Ruswai is the role of a lifetime for Sana Javed
Sana Javed just acted in what she considers her ‘best role yet.’
It is also, undoubtedly, the most nerve-racking role of her career. In the currently airing TV drama Ruswai, Sana is playing the role of a gang rape survivor. She is unnervingly believable as the shell-shocked victim and also as the strong woman that emerges from the experience, who decides to avenge her aggressors.
She screams, cries and resorts to cold, gritty logic. And as her moods change, so do her audience’s.
Read: Ruswai is an accurate portrayal of how rape survivors are treated in our society
“When I played Sameera, I became her,” she tells me, referring to her character in Ruswai. “I began to feel as if I was her when they started creating bruises on my face with make-up. I had goosebumps. I have never used glycerine to create tears when I’m acting. Every time that I have cried as Sameera, I have actually been crying.”
Playing Sameera took a toll on her
For several months — ever since Ruswai’s shooting wrapped up — Sana has been battling cervical pains and migraines, made worse by a muddled up physiotherapy session. “It’s because of stress, I think,” she muses. “Playing Sameera was very stressful.”
We are meeting at a time when the actress is riding the crest of critical and commercial acclaim. With every successive episode of Ruswai, the internet is showering her with praise. We both had agreed some time ago that there could be no better time to plan out an interview. But our plans have been considerably delayed because of her health.
“It’s been tough, especially since I have constantly been wanting to connect with fans,” she confesses. “Ever since Ruswai began airing, people have been messaging me from all over the world. I have had so many offers to attend different events, so many queries for interviews — even a request to be a celebrity showstopper at a recent fashion week — but for a long time I had no choice but to refuse everyone. I was completely bedridden.”
Fortunately, she is back on her feet now. Sana looks well, wearing a pristine white shalwar kameez. I tell her so and she smiles. “I’m comfortable like this,” she says and then goes on to roll her eyes as we remember an ill-fitting gown that she wore at a recent event. “It came to me at the very last minute and there was nothing that I could do. What a fashion faux pas!” she laughs.
This, I discover, is typically Sana. She doesn’t have airs and graces and is refreshingly honest. She similarly laughs self-deprecatingly when I question her about certain projects in her past. “Let’s not talk about that one!” she protests about a certain questionable acting tryst that I shall not name.
When she talks about Ruswai, however, her tone gets intense. “It’s the sort of role that actors are hungry for.” Nevertheless, it is hardly the first hard-hitting role that she has played. Why has Ruswai, in particular, affected her so much that it made her ill?
"There were times when the entire cast and crew were shaken. It’s that kind of a story. But it is also the sort of story that is inspirational. My character is very strong. She decides to take revenge against her aggressors. I hope, that in some small way, we have managed to give strength to actual survivors and made them aware about their rights.”
“It was a tough character to play,” she says. “Ruswai tackles a sensitive topic and I knew from the onset that it had to be treated carefully. The dialogues and expressions couldn’t be offensive in any way. Director Rubina Ashraf and I spent hours analysing Sameera’s character and how she needed to react in different situations.”
She continues, “I’m not wearing any make-up during a considerable duration of the drama. In the scenes that follow Sameera’s ordeal, I just tied up my hair and wore nondescript clothes. I wanted my character to be as realistic as possible. Rubina was very happy. In the past, I have always had arguments with directors who want me to be made up even during the most emotionally painful scenes. But Rubina understood my need to be true to my character. She hugged me and said that nothing could be better!”