"Humsafar", the popular Pakistani show featuring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, is getting an Indian stage adaptation with veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt involved as its presenter.

Actor Imran Zahid, Bhatt's protege who has worked on many stage adaptations of the filmmaker's critically-acclaimed movies such as "Arth", "Daddy" and "Janam", is spearheading the project, which they hope would restart the cultural exchange between India and Pakistan.

Zahid said they have reached a mutual understanding with Momina Duraid, the creator of "Humsafar", for the stage adaptation in India. Zahid will act and produce the stage production.

"It is a kind of an initiative from Mahesh Bhatt and Momina Duraid to continue the art and culture exchange between the two nations. This exchange has been stuck for a while now and I believe this is one small step towards restarting this," Zahid told PTI.

In a statement, Bhatt said he firmly believes that India and Pakistan can "bridge the distances" through art and culture.

"When I began my crusade to close these gaps through movies, people laughed and called it an impossible dream. But the truth is that Indian movies are now being shown in Pakistan, and Pakistani soaps are being shown in India," the filmmaker who has collaborated with Pakistani actors and musicians in the past, said.

"While television and cinema have a broad reach, theatre could also be a powerful medium to gradually influence the consciousness of the people," he added.

Duraid is the producer of "Humsafar" and also the creative head of HUM TV, the channel where the show ran for one season from September 2011 to March 2012.

"Humsafar" followed the story of Ashar (Fawad Khan) and Khirad (Mahira Khan), two individuals from different backgrounds who are compelled to get married due to their circumstances and must navigate the complexities of love, betrayal, and societal pressures.

The show is one of the most critically-acclaimed titles from Pakistan television and has many fans in India after it became available on Zindagi Channel.

Zahid said they decided to approach Duraid after the Supreme Court on November 28, 2023 dismissed a plea seeking a complete ban on artistes from Pakistan to perform or work in India.

Before that, the Bombay High Court had dismissed the petition, saying the reliefs it seeks is a retrograde step in promoting cultural harmony, unity and peace, and has no merit in it.

"We were working on another stage show called 'Milne Do' where actors from both India and Pakistan were part of it. This was in 2017-2018 and artistes like Ghulam Ali sahab, Ali Zafar and Shafqat Ali Khan were supposed to be involved. But we were not able to do it because of various issues.

"Last year, the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court released judgements where they said there is no ban on Pakistani actors working in India," Zahid said.

Bhatt and Zahid reached out to the director of "Humsafar", and after a long discussion they talked to Sultana Siddiqui, the founder of Pakistan network Hum TV. She is also the mother-in-law of Duraid.

"As 'Humsafar' has a deep emotional connection with audiences everywhere, they had some concerns as to how we will present this story on stage. They said they will observe what we are doing with it and we told them that we will share everything till the script level. They wanted to be involved in the casting process, just to ensure that we are on the same page," Zahid said.

The actor said the show will be performed free of charge and there is no commercial angle involved in the production as the aim with "such ventures is to promote Indo-Pak art exchange".

"When we read judgements of the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court, we realised that it is just a perception that we shouldn't or can't do this, there is no ban on this. Today, the shows from Pakistan have an avid following in India. So this exchange is already going on and digitally, streaming service ZEE5 and Netflix are also working on this," he added.

Asked if there is any fear that there might be an adverse reaction to the stage adaptation of a Pakistani show, Zahid referred to Pakistan cricket team's participation in 2023 World Cup, which was held in India.

"In the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan's team had participated in it and there were no adverse statements from anyone at the time. There were no objections to their participation. They played their games all over the country and went home afterwards. So why should we think that there will be objections to this? "It is just about perception. The entertainment industry is a soft targets. Recently, the remake of the famous Pakistani song 'Pasoori' was included in a movie. Unless there is an order from the government that bans this type of activity, we shouldn't hesitate in promoting this." Zahid said they will soon announce the cast for the stage adaptation and aim to start the production in December.

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