Celebrities, like any other individual, go through ups and downs in life but in this article I will highlight the real struggle which they have endured in order to get where they are today. Those celebrities who are now at the top of their game were once rejected by many and also had to struggle for years to get their talent polished as well as acknowledged. Some of our celebrities come from financially stable backgrounds and they started acting as a hobby but there are also those for whom acting or singing was a proper profession without which they could not survive. Obviously, money must and can never be the driving force for an artist but when a person decides to be in this profession and gives it everything he has then surely earning money is just as important as getting recognized.

Once, a celebrity gets recognition and popularity, the money flows in but did you know that many of our top celebrities today had to work for years to perfect their craft and in between they went through serious financial as well as emotional crisis. Some of these performers entered the showbiz industry not only because that was a legacy passed on to them by their parents but also because they had to earn a living for their family through it.

This list contains the names of all those top celebrities who worked hard to get where they are today and fought hard to get this position. And most importantly, these are the celebrities who were brave enough to share their stories with the world. Their stories are heartwarming as well as inspiring.

Imran Ashraf

Imran Ashraf is a true performer who left the viewers in awe of his remarkable performance in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi. He is also an intelligent, level-headed and eloquent individual who has been seen talking about his struggles with complete sincerity ever since he won unprecedented appreciation after Ranjha Ranjha Kardi ended.

Imran Ashraf’s struggle started back in 2011 when his family business shut down. Imran Ashraf shared in an interview that he had already worked once as a child star but returned to the industry in 2011. The first time he gave a performance, it left a lot to be desired. Eventually, what really motivated him to give his acting career more time and effort was when a co-actor misbehaved with him. That is when he decided that he needed to do whatever it took in order to prove himself. This led to years of struggle to improve his accent and dialogue delivery.

Imran Ashraf also mentioned in an interview with Dawn, ” I played a mawali [street thug] in Ab Ke Saawan Barse. At this point I was about to hit rock-bottom — I had no place to live, I had no money, I was living day-to-day”. When he got his first break he arrived on the set with only 30 rupees and not even a decent pair of sandals on his feet. He shared, “I asked him why he was so sure that I could do it. He said because everyone said so. I delivered the two lines and the director asked the make-up guy to puff me up. I had to borrow the DOP’s [Director of Photography’s] sandals and finally did the serial after which a couple more followed.”

Imran Ashraf used his bitter experiences as a source of motivation and even today he thanks those people who told him that he couldn’t do it because they are the ones who pushed him to give his best.

Zahid Ahmed

Zahid Ahmed is also another most sought after actor nowadays but did he get this recognition easily? Well most certainly not! Most of the people who follow him on social media probably already know not just his journey as an actor but also as an individual whose life story is inspiring in every way possible. After being recognized as a well established actor, Zahid Ahmed’s transformation pictures went viral on social media. These pictures got all kind of comments, some people thought that this transformation was shocking while others made fun of him.

The highlight of it all was the manner in which Zahid Ahmed addressed these viral pictures and literally changed the way every single person looked at them. Instead of giving interviews on different platforms or answering questions on social media, he simply wrote down a ‘timeline’ of his own life not to shut down the trolls but to confidently accept his failures and to inspire others. The fact is that Zahid Ahmed did not need to bear his soul but he did just that. This basically showed how confident he was as an individual and in the process he also made sure that everyone out there knew that his transformation was more than that of outer appearance.

Hina Altaf

Hina Altaf started her career as a VJ and then she went on to perform in dramas. Hina Altaf did not open up about the struggles in her personal life for the longest time. These issues in her personal life could have impacted her career in a negative manner which is why her name is also in this list.

Hina Altaf’s outer appearance does not suggest that she has gone through so much but the way she shared a very personal and vulnerable side of her life went to show what a strong person she was. Hina Altaf talked about her mother’s schizophrenia, how difficult it was to live with it, her struggle with depression, the weight gain and how she managed to overcome it all with the help of a professional doctor who also turned out to be a mentor and a friend. Hina Altaf shared in many of her interviews how she used to go to the sets with bruises and acting for her wasn’t a hobby but a full time job since she had to support her family financially too. Hina Altaf fought a battle which was of a private nature but surely making it this far with so much going wrong in your personal life is not easy yet Hina Altaf managed to do just that.

Mohsin Abbas Haider

Mohsin Abbas Haider has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons but the fact remains that he is also one of those celebrities who has struggled a great deal. In his previous interviews, Mohsin Abbas Haider highlighted how his depression made him want to commit suicide. He also mentioned in one of his interviews that all the energy which the viewers saw on screen was actually his way of venting out his frustrations.

