It seems like a part of our TV screens since forever, but today marks twelve years of Bulbulay and the sitcom’s lead actor Ayesha Omar couldn’t be more happy and grateful.
“Twelve years ago, today, the first episode of Bulbulay went on air. It was only me, Nabeel and Moodi then,” revealed Omar — who plays runaway bride and subsequent bahu Khoobsurat on the show — in a heartfelt Instagram post. “None of us had any idea what was going to happen to us after that day.”
Inspired by the Family Front formula, Bulbulay started airing in 2009 and follows the exploits of a middle-class family trying to outwit the world before it can con them, scoring some slapstick one-liners along the way. To date, it still consistently scores some of the highest ratings on television.
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The show has since been a mainstay onscreen, along with its core leading cast.
Hina Dilpazeer joined the show’s cast — which still consists of Nabeel Zafar, who plays Nabeel, and Mahmood Aslam, who plays Mahmood sahab — 26 episodes in as Nabeel’s mother Mumtaz, better known as Momo.
“Even then, we had absolutely no clue that this little baby of ours would one day become the most watched and the longest running show in Pakistan,” wrote Omar. “We had no inkling that this show would cut across all income groups, all age groups, starting from 2 to 95, unite entire families to come together, to take a break from the serious realities of life and share some laughs.”
Omar admitted it hasn’t always been smooth-sailing — the show was once restricted from airing by court order during a copyright dispute between ARY and BOL Network — but the Bulbulay team has always managed to pull through.
“After all of it, we are a tight family. A family that accepts each other unconditionally. A family that continues to stay together through everything.”
“Bulbulay will always need yours support and prayers to keep on putting smiles on your beautiful faces,” Omar's co-star Nabeel Zafar also on Instagram.