Well, honestly speaking I am not sure if they are victims out of their own free will or it is just that they are offered to play the same kind of roles. I am sure many of you already know what typecasting is but those of you who may not have a clear idea, let me explain it to you. Typecasting means to cast an actor continuously in more or less the same kind of role, either because of his physical appearance or previous success in such roles. Pakistani drama industry is blessed with some enormously talented actors who have proven time and again that they are very versatile and can easily portray any character with precision but for some reason we see many of these actors performing similar kind of roles and that just becomes monotonous and is not exactly fair with them. Here is a list of some actors who have lately been seen performing similar kind of roles and I would really appreciate it if we could see them in different roles.
1. Saba Hameed:
I am sure all of you will agree with me that this gifted actress is as capable of playing a positive role as she is of portraying a negative character on screen. But, lately starting from Qaid-e-Tanhai to Aik Naye Cinderella she has been playing the evil or not so good mother. Sometimes it seems like Saba Hameed just walked out from one set to the other and it becomes a little difficult to relate to her characters. There are many other actresses who play the mother too like Shamim Hilali for instance but the roles are different; In Maat she was a down to earth mother and in Uraan she was completely different.
2. Ayza Khan:
I am a devoted fan of Ayza Khan because she is one of those rare actresses who nail all their characters right from the beginning of their career. She played the rebellious daughter in Larkiyan Mohallay Ki, then in Zard Mausam and now in Aks. All these characters leave no room for versatility and show her in the same light. Although in Mi Raqsam Ayza Khan plays a girl married to a man much older than her but I really feel that she has much more potential and should be given roles that put her acting skills to test.
3. Mikaal Zulfiqar:
I watched Shehr e Zaat and Talafi too but to me Mikaal is somehow still Mansoor from Durr e Shehwar, now why is that? I think because that character was completely different from what he seems to be doing usually. He plays the insincere man who cheats on his wife in every second play, be it Shehr e Zaat, Talafi or Manjali. He is another actor who has so much more to offer. I would say that casting him in such roles only is a sheer waste of good talent.
4. Mehreen Raheel:
Mehreen Raheel played the girl who had to share her man with another woman in Mastana Mahi, hopelessly loved a man who did not love her in Dastaan and now she is the other woman in Ashk. It seems like her role in Zindagi Gulzar hai will be the same too. Quite interestingly in all the plays that I mentioned above, except for Mastana Mahi, the love of her life was Fawad Khan!
5. Nimra Bucha:
Nimra Bucha is one of those endowed artists who were born to perform but this talented actress has been a victim of typecasting more than anyone else. She played the sister who could not find a suitable spouse in Daam and after that all her on-screen marriages have been troublesome. Mera Yakeen, Sabz Pari Laal Kabooter and Baandi, in all these plays she plays the victim; a very docile patient woman who has to put up with a great deal. Sometimes I feel like I know her expressions by heart. And the reason for that is not that she cannot perform any better but that is the demand of the characters she plays.
How do you feel about typecasting? Do you enjoy watching your favorite actors playing the same kind of roles or do you want to see them in different roles? I must give credit to many actors like Faisal Qureshi, Faisal Rehman, Mohammad Qavi Khan, Sajjal, Savera Nadeem, Sarwat Gillani, Mohib Mirza, Alishba Yusuf and the list is long (add to it please), who believe in versatility.
Fatima Awan.
