Dawn Images

For the last couple of weeks, the Pakistani internet’s favourite punching bag has been Durefishan Saleem and her accent in her new drama Dar-e-Nijaat. People have not been able to digest the accent in which the actor spoke English in the show.

Now, Sanam Saeed has stepped up to be Saleem’s knight in shining armour and defend her colleague from the wrath of trolls. In an Instagram story on Monday, she called the situation “unsettling”.

Saeed said it was “very lame to see everyone so obsessed over an actor’s accent” and called it “downright mean and inconsiderate of someone’s feelings” for people to be bashing Saleem the way they are.

For context, Saleem plays Zaryab, the carefree younger daughter of a well-to-do family, in Dar-e-Nijaat. Her character, who has been educated in elite schools and is now considering going to the US for her education, is shown primarily speaking in English with her sister, her friends and her boyfriend Zamil (Nameer Khan).

What fans found strange in Saleem’s portrayal was her accent, which many said didn’t fit the character she was portraying.

Actors are known for their craft and the craft lies in portraying character well enough for them to be believable. Patrons of any art form are known to express their opinion when they don’t like something and it seems the patrons of Pakistani dramas have a lot to say about Saleem’s accent.

While we understand that fans would like every aspect of the drama to be believable, there is such a thing as taking criticism too far, and that’s what Saeed is talking about.