Pakistani dramas revolve around family stories and we get to see several angles of scripts revolving around family drama. The main lead cast always plays a huge role in the drama, whether will be watched by a huge audience or not. But casting is not always great and sometimes we get to see the most absurd pairings that make no sense according to the story lines. Wrong casting also takes away from the show’s impact, which happens a lot in Pakistan.
Age gap casting is pretty common in Pakistan. 40 and 50+ men playing lead characters opposite women in their 20s. If the story serves this or if the actors work hard to maintain themselves, such pairings work but many times the lead actors end up looking absurd. Let’s analyze Pakistani dramas age gap romances of 2024:
Danish Taimoor & Laiba Khan
Danish Taimoor is a bankable star and all his dramas end up getting ratings and views even if there is no content. This year he did a project titled Teri Chhaon Mein. The show was average and he starred opposite content creator and debutant Laiba Khan. The age gap between the two actors is a lot and unfortunately it was visible in the drama. They lacked any chemistry and looked awkward as a couple. This was one casting choice that shows how Pakistani dramas do not know how to do casting.
Danish Taimoor & Komal Meer
Danish Taimoor was once again in a casting this year which made no sense even on paper. He shared the screen with Komal Meer in Rah e Junoon. They were both again shown as the same age and it did not look good on the screen. Danish is talented and fit but Komal looks way younger than him. This was once again a pairing that could have been better. Another Pakistani dramas age gap casting gone wrong.
Fahad Mustafa & Hania Aamir
Fahad Mustafa and Hania Aamir broke records in Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. They are two stars with a huge age gap and on paper did not seem like a good pairing. But the work put in by the team made them look incredible together. Fahad Mustafa had lost weight and he also styled himself in a younger look. Hania on the other hand was styled in a mature manner and this made them look great together. This is a lesson for Pakistani dramas makers on how to make age gap casting in romances look good.
Faysal Quraishi & Durefishan Saleem
Faysal Quraishi and Durefishan Saleem were cast opposite each other in the thriller drama Khaie. Now this is what actually makes sense. The two actors were shown to have a huge age gap in the story and the casting thus makes total sense. This is how you should cast actors with a huge age gap when the script actually demands it and not everything is done according to followers and views.
Nauman Ijaz & Hareem Farooq
Nauman Ijaz and Hareem Farooq became the most vicious duo of Pakistani dramas this year. TT and Masooma received a lot of hate but the actors received appreciation for such a great portrayal. This is another age gap romance with the right casting. Bismil was about two people with a generation gap who get married in a dubious manner. Thus Hareem and Nauman’s age gap looked good because it was according to the demand of the story.
Khushhal Khan & Ramsha Khan
Khushhal Khan and Ramsha Khan have a small age gap in real life and the two starred opposite each other in Duniyapur. The stars actually worked on their looks in the drama and they are looking incredible. This is a good choice by the makers when we have a leading lady who is a few years older than the leading man. Otherwise we just keep getting 50 year olds with 20 year old women. Ramsha and Khushhal have been great together on screen.
Kubra Khan & Ali Raza
Kubra Khan and Ali Raza appeared together in Noor Jaan. This is another good change in the industry where a younger man was cast with the top leading lady. This is also a testament to how a strong story and good performances overshadow such concerns. Fans were not too happy with the casting early on when Noor Jahan aired but they ended up loving the couple later on.
Usman Mukhtar & Sehar Khan
This Jafaa pairing had to have an age gap according to the story but Usman did not look good with Sehar. The pairing looked off as Usman did not put in much effort in his looks in the show. Sehar looked way too young opposite him and this is not how age gap romances should be done.
Danial Afzal Khan & Aina Asif
This casting in Woh Ziddi Di is nothing short of criminal. Aina Asif is a good actress but she is still a minor and she is already playing such mature roles without any reason. An older girl would have been so much better in the role. Aina is way too young and she did not look good with Danial Afzal Khan. Pakistani dramas need to do better in casting when they work with child actors.
Ahad Raza Mir & Dananeer Mobeen
Ahad Raza Mir and Dananeer Mobeen are working together in Meem Se Mohabbat. The story does demand an age gap between the leads and thus the casting is okay. However, till now we have very much of a cousin/sibling vibe from the lead pair and it may get better in the upcoming episodes.
Pakistani dramas need to do better for the most part while casting leads in age gap romances and should not cast actors with huge age gaps when the script does not demand it and the difference is starkly visible!
