Aangan (2018 TV series)

Not to be confused with Aangan (ARY Digital series).

Aangan
TV poster
Urdu	آنگن
Genre	Period drama
Based on	Aangan by Khadija Mastoor
Screenplay by	Mustafa Afridi
Directed by	Mohammed Ehteshamuddin
Starring	Mawra Hocane Ahsan Khan Sonya Hussyn Sajal Aly Ahad Raza Mir Hira Mani
Narrated by	Mawra Hocane
Theme music composer	Naveed Nashad
Opening theme	Manwa Sisters
Country of origin	Pakistan
Production
Executive producer	Momina Duraid
Production locations	Wazirabad Lahore Karachi
Cinematography	Khizer Gul
Production company	MD Productions
Original release
Network	Hum TV

Aangan (Urdu: آنگن; lit. 'Courtyard') is an upcoming Pakistani period drama created and produced by Momina Duraid Productions, and directed by Mohammed Ehteshamuddin. Written by Mustafa Afridi, it is the dramatization of the award-winning novel of the same name by Khadija Mastoor. Based on the partition of the Indian Subcontinent, the drama will star Mawra Hocane, Ahsan Khan, Sonya Hussyn, Sajal Aly, Ahad Raza Mir and Hira Mani as leading actors and explore their romantic life before the partition. The series will air on Hum TV.

Plot

In a January 2018 interview, the director praised the simplicity of the novel on which the production is based, saying; "It sheds light on the revolution that women went through in those times", and "Set in an inner courtyard, the story has been told from the perspective of a woman." On 28 March, Dawn Images published an interview with Mawra, in which she revealed she will be playing the protagonist and narrator of the story. The story will be told from her character's perspective, who will be seen romancing three men.

It is based on the partition of the Indian Subcontinent and the resulting independence of Pakistan. It depicts a Hindustani family that was divided mercilessly before the partition of Pakistan by the unfortunate time incidents. The story also has a political take, including British Raj, All-India Muslim League and Indian National Congress.

Cast

Main

• Mawra Hocane as Aaliya
• Ahsan Khan as Safdar (double role)
• Sonya Hussyn as Salma
• Sajal Aly as Chammi
• Ahad Raza Mir as Jameel; a poet and a politician
• Hira Mani as Tehmina; Aaliya's sister

Recurring

• Abid Ali
• Zaib Rehman
• Omair Rana as Mazhar; Aaliya's father
• Uzma Hassan
• Madiha Rizvi as Aaliya's mother
• Hassan Noman as Israr
• Shehzad Kashmiri
• Ali Rizvi
• Rabia Butt as Kusum; a Hindu widow
• Shehroz Sabzwari as Dr. Ehsaan
• Hasan Noman Qureshi
• shehryaar ali as shakeel

Background and production

Writing

The novel Aangan was written by Khadija Mastoor in 1962, and won the Adamji Literacy Award in the same year. It was also translated into 13 languages, with The Women's Courtyard in English by Daisy Rockwell. While the original novel is set in the 1940s and 1950s, Dawn Images reported in December 2017 that the drama is planned as a three-part series spanning a number of decades and will also feature the story of the 1980s and 2000s as in continuity.

The director Ehteshamuddin told The News in a March 2017 interview, "It was initially thought out as a film but now we're making a play out of it," adding, "We might turn it into a film later." He chose Mustafa Afridi to write the screenplay. Mustafa told Daily Times in a September 2018 interview that it took him a year to "understand the novel and a year and a half to adapt it" as a script. He commented that "all the characters have been defined in" skilled great detail by the author, and he worked hard to "stay true" to the "essence of the novel and its characters" while script-writing. He strongly hoped to "take the story forward from where" Khadija left it, into two sequels.

Casting and Filming

Principal photography commenced on September 2017 and was completed in late September 2018. Aangan was initially decided to release in March 2018 airing simultaneously while filming but since half of the actors were not available, producer Momina Duraid decided to release it in August, due to post-production delays the series was further set to release in December. Shooting was extensively done in remote areas of Waristan, (Khyber Pakhtunkhwaand), Lahore, (Punjab) and Karachi, (Sindh). Duraid chose Mawra Hocane, Ahsan Khan, Sonya Hussyn, Sajal Aly, Ahad Raza Mir and Hira Mani as leading cast.

