Did you enjoy watching the drama Laapata? If yes, then Khizer Idrees is here to share some secrets!
The star-studded drama serial Laapata consisted of 22 episodes and after glorifying our television screens for almost 5 months has finally come to an end. FUCHSIA Magazine recently interviewed the man behind this project, writer and director of the show, Khizer Idrees. Here are all the important tidbits and lesser-known facts about the hit drama serial that you probably didn’t know!
1) It Took 10 Months To Bring The Script To Life
I read the first script, but I couldn’t understand it. Then I read the second one, and again it didn’t catch my interest. So, I realized that the scripts given to me weren’t exactly of my nature. They were more Saas-Bahu type dramas.
-Khizar Idrees
Khizer says the scripts he read were interesting, but something was always missing. He clarified that he rejected 5-6 scripts because they fell short of his expectations. But, Mr Idrees says “luckily, lockdown took place in March 2020, and I was bored so, I thought to try writing the script on my own.” Then, he explains that he and Mustafa Afridi made a little story on the sets of the drama Aangan, which changed multiple times and shaped into Laapata. So with the help of Mustafa’s healthy critique, he says that they completed the script in 10 months.
2) The Script Was Rejected By Actors Multiple Times!
While casting, 4-5 actors rejected the script stating that it’s not so enjoyable. A few notable people read it but they also didn’t like it, hence the Laapata chapter was temporarily delayed .
-Khizar Idrees
Khizer says that after struggling with writing the script for almost 10 months, he presented it and disclosed that he desired to bring this drama to life. Moreover, he says he was scared of the drama dragging out the plot so he wanted a twist in the storyline after every 5 episodes. Furthermore, Mr Idrees wanted characters to be grey and not black & white to add more depth, but the script got rejected by actors and by any notable people who read it. Nevertheless, he says being a beginner writer he accepted it because a few others saw it differently and had more faith in the script.
3) Ayeza Khan Was The First Actor To Get Onboard
Khizer tells us that after 3-4 months the Laapata script was found by the Chief Editor of Momina Duraid Production -Kashif, and he liked it. Moreover, he elaborated that Kashif read the script and asked Mahesh: “Why aren’t you making this”, and Mahesh explained that many actors had rejected this script. Furthermore, Mr Idrees states that Kashif convinced Mahesh to attempt it as it had plenty of elements, so Mahesh called him, and the casting started again.
The next day Mahesh called me and told me that Ayeza Khan is willing to do the character of Geeti, and I was like what (Hain), ok (Acha)! But I told him to let Ayeza know about the ending of the character, so he did. Again after 10-15 minutes, he called and told me that Ayeza says I don’t care, I find the character appealing, so I want to do this. So Ayeza was the first person that we cast.
-Khizar Idrees
However, unluckily again, they still faced rejections from so many talented actors for a very long period. So, Khizer says that he called Mahesh to express that maybe the people were correct, that this drama shouldn’t be made (yeh nahi ho sakta hai). But Mahesh uplifted him by saying that these actors will work with you one day, don’t feel disheartened (Tum dil chota na karo), give me just two more days, I’m working it. So Ayeza Khan came on board first, then Sarah, Ali and lastly Gohar.
4) Geeti Wasn’t Originally a Tiktoker, It Was Added To Her Storyline Later!
Geeti’s character wasn’t a TikTok star in the first draft.
-Khizar Idrees
Khizer says that firstly he finalized the drafted script again with Mustafa Afridi and then started writing it. But, when he scripted the first episode, Mustafa pointed out many changes and turned Geeti’s character into a TikTok-er. Therefore, we created Geeti as a TikTok star and turned Falak into a badminton player. Hence, Mr Idrees’s objective was to present strong & progressive women.
5) All The Outfits & The Geeti Princess Phone Cover Was Arranged By Ayeza Herself!
Ayeza worked really hard in the pre-production part. From her clothes, props to even the mobile case of hers – that has “Geeti Princess” written on it!
-Khizar Idrees
Khizer says that Geeti’s character was a bit negative, but her comical approach were eventually added while scripting her. Also, he clarifies that while writing about Nasreen, he had in mind that Geeti could be stormy towards her. Therefore, Mr Idrees says that while discussing Geeti’s character with Ayeza he found that she had researched more about her character being a TikTok-er and was interested in the progression of Geeti’s storyline from being a TikTok-er to becoming an actual heroine!
And that, in a nutshell, outlines our conversation with director Laapata. If you haven’t watched the drama yet, all episodes are up on YouTube and it’s a 22 episode watch! So go ahead and let the binge-watching begin!
Let’s Find Out More About Khizer Idrees!
We hope you liked the lesser-known facts shared about Laapata by Khizer Idrees. Let us know in the comments which character was your favourite and why!
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Resources used in this article includes: FUCHSIA Gup Shup