Mohsin Abbas Haider shared with Samina Peerzada that he has also been through such a time when he had nothing to eat and when he used to go for the night shift, he was more interested in the lunch box his co-worker brought than his work because sometimes the food he shared with Mohsin was the only meal he had all day. Mohsin Abbas Haider waited for a long time until he got his big break, he lived away from home and his family because he had to make a career in showbiz which was never an easy choice since he was really close to his mother.

Sanam Marvi

Sanam Marvi is a well-known folk and Sufi singer who is considered one of the best in the field. When Sanam Marvi was invited as a guest on Samina Peerzada’s show, she told her heart-wrenching story starting from the time when her father was tragically murdered, how she and her mother did not even have food to eat for days and she also shared in detail how her stepfather worked hard on her and taught her to sing.

Sanam Marvi’s struggle was long but eventually she was rewarded with a good break which changed everything for her. The honest manner in which Sanam shared every little detail shows that she is not embarrassed of her past but has in fact embraced it and is using her past experiences to shape up her present and future life.

Agha Ali

Agha Ali is a singer and an actor who has a huge fan following. Agha Ali is also one of those few celebrities who do not believe in keeping their personal life private. In several interviews Agha Ali talked about how he has been fighting with Psoriasis, an incurable skin disease which was once so bad that he was all by himself for eight months. The timing was also not in Agha Ali’s favor because this was also the time when he had just started his showbiz career.

Agha Ali isn’t just a young man following his passion but he is also a responsible adult who runs his house and takes care of his family. His real life story is very different from the characters we see him playing on screen. Fighting such a disease, being the head of the family at such a young age and still making a name in an industry with so much competition isn’t easy but Agha Ali has and is doing just that!

Kudos to all these celebrities for not giving up and making it this far. Do share your views and more inspiring celebrity stories with us in the comments section.

There is no denying the fact that drama serial Nand is all the rage these days. Despite having a typical storyline, it has all the tactics that have grabbed the attention of the viewers. This is the reason, Nand happens to be one of the widely and popularly discussed dramas these days. The story of Nand, as the title suggests is about the character who becomes a sister in law and can not see her brothers happy. This drama has its fair share of conspiracies, plottings, scheming, and has everything to do with family politics but still, it has imparted quite a few lessons to those who are watching. At times, stories like these end up creating more awareness because they show everything on an extreme level where everything is either black or white, this way it creates quite an impact and leaves quite an impression.

Drama serial Nand has quite a few characters and the writer Sameena Ejaz has made sure to give each one of them a unique personality. Although the Nand in this drama runs the show, the supporting characters have a strong screen presence and contribute a great deal in the progress of the story as well. Drama serial Nand has quite a few twists and turns, and they come along because either the characters behave unexpectedly or the viewers don’t see them coming.

Here is the list of strong and weak characters from the drama serial Nand:

Strong Characters

Gohar (Faiza Hassan)

As surprising as this may sound, but Gohar indeed is the strongest character of the drama. Although she is a negative character, after a while, the viewers are getting to see such a negative character that is leaving quite an impact and running the show here. The show has been designed for her and she happens to be the central character, because of which she gets to control every situation and easily manipulates people around her. Gohar has a strong personality and Faiza Hassan has done complete justice to this character. The way she has carried herself in this drama as Gohar is what has made it quite convincing.

Apart from her phenomenal performance, it is always interesting to see what Gohar is planning and what she is intending to do. She is an antagonist who has actually made the entire dynamic of the story quite dramatic and worthwhile. The writer went all out in showing the negative traits people like Gohar can possess, who are envious and can not see others happy, even if it means sacrificing the peace and happiness of those they seemingly call their own.

Gohar is seen scheming against her own brother’s wife and the moment she sees that the couple is expecting their first baby, she doesn’t mind devising a plan which results in the miscarriage. Gohar shows no remorse over the fact that it was also her brother in the picture who lost the baby. Gohar knows what she wants and this is the reason, she keeps on finding and mending ways in order to achieve the goals that she sets for herself, which makes her a negative but strong character in this entire drama.

Farwa (Maha Hassan)

Farwa is at the other side of the spectrum in Gohar’s comparison and she too happens to be one of the best and strongest characters of the drama. Farwa shows what it is like to have values and ethics. Farwa has been raised with such values where she doesn’t settle for anything that is not in line with her moral compass. Farwa is the kind of person who believes in doing right and standing by the right. This is the reason she did not accept the mistreatment that Gohar subjected her to because firstly, she had the courage and confidence to stand up for herself, and secondly, right from the beginning she knew that Gohar won’t be able to harm her unless she allows it.

The braveness and fierceness with which Farwa faced Gohar and outbid her in all of her evil schemes that she continues to plan against Farwa made the viewers fall in love with her character. In the recent episode, Farwa showed that she will always stand by the right and also wouldn’t allow her husband to support what is evidently wrong. Farwa is not afraid of speaking up her mind and this is the reason, she is now at a place where her biggest enemy Gohar knows that she can not do anything to Farwa. Maha Hassan has played this character beautifully and her minute expressions make it quite interesting to see what Farwa is feeling and thinking.

