‘Sinf-e-Aahan’ was designed to dispel stereotypes, Nadeem Baig

The female-centric ISPR production aims to encourage women representation in armed forces

“She doesn't need a hero, she is born to be a hero,” the yet-to-be-released ISPR production, Sinf-e-Aahan, begins with a promising tagline that itself breaks generational stereotypes and vows for female empowerment with just one statement. It warrants the confidence and exposure women need to be the main lead of their stories and not play a side character in their own life.

Sinf-e-Aahan, loosely translated as the ‘Women of Steel’, breeds the premise for strong female characters from different socio-economic backgrounds set to conquer their goals of joining the army. Usually, that’s not the rule of thumb in our society. The general impression is that boys want to join the army and their parents desire the same profession of dignity for them. Most young boys in school if asked about their future plans will hold their chins high and innocently answer that they’ll be army officers or pilots.

While there’s nothing wrong with the desire itself, it becomes problematic when it’s gendered. Parents rarely wish the same for their daughters. They can either be doctors or engineers or choose teaching and this school of thought emerges from the ill-perceived conception of women being the ‘weaker sex’. It internalises that young girls and women cannot be part of professions that require physical and mental strength, hard work, courage and perseverance.

Sinf-e-Aahan aims to break the stereotype and inserts many supporting male characters to build the narrative and not make it seem ‘out of culture’. It shows that females can also demonstrate equal levels of strength, determination and hard work. The female-centric cast is a superstar powerhouse starring Sajal Aly, Yumna Zaidi, Saira Yousuf, Kubra Khan and Ramsha Khan. All five of these women live ordinary lives throughout the drama and continue to fight every inch of society stopping them from achieving highs on their own terms.

The drama does not soften or tweak the journey of joining the army forces for the viewers. In the teaser, all women can be seen wielding automatic weapons with professional skills. Written by Umera Ahmed and directed by Nadeem Baig, the production holds emotional punch lines that will trigger sentiments and simultaneously teach lessons to the new generation.

In a recent interview with Urdu News, Baig was asked whether this drama will be capable of eradicating the traditional conservatism towards women and what other key messages it holds for the viewers. He answered that “such a story has never been filmed.” Baig added, Many stories have been told about boys joining the army but no such attempt has been made regarding girls joining the army. This story shows the struggle of five girls who come from different areas and make their place in the army.”  

To ensure authenticity, he said that the actors were also given special training. “The girls were also given training, many days were spent only on the training. By the time we finished shooting, she was half a soldier. "

Baig also told the channel that there were many logistical challenges with shooting outdoors in different parts of Pakistan but it was worth it for this project. His vision for the upcoming drama was to design a project so strong that it not only dispels the stereotype of only boys joining the army but also encourages girls to allow the dream of them becoming heroes. "After this drama, the girls will think, 'Why can’t we join the army? We should join’,” he concluded.