Daily Times

Omair Rana is one of those very few Pakistani actors who make you forget their real, humble nature while enacting a negative character.

In his latest evil role as well, Rana seems to have put his heart and soul. That he has succeeded in making the viewers hate him tells that the actor has done full justice to his work. In “Pyar Ke Sadqe” which goes on air on HUM TV at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Omair Rana plays Sarwar, a middle-aged man who can be defined in multiple ways. He is a rich lady’s (Atiqa Odho) second husband, and consequently a step-dad to a son (Bilal Abbas Khan). However, the step-son’s naivety gives enough margin to Sarwar to exploit his weakness and keep him from becoming the legal heir to his family property. At the same time, Sarwar is interested in a young girl, Mahjabeen (Yumna Zaidi), who to his misfortune, gets married to his step-son. This ignites a fire in Sarwar which when lit, sheds light on a subtly tackled incestuous theme of the serial, for Sarwar is not ready to accept that Mahjabeen is now his daughter-in-law, and in accordance with the codes of the society he lives in, he has to act as a father instead of a lover. Daily Times caught up with Omair Rana to discuss this highly nuanced character of his.

‘I would suggest the viewers to look out for Sarwar’s scenes with his mother for that. Moreover, his sudden falling for a young girl is actually a reflection of his desires which he was forced to suppress in his pursuit of money. Mahjabeen’s entry makes Sarwar retreat to the child in him which he had kept in control in his struggle for survival’

How do you look at the character of Sarwar?

Sarwar can be described as someone who undertakes a journey from rags to riches to rags. He has been brought up being taught that power and money are what matter for survival, and therefore, his target is nothing but more and more wealth.

Is there any way in which we can sympathize with the character?

I would suggest the viewers to look out for Sarwar’s scenes with his mother for that. Moreover, his sudden falling for a young girl is actually a reflection of his desires which he was forced to suppress in his pursuit of money. Mahjabeen’s entry makes Sarwar retreat to the child in him which he had kept in control in his struggle for survival.

What were the main challenges for you when it came to this role?

The challenges were mostly technical. The story needed to be conveyed without monotony. We had to make the character interesting and avoid repetition at the same time.

What inclined you to go for this role?

The director! Farooq Rind is the only person who could handle both the narrative and this character in a skillful way. He directed the script the way it deserved to be directed and tackled all the technical aspects in an adept manner.

“Pyar Ke Sadqe” has been written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah who is also known for having written block-buster serials for Pakistan such as “Balaa” and “Cheekh”. “Pyar Ke Sadqe” as well, with its strong actors, phenomenal characters, unique story-line and catchy dialogues, is on its way to success.

The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at m.ali_aquarius85@yahoo.com.

He Tweets at @MuhammadAli_DT