“Tabish’s repentance was so elaborate, which is why, even I could eventually digest Beena’s decision.” – Director Saife Hasan Shares his take on his recently concluded project Aap Ki Izzat.The story ends but the conversations continue, which is why, I felt the need to reach out to the man behind the lens. Acclaimed for thought-provoking projects championing the cause of women, like Zard Patton Ka Bunn and Tan Man Neel O Neel, where women stayed the focal point of the narrative, and not ever apologetically, I wanted his take on Beena and all the beautiful mess that came with her. Read on for full disclosure…
We started off with a short dialogue exchange. Did Beena ask for forgiveness, or did Tabish even need to forgive her at all? The director provided insight into the dialogue detail and why everything we heard and watched on Aap Ki Izzat was a highly curated version of the screenplay:
“Mujhe Muaaf Karne Ka Hosla Kaisay Paida Karliya Tumne Apnay Andar Tabish?” We edited this line to: “Tum Jaisay Insaan Ne Mujhe Muaaf Kaisay Kya Tabish?” Director Saife Hasan had a vision, and there was no place for regressive female characters in that vision. So then, I asked, how did Beena decide to come back home?
“Because,” he responded, “we also wanted to remind audiences about the insititution of marriage.” That’s a tough one, I thought to myself – forgiving your husband for an extra-marital affair to save your marriage – nothing new in the world of Pakistani dramas (big eyeroll there, mine, not his, the director couldn’t see it)! But then a part of me also understood that Beena was new for sure, her story from the moment she disappeared, called up Tabish to ask for khula, planned to start a new life with a sabzi wala – all that is new.
So what was Beena’s journey then? I asked. We saw Tabish’s journey, and dadi’s journey. What was her journey? As a message to other women watching, this was very important to me. Does Aap Ki Izzat ask women to forgive extra-marital affairs?
What do you have to say to that, I asked the director.
“Oh well,” he quipped. “At the end of the day, the story showed that Beena realizes that one cannot cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face. Or that two wrongs don’t make a right. Maybe that was her learning, and her journey.” But then,” he continued at length: “If you ask me as a director, I was not wholly satisfied with her journey. So for example, if Beena could have met with some success in her life, so that even when she realized Behram betrayed her, she would have taken some steps that would make her independent to some extent, that would add some depth to her journey, and then Tabish were to come back to her…” his voice trailed off… “But she stayed dependent on Tabish!” If exclamation marks could speak out loud, this one would. Remeber the progressive director I spoke off earlier? That one felt something was lost in between the lines, still. Saife Hasan elaborated, “The audience loved it that Tabish gave her everything and repented. But that strength and confidence, of standing on her own feet, either returning to her parents home, and then starting her journey afresh, or alone, that never happened with Beena. And perhaps it never will. Because Beena is not that character.” The director responds in a half frustrated, half amused tone. It is not one’s story to flip and that is the story after all. It’s hard being a director right? I worked the thought in my mind. You have to tell other people’s stories.
“I just didn’t want that she should come back straight from jail. I know she was hurt by everyone and betrayed, but why did she have to fall back on Tabish eventually, that was my issue. If she had been able to stand on her own feet and then Tabish came back for her, that would have been a different story.” Saife Hasan spoke his mind, but with the greatest respect for a writer whose stories he holds in high regard.
Were you satisfied with the ending then, I asked?
“Yes I was satisfied with the ending or else I wouldn’t have taken up the project. I had some reservations regarding some aspects of the script at first but after a detailed discussion with the writer, I was completely on board and I want to thank Umera Ahmed for listening to my suggestions and making changes where we both agreed.”
A moment in the drama that made you worried, ke ghalat message na chala jaye and how you got over it?
“There were moments where we were were worried yes, because it was such a sensitive narrative” he responded. “Umera Ahmed and I were both worried. But Umera convinced me that if your marriage has issues, then one should not quit. Subsequently, Umera felt that we must show Tabish’s repentance, his anguish, to an extent that Beena would lean towards giving him another chance.” Saife Hasan continued to explain: “I was very cautious when filming these scenes. Luckily for me, my team, the cast, Ahsan, Urwa, and Sania were very clear that they did not want a message that will be interpreted as regressive. Hence we edited the dialogue slightly to – “Tum jaisay shaks ne mujhe muaaf kaisay kya,‘ to make sure the message stays intact.
