OTTplay Exclusive! Umera Ahmed on why Dhoop Ki Deewar is an important watch

Umera Ahmed wrote the novels Dhoop Ki Deewar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai, after which tey were adapted into TV shows.

The two Pakistani shows that India has grown to love are Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Dhoop Ki Deewar. The interesting connection between them is in Umera Ahmed. She has penned the novels where both the stories are adapted from.

As Dhoop Ki Deewar releases and receives some brilliant response in India, she gets candid about how the show came into being. Meanwhile, she also talks about Zindagi Gulzar Hai, which played an important role in Umera recognizing her career as a writer.

Excerpts from the interview...

How did you get the idea of Dhoop Ki Deewar?

I started working on it as a novel a few years back. Every two-three years down the lane, India-Pakistan always has a stand-off. I was quite irked with the last standoff a few years back (referring to Uri attacks in 2018). As I writer, I thought I should comment on the stage play that has been going on between India and Pakistan. The theatrical performances between two countries who do not talk to each other and want nothing to do with one another for a year or two. After that is settled, there is so much love between the two countries that they hug one another and do things together. Again something irks one country and the cycle repeats. I got the motivation to write something on the matter, which is how Dhoop Ki Deewar came into being. Zee approached me two years back. I shared the idea with them because they wanted an India-Pakistan material. I shared the concept with them. Shelja (from team Zee) loved it and said it is conveying the same thing that Zee intends to convey through that project. So they took up the project and the rest is history.

What makes Dhoop Ki Deewar different?

The show talks about the differences, not the similarities. It tries to explore the reality of those differences. I believe the Indo-Pak stories have almost always been very superficial. They don't talk about this matter. What I believe is that people should talk about the sacrifice that takes place because of the differences in the two countries. The soldiers who were injured and martyred on both the borders, have families who have painful memories associated with them. There are casualties on both sides at the border range too. Dhoop Ki Deewar is a sourceful story that talks about the havoc and after-effects of war.

Since the writing would require extra sensitivity, what was your research like?

I was born in a city which is a border city near Jammu. I didn't need to research only. You hear the noises when war takes place between the two countries. You could go to the main hospital where injured soldiers are admitted. I was teaching at an army public school where children of the martyred would come to study. If not that, then their fathers are posted somewhere so you get to see how the children react. You also witness the challenges they face. Once you take a glance at them, you know that war isn't sacred. You could sing songs of war but when you see a soldier without a leg or hand, then you hit reality. Children look at them and ask about their parents. Once you look at that, your heart will scream to not have any war any longer. If a war goes on for 17 long years, it is like cancer. The issues between India and Pakistan need to be resolved so that the two countries and people residing there could live in peace. We have other challenges anyway. We have so few resources that we cannot waste them on the battlefront. These resources should have been used for the betterment of the country in the past which did not happen because of the rulers back then. My life has passed through the standoffs between India and Pakistan.

There have been tense situations between India and Pakistan. Due to that, Pakistani content isn't usually released in India. It was a surprise for everyone when the show was actually released in India. Was that your reaction too?

I knew that I would be bashed, wouldn't I? I was questioned how I would talk about the matter on a public level when the governments themselves didn't want to talk about the matter. My question to them is, "Why would a writer publicly ask two countries to talk if the governments did?" I knew there would be issues. We glorify dying on the borders. I agree it is a big deal but if a war is going on for 17 years, there needs to be an analysis about it. I got criticism from Pakistan too. I wasn't really surprised about Dhoop Ki Deewar releasing in India because we were already in talks for two other projects. We artists had a small window thanks to the softer India. The window would have closed if the artists refused to work. We set an example of how artists should drop their ego rather than adding fuel to the fire. I think the next generation wouldn't forgive us if we didn't take the initiative.

Were you involved in the process of releasing the show in India?

No, that wasn't my magic. All the efforts were from Zee itself. My only effort was pitching the idea to them. The idea was to convey that if not love, then we could at least be cordial with one another. The response to the show has been exceptional. I received emails from across the globe. I didn't think that a Pakistan-Indian from the US would write an email to me.

Have you seen the show yet?

Yes, long back. I had to access it. Do you know that the show is banned in Pakistan? They believed I was pro-India and have turned into an Indian. Of course, through their proxy methods, they did end up watching the show and were ashamed at their accusations. I was confident about the project. Every person involved was quite dedicated to it so I was sure it was going to be something good. People could be bigger names but when these big names get associated with such a project, understand that it is to send a message to improve the relations between the two countries.

Where did you get the inspiration for the lead characters?

I saw a few clips on social media. That's where I got the idea for the story. I wanted to address how people lived around the borders. You know how people's attention span is short-lived? They talk about a family for two days and then move on to the next. Imagine what would a wife of a martyr do? The head of the family is gone and she is responsible for keeping them together. A soldier is not a superhuman. Giving their life is okay but they do fear a lot about their families.

We in India know you because of Zindagi Gulzar Hai. Was that inspired from your own life?

(Laughs) Not at all. Kashyap is nowhere like me. While people know me through Zindagi Gulzar Hai in India, I was well-recognized in Pakistan much before the show. ZGH is also adapted from a novel I wrote. I was hardly 18-19 when I started writing it. I never knew I would end up as a writer. I was just trying to improve my handwriting. So I maintained a diary about a boy and girl. My handwriting didn't improve but my friends were piqued about the story. My friend asked me to send the story written in a lead pencil to a magazine. The editor called me up and told me how I could be a big writer. As soon as it was published into a magazine, a publisher called me up to convert it into a novel. I wrote the story 20 years back but was never approached for a TV adaptation directly. Two of my books got adapted to TV. After a decade, somebody told me to adapt Zindagi Gulzar Hai on TV. I removed the extremely romantic bits and adapted it according to the times. The story made me a writer.

Was writing always your dream?

Who do you think wanted to be a writer 20 years back? It was always about being a doctor or engineer. I thought writers create their own world and live in it. I think I was cursed by a writer. I wanted to be a teacher and pursue a doctorate. Now I'm happy that somehow my profession was decided.

What is happening on the project front for you both in Pakistan and India? Will we see more of your projects releasing in India?

Yes, there are two more web series that I have done for Zee. One project - Ghaav - has been released. It revolves around the friendship between two girls. The other series - Jeevansathi - is a working title. That is about what happens when people fall in love later in life. One of my TV shows is also running in Pakistan.

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