The last decade has been a good one for the Pakistani drama scene, with new actors gracing our screens to new channels emerging that have completely revolutionized both drama production and drama viewership. And in this haze of novelty a bright young director has emerged.
Musaddiq Malek, an alumnus of NCA has already spent the better part of his youth attached to renowned directors, working as Assistant Director on the sets of one hit after another such as Jawani phir nahin aani, Alif, Merey Paas Tum Lo, London Nahin Jaunga, Sinfe Ahan and Kuch Ankahi. You might have seen him too, with his charismatic grin gracing your screens in small roles in his own dramas he has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with.
It is however, his independent directions that have left a significant mark on not just me, but every single woman who turned on the television at 8 pm sharp to submerge themselves into the fantastical world of Pakistani dramas.
SPEAKING TO HIS FEMALE AUDIENCE
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know who Nooru Mama is. The drama Noor Jahan resonated with almost every girl who has been a part in the game of marriage in our culture. From Safeena’s misery arising from being married to a mama’s boy, to Noor Bano having to run away from home because her father has refused to marry her to the person she loves and all the girls in between, the drama felt like a reflection of some of their worst memories or their living hells. And it wouldn’t have been possible if the director didn’t have absolute respect for the characters that he was portraying.
For me, Musaddiq Malik’s greatness shines through his female protagonists- through this genuine understanding of their troubles and his empathetic view of how they are humans first. He works on the scripts that he receives and manages to make them so much more than what they were intended to be, offering his characters depth that is normally absent in Pakistani dramas. On a surface level Noor Jahan might have seemed like a typical Saas Bahu drama. In the hands of Malek, it became a mammoth series that sparked conversations on necessary issues such as ending generational trauma through forgiveness and acceptance and the need for women to be financially independent whilst hiding within itself a revenge story as well.
The shot of the small smirk that Noor Bano has as she looks at Noor Jahan whilst there’s absolute chaos in the house was a brilliant directorial decision.
The setting of the scene, the blocking of actors and the snide remarks by Noor Bano, as she refers to her in -aws as vultures while dressed in black and brown, was classic Musaddiq Malek.
Maleks direction involves authenticity that comes from his respecting the characters and their growth throughout the drama. Nothing ever feels greater than life, because it is rooted in reality. In one of his interviews Malek mentions the struggles of putting together scenes that he doesn’t believe in because the actions of the characters don’t feel true to him which is such a strong indicator of how well connected he is as a director to the drama. I’ve always felt that actors perform brilliantly under his direction. Feroze Khan depicted genuine sincerity as Basit that often seems to elude him in Malek’s directorial debut Habs.
Habs’s Aisha and Basit’s chemistry struck me because of their innocence and cute of scenes like these. They walked so that Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum’s Sharjeena and Mustafa could run.
Dania Enwar as Bano was the strongest character I’ve seen in a Pakistani drama for a while, and her graceful walk away from the Ex who had broken her heart was such a tender moment of acceptance of her fate. Malek’s direction in this entire scene and the one that followed, where both the sisters felt helpless in their own plights out on the roads of Karachi was a stroke of genius.
I remember watching Habs and not being able to stop talking or thinking about it. The drama felt new despite having a few repetitive plot details (rich guy marries poor girl + rich guy has mommy daddy issues and the predictable only daughters set-up).
Malek brings depth to his characters by carefully shaping their motivations and crafting worlds that linger in our memories. The artistic cinematography of Habs is a testament to his attention to detail, showcasing his thoughtful approach to storytelling. For me, that drama solidified Musaddiq Malek as a director worth watching—and I still do.
His current project Faraar on Green Entertainment, boasts big names- Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ahmed Ali Akber, Sohai Ali Abro, Mamya Jaffer but I have my reservations. Given the scale of the project, has Malek managed to stay true to his directorial style? I can already sense a shift—one that I hope is an evolution rather than a retreat into commercial formula. It would be heartbreaking to see a director of his caliber consumed by an industry that prioritizes redundancy and profit over artistry.
