Zindagi Gulzar Hai actor Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui 'feared to be on sets' with Fawad Khan

Indians fans of the Pakistani show, Zindagi Gulzar Hai is rejoicing as the series is making a comeback on the Indian television. The romantic drama features Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed in the lead roles. Fans have enjoyed the simple love story, dialogues and characters in the hit drama. Directed by Sultana Siddiqui, the series also stars Samina Peerzada and Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui. Sheheryar Munawar plays the role of Osama, best friend of Zaroon, played by Fawad Khan. Though the two play best friends on the screen, they weren't so off the screen. 

Sheheryar Munawar, in a recent interview, revealed that he had a ‘terrible experience’ working on the show with Fawad and Sanam Saeed. Fawad, in particular, gave him a 'tough time', he said. The actor was pretty new in the television business and though he has a background in theatre, he said it was a different experience for him. Speaking to Desi TV, he said, “I would struggle a lot with the actors around me. Rightfully so, it was also unfair to them that a new person was working with them. That whole experience wasn’t great to me,” he said adding that he himself is not convinced about his performance in the show. He said he was ‘terrible’ in the show, and he cannot sit through even two minutes of it. “I just want to bang my head watching it,” he said with a smile.

Sheheryar Munawar is the nephew of the director and producer of the show, Sultana Siddiqui. Speaking about how he landed a role in the drama, he said his aunt was looking for a young ‘good looking’ boy, and hence, she decided to cast him in the big-budget drama along with senior and popular actors like Fawad. The actor had about 14 scenes, most of them with Fawad as he plays his best friend. He wished if there was someone who could explain him the scenes and dialogues. He said the script would be handed over just a few minutes before the scene and so, he found it even more difficult. "That whole experience was really tough for me,” he said, adding that Fawad Khan was ‘pretty tough on him’. 

He said, “Fawad was just out of Humsafar, and he may have felt the director-producer’s nephew is here. He gave me quite a tough time.” He further said it was not like 'bullying' that one sees on TV but he was 'tough; on him. "Now that I think of it, the entire period.. the fear of being there on set, it was quite a difficult time for me.” But he added they are on good terms with each other now and he respects Fawad as a senior artist.  

Zindagi Gulzar Hai is now available on Zindagi channel.