Saba Hameed has range as an actor. She’s one of the most recognisable faces on Pakistani television, partly because of how many projects she takes on.
Take, for example, the ARY Digital show Bas Tera Saath Ho. The show has aired 28 episodes so far. Hameed plays the wife of the male lead’s uncle, played by Faran Tahir.
A more recent project is ARY’s Dar-e-Nijaat. In it, she plays the mother of the female lead’s father, who is also played by Tahir. Wait… what?
Yeah, we’re not kidding. We’re definitely not alone in thinking it’s quite weird.
In a reel posted on Monday, content creator K Khan questioned the team behind Dar-e-Nijaat. He asked how they decided Hameed was fit to play Tahir’s mother, especially when she plays his wife in another show airing on the same channel.
Actors react to the casting
In the comment section, actor Zhalay Sarhadi said only women seem to age in Pakistani society. According to her, men never really stop being boys.
“Hence our industry keeps on submitting to this cultural and generational brainwashing. All over the world, it’s changing, just not in this part of the planet.”
She said female actors in Pakistan needed more appropriate roles written for them. She also called for better and more realistic casting.
Sarhadi joked that if this trend continues, she will soon play Humayun Saeed’s mother in a drama.
Actor Atiqa Odho also found the situation ridiculous. In a clip from her drama review show Kya Drama Hai, posted on YouTube on Tuesday, she said, “The cast is fantastic, except I don’t understand how Saba Hameed can play Faran Tahir’s mother.”
Odho said Hameed’s appearance in the show seemed forced because she does not look like a grandmother.
Others praise Hameed’s performance
Not everyone found the casting strange. TV host Juggun Kazim called the two roles “a testament to Saba Hameed’s extraordinary talent.”
“She has the rare ability to make you forget the actor and believe the character every single time. We are so lucky to have artists like her,” Kazim said.
Ageism in Pakistan’s entertainment industry
Ageism remains a contentious subject in Pakistan’s entertainment industry. Several actors, including Odho, have argued that people apply different standards of age to male and female actors.
Male actors in their 40s continue to land lead roles as young men. One example is Fahad Mustafa playing a 20-something character in Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. Meanwhile, producers often cast much younger actresses opposite them. Women in their 40s and older, however, frequently end up playing mothers or much older characters.
