Ok, so here are my two bits on what I define as great onscreen ”chemistry” – a special zing that makes pairs memorable, standouts if you will. They don’t have to be the lead pair necessarily, or even the second leads, or even a male/female couple – they just have to have enough charisma, that undefinable something, that should make me want to watch them together repeatedly. Here, I have purposely chosen to go beyond the obvious, and point to five unorthodox couples that to me define chemical explosions on screen. Khair, less “telling” and more “showing” as Drama Buff so aptly describes it, so here are my picks, in random order, for what I see as prime examples of “out of the box,” “chemical” joris:
Saima Chaudhry and Amma Wadi – The Baraat Series – This was the first pair that came to my mind as I started thinking about chemistry and out of the box. Boy, were these two hilarious together. More than evenly matched in terms of acting capability, Bushra Ansari as the over the top desi flamboyant designer from Faisalabad may have overshadowed everybody in this series, but Samina Ahmed as the perpetually exasperated oh so la-di-da naani proved to be more than capable of standing up to Say-ma Chaudhry. Now this is what I call a beautifully done clash of cultures!
Mujtaba and his mom – Kuch Pyar Ka Pagalpan – While this serial made waves for all the wrong reasons, the one thing it did do right was to show a warm and a very real relationship between a typical desi mother and her pampered eldest child. Muju was a very confused man/child, and his very pragmatic mom had a lot to do with the way he interacted with the world in general. Fawad Khan and Azra Moheyuddin were one of the most realistic son/mom pairs I have seen on TV in recent times. Their scenes together were fantastic; in particular when Muju calls his mother and asks for her input and she gives him to die for advice –dump Kiran, but do it gently, because beta you know girls have fragile hearts – wah! Kya baat hai aap ki aunty ji!
Phuphi Batoolan and Pir-ji – Akbari Asghari – Ok, this one I know will make you raise your eyebrows, but trust me they were quite a pair. The “un-graizi” medium wannabe flamboyant Batoolan, fabulously overplayed by Humaira Ali, going to a fraudulent pir sahib to find a way to fix things made for a lot of funny moments. Underlying all the comedy was a very serious subtext about unsuspecting people being misled by such tricksters, who use and abuse in the name of religion. This could have done in a very preachy way, but the over the top Batoolan and pir-ji moments diluted the moralizing and made for thoughtful but hilarious comedy.
Shazia and Nazia – Mera Naseeb – Seldom it is nowadays that we have siblings/friends given equal footage and rarely do we see friendships done so well on-screen. Sanam Saeed and Syra Yusuf, both newcomers did complete justice to their roles as sisters born to different mothers. They had their ups and downs, their spats and make-ups, and more than their fair share of tragedy, but the chemistry between the pair made the story so much more plausible and their one-on-ones were always fun to watch.
Hassan and Surraiya Khala – Dastaan – While Dastaan will always be remembered for the iconic Hassan/Bano pairing, this pair was an absolute delight to watch. Their moments together were full of joy, mischief, and love, whether Hassan teased his khala about her “date” with her husband, or begged her to arrange for his meeting with Bano, or teared up when he saw her after a long time. Fawad Khan and Saba Qamar were magical together. Every time they came on screen I would want the scene to not end – certainly a pairing I would want to see again and again.
Sophee and Nana jaan – Durre Shehwaar – Even though we are only two episodes in, and this beyond adorable couple made its debut just last week, I love them! Sophia Syed has to be one of the most natural child stars we’ve seen in a while and her equation with one of our stalwarts Qavi Khan is to be seen to be believed. The scene with pigeons has to be one of the most tender scenes ever. Similarly, when they’re watching cartoons, watching the two commiserate – him complaining about his strict wife and her moaning about her equally strict mother – awww, talk about the cuteness factor going off the charts!
Ashar and Baseerat Mamu – Humsafar – Ha! You didn’t think I was gonna let Humsafar slide by unaccounted for, did you? Here was a pair that was so messed up in terms of an actual father/son relationship. The passive aggressive father using emotional blackmail to get his way and the spineless, continually fretting son not being able to stand up for his right to live his own life, both were equally whacko. Nonetheless, Behroze Sabzwari and Fawad Khan brought so much intensity to their scenes together that my eyes were always left misty. Baseerat asking his son to marry Khirad, his talk with Ashar before his death and the chess scene remain some of my most favorite onscreen father/son moments. Baseerat Mamu you shouldn’t have died so early – we missed you!
There are many more I could talk about, but I think these examples suffice. I hope this rundown of unconventional pairs will inspire producers and directors to bring us not just great leads, but also such out of the box, though nonetheless chemical joris– we love them!
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
P.S. As is obvious, I have limited myself to pairs from recent dramas, but do feel free to be creative and discuss more of your favorite unconventional, but chemical joris.
