The first time I heard the title of this drama it sounded very familiar and very filmy as well. When I started looking for the drama online I found out that there was an Indian movie that was released back in the 1960s which had the same title. Also, the title does make it sound like this would be a romantic story but that is not the case at least till now. Dil Apna Pareet Parai is the story of three women who lead very different lives but their stories are interlinked. Sukaina (Maria Wasti) has just been released from the prison after spending fourteen years there because she murdered someone – we do not know who she murdered and why she did it just yet. All we know is that Sukaina is not the kind of person who would commit such a heinous crime. She is a model prisoner, so much so that the warden refuses to believe that she murdered anyone, although Sukaina insists that she was responsible for the murder. Sukaina writes letter to her parents every week while she is in prison begging for forgiveness; she cannot live a peaceful life until her parents forgive her but she never gets a reply. The play starts with Sukaina getting a premature release from jail because of her good behavior. All she wants to do once she is out of jail is to find her family and ask for their forgiveness. She finds out soon after leaving prison that her parents died and her sister has changed her name and is very affluent now. Sukaina starts looking for her sister until one day she spots a woman who looks a lot like her sister on Television and she decides to meet her. The Sukaina track of the story is very mysterious and Maria Wasti’s acting is flawless as usual but it does remind me of a similar track in Nikhar Gayee Gulab Saare. Although the stories of the two women are different but there are definitely some similarities as well.
Alina (Ayesha Omer) is the other protagonist in the play. She is probably Sukaina’s sister – well we have yet to find out. Alina is a business woman who has worked hard to establish a big business. Like all other independent working women in our dramas she too has no time for her home or kids. Her character is all black, the only reason she does not give her husband and kids’ time is because she is too successful now, and even thinks that her husband is jealous of her success. The grandmother brings up her two kids, when the grandmother passes away; Ahsan (her husband) tries his best to look after the kids but he has a business to run too and he does not have time. Ahsan’s younger siblings Sonia and Mohsin are just spoiled rotten and one can’t help but wonder how they ended up the way they are!
Our third protagonist is Alina’s maid’s elder daughter (Beenish Chohan) who does not like rich people at all especially the house that her mother (Rubina Ashraf) works in. Her mother Bilquees is a very loyal servant who has been with the family right from the time when Ahsan’s mother got married. Alina’s daughter is continuously telling her to move out of the quarter and stop being so worried about the family she works for. She is bitter for no obvious reason and I wish we knew why she feels the way she does.
DAPP has been very well directed but I have to say that the screenplay isn’t engaging enough. Sohail Sameer’s acting leaves a lot to be desired for and for that reason I could not sympathize with his character. Ayesha Omer does not stand out in her role at all maybe because she plays a similar role in Tanhai. Maria Wasti has to be the star of the show and it is her amazing acting that makes her track worthwhile. It is interesting how the different tracks in the play are interlinked but the performances are so average that you fail to feel for most of the characters. The overall feel of the play is a lot like Nikhar Gaye Gulab Saree especially the mystery surrounding some of the characters reminds me a lot of NGGS.
Dil Apna Pareet Parai has been written by Sameena Nazir, directed by Ramish Rizvi and produced by Eveready Pictures. If you like watching soaps then despite of all its weaknesses it is definitely much better than most of the soaps that are on air on most channels because the story does not revolve around family politics. All the tracks are completely different from one another so if you happen to like the characters, you are sure to enjoy the play. I tried giving it a shot but it didn’t work for me particularly because of the average acting by most of the actors.
Fatima Awan
