Pakistani Dramas are undergoing a silent revolution, audiences are tuning into narratives that are refreshingly new-age – is this the beginning of what’s to come? Inspector Sabiha might seem like yet another crime thriller propelled onto the new Pakistani drama season, (where crime thrillers are doing the rounds quite diligently, if we may say so), but actually, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Read on to join the conversation.
When the mini series Gunah hit the drama scene in 2023, we got a glimpse of a female police inspector, SHO Sabiha, who seemed to pull traction with audiences even as the story focused on the main protagonists of the murder mystery – Gul Meher and Malik Hayat Khan. How come? Questioned the average Pakistani drama viewer. Oh well, it’s because Sabiha was penned sensitively by writer Mohsin Ali and directed cleverly by Adnan Sarwar injected with the witty, sharp, intuitive and calm persona that is mostly reserved for male roles.
The character of Inspector Sabiha, played by Rabia Butt, certainly superseded expectations and director Adnan Sarwar and Express TV saw an opportunity to take matters further. Thus rolls out the backstory of Inspector Sabiha, then an SHO (in Gunah), now an ASP, in Inspector Sabiha.
Not Your Average Heroine
Inspector Sabiha is, for sure, that breakthrough female character in Pakistani dramas that is not just a female police officer in a peripheral role – she is THE female police officer. She calls the shots in Gunah and cracks the case too. But what we hope the makers will do in Inspector Sabiha is, give audiences a substantial journey of the woman who made it through the roadblocks to come out on top, despite everything. While crime thrillers take over the Pakistani drama narrative and fast, we have many male heroes that entrall us with action, drama and taking control of the crime scene, we have yet to see enough (if any) female characters doing the same.
So while the world seeks a female James Bond (not that we need her, perhaps somethings should stay organic), Inspector Sabiha’s role will certain take a giant step for womankind in the Pakistani drama arena – and that is to cast women as the lead – not your drop dead, gorgeous heroine who’s about to fall in love or amass multiple suitors, not your conspiratorial mother in-law or the “other woman” but a police inspector who has the grit, determination and star power to do it all and play a key role in leading the narrative for a story that might pitch action, crime, drama and mystery.
We reached out to Rabia Butt on opting for the role, as she essays the character with a hypnotic calm – a trait SHO Sabiha seemed to define with precision:
“Because I do have a very strong personality,” she opined.” Alhamdulillah, and I have consciously made my personality like this. You work on your personality. It’s not like you are born with the way you want to be perceived or stand for. Usually, when they cast my roles, they have this problem because they think that a good woman in our country has to be a weak woman, the strong woman cannot be perceived as good, right? And to top that, a beautiful woman can also become a girlfriend, she can become someone’s love interest, but only this, she can’t be accepted in any other role. It’s a mindset we have.
But what we fail to recognize is that a strong woman makes a home, a society, and in fact … nurtures an entire generation.
Rabia Butt on her character Inspector Sabiha
New-Age Storytelling
Inspector Sabiha also takes another step forward in storytelling by throwing us a full-fledged series as a backstory to a character who piqued our curiosity, there was enough mystery surrounding the SHO Sabiha – the character in Gunah, to develop a story for viewers to want to know more – where do characters like Inspector Sabiha take root? Even if it’s very Bourne Identity -ish – we’re not complaining because – we need our own hero(ines) and this could be the start of something big, exciting and hopefully worth a gripping watch!
Formidable Players
To further the narrative, the cast for the mini series features a formidable list of seasoned players ranging from Yasir Hussain, Muhammad Ehteshamuddin, to Samiya Mumtaz, Sohail Sameer and more. This casting is a nod to creators and the industry that key players putting their money & talent, behind a strong female lead who’s not your average cliched role, is all about breakthrough storytelling, shaping the future and not just following a tried and tested (and often jaded) formula.
For all this and more, good luck Inspector Sabiha, we’re looking forward to some lights, camera and more action!
Gunah was directed by Adnan Sarwar and written by Mohsin Ali. The cast featured Sarmad Khoosat, Saba Qamar, Rabia Butt, Juggun Kazim, Usman Chaudhry, Faiz Chauhan, and Fahad Hashmi.
Inspector Sabiha features a star cast starring Rabia Butt as Inspector Sabiha as well as Muhammad Ehteshamuddin, Yasir Hussain, Yasir Nawaz, Samiya Mumtaz, Iffat Umar, Sohail Sameer, Munib Nawaz, Saad Zameer & Naeem Butt. The narrative is penned by directed by Adnan Sarwar and will be airing on Express TV.
