Now that the novel is complete and the drama is about to air, let’s talk about the characters and the cast that is chosen to play those beautifully flawed characters.

The official wiki page of the drama lists the below cast.Yeah, that is no mystery. But this post aims at dissecting each character and the actor cast for it.

From Alif’s wikipedia page

• Hamza Ali Abbasi as Qalb-e-Momin
• Sajal Aly as Momina Sultan
• Kubra Khan as Husn e Jahan
• Ahsan Khan as Taha Abdul Alla
• Saleem Mairaj as Sultan
• Osman Khalid Butt as Faisal
• Fareeha Raza as Aqsa
• Musaddiq Malik as Daud
• Manzar Sehbai as Abdul Alla
• Sadaf Kanwal as Neha
• Shakeel Hussain Khan as Akhter/Writer
• Yashma Gill^[8] as Shelly
• Lubna Aslam
• Hina Ashfaq as Tina
• Hadi bin Arshad
• Pehlaj Hassan as Qalb-e-Momin (child)
• Nida Mumtaz
• Salman Saeed
• Saife Hassan
• George Fulton
• Fahad Ahmed

Hamza Ali Abbasi as Qalb-e-Momin

Qalb-e-Momin is the male protagonist. We see him as a young boy who wrote innocent letters to Allah. We also see him as a super-successful commercial movie director. He obnoxious, narcissist and does not mind making a living by objectifying women in his movies. How did his journey take him from one place to other?

Hamza is one of the most handsome men in Pakistani industry. But I think only he could have played this role. He has this Qalb-e-Momin vive – arrogant, blunt, rude… And the trailers show that he’s imbibed the character beautifully.

Sajal Ali as Momina Sultan

Momina is the female protagonist. She is an actor, a powerhouse performer, but is still struggling to find her foothold in the industry. She doesn’t like her profession, but has to work to support her family, which included her parents and her brother Jehangir. For her soul, she works as a calligrapher with Master Ibrahim to correct Quran nuskhas.

Did I imagine Sajal Ali as Momina? No. But I can see why she is cast in the role. I don’t recall any young female actor being as expressive as Sajal. She creates magic with her eyes. Others are good overall but .. The older lot like Amina Shaikh or Sanam Saeed would have been terrific had the role written for older person.

Kubra Khan as Husn-e-Jahan

Husn-e-Jahan is Qalb-e-Momin’s mother. She is epitome of beautify. She was once the queen of Pakistani film industry.

I was disappointed when the cast changed from Sanam Baloch to Kubra Khan. Kubra may look good in that a avatar but I don’t think she has the acting chops for it. I can’t tolerate her overacting in the contemporary fun drama Shaadi Mubarak Ho and Kuchh Tou Log Kahenge. Sanam would have suited the part as she has done a fabulous portrayal of Bano in Daastan and Sitara in Roshan Sitara.

Ahsan Khan as Taha Abdul Aala

Taha Abdul Aala is Qalb-e-Momin’s father. He is a whirling durvesh who falls in love with Husn-e-Jahan.

Ahsan Khan is handsome, and has proven himself repeatedly and I am looking forward to seeing him as Taha.

Manzar Sehbai as Abdul Aala

Abdul Aala is Qalb-e-Momin’s grandfather. He is a calligrapher, much like his ancestors.

This character is played by Manzar Sehbai. I have not seen his work before, but he looks the part.

Jehangir

Jehangir is Momina’s ailing brother with a failed kidney. He was once a rising star of Pakistani film industry. He is now bedridden but his spirits are still high and he hopes to get back to the silver screen.

Saleem Mairaj as Sultan

Sultan is Momina’s father. He was one the makeup artist of Husn-e-Jahan, and an admirer. Not just an admirer. He loved her, to the extent that even when she was married, he was willing to do anything for her.

Sultan’s choice is apt. I don’t see anyone else playing s better role than Saleem Mairaj. He is capable of playing an over the top loud, stupid and funny toles (Bulbulay, Khana Kud Garam Kar Lo, Na Maloom Afrad 2) and serious grave roles.

Lubna Aslam as Suraiyya

Suraiyya is Momina’s mother. Her life revolves around Jehangir, the glory of his past and the hopes for his future. She doesn’t hate Momina. Momina just does not have a priority in her life. Suraiyya’s love for Jehangir results in a heartbreaking plot twist towards the end.

Suraiyya’s character was again something I had imagined. Lubna Aslam played a similar character in Daam and owned it completely. She has the ability to essay the roles of a poor woman and upper class woman with equal ease.

Fareeha Raza as Aqsa

Momina’s selfless friend and pillar of support. Fareeha Raza will play this character. She’s not part of any of the trailer yet. I may have missed her.

Musaddiq Malik as Daud

Momina’s friend and Aqsa’s fiancé. Musaddiq Malik will play the character. I like this character because it will give us some comic relief in an otherwise serious narrative.

Saife Hassan as Master Ibrahim

Momina’s teacher for calligraphy, her mentor in life. A plot twist at the end reveals that he is also part of the entangled story of Husn-e-Jahan.

Saife Hassan is master Ibrahim. Oh my god, why didn’t I think of that before? I simply adore this man. The last I saw him was in Pyar Kahani last week as the greedy and demanding yet loving editor Gullu bhai. Read there review here and watch that telefilm. It is funny and cute.

Osman Khalid Butt as Faisal

Faisal is Momina’s boyfriend and fiancé for a short time before he breaks up because he had a problem with Momina’s profession.

Osman Khalid Butt will do justice to his role as Faisal. But I have a question. Where is Ahad Raza Mir? I saw his pictures on Umera’s Facebook page when they were unveiling the cast. Or maybe he was only there to accompany Sajal. Aren’t they cute together?

Omar Darr as Shakoor

Qalb-e-Momin’s house help. He is quite a character.

Jhoomar

Jhumar is the eunuch who lives in the same locality as Momina. He appears in only a couple of episodes but says things that scar you for life.

Others

There are other small characters appearing in 1-2 episodes.

Neha

Sadaf Kanwal plays Neha, Momin’s girlfriend who is with him only to launch her real boyfriend into showbiz. Sadaf did come to my mind when I was reading the first two episodes. Good choice!

Shelly

Yashma Gill plays Shelly, the actress who was signed for Momin’s next film before he had a life altering epiphany). She looks good and I am sure she will do justice to her role.

Tina

Hina Ashfaq will play Tina, Momin’s assistant. Daud and she face Momin’s wrath every time.

Zoofi

He’s Neha’s boyfriend seeking a leading role in Momin’s films. Yeah, right!

Final Words

Please check out my complete review of the novel.

The drama is slated to air from October 5, 2019. Incidentally, 7th HUM TV awards are being held in Houston. Is it an intentional move to sabotage the TRPs? Hehe, that line sounds like some celebrity gossip blog.

The trailers are out and it is so beautiful and intriguing even though I know the complete story.

Thanks, you for reading this post. Let me know how you felt about the trailer. Are you excited for the drama? You can comment, or email me.

Happy reading!