Anayah Shahid may have entered Zanjeerain as a newcomer, but Shirin certainly did not behave like one. From the beginning, the character had audiences talking, questioning her choices and, at times, wondering why she was doing what she was doing. And while the drama had a star-studded cast, Anayah managed to carve out her own space in it — enough for Shirin to become one of the characters viewers couldn’t quite ignore. Her performance also drew real reactions from audiences, with Anayah even having to remind viewers that the character she played was not the person they were addressing online.
But perhaps the more interesting part of her Zanjeerain journey is that this was exactly the kind of debut she wanted. Rather than playing the safe newcomer role — the best friend, sister or the character with a handful of agreeable lines — Anayah saw Shirin as an opportunity to actually perform. And sitting down with her, it becomes clear that she wasn’t simply lucky enough to land a challenging role; she actively went after it.
Why Anayah Shahid Chose a Negative Character for Her Debut
For a newcomer, starting with a character that audiences are likely to dislike is a pretty big gamble. There is always the possibility of being typecast, being reduced to the character or simply having people struggle to separate the actor from the role. But Anayah had already thought about that. What she saw instead was the amount of room Shirin gave her as an actor.
She explains that positive newcomer roles can sometimes be quite limited — you become the friend, the sister, the daughter, the person who is mostly there to say yes to everyone else. Shirin, on the other hand, had a proper character arc. People could hate her in one moment, question her choices in another and then eventually see a completely different side to her. That gave Anayah much more to work with, especially for a debut.
And she was right about one thing: Shirin was never a character people could simply forget. As the story unfolded, the audience’s feelings towards her shifted, particularly as more of her story came out. Anayah had the opportunity to move from being someone viewers were frustrated with to someone they could actually feel for. That kind of emotional shift is probably exactly what she meant when she saw “margin” in the character.
The role didn’t fall into her lap either. She had initially been called in for an audition, and there were concerns about whether she could manage the dates alongside another project. But Anayah didn’t let that end the conversation. She kept pursuing the role and eventually got the opportunity to audition for Shirin. Her persistence paid off, and the newcomer found herself making her television debut opposite a cast that included names like Sajal Aly and Ahsan Khan. Her performance eventually became one of the talking points around the drama.
From a Sleepless First Day to Sharing the Screen With Sajal Aly
If Anayah looks comfortable on screen now, her first day on Zanjeerain was anything but. Her very first scene was the now memorable necklace scene, and she shot it on her first day on set. To make things even more intimidating, she had never interacted with Shahzad Kashmiri before and was determined to make a good impression.
She jokes about doing the scene once and being told to do it again, immediately agreeing that she would do it as many times as required. But the nerves were real. She had travelled through the night before reaching the set, and on the day she wasn’t shooting, she spent most of her time in her room worrying about what she should be doing, asking for scenes and trying to prepare herself for what was coming.
The nerves didn’t disappear overnight, but things gradually became easier. Meeting Sajal Aly was another big moment for her. By the time they properly started working together, Anayah had already completed several spells and was still very much in that new-actor phase of being starstruck. She remembers standing to the side and watching Sajal, until the latter eventually noticed that she was nervous and initiated the interaction herself.
Living with the cast for days at a time also helped. They would eat together, sit together in the evenings and slowly become comfortable around one another. That made a huge difference when it came to actually performing. Anayah says that before scenes with Sajal, they would discuss their lines and reactions together, which meant that when the cameras rolled, the scene felt much more natural.
And there was more to that relationship than just getting through scenes. Being away from home and working on such a large production was overwhelming at times, and Anayah admits she had a few breakdowns during the experience. Sajal, she says, helped her through those moments and shared the kind of practical advice that comes with years of experience. Anayah also discovered a much more bubbly and funny side to her co-star than she had expected — something audiences don’t necessarily get to see through social media.
For a first project, it was quite the introduction to the industry. And perhaps that is why the confidence she eventually brought to Shirin feels even more impressive when you know how nervous she was walking onto that set in the beginning.
Why Financial Independence Matters So Much to Anayah
The conversation eventually moves away from acting and into something Anayah feels quite strongly about: financial independence, particularly for women. For her, being financially independent isn’t just about earning money. It changes the way you think, the decisions you make and the amount of control you have over your own life.
She is also quite practical about the reality of being judged. In a society where women can be scrutinised for their choices, Anayah believes you can’t completely escape judgement. You either set your boundaries and learn how to navigate around them, or accept that people will talk and continue living the life you want. What matters, in her view, is knowing what you’re choosing and being prepared for what comes with it.
That mindset seems to be part of how she approaches most things. Anayah describes herself as someone who thinks through the consequences before doing something. If she knows an uncomfortable situation might come with a particular decision and chooses to go ahead anyway, she believes she should also be prepared to deal with the outcome rather than complain about it later.
Financial independence, then, becomes the first step towards that freedom. As she puts it:
“if you want to live your life as you wish, the first step is to become financially independent.”
Anayah Shahid
And considering how deliberately she approached her own debut, there is a certain consistency in that thinking. Whether it was pushing for a role that wasn’t initially straightforward, stepping onto a set where almost everything was new, or talking about building a life on your own terms, Anayah seems to have a fairly clear idea of what she wants. Even when she is nervous, she doesn’t seem particularly interested in choosing the easy route just because it is the safer one.
Which brings us back to Shirin. A newcomer could have chosen the uncomplicated route. Anayah chose the character that gave her something to prove — and if audiences ended up hating Shirin before slowly understanding her, perhaps that was part of the point all along.