Hum TV’s latest presentation, Alvida aired tonight. You’ve got to hand it to HUM, their promos are enough to lure the viewer to tune in- at least once, if not more. Alvida’s got a few things going for it- the hit pair of Sanam Jung and Imran Abbass, director Shahzad Kashmiri and producer Momina Duraid. And then there’s the writer, Samira Fazal- she’s written some brilliant scripts for HUM but somehow, she hasn’t been as successful with other channels. Hopefully, with the backing of HUM TV, we won’t end up frustrated with a never-ending storyline.

The story begins with Haya (Sanam Jung) who’s sharing her excitement with her best friend, Fareeza (Sara Khan) over her cousin Haadi’s (Imran Abbass) return. Haadi was away in London, and then Somalia before making his final stop in Karachi. Haya was raised by Haadi’s parents- who also happen to be her Taaya and Taayi. Haya and Haadi grew up together and were really close- while Haadi treated her like a little sister and friend, Haya mistook his affection for love and ended up dreaming of the day he would marry her. Fareeza pretends to enjoy Haya’s narratives of her one-sided love story but holds a grudge against Haya since she has lived a pampered life. Haya is introduced as being self-absorbed (I love to be a chichoori) and delusional and the presence of the house-help who constantly remind her of her honay wala shohar and shaadi ke gaaney only indulge her further. Though Haadi cares deeply about Haya, he has no romantic inclinations and the two of them are poles apart- kahan wohh duffer aur kahan wohh surgeon! So after living abroad for five years, Haadi is back to his homeland to manage his father’s hospital. But his reason for returning is two-fold; he intends on marrying his cousin Uroosa (Naveen Waqar) who has been his source of strength and constant support while he was away. Uroosa is the daughter of Haadi’s Chacha but they belong to a much lower social class. Uroosa has been instrumental in helping Haadi achieve his dreams and the two of them have stayed in touch over the years. It was nice to see Naveen Waqar in a simple role after playing the home-wrecker Sara in Humsafar. Haadi is undeterred by their differences and as Uroosa puts it, he is iss daur ka Buddah– someone who seeks spiritual enlightenment over material possessions.

For a first episode, Alvida was quite interesting. The scenes were short and to the point and the narrative moved along at a fairly quick pace. When Haadi announced his intentions to marry Uroosa, both his parents were disappointed as they didn’t want him settling for someone who doesn’t belong to the same social class they do. Furthermore, Haya was heartbroken and devastated with the realization that she was no longer his choti si totee jismein Haadi ki jaan hai. Well, she is in a way, but not the way she thinks. The last few minutes of the episode showed a completely different Haya- one who suffered from low self-esteem and held on to the pain of being rejected by her father. Since she didn’t get her happy ending, she wanted to bring down everyone around her with her sob story and annoyed Fareeza by suggesting she could eventually end up being dumped too by the man she loves!

Sanam Jung’s character has the potential to turn into a negative one- she is overly possessive about Haadi and is sure to try a few things to try and change his mind. Just how far she goes remains to be seen. I hope to God this love triangle doesn’t end up being yet another drama about a man juggling two wives and the wives engaging in petty family politics to try and swing things in their favour. What are your thoughts about this first episode?

Kanwal Murtaza