Entering the lyrical world of Gulzar

Sarwat Gilani during the dramatic reading of the stories

Pakistani actor Sarwat Gilani has taken the baton from stars Mahira Khan and Sarmad Khoosat to do a dramatic reading in Zee Theatre's Yaar Julahay. For her outing, the actor will bring to life Gulzar's much loved short stories, Sunset Boulevard and Dus Paisay. Gilani considers it an honour to revisit the veteran lyricist-writer's works. "What I loved about Gulzar saab's stories was that they were about the common man and subtle emotions. I discovered that he writes tragedy wonderfully because he believes it prevails longer than happiness. The transience of joy, however, does not take away from the charm of his stories because they are so thought-provoking," says the actor, who tried to capture the pathos in her rendition of Sunset Boulevard. The story follows fading star Charulata, who is eagerly waiting to meet her biographer.

Gulzar. Pic/AFP

The actor, who recently headlined Churails (2020), says Yaar Julahay reacquainted her with the works of Indian subcontinent's greatest writers. "I had to shed a lot of mannerisms, and tune into the sur of the characters. For instance, Charulata has a certain way of talking that we associate with the heroines of a certain era, so I tried to get that right. Dus Paisay is about a 14-year-old boy who wants money to fly a kite. I imagined how a self-willed boy would speak [in such a situation]."

Also Read: Director-actor Sarmad Khoosat: Got the opportunity to dance to Beatles song