Of the many acting debuts that this year’s biggest blockbuster Punjab Nahi Jaungi (PNJ) has afforded us, Navid Shahzad’s is one not to be missed.
This elegant TV actress is credited with some of Pakistan television’s foremost — not to mention, path-breaking — shows like Such Gup and Daur e Junoon. But aside from seminal roles in several theatre and radio productions, she never got to act in a feature film. Until now. This, despite the fact that she had earlier served as the Dean of School of Liberal Arts, BNU, Lahore, which became the pioneering institution in the country to offer studies in theatre, film and TV.
Shahzad says that PNJ was a homecoming of sorts, as it placed her right among her contemporaries such as Saba Hameed and Behroze Sabzwari. Her character in the film is that of an elderly lady with strong social mores, and the critics as well as the audiences can’t stop complimenting her. For this winner of the Pride of Performance award (an award conferred by the Government of Pakistan to civilians), this isn’t the end of the road. While offers of films and TV serials are in order, she has begun work on a book.
