Mureed in Namak Haram is fast becoming something of an enigma. We are aware of his dark thoughts and even darker plans yet, we fail to not sympathize with him often as glimpses of his past return to haunt his tortured soul. As we sat down to ask the man himself, Imran Ashraf aka Mureed on the diabolical machinations that guide Mureed’s actions, we uncovered a character that has many shades of black – and is that even possible?
Our first question is the one that boggles us the most. Mind you, Mureed boggles us in more than one instance though, we ask:
Mureed is very aware that he is crossing over from halal to haram deeds. But we never see a moment when he stops, pauses or thinks what he’s doing might be wrong. No hesitation? Why is he so sure of himself although he stood on the beach in the first episode and pondered over it?
Imran Ashraf: Ahem – wait for the first 20 episodes to go by before you get your answer!
Oh well, we are nearly halfway through, so might as well wait for the saga to unfold!
What spoke to you about Mureed when you landed the script? What did you like most?
Imran Ashraf: I was offered this drama 1.5 years ago. And the writer, Saqlain Abbas, had been writing it for 5 years. I didn’t know him, nor did he know me. So, for 5 years, whenever I would come to his house, on any TV channel, on any occasion, his entire family would say …”Mureed aagaya“. This was the biggest thing that attracted me to do this drama. And the name of the drama itself, Namak Haram!
Is there anything you wanted to change, not sure about?
Imran Ashraf: I don’t want to change anything in this drama. I just pray that whatever has been shot, Alhamdulillah, it comes on screen. Because the real drama hasn’t even started yet. After two episodes, according to me, the drama will start after two episodes. After the eighth episode. No, rather, it will start from the seventh. It will start from the end of the seventh.
Okaayyy says a voice inside us, scrap the first few and watch the rest! On a serious note, one has to sink in one’s teeth, well and good and what Namak Haram is doing so far, in its initial episodes, is setting the scene, as we call it, of a seemingly ordinary man with extraordinary plans! That’s Mureed for you and we move on to ask him why!
Mureed preparing breakfast, wiping the dust off the door. Does he have OCD? Did you study a character to add certain details ya sab likha likhaya director ne de diya tha?
Imran Ashraf: No, he doesn’t have OCD. His dreams, his preparation for those dreams, his breakfast like someone who is successful, or wealthy, he is waiting for his time to take revenge, all this is his preparation. And the dust on the door knob, I felt that, for someone who used to come in that house for the past 26 years and must have rung the bell, why won’t he ring the bell today? So there should be some reason. And hence, him wiping away the dust from the door was that reason.
If Mureed has an LLB degree why doesn’t he do a proper job?
Imran Ashraf: That boy has been preparing for 26 years for his revenge. And LLB is also a part of that. He has to study and write and his job is to take revenge. What else does he want in life? He doesn’t want a proper future. He doesn’t want to become a big shot in his life. He wants to see Ameen Qureshi lose. The person whose life’s goal is this, why would he work? He is a big shot, why would he do a job? All these things, his degree, etc are the preparation for his revenge.
His ability to flip conversations and change the way people think, from Aiman’s fiancé Arsal to Asma’s husband-to-be, it is very intriguing. Did you improvise or stick to the script?
Imran Ashraf: The most beautiful thing about this drama was its writing. I am a writer myself. I tried my best not to change the script. The best about Namak Haram is the script itself, the writing. Actually, it was a drama about characters. I did not change the script. I preferred Mr. Saqlain Abbas’s script.
How far can Mureed go? Would he kill for revenge? What is one thing Mureed would NEVER do?
As you can expect, Mureed has us puzzled. We have no idea what his limits are, and if he even has them. But Mureed aka Imran has left this puzzle to simmer inside our heads as he prefers the path of least reveal and why not? Watch the drama to fins out if he will, or won’t … cross over to the point of no return, or … will someone be there to stop him on the other side?
Does Mureed, deep down, like Asma? But is in denial?
Ummm we didn’t get Mureed to breathe a word on this one either, wonder why? Give us your best guess in comments below!
Do you feel onscreen couples are recast when audiences have accepted them and like them, sometimes does that compromise on casting the right person for the character?
Imran Ashraf: “I feel that this is a difficult way, actually, not the easy way out”, responds Imran.
“If I have a hit couple with Sara Khan, a new drama has been released and if I am cast against her again, then if I don’t perform more or equal to our past projects, then that will compromise my work. It is a risk to work with a co-actor who has had a successful pairing with you in the past, it was not an easy way out. You have to perform at your best so as to match up to your previous work.”
Imran goes on to say, “work is never compromised”, that’s not the way he plays the game!
“I don’t compromise. Compromise…in my work, in my character, in my drama… there is no compromise. You can put me on the floor, you can put me on the road, you can give me nothing to eat. So, there will be no compromise? No compromise. No compromise. You can do whatever you want to me.”
Imran Ashraf on Namak Haram
Imran dispels any thoughts that he makes work easy for himself by working with a co actor that has hit the right note with audiences in previous projects. While we’re loving the hard work behind Mureed’s character, we also have to say, there is a special place in our hearts reserved for a Sara Khan x Imran Ashraf project and … oh well, can’t blame us, it’s not just fans, the onscreen chemistry always works magic and we feel it’s about to happen in episode 7 or 8 of Namak Haram!
On the set. How long was the shoot in days and months. Still going on?
Imran Ashraf: Our shooting is not over yet. Our drama is only 60% complete so far.
So for all you folk who’re hoping to get some “behind the scenes” on the project as the shoot continues, you never know!
A dialogue you particularly love of Mureed’s:
Yeh jo namak ki coti choti chutkyaan hoti hain na Begum Sahiba, Yeh hum naukron kay qandhon peh chatanon ki tarha pari hoti hain. Maalik ko chorrhne ki sakat nahi hoti in mein. (The salt particles are like rocks on the shoulders of the servants. They don’t have the strength to leave their master)
Imran Ashraf as Mureed in Namak Haram
One incident behind the scenes or on the set:
Imran Ashraf: Doing a scene with Babar Ali Saab was always difficult, interesting, exciting. Yeah, he’s a great, great actor.
And that’s it from our Namak Haram hero Mureed aka Imran Ashraf! We hope to catch him again soon, perhaps halfway down the saga as Asma and Mureed’s story culminates into something more than both of them expect so far … keep watching Namak Haram!
The namak Haram cast features, among others: Imran Ashraf and Sara Khan supported by a stellar ensemble including Babar Ali, Sunita Marshal, Aniqa Zehra Khawaja, Mohsin Ejaz, Sajawal, Salma Asim, and Nabeela Khan, the series promises a riveting narrative. Penned by Saqlain Abbas and directed by Shaqielle Khan, Namak Haram is a captivating project by FARS Entertainment and Momina Duraid Productions.
