Shehr-e-Zaat was the most talked about show when it went on air, people talked about everything from the inspirational message it contained to whether Falak should or should not be wearing a duppatta. I have seen more comments under the Shehr-e-Zaat video thread than anywhere else and more likes for its video than for any other. Many people said that the drama changed their lives in many ways. Shehr-e-Zaat has ended but it is still the most talked about drama, not because people are still impressed by it but because of the rift it caused between the writer Umera Ahmed, the channel on which it was being aired and the director Sarmad Khoosat.
The rift started when Umera Ahmed Official facebook page gave the status after the 16th episode that Umera Ahmed wrote the script for 16 episodes only and it was being stretched unnecessarily. Hum TV apologized for doing so and everything was settled for the time. Although there were many viewers who complained because they felt that the drama had lost it’s magic. Shehr-e-Zaat was followed by many fans nevertheless.
The real problem started when Umera Ahmed official facebook page once again told the viewers that the lines in the play ““cheezain behaya nahin hoteen, jo kucch un say mansookh kya jata hay woh behaya hota hay” were not in the original script and were added to the script by the director without the consent of the writer and Umera Ahmed was going to take up the matter with the production house. Some people said that they liked the lines; others remarked that they never thought they could have been written by Umera Ahmed. All said and done, we thought that Umera Ahmed and the entire team had moved on and good times were going to roll in but then the day the Shehr-e-Zaat show Shehr-e-Zaat- Ek Safar was going to be aired, Sarmad Khoosat’s official Facebook page status update stated that he as the director of the serial had disowned Shehr-e-Zaat, which meant he was deeply offended by something and did not want to have anything to do with the drama he worked so hard on. That is the reason that Saramd Khoosat was totally absent from Shehr-e-Zaat- Ek safar.
No one knows what was it that hurt Sarmad so much that he decided to disown his own work. Shehr-e-Zaat should have been remembered for reasons other than the one I mentioned but sadly due to these latest developments, everyone is talking about the controversies surrounding the play. Even if the writer had some problems with the production house or the director she should not have told everyone about it by putting it on her facebook page. And no matter how offended the director was he should have told people the reason for it and not given up completely on a project he worked so hard on. It is being said that the production house did not support Sarmad Khoosat and neither did anyone else and that is the main reason for him being so upset. Well, whatever it is I hope everyone can work out their differences and work together once again.
Saud.
