Now that we are at episode 4 of Bilqees Kaur, the story has started to make its presence felt. Initially, I was watching it primarily for Bushra Ansari and her fabulous portrayal of Bilqees, but now that the other characters are becoming familiar, and we have a little bit more insight into their mindset, they are starting to carve out their places in the narrative.
Apart from Bushra Ansari, who is in a league of her own, I am enjoying watching Ahsan Khan play a character different from his usual boyishly charming roles. Here, Sultan is a much more complex character. He’s a quiet, reflective man, who finds himself misfit in his blue-collar working-class family, he dreams of escaping that rut. The contrast between his mother’s loud and crass ways is made so much more explicit when contrasted with the genteel demeanor of the women in Hasan’s family. The scene in the bedroom where he is reflecting on the differences between his family and Hasan’s was very well done.
This episode also marked the much-awaited introduction of an appropriately cast Syra Yousuf as Soha, Hasan’s cousin. Her entry into the story and into Sultan’s life was nicely done. Her bubbly personality is underlined by the way she takes Sultan for a ride when she tells him the story of her hard life. The contrast between Sultan’s reticent personality and Soha’s outgoing ways promises to make for an interesting watch. Will he be able to loosen up enough to enjoy her lighthearted approach to life?
While the story moved forward in Lahore –Sultan and Hasan arrived from New York, Soha was introduced as Shafaq’s cousin, and Hasan’s family debated the number of invitees to the wedding—time seemed to stand still for poor Faraz, as he kept waiting and waiting outside Bilqees’ restaurant in Jackson Heights. The transitioning between New York and Lahore was choppy and clunkily done. That said, Faraz’s introduction to Anjuman’s family was hilarious to say the least. It wasn’t enough that the poor guy had to face the larger than life Bilqees, but he also had to deal with the menacing butcher’s knife in Iqbal’s hand. It will be a wonder if Anjuman can convince him to meet her family again. The actor playing Faraz is doing a commendable job here.
Peeno and Inayat are two other characters who are leaving their mark. Peeno is traumatized by her mother-in-law and the way she starts stuttering every time she answers to Bilqees is very well done by Sadia Imam. Kashif Mehmood’s Inayat is also showing a darker side of his character, where he is not just a lazy good-for-nothing cab driver. He’s got his own vices and the precaps for the next episode indicate that he is not above using Peeno to satisfy his not-so-harmless urges. Whether Peeno can ever stand up for herself and be able to speak up to Bilqees and Inayat remains to be seen.
In addition to Peeno and Inayat, and the other equally dysfunctional couple of Mumtaz and her husband, today we were also introduced to yet another problematic pair, that of Soha’s sister and brother-in-law, played by Saleem Shaikh and Shazia Afghan. I hope the director, Adnan Ahmed, will allow for these promising tracks to develop, rather than cutting them off somewhere along the line as is wont to happen in serials with so many characters.
Overall this was an engrossing episode from the Bilqees Kaur team. Before signing off, I have to once again commend the attention to detail – the plastic covered refrigerator in Bilqees’ house was such an apt analogy for lifestyle of the family that lives there – loved it!
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter: SZ_DramaPakistani (@sz_dp)