Hassan (Ayaz Samoo)

It won’t be wrong to say that Pakistani drama viewers want more husbands like Hassan. Hassan has shown what an ideal husband is like. Although at times he does get influenced by his sister because he is emotionally attached to his siblings, the personality trait that makes him ideal is the fact that he never loses his own ability of judgment and doesn’t let anything cloud it. Hassan proved to be a man of his word because he didn’t change after marriage and continued to support his wife emotionally and mentally when she needed it the most. Another aspect that makes Hassan’s character ideal is the fact that he believes in open communication, this is why he shared everything with Farwa and told her about the dynamics of his family because he knew that Gohar was prone to creating troubles and misunderstandings.

After his marriage to Farwa, he stood by her side and let his entire family know that they were not allowed to mistreat Farwa. Although Farwa fought her battles herself it was always nice to see her having Hassan’s back. Their relationship is also built on trust and through it, the writer has reinforced the importance of trust between a husband and wife. When Gohar played cheap tactics against Farwa and made it look like she was having an affair with her university fellow Shahzaib behind Hassan’s back, Hassan did not even think about its possibility for a second because he knew that Farwa was not cheating on him and that Shahzaib was just her friend and nothing else. It also goes to show that it is perfectly alright for a girl to stay in touch with her friends even after the marriage because she had a life of her own before it too.

Farwa’s Father (Zia Gurchani)

Farwa’s father happens to be another strong character in the drama serial Nand. It is because he is an emotionally and mentally invested father who lets his child know every step of the way that she has his back and that she is not alone. The way Farwa’s character has evolved goes to show the kind of upbringing she had and it is directly linked to the values that her father must have instilled in her. Farwa’s father is far-sighted and wise, this is why in just a couple of interactions with Gohar, he understood that she was problematic and had another side to her which she was concealing.

Farwa’s father has stayed in touch with her and has repeatedly shown his concerns, not only to her but also to Hassan. It shows that he is also not afraid to speak his mind and wants to make sure that his daughter stays safe, feels secure, and is happy. It is a rarity to see such supportive fathers in Pakistani dramas and luckily, he happens to be one of them. Zia Gurchani’s expressions, especially every time he had a conversation with Gohar were a treat for the viewers to watch because he made it quite obvious that he was not buying all of the things that Gohar was nicely lying about.

Aleem (Tipu Sharif)

Although the character of Aleem was short-lived, he definitely left an impact. He was soft-spoken and kind-hearted, also probably one of those who are quite courteous that they don’t mind staying quiet even when they can see the wrongdoings of others but what made his character strong was the continuous support that he extended towards his younger sister Rabi. Aleem did everything he could to make sure that Rabi stays married and this is why he continued to guide her. Aleem was always there for her and never once made her feel like she should put up with everything that Gohar was subjecting her to. Aleem even decided to apologize hoping that it would make things better, but it was his kindness that made him think that Rabi’s in-laws would reciprocate it and now things will be normal.

After Rabi’s divorce, her brother helped her come out of that depressive phase with his continuous love and support because he understood that this is what she needed the most. Aleem also knew that his sister did everything to make this marriage work, this is why when it ended, he never made her feel like what she did wasn’t enough. Aleem told her that he was going to be there for her and it helped Rabi a great deal in moving on in her life. Tipu Sharif’s performance as Aleem was convincing, his courteous and gentle dialogue delivery made it very obvious that as a brother he felt burdened and wanted nothing but the best for his sister because he had raised her with a lot of love and care.

Weak Characters

Saqib (Shehroz Sabzwari)

The viewers of Nand have probably resented Saqib’s character more than anyone in this drama. Gohar is the most disliked character but then, she is who she is, therefore all that she does is expected of her. However, no one expected Saqib to turn out to be such a bad husband who would fail to protect his wife, whom he knew couldn’t do anything wrong. Saqib was a nightmare of a husband who did not allow his wife or even himself to nurture their newly build a relationship. Saqib ended up giving too much edge to his sister and because he was so used to being emotionally abused by his sister, he expected his wife to endure the same without even complaining.

Rabi did not complain and at times, when she wanted to, Saqib made her feel like the worst person alive because she doubted his saint-like sister. Saqib could see at times that his sister was being unreasonable but she chose to side with her. Saqib crossed all the limits of being a bad husband and weak character when he divorced Rabi after he was being pressurized by Gohar. Although he regretted his decision later his regret held no meaning the moment he started doubting the fact that Rabi and Jahangir actually had something going on, only because Saqib spotted Jahangir and his mother at Rabi’s place. Saqib also held Rabi responsible for not speaking up and taking a stand, because after seeing Farwa he actually fancied the idea of what a strong woman is like. Saqib himself should’ve felt ashamed that he never gave his wife her due rights to speak up against the slander insinuated by Gohar, rather he still hoped that Rabi had done something just like Farwa does.

