Renowned actor Faysal Quraishi has responded strongly to recent criticism from actress Nadia Afgan, who questioned his English pronunciation in the ongoing drama Behroopia.

 

Faysal plays Mikael, a man with Dissociative Identity Disorder, in a story praised for its complex characters and layered storytelling. While his performance has been praised, it has also drawn criticism from some, including Nadia Afghan.

 

While appearing on the talk show Kya Drama Hai, Nadia criticised the English spoken by Faysal’s character Kabir, specifically his repeated use of the word “gottcha.”

 

“What kind of a word is that?” she asked, adding that “It should be ‘got you’ instead.”

 

Faysal didn’t let the remark go unanswered. In a video shared on social media alongside Behroopia director Shaquielle Khan, he clarified the creative intent behind Kabir’s dialogue.

 

“In the US, some people do say ‘gottcha’ instead of ‘got you.’ Kabir imitates that kind of English because that’s how his friend talks,” the director explained.

 

Faysal then asked Shaquielle directly, “And this ‘Gocha Gocha’ that Kabir is saying, why is Kabir using this American version of ‘Gotcha’? Why is he speaking English?”

 

To which Shaquielle replied, “Kabir is actually an alter [ego] of his friend who was a UK-returned guy.”

 

Diving deeper into Kabir’s character, he explains that when Kabir asks Mikhael why he's giving away his paintings for free, it reflects that Kabir is someone “relatively close to him [Mikhael]”, someone who helps him realise that “money can give value to better things.”

 

The director also defended the character’s speech pattern by highlighting the nature of Dissociative Identity Disorder, “To all the critics who are saying English shouldn’t be spoken, it’s not about English. The point is that these are alters, and every alter has a different language. Some speak pure Urdu, some speak Punjabi, and some speak like an Anglo-Indian, like Sneha’s character. If you’re creating different personalities, there should be a proper 60% change or shift in those personalities.”

 

Challenging Nadia’s claim directly, Faysal added, “But Nadia ji said incorrect English was spoken. Where? Tell me, what incorrect English?”

 

He also took a subtle dig at those offering surface-level critiques, “These days, you know, the focus is more on chest hair in previews. If you personally don’t like someone, don’t comment on them.”

 

Director Shaquielle Khan backed Faysal’s explanation, stating, “If there is a genuine mistake, we’re open to correcting it, but this isn’t one of those cases.”

 

Social media users also rallied behind Faysal. Many labelled Nadia’s comments as baseless and unnecessary.

 

One user wrote, “These actors sit in drawing rooms and critique work they don’t understand.”

 

As of now, Nadia Afgan has not responded to the backlash or to the explanations given by Faysal and Shaquielle.