KARACHI: Newcomer actor Mehermaan Aileen Khan, who made her acting debut as Gul Meher in the drama Zanjeerain, has revealed that she became so emotionally connected to her character that it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between herself and Gul Meher.
In a recent interview, Mehermaan discussed her first acting experience and explained how deeply she connected with Gul Meher’s personality.
She said both she and her character were emotionally sensitive and tended to absorb the energy of people around them. According to the actor, this similarity made the role deeply personal but also challenging.
Mehermaan said it took her time to separate herself from the character after filming. She recalled that even when the director called cut, she would sometimes remain emotionally immersed in Gul Meher while still wearing the character’s clothes.
She described the process as one in which learning the character was easier than unlearning it after the scene was over.
Discussing her work with Usman Javed, who plays Gul Meher’s love interest Torsum, Mehermaan said the contrast between their characters was an important element of the drama.
She explained that Gul Meher is soft-spoken and gentle, while Torsum is loud and strict. She said maintaining that contrast required her to remain composed and keep her voice soft during tense scenes.
Mehermaan also praised Javed for helping her performance, saying his powerful and emotional delivery often brought out the same emotions in her.
The newcomer expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside senior actors including Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Aly. She said she was still amazed by the experience of sharing the screen with established performers.
According to Mehermaan, she worked most closely with Usman Javed and Adnan Siddiqui, while she also had the opportunity to work alongside Danyal Zafar and Anaya Shahid.
She said she had always wanted to work with Siddiqui and Sajal Aly. Although she did not share scenes with Sajal, she said she still had the opportunity to observe her presence and work closely.
Speaking about the conclusion of Gul Meher’s story, Mehermaan suggested that viewers could experience mixed emotions. She hinted that the ending would contain moments that make audiences happy as well as moments that could leave them feeling emotional.
Zanjeerain has reportedly crossed one billion views on YouTube, marking a major milestone for the debuting actor and the drama’s wider team.
Mehermaan described the achievement as both a personal milestone and a collective success for everyone involved in the project.
Looking ahead, she said she hopes to explore a variety of characters and work with more actors. She added that she does not have one particular co-star in mind and would instead choose projects based on the quality of the script, the opportunity and the nature of the role.
