Ok, so I just finished watching the second episode and interestingly enough still find myself on the fence about whether or not I’m ready to jump aboard the Ashk-ian bandwagon. On the surface, this serial has all the ingredients required to ensure a blockbuster status. The story is interesting, the director is a class act, the cast is top notch, the cinematography is breathtaking, the locations are lovely, so then why is it that I’m still in a quandary and not completely sold?
Following are my impressions of this second episode and I invite you to share yours …
Today’s episode revolved around Rohail and Kulsoom’s arrival and their less than ceremonious welcome to the idyllic village of Jia Bagga. Zaibu seems to have taken it upon herself to test Rohail’s suitability as a perfect partner for her beloved elder sister Mehru. What follow are a number of childishly silly and at times dangerous stunts. I am at a loss to understand how a reasonably mature person (and I use these qualifiers with great trepidation for Zaibu) could possibly rationalize mixing sleeping pills with bhang, in the case of the driver, Dinga. Similarly, pouring bhang over a desert that is to be served at the dining table is not funny – it is simply stupid. Admittedly it was intended only for Rohail, but there was really no way to ensure that others would not partake of it. As it turns out, her father did and what followed was a scene that really did not seem to serve any larger purpose. I guess the ladies of the house saw it as bonding between the uncle and nephew, but all I could think of was: Major Mansoor is an old man, what if he could not digest the bhang? What if this turned into a medical emergency? Call me a stick in the mud, but I did not find these two scenes amusing at all. Ditto for driving Rohail around the village and the churail scene. In short, I’m not a fan of Zaibu’s antics; this girl needs to grow up ASAP.
Being a huge fan of Khwaja Ghulam Farid’s kafis, and this one being a personal favorite, I loved the singing, but within the context of the larger story, I failed to see the point of the musical evening; there was no connection with what followed later. Speaking of continuity, I was also a little perturbed by the way Bedi Singh’s turban seems to come on and off at whim. In the last episode, he was wearing it while in the restaurant, but it was missing in the drinking scene. Today as well, he was wearing it, but with hair showing from the sides and in the precaps for next week it’s off again. Wearing a turban has a deep religious significance for Sikhs, and to see it being turned into some kind of affectation is disappointing.
What I did love was the interaction between Rohail and Mehru. Now this is what I call a class act. The conversation between Mehru and Rohail on the veranda, as Mehru fed the birds was beautifully acted, directed and shot. It was the pick of the episode for me. In an otherwise forgettable outing so far, Fawad Khan was fabulous in this scene. Matching his every step was Resham; she is such a superb actress and brings so much depth to her role as Mehru, torn as she is between what she perceives as her responsibility to the family and her love, as indicated by the furtive phone call. Given that Major Mansoor thinks that Mehru has refused all rishtas up to this point because of them, then why doesn’t he tell Zaibu to start behaving her age and share some household responsibilities so that Mehru can feel free to explore the possibility of a life outside the confines of the family haveli.
Overall, this was a strictly okay episode for me. To be perfectly honest, if this serial had not been directed by Sarmad Khoosat and did not star Resham and Fawad Khan, I wouldn’t be compelled to follow this serial. The fact that this talented trio has chosen to be associated with this project holds out the promise of better things to come, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed hoping that things will start gelling together sooner rather than later.
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
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