Renowned playwright Rida Bilal has openly rejected the televised version of her drama Behroopia, stating that it bears little resemblance to the script she originally wrote.
Speaking to the media, Rida raised serious concerns about the unauthorized alterations made to her work. “Nothing in the drama Behroopia reflects what I wrote—from the characters to their tones and even their dressing,” she said.
She explained that the production team made such drastic changes that the final version no longer feels like her creation. “There’s an entire sequence in the drama that replicates the Noor Mukaddam incident, and I never wrote that,” she clarified. “They even removed my name from the project’s credits, which honestly, I’m relieved about.”
The scene in question reminded viewers of the 2021 Noor Mukaddam case, a brutal murder that shook Pakistan. On July 20, 2021, Noor, the 27-year-old daughter of a former diplomat, was held hostage, tortured, raped, and ultimately beheaded in Islamabad’s Sector F-7/4. Zahir Jaffer, the accused, confessed to planning her murder after Noor refused his marriage proposal. Investigations also exposed the complicity of his household staff and parents, who attempted to obstruct justice.
In February 2022, a court sentenced Zahir Jaffer to death. The Islamabad High Court upheld the sentence in 2024, and in May 2025, the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict. His execution is pending final orders, despite appeals for a presidential pardon.
Rida Bilal’s statement quickly went viral, sparking a wave of support online. Social media users praised her integrity and criticized the industry’s treatment of writers.
