Bilqees Kaur just keeps getting stronger with every episode. I keep waiting for the serial to falter somewhere along the line, but so far I’ve been proven wrong. I am really enjoying the way the story is being narrated and the ease with which the various tracks are gelling together. Today, we went from Bilqees’ house in New York, to Hasan’s house in Lahore, to Soha’s sister’s house in Lahore, to Mumtaz’s house in Gujranwala, to Bilqees’ restaurant in Jackson Heights, and from there to Zia’s uncle’s house, all very different settings with very different moods, and though we zinged back and forth over the seven seas, nowhere along the way did I feel lost as a viewer – excellent job by Adnan & Co.
Even as the story moved along rapidly it was not at the cost of character building. Each character is being sketched out so well that one can only marvel at the skill of the storytellers. Today we got more of an insight into some of the characters we had met fleetingly before. In the first couple of episodes Mumtaz had seemed like a browbeaten, submissive wife, but today she came across as her mother’s true daughter. This girl is nobody’s doormat. Mumtaz gives it back as good as she gets it. Truly, Zia and Mumtaz are a couple made in TV heaven. Compared to them, Peeno and Inayat are as similar as chalk and cheese. Inayat, who is very quiet publicly, is also his mother’s son in private, the way he lashes out at Peeno behind closed doors is very reminiscent of Bilqees’ brashness. Peeno on the other hand, is very acquiescent, almost eerily so, as if something is off somewhere. I wonder what is it about her that causes Mumtaz to sarcastically remark to Zia, that if Inayat hadn’t married Peeno, she would’ve remained as yet unmarried. Clearly there is a story waiting to be told here. Sadia Imam and Kashif Mehmood are fabulous as the leading contenders for the dysfunctional couple of year award. We also got a more detailed introduction to Soha’s sister, the apathetic Sobia and her creepy husband Farooq. No wonder Soha is not only OCD, but also a strong-willed girl who will not take nonsense from anybody. Nice work by Syra Yousuf as Soha. I am now really looking forward to Soha’s first encounter with Bilqees Kaur. Any bets on who will blink first?
For me, the highlight this week was Nadia Afghan’s superb portrayal of Mumtaz. This is not a typical bari behen type side role. She adds so much life to it that I kept waiting for her to come on screen again and again. The way she slips into English with her brother, her brusqueness with Zia, and her tell-it-like-it-is conversations with her mother were so well done. I loved her interaction with Ahsan Khan. I also enjoyed seeing more of Hasan today. Fawad Jalal is doing a great job. Shazia Afghan and Saleem Shaikh also left their mark in their respective roles.
This was an action-packed episode and we switched gears between so many moods and locales, but time somehow appeared to be at a standstill as the day seemingly stretched out forever. Normally, it would be hard to make out, but for the fact that Ahsan Khan wore the same red plaid shirt for almost the entire episode, actually carried over from the last one. Fawad Jalal also wore the same back shirt throughout, till his mayoon. Kashif Mehmood too pretty much had the same white sweater on since the last episode. Moreover, speaking of clothes, MD Productions really needs to stop recycling their wardrobe– this is now turning into a joke. In Durre Shehwar we see the Dastaan wardrobe being used and here again we saw the Dastaan/Mera Naseeb dupattas in circulation.
Finally, no review of Bilqees Kaur can be complete without a mention of the fabulous Bushra Ansari. She was in her full glory here as she spewed off a non-stop string of expletives at the masked robber, not even sparing his family. It was hilarious to see a visibly discomfited Inayat mumbling at Bilqees to stop swearing at the robber’s mother. Too good!
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
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