Filmmaker Umair Nasir Ali has objected to the television broadcast of his award-winning film Nayab, saying several scenes were removed without consultation with him or the film’s team.
In a statement shared on Instagram on Monday, Ali said the film was aired on HUM TV on Sunday with changes to its original edit. He described the experience of seeing his work altered without his involvement as “a difficult feeling”.
The director said he understood that films sometimes require editing for television due to broadcast limitations, but argued that filmmakers should be consulted before significant changes are made to a completed work.
Speaking to Images, Ali said a key emotional scene between the film’s protagonist Nayab, played by Yumna Zaidi, and her brother Akka, portrayed by M Fawad Khan, had been removed from the televised version.
He also said a scene featuring Nayab’s father Shahid, played by Jawed Sheikh, explaining his past to his daughter had been cut. According to Ali, the scene is central to one of the film’s major themes and provides context to Shahid’s experiences in Karachi during the turbulent 1990s.
The director said shortening the scene affected more than just the film’s running time as it contributed to the narrative and emotional development of the story.
Ali clarified that he was not opposed to television edits but objected to changes being made to the final version without consulting the director.
He said he would be willing to work with broadcasters to review proposed television versions and identify sections that could be shortened without affecting the film’s narrative, characters or emotional impact.
Ali added that Nayab had been edited during previous television broadcasts as well, but this was the first time he had publicly raised the issue. He said he had previously informed HUM Films about the changes and requested that the complete film be broadcast, but the issue remained unresolved.
