Shaista Lodhi, long associated with morning shows, has now become a household name. Her shows have made her a hit among women who used to tune into her shows everyday and are now looking forward to her upcoming morning show also. Shaista plunged into the drama world a while back and is now all set to appear in upcoming drama ‘Khan’ with a strong role as a politician.
Talking to Images, about the serial, Shaista says, “Khan is an almost feudal type of drama. It will be relatable for the average person because it will remind them of Pakistan’s political system.”
There were rumors that Khan is inspired from Imran Khan’s life. But Shaista clarified “The drama doesn’t take inspiration from Imran Khan.”
She elaborates about the drama’s themes, “[The drama explores] the way revenge is taken in politics, the way seats are [sold] or tickets are given by parties or how sympathy is exploited. An example is Benazir Bhutto’s case, sympathy was exploited by her party. You can expect to see similar events in this drama.”
“My character has a vast range. From being a politician’s wife to a politician herself. From a childhood lover to a dedicated wife. There are many different shades and that has been a challenge for me to play.”
“But it was so much fun,” she adds, “because my wardrobe was so different and I’m playing a character older than I am.”
Another challenge for Shaista was working with senior actors.
According to the morning show host, “I had so many seasoned actors working with me so it was a challenge. I can’t ever forget the first scene we did. I was acting opposite Noman Ejaz and he got me so confused. I did realise later how sweet of a person he is but that first time working with him was nerve-wrecking. After the scene I was thinking “What on Earth happened?!”But afterwards I got the hang of it and I had a lot of fun working with the seniors.”
She also gave a little insight into her director.
“Ali Faizan is the director and he is intelligent but also a little crazy! He has crazy ideas, the way a creative person should have. He thinks out of the box and tries to put a new perspective in every aspect. I think he has treated this drama beautifully.”
Besides, Shaista, Khan stars Nouman Aijaz, Ejaz Aslam and Atiqa Odho. It is written by Syed Atif Ali and directed by Ali Faizal, Khan will start on February 19th, Sunday 8pm on Geo tv.