On 17 October 2017, it was reported that Mawra Hocane had signed up for the project. The actress joined the shoot after completing her drama-serial Sammi for the same channel. On 19 October, it was reported that Ahsan Khan had also signed up, along with Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir. It was Khan's second Period drama for the same channel after Dastaan which was produced under the same banner in 2010. Speaking about the periodic script, the actor says There’s always a certain depth and beauty in period plays, but production houses hardly make them anymore because it requires a lot of time and effort to recreate an era. They’re more expensive and it’s relatively tougher for the director and the production team. There’s also no guarantee of how well they’d do either. It was also revealed that Ahsan will be playing double roles in the drama, and he will be romancing three women.

On 4 November, Sonya Hussyn signed up for the project as the lead cast. Speaking to tribune the actress told why she accepted the role; I’ve wanted to do a period play for the longest of time! My family’s originally from Lucknow, and considering Aangan is a pre-partition story, I felt at home .... I think in some bizarre way, I relate to the world that Aangan is set in; I absolutely love the wardrobe, the dialogues and the whole feel of the play that Ehtisham has captured perfectly. Hussyn was decided to portray the role of Salma, Safdar's love interest, commenting on her character the actress says; When I first went through the script, I realised that my character was perhaps the most prominent and I felt I had enough room to explore its dynamics and intensity. You know, she has a lot of shades to her ... When you’re offered a certain role, it’s either innocent or dark. But this one has a lot of variation to it. In fact, it’s very human and real. After I did Nazo, I became very selective about accepting roles and this project was exactly the kind of departure and freshness I was looking for.

On 5 December 2017 Sajal Ali's role of Chammi was confirmed with Ahad Raza Mir portraying Jamil. while Mawra on 27 December. Ali and Mir marked their second appearance together after their critical and commercial success in Yakeen Ka Safar. Mir also marked his second collaboration with Hocane after Sammi. Speaking about his character, Mir says Jameel is the most confusing character I have ever played. He is a poet, he is a politician, he’s somebody who is on a journey of what love means, what family bonds mean, somebody who is actually quite relatable to everyone out there.

Other cast in supporting roles include Abid Ali and Zaib Rehman, along with Omair Rana and Uzma Hassan.

The first spell was completed in January 2018, and then the second spell was completed in March. Hira Mani joined the cast in third shooting spell, also as in lead role. Ahsan commented to Something Haute that the "story revolves around the characters played by Mawra, Ahad, Sajal, Sonya, Hira and" himself, adding that they all are "connected to each other in a certain way which is very different". He further told The News that the drama is shot in "a very unique way", like never have been "seen before on Pakistani television". On 19 July, it was revealed that Rabia Butt will have a cameo role in the drama and two songs have been picturised on her. Other cast include Madiha Rizvi, Shehzad Kashmiri and Ali Rizvi. The spell took place between June and August 2018 in Karachi. On 26 September, the role of Shehroz Sabzwari was also revealed.

The casting was mostly done by Momina Duraid, who reportedly kept delaying the shoots to cast the right actors she wanted, as they were not available before. Sajal Aly told Gulf Times that every character "is equally important", having "its own journey", as it "follows multiple beautiful characters" and is "about everyone involved". She added that "it focuses on the partition of a family" as "the physical and emotional divide of a country". Khizer Gul has served as the cinematographer for the drama.

The drama will mark the second mutual appearance of Ahsan Khan, Sonya Hussyn and Mawra Hocane after the 2016 drama Haasil. It will also mark the second collaboration of Ahad Raza Mir with Mawra after the 2017 drama Sammi, and with Sajal Aly after the 2017 drama Yaqeen Ka Safar. It will also mark Ahsan's another collaboration with Hira Mani after 2016 drama Preet Na Kariyo Koi; also directed by the same director.

See also

• List of programs broadcast by Hum TV

External links

• Official website