Watching Bushra Ansari as the flamboyant Saima Chaudhry on Saturday and then seeing her in the completely different avatar of Bilqees Kaur on Sunday, one can only marvel at the woman’s talent – what a brilliant performer she is!
Bilqees Kaur opened on a very strong note. After a successful initial outing in Mera Naseeb, there were a lot of expectations from director Adnan Ahmed, and the first episode did not disappoint. It hit the mark on all counts. We were introduced to the family of Bilqees Kaur, a no-nonsense tell-it-like it is Sikh convert from Jalandhar, who rules the roost over her family in Jackson Heights, New York. She is the proud owner of a successful desi dhaba, which she runs with the help of her henpecked husband, Iqbal aka Bala; her son Inayat plys a taxi, and is married to the submissive Parveen aka Peeno, his cousin from Gujranwala. The family also includes the very meek Mumtaz, married to Peeno’s greedy brother, back in Gujranwala, the college student Anjuman, and the trying very hard to break out of the blue-collar-mold and live a white-collar-lifestyle, Sultan. While these are a lot of characters to establish, Adnan did a commendable job in situating them in reference to their relationship to Bilqees Kaur, the pivot around whom the story revolves. Each character appears to be very well-defined, and we are given tantalizing hints of hidden depths and yet-to- be-faced-trials for each of them. Already we see Anjuman, blithely described by Bilqees as a seedhi sadhi, obedient daughter, challenging her mother assumptions as she puts on extra makeup in a Starbucks restroom. Sultan too, is shown as protesting against his mother’s ironfisted rule.
I enjoyed this opening chapter of the Bilqees Kaur family saga. It was a crisply edited, fast moving narrative. Some of the more complicated aspects of the story were innovatively explained. For instance, rather than relying on the tiresome use of long flashback sequences or using lengthy dialogues, the story behind the name Bilqees Kaur was slipped in very casually in a conversation between Bilqees and Bala. Similarly, her very interesting relationship with her previous religious identity, as a Sikh, was also dealt with in a very quick scene with her praying in the Gurduwara. Her justification for this, was explained in a very intelligent way, again a very casual exchange with her husband—kudos to Faiza Iftikhar and Adnan Ahmed. Bilqees’ unique and pragmatic approach to her practice of religion is sure to become the basis of several issues here in the serial and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how the Adnan and Faiza duo tackle them.
Overall, this was a great first episode. Faiza Iftikhar’s story promises something different. Adnan Ahmed has a strong handle on the narrative. The Shahzad Kashmiri and Irfan Kashmiri duo have successfully captured the ethos of the working class neighborhood of Jackson Heights, a far cry indeed from the ritzy Upper East Side setting of Mataa-e Jaan. Excellent job! In terms of acting, Bushra Ansari singlehandedly managed to overshadow the others in her portrayal of the my-way-or-the-highway matriarch. Waiting for fireworks next week as Sultan goes against Bilqees’ choice of a suitable bride for him.
My only peeve is the overuse of Punjabi. I understand that the story revolves around a Punjabi family and as such the use of the language is justifiable. However, not all viewers, forget about the diaspora but even within Pakistan, are that well-versed in the language to appreciate the delicious use of the regional dialects, Faiza’s dialogues, and Bushra’s superb delivery. Perhaps subtitles? That said, I have to say that this looks like yet another winner from MD Productions. Good job Momina Duraid!
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter: SZ_DramaPakistani (@sz_dp)
