Sajal in the spotlight

As Pakistani television begins to mark its slow shift away from the standard weepy-woman trope, avid drama viewers have been spoilt for choice in recent months with Gentleman having taken centre stage, and Ishq Murshiq having kept audiences gripped for a whole season.

But there is no need to toss that remote away just yet: the ever watchable doe-eyed Sajal Ali has been confirmed as the lead opposite in the indomitable Humayun Saeed in Khalilur Rehman Qamar’s Main Manto Nahi Hoon, ending months of speculation. Unfortunately for those clamouring to know more, release dates and plot details have so far been cloaked in secrecy, although drama fans have been speculating that the title could possibly refer to the late writer Saadat Hasan Manto.

Regardless of the subject matter, with Nadeem Baig wearing the director’s cap and the collaboration of the promising two leads — both of whom are known to choose their scripts with great care — viewers can justifiably hold high expectations of things to come.

Sajal, who is currently enthralling audiences as Meenu in Zard Patton Ka Bunn and was conferred with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in March this year, has strayed from typical tropes over the course of her career. The finest example of this is her role in Sinf e Aahan, the women-led drama revolving around the trials and tribulations of women in the Pakistan army. Prior to that, the actor transcended borders by landing a role in the Bollywood film Mom where she played the late Sri Devi’s character’s stepdaughter. Sajal’s upcoming role will mark her first collaboration with KRQ.

Humayun, meanwhile has joined forces with KRQ on a number of occasions during his career, including on the hit drama series Mere Paas Tum Ho in 2019, as well as his comeback role on Gentleman earlier this year. Proving his versatile acting skills, Humayun was cast as Dr Hasnat on Netflix’s The Crown in 2022. Since then, the actor kept a low profile on home ground, and it was three long years before delighted viewers saw him again in Gentleman. His upcoming appearance in Main Manto Nahi Hoon, combined with the gripping performance sure to be delivered by his co-star Sajal, is bound to entrance fans whenever it lands on screens.