Mahira Khan to turn storyteller for Zee’s ‘Yaar Julahay’

Mahira Khan is all set to be seen again on Indian screens with Yaar Julahay, a series of dramatic readings that will air on Zee Theatre.

According to reports in the Indian media, Mahira will feature in the opening episode of the 12-part Zee Theatre series, which will be airing next week. She will be reading Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s classic story, Guriya.

Guriya follows two best friends Mehra and Bano. Bano has a doll (Guriya) that resembles Mehra, but the latter doesn’t like that doll at all. With time, their fondness and hate for the doll grows. Towards the end comes an unexpected twist that unfolds the mystery around the doll.

Yaar Julahay also brings to life stories of legendary Urdu and Hindi writers such as Gulzar, Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, Munshi Premchand, Amrita Pritam, Qurratulain Haider, Balwant Singh, Asad Muhammad Khan, Ghulam Abbas, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Intezar Hussain.

Read more – Pakistanis can no longer subscribe to Zee5

Other readers who are part of the series include Sarmad Khoosat, Sarwat Gilani, Nimra Bucha, Yasra Rizvi, Fawad Khan, Sania Saeed, Irfan Khoosat, Samiya Mumtaz, and Faisal Qureshi.

Humsafar maker Sarmad Khoosat, who is directing as well as reading, said in a statement that the series is inspired by ‘Dastangoi‘, a tradition of creating and telling stories that defines South Asia.

“We have interpreted Dastangoi in a contemporary way and there is also live and recorded music along with suggestive details articulating the theme of the story. For instance, when I directed Mahira Khan for Guriya, the set was strewn with dolls. They created an eerie atmosphere that augmented the narration and enhanced the mood of the reading”, he added.

Read more – The ‘Churails’ are the superheroes we wish we had

Chief Creative Officer Special Projects ZEE Shailja Kejriwal, while speaking about the project said: “Each episode of Yaar Julahay features the immersive reading of a remarkable story that is as unique and complex as the subcontinent we live in. Each one of the featured writers has processed reality through characters that we can still identify with.”

“It was a joy to work on these classic tales with Kanwal and Sarmad Khoosat because we have collaborated with them before and they always approach a project with a certain artistic sensitivity and deep respect for the material they are working with. Their sensibility was needed for a project as unique as this,” she added.

The first episode of the series featuring Mahira is expected to air on May 15, 2021.