Renowned Pakistani writer and dramatist Khalil ur Rehman Qamar has once again grabbed public attention after sharing surprising details about an international offer and deeply personal memories from his life in recent interviews.
During a podcast appearance with Irshad Bhatti, Khalil ur Rehman Qamar revealed that he was once approached from India to write the script for what later became the high-profile project Heeramandi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
He explained that the project initially had a different working title and was being planned as a film rather than a series. According to him, he received long conference calls from Indian producers who invited him to work on the script.
However, he said he declined the offer due to national sentiments at the time. He also shared that he had made certain conditions regarding professional respect for Pakistani writers and media representation abroad. Later, he claimed he was approached again years later, but he refused to work under the prevailing political climate.
Reflecting on the final release of the project as a series, he remarked that the outcome matched what he had been told earlier about its format changes.
In a separate interview with Dr. Areej Zulfiqar, the writer opened up about his relationship with his late mother, offering a rare emotional glimpse into his personal life.
He shared that although he remembers certain kind gestures from her—such as her efforts to fulfill his childhood food wishes during Eid—he did not develop a strong emotional attachment with her during his early years.
He explained that his father played a more dominant role in his upbringing, especially because of disagreements over his early writing career, which began when he was just a young teenager getting published in newspapers.
He also revealed that his mother suffered from a serious illness when he was still young and passed away when he was eighteen. Because of this early loss and limited shared time, he said he carries fewer memories of her compared to his father, something he reflects on with regret as he grew older.
Both revelations have sparked widespread discussion on social media, with audiences debating his controversial views on international collaboration as well as expressing sympathy over his emotional family experiences.
