Those of you who are pregnant and need an excuse for a celebration would do well to take a leaf out of Mariyam Nafees's book. On Friday, the glowing expectant mother and actor took to her Instagram handle to post a carousel of pictures from her 'Godh Bharai', a term borrowed from the Hindu version of a baby shower in the seventh month of pregnancy.
"Godh Bharai – that's all a Nano celebrating her grandchild," penned the Jaane Jahan actor, suggesting that her mother may have been the brainchild engineering the event.
"This beautiful intimate evening wouldn't have been possible without my dream team. These people have been part of our lives from our Dua-e-Khair and some from even before!" continued Mariyam in her caption, giving a personal shoutout to the people who perfected her look (be it dress, hair, or makeup) and captured every natural-looking shot from the close-knit celebration.
With her dark lustrous locks framing her face, Mariyam smashes the notion that maternity wear is dowdy as she flaunts a muted-coloured gown that perfectly complements her heavy deep rust dupatta. The elegant combination works in tandem to draw maximum attention to the layer of deceptively light-looking makeup that highlights the fresh-faced actor's natural beauty. A golden tika sitting stop her middle part seals her look. The formal attire screams 'serious event', but Mariyam's beam of joy shines through in every shot, emanating a sense of ease and familiarity that bathes every shot in the same glow as the afternoon sun.
The picturesque outdoor tree-framed photoshoot makes the most of the late afternoon sun, with the besotted parents-to-be radiating joy in every one of the twenty shots Mariyam opted to share with her fans and followers. (Even their gorgeous little white dog has made a cameo appearance as sibling-to-be for the new arrival.) One particular heartwarming photo highlights the bond the actor has with her mother, with the pair leaning in towards each other as they beam at the camera.
Shots from the close-knit ceremony capture a small table laden with balloons, traditional snacks and a multi-tier cake topped with a rainbow. Naturally, it was not only blood relations that threw themselves whole-heartedly into the event but also a select few of the couple's showbiz colleagues – or their 'framily', as Mariyam lovingly labelled them in one of the photos from her carousel. A candid laughter-filled shot exquisitely encapsulates the raw emotion of Mariyam's bond with her de-facto showbiz brothers, including fellow Diyare Dil actor Osman Khalid Butt and Parizaad star Ahmed Ali Akbar.
Proving he is fully committed to taking his uncle-to-be duties seriously, Osman reshared an image of himself standing alongside Mariyam on Instagram Stories and also added his own two cents in the comments section of Mariyam's post.
"Got emotional watching this – love you to the moon and back, Mariyam here's to the future bundle of joy who's going to be blessed with amazing parents," wrote Osman in loving tribute. "Oh, and your kid is going to have the best maamu ever, hahaha."
Racking up over 67,000 likes in under a day, the comments section of Mariyam's post was littered with heart emojis and messages complimenting the beauty and wholesomeness stamped across the photos. The more sharp-eyed ones amongst the fans, meanwhile, decided to play detective and make predictions about whether Mariyam and her filmmaker husband Amman Ahmed would be welcoming a son or a daughter.
"I think it's going to be a girl," wrote one fan, an edict that was echoed by others in the comments section.
Mariyam and Amman announced the impending arrival of their little one in a cute pregnancy post last November. Since then, Mariyam has posted pictures of her 'babymoon' and shared her unfiltered thoughts on welcoming motherhood in a recent appearance on Nida Yasir's morning show earlier this month.
"People are still so shy when talking about pregnancies," observed Mariyam. "But I want to talk about these things! Why do I have to hide my bump? It's a very natural thing. No one is saying spread indecency, but it's something to be proud of. The journey I am going through is so beautiful and I want to share it with the people who are happy for me."
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