According to actor Hadiqa Kiani, the current drama Hadsa is not based on the September 2020 gang rape of a French woman of Pakistani descent in front of her three children on the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway.
Hadsa follows the life of Taskeen (Kiani), a strong-willed and opinionated woman who leads a happy and successful life with her devoted husband and kids, according to a description of the Geo TV drama. While Taskeen is busy making preparations for her eldest son’s wedding, her world is suddenly and horribly rocked by an incident, leaving her to deal with the fallout.
Her formerly happy life has become a confusing web of feelings, trauma, and uncertainty. She fights to take back her life as she struggles to move forward. Will Taskeen be able to recover and regain her strength? Can she get the help she so desperately needs from her family? How will their interactions change as they deal with the unanticipated chaos that has taken over their lives?
People think the drama is inspired by the notorious motorway rape, which shocked the nation. On X, journalist Fereeha M. Idrees asserted that the show’s producers had not obtained the survivor’s consent to use her story.
Tuesday’s social media post by Kiani refuted claims that Hadsa was influenced by the incident.
“I cannot stand for knowing that something I have been a part of is being used to hurt and trigger a survivor,” she wrote.
“When I was approached to play the part of Taskeen for Hadsa, my first inquiry was, ‘Is this related to the motorway incident?'” Is this the project, and if so, whose story is it based on? My direct response from the project’s team was “No.” I only realised that Hadsa was unrelated to or based off of the 2020 motorway story after reading the script and having numerous conversations with the production team, the actor claimed.
“Unfortunately, the horrifying act of rape and violence occurs far too frequently in our society to men, women, and children from all social classes and regions. Frequently, it occurs on the road or in other constricted spaces, and far too frequently, family members are made to witness the terror. These are the truths of the world in which we live. Hadsa is not based on the story of any one person, but rather on a sickly prevalent aspect of our reality, as I have sadly been exposed to many stories like this one.
She acknowledged that depicting rape and sexual violence on screen can be traumatising, but she argued that “episodes should air with trigger warnings, with a caution for all those who have been exposed to such evils.”
“I am not in a position to advise survivors on how to react; all I can suggest and hope for is that we advance the discussion about this evil and that we can all take steps to empower and protect survivors.”v
