only thing we need is not to be silenced when we tell uncomfortable truths."

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