Before you complain about the reviews being piled together like a bundle of ironed clothes from the dhobi, I have a very solid reason. The pace of this drama is such that in six episodes, we have barely covered a little over two weeks (if we are lucky!) in our baichari Mehrbano’s life!
And lets not forget that this is a tragic heroine, our Mehr bano- in her life, all efforts are overlooked , tears are in abundance and other women are either manipulative or pea-brained. But despite all that, here we all are , week after week, watching this drama because in a weird way, it is addictive. Maybe like the ultimate battle of good versus evil ( like in superhero movies) after seeing so much zulm (read evil) , we feel entitled to witness the happy ending.
However at this pace, we must overdose on patience as we have a loooong wait coming!
In Episode 9, Mehrbano seemed to have khala as a pillar of support but trust Fareeha to ensure that Mehrbano is never without a worry for long. The kharchay kay pasay from Hasan were hidden and then the drama started. The hints were not subtle- ‘ khuda janay kon chor bas gaya hai is ghar mein‘ and Fariha started on her mission impossible on her mother -‘ Ami aap please kuch karein’. Ameena Khala was stuffed full of anti Mehrbano propaganda-betay ko phansa, bilal say taluqaat thay-the list is endless! Best scene of this episode was when Hasan told Fariha to fix a plate for Mehrbano- needless to say, Fariha literally exploded and Faysal Qureshi’s expressions as Hasan were priceless!
Episode 10 had a nonsensical start when Mehr bano was first told not to do a job at Umer’s office and thereafter the family did an about turn when Fareeha did n’t want to work. The NIC card was hidden, courtesy of Fareeha and this became the main cause of worry in this episode. Ameena khala also started believing the worst when along with Hassan, she witnesses Mehrbano talking to Bilal. Can anything go right for this damsel in distress?
Episode 11 started with Mehrbano refusing a ride with Hassan and despite all her efforts to be a goody two shoes, she got a slap in front of the entire household because of the Bilal sighting. I mean come on..haad ho gae ! I don’t agree with such treatment meted out to women in general and then being shown on TV in particular which makes us forcefully digest it ! Affan Waheed made a brief albeit welcome return in one scene and the family faced the next crisis- vacating the company’s accommodation urgently. Hassan suggested that they should move into his flat in Karachi and Fareeha ordered her mom to tell Mehrbano to go elsewhere! The orders were given but Ameena khala finally convinced her sister to let Mehr bano accompany them ‘insaniyat kay natay’.
( How long do you think we have covered so far…not even a week in her life right? This drama is the equivalent of sadqay tumhare in the pace department!)
In Episode 12, Fareeha continued making life difficult for Mehrbano who was forced to sleep in the lounge where she was eventually spotted by Hassan.Therest of the episode focused on the changing feelings of Hassan towards Mehrbano, as evident in her sleeping scene, the breakfast scene, hair brushing scene and the scene where he offered to drop her.
Episode 13 centered on one event which opened a Pandora’s box for everyone. Mehrbano was locked in the toilet by Fareeha for the whole day until Hassan let her out in the evening. She hugged him in relief and it was clear that this action shocked both of them. Thereafter Mehrbano lost her temper big time, calling Fareeha ‘pagal‘ and needing ‘ilaj‘. Why is someone who is twisted and attention seeking termed ‘pagal’ and a ‘ zahni mareez’ in our society? This is not giving the right message to the audience. Hassan gives Mehrbano a lift to the NIC office and enroute, they discuss Bilal, with Hassan saying that the true love of a man can be a great support. In view of the impending threat of Mehrbano, the ladies of the house agree to Bilal’s proposal. On her return from work, the ladies force Mehrbano to leave the house when she refuses to agree to this match.
Episode 14 was painfully uncomfortable to watch. After Mehrbano was chucked out, Fareeha was kind enough to advise Bilal of her whereabouts so that he could kidnap her. Hassan returned from his meeting early, blissfully unaware of the turn of events. When he realized what was wrong, everyone lied to him, informing him that Mehrbano had married Bilal and thus left. (Notice it is the same day that he gave her a lift! How much have we covered now.. a mere 2 days? ).
Hassan feels that something is amiss and with her namaz ka dupatta in tact, his mother continues to lie! Mehrbano manages to escape from her captivity, threatening to kill herself if Bilal came near her. Hasan continues to phone her repeatedly while his mother Ameena informs him that he should stop this ‘ soag’ and marry Fareeha. Hassan confesses that he found himself struggling to believe anything that his mother was saying at the moment. The episode ended with Mehrbano being rescued from becoming train fodder in her attempt to commit suicide.
The positives-Faryal Mehmood and Faysal Qureshi are strong in their performances; the latter really does look like the handsome prince for our Cinderella , having lost weight and with some good wardrobe choices on occasion (Someone please sign Faysal Qureshi for a movie; he is a great actor!). Faryal Mehmood utters her dialogues and goes about her evil plans so effortlessly that it doesn’t look like she is acting.
The scenes between Hassan and Mehrbano have a natural chemistry which make them enjoyable viewing despite the weaknesses of this drama. Sameena and Ameena Khala are not consistent characters, both in terms of their words and actions. For that, the blame falls to the weak script. Ushna Shah has moments of brilliance and then moments when the ice maiden returns. However kudos to her for crying in every single episode! Not the kind of role that anyone would want to play, shedding a bucket load of tears!
The next episode looks exciting as Hassan will finally learn the truth and confess his plans to marry Mehrbano. However at the current pace, that may be in the last ten minutes or so, of the episode. We will keep watching however for the sake of the promise of a romance between these two- possibly the only saving grace at the moment!
I would like to state that the scenes of torture and the kidnap are not the kind of scenes that any family would want to see with their children. Can writers please wake up and smell the coffee- the baichari and mazloom aurat is not what the audience wants to see! Stop creating women who are ‘ kaanch ki gurias‘ as in reality women shape the mindset of future generations. That alone, should highlight our strength.
Now for a confession- if this drama does not have a happy ending, I for one will be ready to pull my hair out! But I am told that good things happen to those who are patient, so we will hang on….for now!
Until next time..
Paz
This review was originally posted here.
