A promotional still from Humsafar featuring Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Naveen Waqar
Farhat Ishtiaq, the writer behind hit Pakistani show Humsafar, says Indian daily soaps are too glamourised and lack real content.
"Indian shows are way too glamorised and are far from reality. The content is not strong here, things look artificial. We survive on content and performances. We try to show stories which are not far-fetched," Farhat told PTI from Karachi ahead of Humsafar's premiere in India.
The novelist, however, feels Pakistani shows should take a cue from their Indian counterparts for the execution of intense scenes. (Also Read: Fawad speaks about female fans, Khans, Kapoors and more)
"I really like the intense scenes shot here. Be the writing or performances, the emotions just hit the right chord. It is something we can and should learn," she said. Farhat is over the moon that Humasafar, which is based on her novel of the same name, will go on air in India soon.
"It is like revisiting the good old days. The show changed things for all of us. The whole team till today cannot believe that people loved the drama so much and that Indian audience will get to watch it is such a special and humbling feeling," she said.
Humsafar follows the trials and tribulations of a married couple, but Farhat says the original story focused more on the relationship between the father and the daughter, and she made changes in the story while adapting it into the drama to make it more watchable.
"The novel had more of father-daughter bond because I started it in the timeline when the couple has separated but come together only for their daughter. But when we began working on the series, we thought it would be better to start with the love story so that people can relate to it more.
"I am happy that we changed it because romance was the essence of my novel and people could feel it," Farhat said. Humsafar starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan will be seen on channel Zindagi.