Pakistani drama audiences rarely wait long before dissecting a new serial's opening episodes. Durefishan Saleem is now finding that out the hard way.
Her new ARY Digital show, Dar-e-Nijaat, aired its second episode on August 8, 2026.
Within hours, social media reaction had turned harsh. Viewers began picking apart her pronunciation, her diction and what many called overly exaggerated expressions. Some argued the character she plays feels far too young for her.
One viewer wrote bluntly, "Her acting is so bad. How does she keep getting lead roles." Another pointed to a specific stumble, noting "She is taking his name wrong every time." A third suggested "She needs to work on her expressions and pronounciation."
That reaction marks a sharp reversal from just weeks earlier. When the first teaser dropped, the response skewed positive. One person had called "Durefishan's acting look phenomenal" at the time. The goodwill clearly hasn't survived contact with actual episodes.
Some context helps explain the stakes here. Dar-e-Nijaat is written by Umera Ahmed and directed by Saqib Khan, produced by Salman Iqbal, Sonya Khan and Sheheryar Munawar. It marks the first on-screen pairing of Munawar and Saleem, alongside Nameer Khan, Sahar Hashmi, Romaisa Khan, Sania Saeed and Saba Hameed. Saleem plays Zaryab, described as a carefree youngest sister whose world unravels after her dreams collapse. Munawar's character, Abu Bakar, is a composed, religiously grounded man shaped by his mother's resilience.
Saleem herself isn't a newcomer facing an unfamiliar spotlight. Born in Lahore in January 1996, she trained in law at University College London before pivoting to acting in Karachi. She broke out with Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi in 2022, then found bigger recognition through Ishq Murshid the following year. Her most recent project before this one, Sanwal Yaar Piya, had already put her in headlines this year for reasons unrelated to performance, after a co-star's comments about set professionalism drew a public defense from producers.
This time, the criticism is squarely about craft. Pakistani drama viewers have grown increasingly vocal in real time, often shaping a show's reputation before ratings data or formal reviews catch up. That dynamic puts added pressure on a serial being sold as one of ARY Digital's marquee 2026 titles, given Ahmed's track record and the built-in interest around Saleem and Munawar sharing the screen for the first time.
Whether the backlash softens will likely depend on how the writing develops Zaryab beyond the introductory episodes. Dar-e-Nijaat airs Friday and Saturday nights, with the story still in its early, table-setting phase.
For now, the conversation around the show is about Saleem's delivery, not her character's arc.
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