“My main cast was a politically aware group of actors, hence the final product was conveyed well.” He agreed generously that this was not always the case with him: “It might have happened in other projects. E.g. I wanted the audience to take away that Farhan and Hiba’s characters in Jhok Sarkar survived.” And then he chuckled while admitting: “But that’s not how the audience took it, they interepreted an ending that both of them had died. But in Aap Ki Izzat, I think we were safe.”
“There was one thing though,” Saife Hasan recalls a dialogue: “Yes there was one point in the final episode where Beena and Tabish think to themselves while lying in bed; Tabish wished that the past few days had never happened, and Beena, with a feeling of regret about what possessed her to act as she had done and left home. I had meant to strike off both those dialogues in the final edit, but I missed them. The moment the episode went on air, I called my editor that I needed these dialogues muted, but it was too late by that time.”
However, he responded. “In retrospect, it didn’t really change the final result so I guess it all ended well.”
A behind the scenes moment?
“Ahsan and Urwa are so talkative,” quipped the director instantly. “In logon ko baat karne ka marz hai. Uspe main buhat daanta karta tha, aur meri daant par ye log aur hanste thay. Lekin hum sab ko saath kaam karne mein buhat maza aata tha. I have worked with both of them on different projects so my scolding would also make them laugh and then I would also end up laughing – that was the way we worked behind the scenes in Aap Ki izzat.”
Is Urwa Hocane going to be an option for future projects? She is always phenomenal, but do you feel in AKI she showed her talent to another level?
“When I read my scripts, I already have a few actors in mind who would fit the story. I always have a wishlist for my cast, but often that wishlist isn’t answered.” He laughed – hazaron khwahishen aisi… but every wish is not a command, unfortunately. “Our industry is working full throttle,” he explained the realities behind the dream. “Everyone is super busy. But yes, whenever I can, I would want to work with Urwa again. She was a pleasure to work with; a wonderful, disciplined, hardworking actor. In fact, Urwa must take on something entirely different now because she portrayed Beena so well, that she has to do something mindblowing for audiences to forget Beena and take her on as a new character. And I’m sure that even before I can work with her, other creators will find their way and offer her an entirely different role. I would also like her to do something different now.”
Do you think most women agreed with Beena staying back?
“Everyone seemed happy with Beena’s decision, we know that now. I have not seen too much criticism online. And according to the social media response, it seems everyone is satisfied. Although when I discussed this with Umera, I understood one thing, that we are not here to challenge the institution of marriage. Aap Ki Izzat was a message of forgiveness. Maafi ek achhi cheez hoti hai, khasoosan ek shaadi mein, whether it is a man forgiving a woman or vice versa. Of course one cannot keep forgiving again and again if someone errs repeatedly. But giving a second chance in marriage is not a bad thing. And when Umera Ahmed explained this to me, I uderstood it. Which is why Tabish’s repentance was so elaborate, and which is why I too could eventually digest Beena’s decision.”
Your projects are by and large women-centric, showing the progressive face of the Pakistani drama heroine. Do you ever feel the need to run a story by other women in your team, to get a woman’s perspective?
“Yes of course, my wife, Asma Saife, is the best person. She reads all my scripts and she always helps me see things from a woman’s lens. She is also a very well-read and educated person, she has studied world literature, so I get a great deal of help from her, especially in understanding a woman’s point of view. Then a shout-out to my entire team who reads my scripts and discusses them at length so that we come to a positive and thoughtful perspective. I am thankful to all of them.”
Any final words on Aap Ki Izzat?
“I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard behind and in front of the camera in Aap Ki Izzat – the cast, writer, crew members, camera man Azhar, editor Shiraz, the lighting crew, sound recording, gaffers, spotboys, everyone. And above all else, a heartfelt thank you to the audience who watched it, appreciated it or even criticized it. We learn from ciriticism too.”
“Thank you to all the reviewers who were reviewing Aap Ki Izzat every week, whether they criticized or praised our work. All feedback is constructive for me. Criticism teaches you to not repeat the mistakes of the past and praise lifts you, and motivates you to do better work.”
And on that note, we sign off with the director and a team that made Beena and Tabish household names for a drama season while we watched their story play out onscreen. Forgiveness is a virtue and if there’s one thing Aap Ki Izzat taught us well, it’s that one has to apologize like Tabish in order to earn it right!
Aap Ki Izzat: When Men Apologize Like Tabish…
Aap Ki Izzat is directed by the acclaimed Saife Hassan, penned by Umera Ahmed, while renowned producers Momina Duraid and Nina Kashif have joined forces to bring this ambitious serial to the screen. The lead cast features Urwa Hocane, Ahsan Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Sania Saeed.