In one of the recent episodes, Saqib failed to retrieve Rabi’s gold bangles from his sister – yet again proving what a weak character he is. In drama serial Nand, Shehroz Sabzwari has actually acted really well, especially in those scenes where Saqib is seen regretting his decision of divorcing Rabi. Shehroz Sabzwari has also done justice to the emotional transitioning of Saqib’s character because ever since his divorce, the dejection in his body language and despair in his overall personality evidently shows that Saqib is not happy without Rabi. Another prove of him being a weak character was when he literally dragged Rabi from Jahangir’s place and brought her in front of Gohar so that she could assault and harm her. *smh*

Gohar’s Mother (Sumbul Shahid)

In Urdu, if the only word that can perfectly describe her character would be ‘lattu’, because she continues to spin and has no sense of direction whatsoever. Gohar’s mother is a weak character, but on top of that, she is a clueless character too who has absolutely no idea what a monster her daughter is. At times she does understand what Gohar is doing is wrong, but only because she hypocritically wants to maintain good relations with her daughter as well as her sons, she continues to just turn a blind eye to all of their wrongdoings and shortcomings. Gohar’s mother has time and again shown that she also suffers from short-term memory loss because she immediately forgets what she had just said and backtracks within a split second.

She is a weak character who fails to take charge of the situation and because of her indecisive nature and laidback attitude, her daughter as well her elder son are suffering. The youngest Hassan has been saved and rescued because he is now married to a strong and level-headed girl like Farwa who has a sense of direction and right and wrong, which the Lattu aunty lacks.

There have been innumerous occasions where she has displayed her weakness, the first one that stands out the most is when she herself praised Rabi in front of Jahangir, telling him to ask her how she is being treated in this house. The moment Jahangir also praised Rabi for her patience, Lattu aunty immediately used it against him and started questioning him about how could he shamelessly say nice things about Rabi. Sumbul Shahid has played her part well and the cluelessness of this character actually makes her look absolutely cute. It is nothing short of a treat and an experience of its own to witness her cluelessness and we are not complaining, hain, haan!

Rabi (Minal Khan)

Rabi is one of the reasonable characters of the drama but she can be easily termed as a weak character because she chose not to have a voice when it was needed the most. Although through her character, the writer has tried to reinforce the fact that a wife’s confidence and self-esteem thrives on the support of her husband, but on her own, a woman can be so much more. It was in the earliest stages of her marriage when Rabi realized that Gohar was a problematic person in the entire family, and still she chose not to do much about it. Rabi chose to be an escapist where she maintained a distance from Gohar and chose to stay silent when things got out of hand. However, none of that worked in her favor.

It goes to show that being weak and vulnerable all the time does you no good and people end up walking all over you. Rabi definitely is a reasonable character but it broke the heart of the viewers to see her easily becoming a victim of emotional, mental as well as physical abuse and still expecting that things will change for the better and will turn in her favor, which did not happen. Minal Khan has played the character of Rabi beautifully and has been able to show her range as an actor because seeing her in Jalan and Nand are two completely different experiences.

Jahangir’s Mother (Sabiha Hashmi)

Jahangir’s mother is yet another reasonable character in this drama. It is nice to see her being an ideal mother who is so emotionally invested in her son that she feels and senses his struggles even when he tries his best to keep them as a secret from her. However, in the recent episode and the preview of the upcoming episodes, it seems she is going to fall prey to Gohar’s fake antics and she will be the only one who will stop Jahangir from divorcing and getting rid of Gohar’s negativity from his life.

It is good to have faith in people but to blindly believe in miracles is absolutely wrong, especially in this case when she has seen Gohar’s worst behavior over the years. It is nice to give people second, third, and even multiple chances but to literally forget what the other person is capable of is weakness and nothing else. For a woman, her age who has so much of experience, for her to fall for Gohar’s lies shows that she is going to be a weak character from now on. She will now force Jahangir to stay married to Gohar only for the sake of Omar, which is not going to be a pleasant experience for Jahangir because this way, his mother will be putting him through more emotional and mental abuse and torture, which is wrong.

Drama serial Nand has two more reasonable characters; Jahangir and Muneeza but they do not fall in either category. The character of Muneeza is really good because, through her, the writer broke the stereotype and showed that bhabhi’s can be friendly and like elder sisters too. Jahangir is another reasonable and good character who was going through a financial crisis and did not have much power or control over things. With his financial condition and circumstances changing, the viewers do hope to see him taking things in his hands and putting an end to Gohar’s negativity.

This completes the list of weak and strong characters from drama serial Nand. Are you following this drama, which character irks you the most, and which character is your favorite? Please feel free to share your opinion about this drama and characters.