Did Sultan give you this pendant? Why is your stuff all spread out? Are these gold bangles or are they rolled gold? What did your parents give Sultan? Why the rush to marry you off? … What did Sultan give you as munh dikhai? How was your first night in New York? Did you sleep well? You slept all night?! Bilqees and Peeno were in full form as they went at Soha, all guns blazing, first the saas then the bari bahu – not even a day’s reprieve for the newest member of the family. Welcome to the rest of your life, Soha!
Syra Yusuf is superb as Soha; she doesn’t say much but conveys so much through her expressions and gestures. Her very smart but polite putdown to Bilqees’ interrogation was very effective as was her flabbergasted reaction at Peeno’s annoying questions. As for Peeno, I’m just awe-struck by her continued idiocies. Honestly, did the woman just fall off the turnip truck? Her wide-eyed look as Sultan brought breakfast for his wife, and her clumsy attempts at friendship with Soha were hilarious. Though she is funny, it was easy to see the pain of her far from satisfactory marital relationship reflected in Peeno’s voice as she reported the incident to her oaf of a husband. Similarly her loneliness, no one to share her intimate confidences, was quite evident in her admittedly crazy questioning of Soha’s personal life. Sadia Imam is in brilliant form here.
Ahsan Khan is another actor who has really stood out in this serial. Generally given to playing the charming, happy-go-lucky, lover boy kind of roles, here he has impressed with his mature and understated handling of Sultan’s very complex character. This is a man running away from his blue-collared roots. Though frustrated and embarrassed by his uncouth brother, his drunken father, and his foul-mouthed mother, he is still very much involved in family matters. He is the only one who can stand up to his mother, challenge her authority, and question her reasons for rejecting Faraz’s proposal. The point about South Asian parents living abroad but wanting to raise their children as if they were still living in a village back home is a very valid one, and touches on a very pertinent issue – excellent writing by Faiza Iftikhar.
Aside from her son, the only other person who can really cut Bilqees to the quick is her husband Iqbal. We haven’t seen too much of Khalid Ahmed in the recent times, but here he reminds us of what a fantastic actor he is – he completely owns the role of the generally zoned out Bala. I love the way he always manages to cut off Bilqees’ rants with a few well-chosen words. Today, while she was prattling off about Soha and her no-good family, he quietly reminded Bilqees that she too had brought no dowry. Not to be left behind, Bushra Ansari’s quicksilver change of expressions, from belligerent to heartbroken, was simply a treat to watch.
Rather than simply being a story of a nuclear family, with the focus on the hero/heroine, in Bilqees Kaur we see a network of beautifully interwoven relationships: Sultan’s friendship with Hassan, Soha’s with Shafaq, Bilqees’ relationship with Kuljeet, and Anjuman’s faith in her uncle. It was heartwarming to see her turn to him for advice, and he in turn, rather than berating her, helps her. Today, Kuljeet was seen trying to help make peace between the estranged mother and daughter.
Overall an excellent episode; after last week’s fantastic ending, the bar had been set quite high, but kudos to director Adnan Ahmed and his team for delivering yet another bang-on episode. Going by the precaps, the next episode promises to be equally enthralling. Looking forward!
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
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