Nimra Bucha is a familiar face for Indian audiences, having appeared in many top rated shows including ‘Churails.’ Her powerful screen presence and distinct voice have won her admirers all across the subcontinent and now she will appear in Zee Theatre’s , ‘Yaar Julahay,’ a series of dramatic readings featuring stories by writers from the subcontinent. Nimra will be reading ‘Mughal Bachcha,’ a short story by Padma Shree awardee, novelist and writer, Ismat Chughtai. The episode will be screened on Zee Theatre’s partner Tata Sky Theatre throughout this week.

‘Mughal Bachcha’ showcases Chughtai’s frank and incisive writing style perfectly and deals with the theme of an ego clash that keeps the stunningly beautiful Gori Bi and her dark-skinned husband Kaale Miyan apart. The central conflict is created when Kaale Miyan, a proud Mughal lad is unable to set aside his ego and inferiority complex to lead a happy married life. Nimra immersed herself in Chughtai’s narrative and says it was a treat to rediscover classic stories through ‘Yaar Julahay.’ She adds, ”Today there is a paucity of time and so much is going on digitally that people do not engage with complex texts by stalwart writers. These dramatic readings are a perfect way to engage people who may not be drawn to the idea of opening a book. However, if they watch how a story comes to life, maybe they will go on to explore and read more stories on their own.”

Nimra is also happy to be part of a project where colleagues like Sarmad Khoosat, Sarwat Gilani, Fawad Khan, Sania Saeed, Irfan Khoosat, Yasra Rizvi, Samiya Mumtaz, and Faisal Quresh also feature across 12 episodes. She says, “The team was wonderful to work with and to read an engrossing tale like ‘Mughal Bachcha’ was so interesting because I engaged with the story as a reader and also embodied the traits of protagonists Kaale Miyan and Gori Bi. It was up to me to vividly personify the two characters.”

The set, her dramatic makeup and costume detailing also helped Nimra to make the reading even more expressive. She says, “It was a challenge to switch between characters and to also remember when to emphasise or understate certain phrases or words as a reader. The props, the makeup, the music and inputs by my directors Kanwal and Sarmad Khoosat helped me to simplify the whole process and to just flow with the story.”