If there were any doubts over Dayar e Dil’s claims to “Filminess”, we can put them aside now , the debate is settled ; this drama has been filmi, very filmi from day one hitting the audience with one dramatic punch after another . The only reason I ever doubted this was the relative lull in events over the last six or seven episodes. There is nothing wrong with being filmi per se (some of my best friends are films) but it has to be plausible. Some of the scenes this week made me think the makers were in a rush to finish this and did not take time to think everything through. If nothing else this was an action packed episode which should satisfy all the thrill seekers amongst us .
This was essentially the week in which all of Moiz’s nefarious plots came to fruition. In a fit of desperation he imprisons his sometime dear Aunt Roohi in an upstairs bedroom. Fair enough, I say, no one else can stand this woman’s constant complaining and whining either. However his next step goes beyond the pale, kidnapping Faraa and then threatening her to get a divorce from Wali. As I said last week Faraa really does seem a member of the hostage of the month club. For an intelligent young woman who has been through a lot of soul searching and contemplation, she suddenly comes across as incredibly gullible and easy to manipulate. If anything, by now she should have learnt that a male cousin arriving at her door at an odd time of day and demanding she leave with him is sure to lead to trouble. All Humour aside I really wish the Faraa /Moiz track had not gone down this route, was there really a need to demonize Moiz this much? His stomach churning threats of rape and the shots of him pointing a gun at Faraa’s forehead were disturbing to say the least.
Even more disturbing was the supposed cliffhanger in which we are teased with the devastating prospect of Wali being shot. Well the promos for the next episode do look reassuring and if Hum TV doesn’t want a riot on its hands Wali had better be safe and sound. I was so hoping Roohi might get conveniently shot but apparently dreams don’t always come true . Ok that was mean but for goodness sake , Sanam Saeed is a good actresses , why is she given the role of an extra in this episode ? She has no sensible lines apart from ” Hi meri beti “, there is no growth or self analysis , she blames everyone but herself and now she wants to wear her sari ka pallu on her head … why ? Similarly Tajamul is suffering from amnesia or something , errrr wasn’t it uncle Tajumul who started the whole rip off Roohi scam in the first place ? Now he thinks Moiz is the scum of the earth for doing the same ?
Satisfying as it was to see Moiz get a sound beating from Wali, (he deserved more) I think the rest of the episode lacked depth. There was a beautiful scene set up in the beginning of the episode where Faraa is crying (Quelle Surprise!), and Wali is watching her while warming his hands by a fire. What a fabulous moment, underutilized and cut short with nary a close up in sight. I am getting the feeling that director Haseeb Hassan just doesn’t like close up shots of his actor’s faces. Both Maya Ali and Osman Khalid Butt are blessed with more than their fair share of good looks, so what is the problem? Seeing their expressions would have given a much stronger impact to the moment.
OKB did an outstanding job this week. His Wali is conflicted: no matter how much his rational mind tells him not to trust Faraa, he cannot overcome his feelings for her.. At times it seemed as if Faraa’s misery was tearing Wali apart more than it was hurting Faraa. That evening he comes to her room and even though we never get to hear what he might have said completely, there is no mistaking the tone or the body language; he just cannot stand seeing her this way anymore. I think he was coming to tell her not to worry anymore and that there would be no divorce .It is obvious that Wali is essentially a very kind person, which is why some of his “new behavior patterns” in previous episodes seem at odds with his gentle nature. Again that same Wali came to the fore when he told Bairam to hide Faraa’s leaving from the rest of his family, he knows how it will look and he doesn’t want to reduce Faraa anymore than the poor girl has been already in his mother’s eyes.
There is a bad part of me that wants to say my favourite scene is when Wali beats the hell out of Moiz but there is the better part of me which recognizes Wali offering himself up in place of Faraa was the best scene in this entire episode. Beautifully played By Osman Khalid Butt, it was the sweetest thing. This man Wali really is worth all the tears Faraa has been shedding, the way he remembers his promises to Faraa’s father and pushes forward despite the idiot with a gun in his hand was incredibly brave. It brought a level of sincerity to this scene, that instantly negated all the over the top filminess.
Maya Ali did not have much scope in this episode. I wonder who told her to hide her face and cry through such an important sequence in the beginning. I was honestly hoping for the feisty Faraa of yore, giving Moiz a good kick in the shins and running but alas no, our damsel in distress has been told to wait and be rescued. I hope we get to see more Faraa – Wali without the annoying Tajamuls and quite frankly I could do without Arjumand’s scowling disapproving face too. I realise where Arjumand is coming from but an intelligent woman of character can rise above the her most basic feelings and understand what kind of torture poor Faraa has been through. Most importantly however much she doesn’t like Faraa , Wali does, so game over . Apart from the continuous crying , which no doubt she was told to do , Maya ali has been a fabulous Faraa . I hope the strong , fun to watch Faraa is back soon. Just remebered that richly deserved slap Faraa gave Moiz .. hmm feeling better even as I think about it and Good girl , you never gave in to his blackmail but really the kick i the shins ….it will be missed :(
I really don’t know how I feel about this week’s episode. Perhaps it’s a matter of expectations? I was expecting a fairly faithful rendition of the novel but there are so many changes I am beginning to think this is a “ship of Theseus moment” as in the original is changed so much its a different story now so I need to evaluate it as such . Not sure how many episodes are left so lets see where this wild ride takes us .
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written by Sadaf
