Single actor’s salary for 25 roles

In a startling revelation, veteran actor Hina Dilpazeer disclosed that she was paid the salary of a single actor despite playing an astonishing 25 characters in the hit drama Quddusi Sahab Ki Bewah. Speaking on Ahmad Ali Butt’s podcast Excuse Me, Dilpazeer shared a tough journey of juggling multiple roles from 2012 to 2014.

“Initially, I was asked to do three or four characters,” Dilpazeer explained. “But every time the showrunners couldn’t find someone for a role, they’d hand it to me. How was I supposed to do that? How many faces could I make?”

The beloved Bulbulay star described the relentless demands placed upon her by the director and writer, revealing that she ended up portraying five male characters among the 25 she played. One episode, she recalled with a laugh, required her to play all the characters for “experience.”

“It took us two to three days to shoot that episode,” she said. “There were three of me sitting in the rickshaw. I didn’t watch that episode out of fear.”

When asked why she didn’t demand higher pay, Dilpazeer said that her requests were met with stories of the producer’s financial struggles. “When the show ended, he [the producer] would chase after me, asking if we should go to another channel, but I was not interested,” she revealed.

The show’s abrupt end remains a mystery, with the actor stating they were blindsided after nearly 400 episodes. “We had no idea why the show was suddenly shut down,” she added. Dilpazeer rose to fame with her portrayal of Mumtaz, fondly known as Momo, in the hit sitcom Bulbulay.

During a guest appearance on a Ramazan transmission this year, the actor disclosed that she is contractually obligated against reprising her beloved role as Momo anywhere else, whether in on-screen projects or off-screen engagements such as events or award ceremonies.

Momo’s character in Bulbulay is a charming yet absent-minded elderly woman who frequently forgets names, including those of her own family members and common household items. Her endearing mix-ups and mispronunciations have captured the hearts of audiences, with her trademark “oof” followed by a facepalm becoming an emblematic reaction on the show.

Expressing her situation, Dilpazeer stated, “I have this in writing that I cannot do this character (Momo) anywhere else. Yes, I did a commercial where I asked for permission to play Momo and they said yes but it was just a commercial.”