''Marvi'' () is a Pakistani drama series broadcast on

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

(PTV) in 1993. It was a modern version of the Sindhi folktale, "

Umar Marvi Umar Marvi is a traditional Sindhi folktale dating back to the 14th century, and first penned by Shah Abdul Karim Bulri in the 16th century. It follows the story of a village girl Marvi, who resists the overtures of a powerful local ruler and t ...

". It starred Ghazal Siddique as Marvi and

Hassam Qazi Hassam Qazi (4 March 1961 – 3 July 2004) was a Pakistani actor and is considered one of the most acclaimed artists of PTV. He started his acting career in the 1980s and remained a busy actor until his death in 2004, performing in PTV classic ...

as Umar. It was adapted by

Noorul Huda Shah Noorul Huda Shah (born in Hyderabad, Sindh on 22 July 1951) is a Pakistani dramatist, short story writer, poet and columnist. She was also the Information Minister during the caretaker government in Sindh. Shah writes in both Sindhi and Urdu ...

and directed by

Sultana Siddiqui Sultana Siddiqui also known as Sultana Apa ( Sindhi: سلطانا آپي) is a Pakistani media mogul, television director, and producer who is the founder of Hum Network Limited. Siddiqui is an active director of Hum Network Limited and the ...

Mahnoor Baloch Mahnoor Baloch (; born 15 February 1970) is an American-born Canadian Pakistani actress, film director and former model. Baloch made her television debut in 1993 with the drama serial '' Marvi,'' which aired on PTV. She is often praised by cr ...

debuted in the series in a supporting role. The series aired during the leadership of

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

Plot summary

The story is about a village girl named Marvi who goes to the city to study, with the aim to come back to her village and improve the living conditions for the people there. Things do not go according to plan, and she faces many hardships. Marvi's possessive lover, Umar, played by

, becomes so obsessed with her that he changes into a different person. He asks his friend Akbar, a feudal lord, for help. Akbar kidnaps Marvi without Umar's knowledge. When Umar finds out, he becomes very angry at Akbar, but later, after Akbar threatens to kill Marvi, Umar becomes a silent spectator. When Marvi pleads for help, Umar helps her escape. With the help of feudal lords, villagers and police try to kill Marvi for having a bad character. Marvi escapes and goes to her female boss, for whom she worked as an editor. She helps Marvi file a petition against Umar and Akbar for killing her cousin. When the case is about to be decided in favor of the feudal lords, leaving Marvi as the culprit, Umar confesses that he is in love with Marvi and helped in her kidnapping. He says at the end that he loves Marvi.

Cast

* Ghazal Siddique as Marvi *

as Umar, Laila's brother who returns home from studying abroad and falls in love with Marvi. *

as Laila, Marvi's roommate and friend. Umar's younger sister. *

Badar Khalil Badar Khalil (), also known as 'Baddo Aapa', is a Pakistani television actress. She gained popularity for her role in the TV play ''Bi Jamalo'' portraying herself as Bi Jamalo. She has appeared in TV serials on PTV since 1968. She also appeare ...

as Mehru, Umar and Laila's mother * Kaiser Khan Nizamani as Akbar Ali, Laila's fiancé and cousin. * Mahmood Siddiqui as Umar and Laila's father, a politician and landlord. *

Noor Muhammad Lashari Noor Muhammad Lashari ( indhi language, Sindhi: نور محمد لاشاري 24 October 1931 – 1 February 1997) was a stage, radio, TV and film actor from Sindh, Pakistan. He was awarded the Pride of Performance Award in 1992 by the Gove ...

as Marvi's father, the village school teacher. * Manzoor Murad as Kheth, Marvi's cousin and fiancé. * Roshan Atta as Marvi's mother *

Anwar Solangi Anwar Solangi (1944–2008) was a Pakistani television and radio performer. He was born in Shahdadpur, in Sindh. Life Solangi became an anchorperson at the Hyderabad radio station during Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s government but was later remo ...

as Ashiq Ali Khan, Akbar Ali's father. Umar and Laila's paternal uncle (phopha). Landlord of Marvi's village. *

Asad Qureshi Asad Qureshi is a British filmmaker who was kidnapped on 26 March 2010 by a militant group called the " Asian Tigers" in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghanistan border, where he was making a film in North Wazirista ...

as Phog *

Sheema Kermani Sheema Kermani (also spelled Kirmani) (Urdu: ; born 16 January 1951) is a Pakistani classical dancer and social activist. She is the founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group (Women's Movement). She is also an exponent of Bharatanatyam d ...

as Safia Begum. The editor of the ''Roshni'' newspaper. * Anwar Baloch as Ali Nawaz's servant

References

{{PTV Programs 1993 Pakistani television series debuts 1993 Pakistani television series endings Pakistani drama television series 1990s Pakistani television series Sindhi culture Mass media in Sindh