Rudabaaaaaaaaa… Aa gaya tera deewanaaaaaaa! (Get the reference?!)
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Step 2: Put your earphones on and turn up the volume.
Step 3: Click play!
Step 4: Now, continue reading…
Let’s do things Bollywood style, shall we. Why you ask? Well, if Syed Usman Saab has no problems why should we. Saat samundar… saat samundar paar mein teray peechay, peechay aa gaya. That’s right girls and boys, aa gaya not gayee! Just when we thought things were getting stale – wohi same bhabhi, shaadi business – enter our knight in shining armour, well in this case, shining suit. Baarish, moombatti, chattri, darban, ek bhooli ladki aur uska gumshuda shehzada… baat samajh aayee?
Nahi. Chalain padtay rahen.
Four episodes in and Bashar Momin has me glued to the TV set not because of a riveting story or stellar acting but because I just want to know what happens next. Will Bashar play a mafia version of vatta-satta? Do Buland and Rudaba really fall for each other? Is Bashar really the capital-B Beast? And will Tayabba ever stop crying?
We begin exactly where we left off last week with Bashar screaming his lungs off and Tayyaba crying her eyes out. Between the crying and the screaming we have Sahira to the rescue. I, for one, find Sahira as the useless phuphi (::you may insert relative of choice::) that can add no new insight into an already bad situation. What Bashar needs from Sahira is the ability to comfort, to nurture, as he obviously is at a loss to provide that to Tayyaba. Funnily enough the only person he knows who might possibly help is Sahira, seriously Bashar sahab?
From what I saw of that interaction, I would rather see Tayyaba wallow in her pity than have Sahira come boost her confidence. Believe you me, Tay-Tay (pronounced Tai-Tai) is better off without the support and comfort Sahira offers which just happens to be my two cents on the situation.
It seems to me that Sahira is only there to add namak to the zakham. Some choice one-liners from that conversation include Tayyaba you’re over-reacting now, Rudaba has gone through worse, she’s keeping her faith strong, she’s better than you – truth be told Sahira I don’t think comparisons are the route to go at this point in time. Hats off to Faysal Quraishi though for adding much needed emotional depth to that scene especially when he says he’ll willingly leave if that helps the situation.
Bhai tum kaheen maat jana, tum chalay gaye to humara kya hoga. What could have been a tear-inducing, heart-wrenching scene instead played out in true Bolly-fashion eliciting not one tear from me – the heightened background music, Tayyaba’s OTT sobs, Sahira’s pooch-pooch, nothing had an impact except Bashar getting up to get a glass of water for his hysterical sister. Full snaps up, Mr. Gangster!
Elsewhere in the world of Bashar Momin, Adil and Sahira are quickly ushered off to a waiting jet to sort out a matter of some ninety-odd crores.
What happens to Rudaba then you might ask? She’s left to the mercy of the “Beast” himself. This was truly a Faysal Quraishi-Ushan Shah episode. No where were Sahira and Adil to be seen nor were Tayyaba or Pari of much consequence when it came to these two interacting with one another.
Agar aankhon hi aankho mein ishara ho jatay hain to Rudaba Baaji aap ko iss haftay isharay hi isharay milay hain. Pehlay Bashar bhai, phir Buland miyan, aur koi bhi hai scene mein…?
Annnnnd what do you know Khan’s still around. No AWOL-action going on as of now. He even gets to escort Rudaba to her chambers. Set amidst those lavish (read: ostentatious and seriously over the top) surroundings our damsel in distress looks anything but happy.
Speaking of lavish surroundings, what I find with Bashar Momin is a serious lack of perception when it comes to visuals – the house is huge and grand but the furnishings are cheap and run of the mill – paintings of horses in bright blue, green velvet curtains, and so on. Instead of fancy headrests on the bed and silken linen, a simple manji with an Ajrak bedcover could have conveyed a sense of class along with money. If wishes were horses as they say… (side note: A&B if you’re looking for an aesthetically inclined designer please do get in touch with me, I’ll make sure you do better than Humsafar and Shehr-e-Zaat!)
The scene that really stood out for me was once again in the dining room. Here we get to see how Bashar perceives himself – he doesn’t really care if he’s labelled a monster or a beast (incidentally both monikers are courtesy of Rudaba), it doesn’t matter to him, and he can laugh it off. What matters to him is his inability to control the women in his life, which try as he might he can’t. Sahira, Tayyaba, Pari, and now Rudaba all challenge him and his sense of mardaangi.
Kya hua? Ruk kyun gaye. Gaana khatam ho gaya hai? Yaar replay kar lo.
In the same vein of controlling and dominating we have yet another baarish scene, this one far from memorable, with Rudaba, Tayyaba, and Pari all frolicking sans Bashar. I wonder what bothers Bashar more – that Rudaba went ahead and did what he expressly forbid or that she didn’t include him in the garden party? Either way he quickly loses his cool and is then rather apologetic at his loss of temper. Again a scene that could have been so much more than what we got to see – lost opportunity, A&B!
And finally, as if on cue, we have Buland’s entry. Batti gul, moombatti on and that too a three-tier candelabra, baarish, aansoon, and Qutub – whoops! – Ramzan chacha filling Buland in on Rudaba’s virtues we have the beginnings of true cinematic romance.
One final note I actually loved how Tayyaba and Rudaba talked with each other sharing their secrets – something that this series has lacked thus far. Hopefully we’ll see more secrets being spilt in the coming weeks.
Until then,
Shaba khair aur Raab Rakha.
RB (Tweet me!)
