Omair Rana, who plays a key role in TV One’s Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi, has responded to the notice issued by the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to the makers of Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi directing them to review the drama’s content and modify it according to the regulatory body’s guidelines.
In a series of tweets, the actor appreciated the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) efforts to combat human trafficking in Pakistan and said: “Our humble effort is to help them with their honourable cause by educating the masses of our everyday actions that feed the menace that is the modern slave trade.”
Rana further said that all evil is ugly and invited PEMRA “to do what is right, not popular”.
“Join us in this jihad and help us make our beloved Pakistan, pak (clean) of such vile elements in our society,” he added.
Founder of the Kashf Foundation Roshaneh Zafar, who has produced the show, responding to PEMRA’s notice said: “Indeed evil is ugly and reality has to be faced so we can do something about changing it.”
Zafar also shared a news report which highlighted widespread child labour in Islamabad and said: “This why we need shows like Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi to raise awareness on issues like human trafficking, child labour and human bondage.”
“Realisation is the first step towards redressal and resolution,” she added.
According to the Federal Investigation Agency, human trafficking is the third-largest source of organised crime revenue in Pakistan. Furthermore, statistics from the US Department of State on Pakistan provincial police reported identifying 19,954 trafficking victims in 2019, with the majority of victims recorded as women and children.
Featuring Yumna Zaidi, Yasra Rizvi, Wahaj Ali, Nadia Afgan, Naumaan Ijaz and Samiya Mumtaz besides Rana in the lead, Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi is a harrowing tale of child abuse and human trafficking in Pakistan. The drama has been written by Amna Mufti and directed by Kashif Nisar and is a Kashf Foundation Presentation.
Six episodes of the drama have aired so far. According to a press release issued earlier, Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi will “bring some of the most heinous and deeply sensitive issues to light – while showing how humanity can still prevail in even the most insurmountable of situations.
The press release further said: “With three parallel stories on prostitution, human trafficking, and child abuse, the drama exposes the lowest ebb of our society.”
Yumna, in an earlier interview, while talking about the drama had said: “The story is based on multiple causes. It has three major tracks: human trafficking, child abuse and a young girl who wants to become a cricketer. As far as my track is concerned, it is about women trafficking. Parents from slums sell their young daughters. The drama explores where these girls end up and what kind of a life they spend. And, if any of them dreams big, how does she manage to pursue that.”
Earlier, PEMRA had also banned ARY Digital’s Jalan for going against the “social and moral ethics of Pakistani society” and had also directed the makers of Fitoor to check for “inappropriate dialogues and content” in the drama.
