Urwa Hocane was almost not Beena: Saife Hasan says Saba Qamar and Mahira Khan were also asked to play the lead role in Aap Ki Izzat.

 At one point, Reema Khan was considered to play Beena's older version.

Urwa Hocane's performance as an unhappy wife in the popular ongoing drama "Aap Ki Izzat" has been highly praised in the past week. But you probably didn't know that she almost didn't play Beena. 

Saife Hasan, the show's director, revealed this during an interview on Friday. 

So, who was first considered for the lead role if not Hocane? "

There weren't many choices," Hasan said, then pointed out that casting the role of Beena was especially difficult. 

The character appears in two different time periods, so the actress had to convincingly play both a mother of children aged 10 to 12 and a college girl.

Not every actor could get this role. So, the well-known actors we asked were Saba Qamar, Mahira Khan, and Sarah Khan. There was a time when we chose to have Beena played by two different actors; that's when Reema's name came up. We thought about casting Reema for the older part," he added.

In the end, Urwa got the part, said the director.

"Urwa worked very hard. I didn't know Urwa was so hard-working. She worked with a lot of dedication. 

She always had good ideas. She did a great job," Hasan said.

On the other side, Tabish — Beena's cheating husband in the drama — was always played by Ahsan Khan.

Given how popular Aap Ki Izzat has become, it's hard to see why any actor would say no to a part in it. Hasan thinks it's because people didn't spend enough time reading the script.

The script is so long, it's like carrying two dictionaries. Everyone's really busy, too. But whoever took the time to read it—like Urwa—did the right thing. Urwa believed in me," he added.

Hasan was careful to note that casting decisions were mostly handled by Momina Duraid, the head of the production company behind the show.

Hasan also shared more details during the chat—like how Aap Ki Izzat almost had a different name, Tumhari Beena, because he wanted the title to feel more 'romantic.'

He also mentioned that the show started with 20 episodes, but after writer Umera Ahmed finished it, the count grew to 22.

If you're a fan of Aap Ki Izzat, here's some good news: with episode 17 just released, you still have five more to enjoy the amazing acting.

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