Brilliant! Beautiful! Classic! These three words aptly sum up today’s episode of Durre-Shehwar. I have never been at a greater loss for words to describe a powerful, intense episode such as this one.
This episode focused completely upon the flashbacks, as the audience got a more than detailed glimpse into the life and emotions of Durre-Shehwar as she completed her education, and got married to Mansoor. My own words feel empty as I write – I just cannot convey with justification how beautifully the entire process of Mansoor’s proposal and Durre-Shehwar’s family’s contemplation was handled – by the entire cast, by the writer, by the director, and indeed, the entire production team.
Umera Ahmed, I believe, was the star of today’s show. The character and dialogues of Durre-Shehwar, throughout the episode, personified almost every young girl’s rollercoaster of emotions: in the way she tells her mother she does not want to get married, the indifference with which she shrugs off the fact that Mansoor is downstairs and then rushes after her sister to catch a glimpse of him, and the heart-rending way in which she battles with her conflicting emotions. Finally, of course, comes her first meeting with Mansoor, and subsequent nod of approval to her parents, setting in motion the turn of events which will unfold gradually in the upcoming episodes.
The conversations of Durre-Shehwar with her mother and her father throughout the episode were also poignant and spot on!Again, all common place fears and concerns of a young, to-be-married girl were addressed in a mature and convincing manner.
Sanam Baloch was brilliant as the innocent Durre-Shehwar – it sorely reminded me of her Bano persona in Dastaan. Of course, when it comes to the cast, one must give credit to Mr. Muhammad Ahmed for his excellent portrayal of a father who would not give the go-ahead to a proposal without hearing his daughter’s verbal approval, and who very poignantly voiced his thoughts that the size of the house does not guarantee happiness for any girl- the character of her husband does! Saba Faisal and the ladies playing Mahnoor and Durre-Shehwar’s mother were excellent too. I was especially impressed with Mahnoor – I have not seen her in any other drama serial, but she has the expressions and she can emote! I hope to see her in a more prominent role in other drama serials.
Coming back to Durre-Shehwar, oh boy, what an absolutely sweet meeting it was between Durre-Shehwar and Mansoor: the way they would not look at each other, and speak the bare minimum. It was actually a cultural shock for a few minutes, remembering the last “encounter” of Mikaal and Sanam as Kiran and Shimraiz in the last episode of Kuch Pyar Ka Pagalpan. It is definitely a relief to note Mikaal’s changed look in this serial, and of course, this Bano-look suits Sanam more than any Akbari or Kiran in the world.
I can probably go on for ages now that I have started. However, let me end it with a strong recommendation for this drama serial to be an integral part of any pre or post marital counselling there is! There were, literally, gems strewn throughout. I am looking forward to the next episode already. But in the meantime, a huge round of applause to the entire team once again!
Written by Drama Buff ([email protected])
