Ayesha Kundi Directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker, Asim Abbasi of ‘Cake’ fame, Churails brings together a talented cast led by Sarwat Gilani Mirza, Nimra Bucha, Mehar Bano and Yasra Rizvi for this power-packed narrative.
I sat down with this relentless quartet and immediately felt the excitement that filled the room. I could see the fun they must have had on the sets and how exhilarating their experience must have been. I had a chance to speak with all the four leading cast members who come together to form this ruthless ensemble. Its the first show of its kind in the history of Pakistani Entertainment.
We talked about how each person related themselves in real life with the characters they played. ‘As much as I relate to my character of a home maker, I won’t say I was entirely that person.’ says Sarwat Gilani Mirza who plays Sara. ‘She is completely dedicated to her children and husband. She is oppressed and always keeps her head down where as in real life I am the opposite. I speak up when I am mistreated, I openly express my opinions on social and economical issues faced by Pakistani Women.’
On the other hand Nimra Bucha plays the character of a killer named Batool. ‘Now my character is a killer, I cannot relate to it completely, so the challenges of playing a killer were there. I am not a method actor, so getting the grip on it was demanding.’
Yasra Rizvi said ‘My character of Jugnu is very forthcoming, she doesn’t bottle herself, she is high maintenance and gauges in the realms of freely addressing others. In real life that is something I can relate to. I swear a lot.’
‘Women swear a lot but it’s something our society is not used to.’ Sarwat added ‘We get annoyed and frustrated so we let it out. As much as women claim we don’t swear, we all do.’
Mehar Bano who plays Zubeda relates to her character in many ways. ‘I am a dancer, Zubeda is a boxer. As much I wish she could swear and vent out, as I do in real life, that was not the case, however she is a rebel and finds ways to express and I am very much that person.’
The show aims to challenge the hypocrisy of patriarchal societies that vanquish women and their rights. It is a story of four self-proclaimed Churails who come together to open a covert detective agency to expose cheating husbands amongst the city’s elite. As their operations expand, they come to be saviours of abused, harassed and mistreated women. The gripping and fast-paced storyline covers myriad issues such as child abuse, sexism, domination of class and race.
Director Asim Abbasi says “Zindagi’s commitment to truly original content that has a voice and can transcend borders, has provided me with the perfect platform to create a show like Churails. A story about strong women, embarking on a journey of self- discovery, empowerment and sisterhood, I believe Churails is a timely show with pertinent themes that will resonate with audiences globally.”
Zindagi, launched earlier in India, had built a legacy of itself for presenting stories that are strong, powerful yet relatable. Now launched on ZEE5 Global, the largest streaming platform for South Asians across the globe, the brand’s first original series promises to take this legacy forward. The show comes with a larger purpose of encouraging dialogue on the stigmas associated with strong and empowered women.
“Shows on Zindagi have always been unconventional, real and impactful, I am excited for the audiences’ reaction to the show. There is an increasing need for women’s voices to be heard, and not stereotype fierce women for their strength, or patronize them for their insecurities. Churails is bold, vulnerable and empowering all at the same time. We couldn’t be more proud of Churails being Zindagi’s first original offering and streaming on a global platform like ZEE5”, signs off Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer – Special Projects, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.
Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said, “As a global platform, ZEE5 brings together a massive curation of unique and relatable stories, stories that resonate with audiences, all onto a single global platform. We’re very happy to offer the premium content from Zindagi now on our platform to add even further to this bouquet. As the first Original from Zindagi to go live soon on ZEE5 Global, we are confident that Churails will be a huge success and strike a deep chord with our viewers across markets”.
Churails will stream on ZEE5 from 11th August 2020 onwards.
