TV One has released a new drama serial directed by Babar Qayyum, titled ‘Wafa ka Mausam’ for which a press conference was held recently at The Patio. The show stars Neelum Munir as Komal, Aijaz Aslam as Dara, Noman Habib as Bazil as well as Haya Sehgal. To introduce the show, one of its producers, Shehwar Rahim, came to oversee the event and speak to press. Actors Munir, Aslam and Sehgal also joined her much later for the screening.

Both the audio and video setup could have been better organised, given that TV One as an enterprise should probably have some expertise in those areas.   The story is essentially a clash between two men and their egos, one is the heroine Komal’s father and the other is her beloved, Dara. The screening did not disclose much of the storyline, however Rahim was there to answer all questions from the press.

One of the first remarks was actually directed at the ageless Aijaz Aslam, and how he has played a hero since the ’90s. Aslam replied wryly that it took a lot of effort to look the way he did and that not everyone could do it. Rahim rolled her eyes and added that men could play heroes and romance well into their 60’s. When asked why the storyline was one we had seen all too often, Aslam was candid when he said that he found these intense love stories and characters tedious but that it was demanded by the audience and thus delivered.

Seghal defended the storyline, saying that it was  was laden with important messages. Rahim nodded in agreement, saying that it was not in the story but the storytelling that the real pleasure lies. Revealing more plot details, she said that the show would touch on the subjects of watta-satta as well as issues regarding the land mafia and education for women. She was also asked why shows depicting real people’s real stories are not produced and her reply was the same as Aslam’s; the audience demands fantastic and melodramatic love stories. But in regards to better, more sophisticated storylines, Aijaz said,”There is far more work than there are people and  resources.”

It was expedient of the producers to have understood the power of social media and that it can make or break a phenomenon. Therefore it was impressive to see #WafaKaMausam was the number one trend on local Twitter yesterday during the bloggers meet up and more importantly a day before the show aired. It was a encouraging press conference as it made clear that the desire for more diverse and realistic dramas is mutual.

‘Wafa ka Mausam’ airs every Wednesday at 8 pm on TV One.