''Dil Na Umeed To Nahi'' is a Pakistani social drama television series produced by

Kashf Foundation Kashf Foundation (Punjabi and ur, ) is a non-profit organization, founded by Roshaneh Zafar in 1996. Kashf is regarded as the first microfinance institution (MFI) of Pakistan that uses village banking methodology in microcredit to alleviate p ...

, directed by

Kashif Nisar Kashif Nisar ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television director, producer and screenwriter, and the nephew of Pakistani TV Director Tariq Mairaj. He is known for directing artistic drama serials. Kashif's most notable works are '' Dumpukht - Aatish ...

and written by

Amna Mufti Amna Mufti (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ur, ) is a screenwriter, columnist, and novelist from Pakistan. She writes novels and television serials in Urdu-language. She has written several television serials for Television in Pakistan, Satellite En ...

. It features Yumna Zaidi,

Wahaj Ali Wahaj Ali (born 1 December, 1988), is a Pakistani actor and television producer who appears in Urdu television. He established his career through the leading roles of Ahad in '' Bikhray Moti'', Rizwan in ''Ghisi Piti Mohabbat'', Jimmy in '' Dil ...

, Fajar Khan, Bonita Malik, Muhammad Sadoon and Isbah Irfan in leading roles. Focuses on several social evils including child marriages, child labour, human trafficking/ sex trafficking and prostitution, the story revolves around three individuals, Allah Rakhi, Jamshaid and Naseem Zehra who face these problems. In late February 2021, the series received notice from

PEMRA Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ( ur, ) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass media culture, print a ...

. The series won rave reviews from the critics and audience for its unique storyline and great acting performances. At

21st Lux Style Awards The 21st Lux Style Awards were held on 24 November 2022 in Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It i ...

, the series received five nominations and won Best Ensemble Play.

Plot

Allah Rakhi is young girl lives in a village with her family but due to extreme poverty her family gets her married to a much older man who solds off her as a prostitute to a brothel where she is renamed Sumbul. Jamshaid (Jimmy) is a neighbor and friend of Allah Rakhi who leaves his home after facing physical violence from his mother and from his teacher in school. He runs to the city where he gets entangled in human trafficking and faces many hurdles including child labour. Naseem Zehra is a headstrong and confident girl who dreams of becoming a cricketer and winning the world cup for her country. Due to her father's stereotypical thoughts that girls cannot play cricket (which are put in his mind by his boss Naeem Sherwani who has impure thoughts towards Naseem) she struggles to achieve her dreams and nearly becomes a victim of human trafficking.

Cast

* Yumna Zaidi as Allah Rakhi aka Sumbul **Bonita Malik as young Allah Rakhi *

as Jamshaid (Jimmy) **Muhammad Sadoon Ali as young Jamshaid * Fajar Khan as Naseem Zehra **Hamna Aamir as young Naseem * Momina Aayla Chaudhry as Hijab Zahra *

Yasra Rizvi Yasra Rizvi is a Pakistani actress and writer. She played the female lead in a number of television productions, including '' Mann Ke Moti'' (2012), ''Woh Dobara'' (2014), '' Thora Sa Aasman'' (2016) and '' Ustani Jee'' (2018). In her acting caree ...

as Savera *

Nauman Ijaz Nauman Ijaz (Punjabi and ur, ) is a Pakistani television and film actor, TV anchorperson, and TV show presenter. He is the recipient of several accolades including 10 Lux Style Awards, 7 Hum Awards and a President's Pride of Performance, whi ...

as T.M * Omair Rana as Zulfi *

Samiya Mumtaz Samiya Mumtaz ( ur, ) (born 1970, Karachi), is a Pakistani film and television actress. She has performed in several TV dramas. Family Mumtaz was born to Khawar and Kamil Khan Mumtaz. Her mother is a prominent women's rights activist, while he ...

as Najma * Naveed Shehzad as Suraiya Anjum *

Adnan Shah Tipu Adnan Shah, well known as Adnan Shah Tipu or simply Tipu is a Pakistani actor known for his comic and villainary roles. Career Adnan Shah started his career in 1999 as a television actor and gained popularity through a sitcom titled "Sub Set Hai" ...

as Ikram *

Noor ul Hassan Noor Ul Hassan (in Punjabi and ur, ; born 25 February 1971) is a Pakistani actor, television presenter, television host and compere. He hosted the Ramadan transmission in 2011 and in 2014 for PTV Home. He appeared in acclaimed television seria ...

as Qazi Jaleel *

Kashif Mehmood Kashif Mehmood (Punjabi, ur, کاشف محمود) is a Pakistani television actor. Television Films * ''Sultanat'' (2014) Awards and nominations * 2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship ...

as Naeem Sherwani *Faiz Chuhan as Majeed, Allah Rakhi's father *Saima Saleem as Razia, Allah Rakhi's mother *

Ismat Iqbal Ismat Iqbal ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television actress. She has appeared as child and later lead actress in classic serials aired on PTV Home during 1970-1990. Currently, she is active in television industry playing role of mother on different ...

as Allah Rakhi's grandmother *Saba Bukhari as Sadia *

Nadia Afgan Nadia Afgan is a Pakistani actress who appears in Urdu films and television and films. She is known for her work in theatre and television. Her numerous work in television includes a series of plays in both Urdu and Punjabi. She rose to promin ...

as Batool aka Batoolaan *

Raheela Agha Raheela Agha is a Pakistani actress. She is known for her roles in dramas '' Meherbaan'', ''Ghughi'', '' Sara Sajeeda'' and '' Naagin''. Early life Raheela was born in 1964 in Lahore, Pakistan. She completed her studies from University of Lahore ...

as Malkani Ji *

Seemi Raheel Seemi Raheel is a Pakistani senior actress working in Urdu television and films since decades. She is the mother of actors Mehreen Raheel and Daniyal Raheel Daniyal Raheal (in Punjabi and ur, ) is a Pakistani television actor, director a ...

as Zulfi's mother * Haseeb Muhammad Bin Qasim as Doctor * Iftikhar Iffi as Baba Ranjha

Production

In January 2020, it reported that Yumna Zaid is starring in a caused-based serial, directed by Kashif Nisar, written by Amna Mufi and produced by Kashf Foundation. The

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

of the series began in late 2019 in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

but was halted in March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The shooting then resumed in October 2020. The serial was rejected by three mainstream channels in the country and consequently aired on TV One and

PTV Home PTV Home HD is a Pakistani Free-to-air Television channel owned by the Pakistan Television Corporation. It also broadcast as a Terrestrial television Terrestrial television or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcastin ...

on 18 January 2021. The series's broadcast was postponed during the month of Ramadan. The writer stated in an interview that story of the series is inspired by her novel ''Yeh Bhi Aik Kahani Hai''.

Reception

Sadaf Hiader of ''

DAWN Images ''Dawn'' is a Pakistani English language, English-language newspaper that was launched in British Raj, British India in 1941. It is the largest English newspaper in Pakistan, and also serves as the country's newspaper of record. ''Dawn'' is the ...

'' praised the sensitive portrayal of the subject and performances of the actors including Zaidi, Rizvi, Shehzad, Rana and particularly the child actors. ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

'' praised the women portrayal and empathetic treatment of the characters, especially women.

Awards and nominations

* It earned TV One its first LSA win.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Dil Na Umeed To Nahi''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Pakistani drama television series 2021 Pakistani television series debuts Urdu-language television shows 2021 Pakistani television series endings