She is making waves in the showbiz industry. Be it Lollywood or Bollywood, ‘Saba Qamar’ is all the talk around town with the upcoming release of her Bollywood debut Hindi Medium opposite the very versatile and illustrious Irrfan Khan.
Just recently we confirmed the news of Saba Qamar playing the part of Qandeel Baloch in a biopic. Truly, there is a lot more to add on the latest scoop.
“I am going to be playing Qandeel Baloch in a biopic,” Saba confirms. “There are stories that need to be told and I want to help tell them.“
Initial glimpses from the upcoming venture show the actress uncannily peering into the camera, looking exactly like Qandeel. “I have cut my hair in order to play her. It’s going to be exciting,” says Saba.
Produced by Nina Kashif, General Manager of Urdu 1 (the channel that produced the telefilm Ek Thi Marium last year), the drama serial titled Baaghi is going to be a venture by Paragon Production. According to Nina, Qandeel’s story will tackle the social issue of honor killing in our society. With direction by Farooq Rind, will come a star-studded cast including Sarmad Khoosat, Ali Kazmi and Osman Khalid Butt opposite Saba playing the lead.
Nina says, “We want to tell Qandeel’s story in a very sensitive way. We do not want to glorify her nor do we want her to look pitiful. She was a victim of honor killing and this is what we will particularly be highlighting. The story has been written by Shazia Khan, the screenplay is by Umera Ahmed and Farooq Rind will be directing.“
Saba continues, “An actor is not defined by boundaries and I am not afraid at all. Qandeel was a victim and a fighter and somebody needs to tell her story. She was a woman who went from place to place trying to find work for herself. She tried to work in transport, read devotional naats on TV but wherever she went, she was misused by people. It was only much later that she chose to make videos on the Internet. And she did all this and earned money and used it to support her family. Her family didn’t have any problems taking money from her but they felt that it was all right to turn around and kill her in the name of honor.“
In an industry packed with ‘good bahus‘ and girls next door stereotypes, Saba has time and again pushed against all odds to prove her worth in the industry with roles that are experimental and might even be termed as disturbing. Paving her own path, she has openly denounced a construct that is filled to the brim with favoritism, recently boycotting the Lux Style Awards where she had three nominations on the basis that they had ignored her many times before.
“Qandeel represented the double standards that exist in our society. She had the courage to expose how two-faced people could be. There were many people that condemned her in the name of religion but tell me, doesn’t religion tell us to abide by many things? How can we choose to selectively follow what we find comfortable and attack anybody who tries to break free from the norms that we choose to set,” she further adds while commenting on a topic close to her heart.
But, what of the threats that might follow when the much-awaited drama serial manages to hit some really hard home truths?
“Let them follow,” shrugs Saba. “Everyone has to die someday. I’d rather die after doing something worthwhile.“
