‘Mayi Ri’ does not need a sequel: Director Meesum Naqvi

How ‘Parwarish’ was created in response to high viewer demand for duo Aina-Samar

Fan-favourite director Meesum Naqvi made an appearance in an episode of YouTube series, Gup Shup with FUCHSIA Magazine, where he answered fan questions such as whether Mayi Ri will have a second season and how Parwarish’s script was developed.

“When we created Mayi Ri, beautiful things like Aina and Samar happened,” Naqvi said. “They gathered an insane fan following.” After Mayi Ri, the production house wanted Naqvi to cast Aina Asif and Samar Jafri together again.

Mayi Ri delved into the life of a 15-year-old schoolgirl who is compelled to marry her underage cousin. The show unraveled the devastating consequences of child marriages, which can shatter innocent childhoods forever. On the other hand, Parwarish touches upon the challenges of parenthood and turns the spotlight on the younger generation’s ache for control and independence.

Both shows have captivated viewers with their layered scripts and focus on meaningful societal issues.

Naqvi shared that he did not want to make Mayi Ri 2. “What would even be the plot of it, that the couple does a halala and is back together?” he asked. “That would not have made sense.”

“I made the show against child marriage, and I cannot have negated that just because people wanted the two back together. There will be no Mayi Ri 2 because I have told a complete story,” clarified the director.

Naqvi still wanted to make something with the two of them together, and Parwarish was created.

The director was not fully on board with Parwarish at the start. “Two years after Mayi Ri, I didn’t have any ongoing projects. Someone in the production house asked, ‘Why not Parwarish?’ The script wasn’t complete at the time so I was a bit hesitant. The people at the production encouraged me to give it a go. Eventually, I gave it a read and loved it!”

Regarding the two main leads, Aina had a bit of scheduling issues but made it work. For Samar’s background, the director shared, “We were always sure that Samar would play the character of Wali. The character was designed keeping him in mind, from his music background to his personality traits.”

Calling upon repetitive storytelling, the director revealed, “We initially considered turning Nooray Zeeshan into one of the heroines and creating a proper love triangle. I didn’t do it because I did not want to show cousin marriages on screen. We had seen enough of this in Mayi Ri.”