Let me start by saying that I had enormous expectations from this telefilm in particular because I expected nothing short of a masterpiece from a talented writer like Muhammad Ahmed, a gifted director like Mehreen Jabbar and a stellar cast. Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed after watching the telefilm because the story lacked depth and everything seemed rushed. Ahsan Khan is definitely hero material but somehow his character failed to impress, Sarwat Gillani and Ahsan Khan lacked the on-screen chemistry needed to make me relate to their undying love. Sanam Saeed on the other hand made her presence felt and stood out more than anyone else in the telefilm. She was absolutely brilliant as Beenish – a spoiled girl who was used to having things her way. Saad’s (Ahsan Khan) friend’s character seemed more interesting and enjoyable than the hero himself. So, how can one possibly like a telefilm in which the hero’s friend and the vamp stand out more than the leading pair!

The song “Rakh Diya Qadmo Mie Dil Nazrana” was very beautifully sung and also nicely directed but It came and went and I failed to understand the context; I know that is how things should be in a movie but I watched Anjuman too and the “Aap Dil Ki Anjuman Mein” was picturized so well, the director made the most of it and showed how the story was progressing as the song was playing. When you have such short time on your hands, you have to make the most of every minute. DMDT also failed to impress because it tried to deal with too many things at the same time and I also could not connect to the characters and their relationships with each other. The “twists and turns” did not really make my jump up in my seat.

DMDT’s story was based on a love triangle and a misunderstanding that is how I can easily sum it up in one line. The characters were not very well established at all; we know that Beenish is the villain and Saira is the victim but that is that. I did not fall in love with Saira’s character; yes she was very cute but that is it. I did not hate Beenish’s character maybe because Sanam Saeed was so well suited for the role or perhaps I just wasn’t given enough time to warm up to the characters or the story. Saira and Saad, our hero and heroine seemed more like good buddies than die hard lovers who could not live without each other. The way Saira backed off and the “misunderstanding” caused by the father also lacked the oh-my-God-what-is-going-to happen-next factor, honestly speaking all through the telefilm I waited for something extraordinary to happen. The only moment when I was truly intrigued to find out what would happen next was when Saad had the accident but that feeling did not last for long too and the way things were handled after that was quite mediocre as well. The time that was wasted on showing the rishta woman giving details of the proposal she brought for Saad could have been utilized to introduce us to the characters. Saira is convinced right from day one that her father will never allow her to get married to Saad and we don’t see how it affects her when they fall apart, therefore I failed to feel for her and did not long for the time when the two will finally be together. Shamim Hilali’s abusive husband reminded me of her character in talkhiyaan.

In short DMDT did not work for me at all because I failed t o connect to the characters. Anjuman was a much better telefilm, although I was not eager to watch it at all and said so here on DP as well but the entire cast did a commendable job, I had no idea what was going to happen next and I got so attached to all the characters; I never thought I would say this but Sara Loren totally stole the show. I was dying for the lead pair to be together in the end and was left with a smile on my face. If you want to watch a telefilm that will keep you glued to your TV screen, I would most certainly suggest you watch Anjuman and give DMDT a pass. DMDT was a cute story but cute does not work for me, I would much rather watch something that is moving and touching.

Fatima Awan