Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: February 18, 2021 | 
Fasih Bari Khan at Beaconhouse National University
Lately, it seems that a majority of television has become a medium of clichés, and the scripts remain essentially risk averse. Most soaps and serials on local satellite and terrestrial channels recycle the scales, emotions, and themes of the hit from the last season. It is very rare to find an unconventional story told in an inventive manner.
The Poster for Ghisi Piti Mohabbat (Worn Out Love)
But perhaps no other storyteller in the contemporary cadre of scriptwriters has told the stories of people who hardly ever become part of our drama scripts, with such honesty, bravery, and empathy as Faseeh Bari Khan. Take for example his most recent serial, ‘Ghissi Pitti Mohabbat’ (Worn Out Love), the story of a strong-headed girl from a middleclass family who refused to compromise on her principles, but also took chances in life. The sensitivity and craft that Faseeh brought to the script, guaranteed that viewers empathize with the central character Samia, as she remained unapologetic despite multiple failed relationships.
Forcing society to look at its starkest truths and pushing the envelope of realism with each new project, is something that excites Faseeh as a storyteller. From ‘Burns Road ki Nilofer’ (Nilofer of Burns Road), Behkawa (Misguidence) ‘Mohabbat Jaye Bhar Mein’ (Love be Damned), ‘Ronaq Jahan Ka Nafsiyati Gharana’ (Ronaq Jahan’s Psychotic Clan), and the most provocative and darkest of them all, ‘Tar-e-Ankaboot’ (Spider Web) which was pulled off air prematurely only after 11 episodes. Faseeh’s refusal to discuss the possible reasons behind it indicates that it may be due to the show’s bleak themes.
The Poster for ‘Tar-e-Ankaboot’ (Spider Web)
“I started reading mature literature while I was still young, because the books written for children of my age never excited me. Instead, I read Ghulam Abbas, Qurat-ul-Ain Haider, Ismat Chughtai, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Saadat Hasan Manto. I also read translations of Russian literature, and Maxim Gorky’s ‘The Mother’ is a novel that left indelible marks on my mind. I had a large family with seven siblings, and it was a very traditional neighborhood in Karachi where we grew up. I picked the knack for reading serious literature from my mother, as she had a very evolved taste in literature. I started writing from a young age, and my first story was titled ‘Kaway Ka Raag’ (Raga of a Crow). It was a story of a girl waiting for her lover at a deserted railway station where she intuitively ends up having a mental dialogue with a crow, and it helps her realize the futility of pursuing her love interest,” Faseeh reminisced.
The characters and the situations that Faseeh knits in his scripts are part of the experiences from his formative years. His most iconic serial, “Quddusi Sahab ki Bewa” (Widow of Mr. Quddussi), was set against the charming backdrop of a densely populated neighborhood of Karachi. The serial became hugely popular, and had over 150 episodes with the immensely talented actor Hina Dilpazeer playing more than 20 different characters.
The Poster for Quddusi Sahab ki Bewa (Widow of Mr. Quddussi)
Quddusi Sahab ki Bewa was a clear departure from the generic formula of prime time television serials in Pakistan. “I was inspired and trained in scriptwriting by some of the best script writers of the country. During my formative years, I looked up to Dr. Enver Sajjad, Bano Qudsia, Noor-ul-Huda Shah and other such drama writers of the time. I got formal training from another great writer, novelist and scriptwriter Hameed Kashmiri, who had a very realistic style of writing. I must also mention Munnu Bhai and his serial ‘Sona Chandi’, which had a lot of characters, but each character had the power to connect with the viewer. That was a time when writers and directors had a very good command of the language, were conversant with classical literature, and skilled in their craft. That is why their dramas were so close to reality. It is not essential that every drama script becomes part of literature, but when something substantial comes out of commercial ventures, it automatically gets noticed,” Faseeh noted.
Faseeh’s distinct skill of developing close-to-real life characters has become his hallmark. Interestingly, if someone maps his journey as a playwright, they will notice how a few idiosyncratic characters, often willingly unseen or ignored by society, keep making repeated appearances in his projects. His compassionate portrayal of these very complex characters, be it the neighborhood spinster, the effeminate son, the lecherous old man, or the mysterious sorcerer, is what sets his stories apart. Their details and complexities getting more and more evolved with each new appearance, be it in a film-noir styled ‘Behkawa’, or in the ill-fated serial ‘Mohini Mansion Ki Cinderellayain’ (Cinderellas of Mohini Mansion), which was discontinued half way as the channel changed its direction from entertainment to current affairs.
The Poster for Mohabbat Jaye Bhar Mein (Love Be Damned)
“I really enjoy writing, and especially writing about everyday people whom I have observed around me while growing up and as an adult. I usually start writing a script with a few characters in mind, but those characters slowly take over the writing to tell their own story, and I just become a medium for them. They all demand importance and compete amongst each other for my attention. I am very inconsistent as a writer and though I write a very detailed screenplay for my dramas, I don’t pre-plan a complete story arc when I get down to writing a new project,” Faseeh admitted.
Faseeh is a fan of the Pakistani cinema from the fifties, sixties, and the seventies, and admires the work of cinema giants such as Hassan Tariq and Riaz Shahid. He has written two scripts for film to date: ‘Jeewan Hathi’ (The Elephant in the Room) was a dark comedy and, ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’ (Love in 7 Days) was a quirky romance.
The Cast of 7 Din Mohabbat In (Love in 7 Days)
In the future, he looks forward to writing more scripts for films. “Those writers and directors of yesteryears were doing work that was way ahead of its time. I will definitely like to write more for cinema, but it will have to be something that is executed with the required depth, understanding, and finesse. To be honest, I also sometimes get disillusioned and contemplate quitting as a writer and doing something else.” He ended with a laugh. It is perhaps this very unbridled honesty, candor, and curiosity about life and its many facets that reflects in Faseeh’s conversation, and makes his work erratic, a little unsettling and yet engaging and worth watching.
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