Writer Mishah Nousheen highlights unwanted script changes in Humraaz
Playwright Mishah Nousheen has become the latest writer to criticise unauthorised script changes made in the name of improvisation, resulting in public backlash and personal embarrassment.
In a viral clip, Mishah revealed that excessive creative liberties compromised her original vision.
The clip comes on the heels of a similar outcry from fellow writer Rida Bilal, who recently disowned the drama Behroopia over changes to her script.
Mishah Nousheen acknowledged that while some edits were to be expected, the core pacing, theme, and message of her script were ‘butchered’.
“It’s embarrassing to have your name tied to something that no longer resembles your work,” she said. “What the audience saw is not what I wrote.”
The conversation around writers’ rights and creative ownership intensified when Rida Bilal issued her statement the other day.
She expressed deep disappointment over how Behroopia had strayed so far from her original concept that she no longer wished to be associated with the project.
“Nothing in the drama Behroopia is portrayed how I wrote it, from the characters and their tone to even the wardrobe,” Rida said.
“The production twisted it into something unrecognizable. There is an entire scene replicating the Noor Mukaddam incident, and I want to make it clear: I never wrote that.”
She added that although her name had been removed from the project credits, she now considers that a relief.
Viewers and critics have rallied behind the writers, calling for more ethical practices in the drama industry.
“The topic had potential, but the dragging and editing ruined everything,” one viewer commented. “You’re lucky they removed your name,” said another.
A netizen expressed heartbreak over how original work is often mishandled: “Imagine creating something so personal, only to see it turned into a ‘khichri’ of random events. I stopped watching long ago.”