Daily Times

Sabaat duo Ameer Gilani and Mawra Hocane are teaming up again for an upcoming drama, Neem. Ever since Sabaat had ended in 2020, fans were anticipating seeing them again on television screens and there were constant speculations of them coming together for a project. Well, the wait is finally over, as HUM TV has posted a teaser of their upcoming drama.

The caption of the teaser on Instagram reads, “Get ready for an impactful journey with Mawra Hussain and Ameer Gilani in the new teaser of Neem, a gripping drama serial from the makers of Parizaad. Brace yourself for an unforgettable experience!”

The teaser shows the life of Asshad, played by Gilani, who has moved to the US. In the short clip we hear someone telling him that “people come to the US with lots of dreams”, to which he replies, “I didn’t come here with dreams, I came here because my dreams were shattered.”

The teaser shows Asshad’s life in three different cities – New York, Lahore and Kashmir. Zimal, played by Hocane, is seen in Kashmir, getting married to Arslan Naseer’s character. The storyline is a love story with a larger message, created by the makers of Sabaat and Parizaad; directed by Shahzad Kashmiri, penned by Kashif Anwar and produced by Momina Duraid.

Gilani talked about the show, saying the genre of the drama is “life”. “It’s not just one story. Kashif bhai has written a beautiful concoction of stories which are all correlated yet detached.” The actor began his career with the drama Log Kia Kahengai in 2019 but gained immense popularity after his second serial Sabaat. He was praised for his character Hassan Fareed and his on-screen chemistry with Hocane. “Working with Mawra is always a breeze. I learn a lot from her, about the craft and work ethics in general,” the actor said.

Speaking about his experience of working with Kashmiri again, he said, “Shahzad bhai is like an elder brother. We’re like family, our bond has only grown stronger now after working on Neem. He’s a genius and an asset to our industry MashaAllah.” Calling his character a “pure soul”, Gilani said that he “really enjoyed playing Asshad.” During his short hiatus from TV, Gilani chose to pursue further education and went to Harvard University for his Master’s degree.

“I am very excited and hope that the wait is worth it for both me and the audience,” he said about his return. The drama also stars Syed Jibran, Mariyam Nafees and Yousuf Bashir Qureshi. Gilani revealed, “We are about 60-70 percent through with our work” and Neem is set to premiere soon on HUM TV.