‘Tum mere paas hote ho Goya,
Jab koi doosra nahi hota…”
Finally, after months of anticipation, BTS pics, and promos, the first episode of the much awaited Goya went on air. I went into Goya with an extremely critical eye for a few reasons. First of all, there is a huge cast so not all roles can possibly have an effect, Second, honestly speaking, I’m not the biggest fan of Sana Javed (my reviews of Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar are proof of that), and third, there was this huge initial story of how another actress was supposed to play Mohini, but things happened and Sana Javed took over (back to my trepidation of Sana Javed)…so I figured it was going to have its’ share of problems which most probably will be evident when it goes on air. having just finished the first episode though, I realized how wrong I was about everything. Written by Syed Mohammad Ahmed and directed by Farrukh Faiz, and produced by Six Sigma, episode 1 of Goya, in my eyes, was a hit! It was a treat to watch, and not just because of how nice Osman Khalid Butt (OKB for future references) looked!
Episode 1 starts out with the mother daughter banter of Asma (Farah Shah) and Mohini (Sana Javed). Mohini (a news reporter) seems to be looking for rishtas for herself online. Mohini rightly states that her mother is shuru se hi filmi. Asma owns a hotel and is trying to convince Mohini to cover the art exhibition later on at her hotel. Their banter and closeness is very ‘Gilmore Girls,’ to the point that Mohini often refers to her mother as Asma and tum (I did find that strange though).
We move to Omar Hashmi (OKB) being awoken by his best friend Ali (Furqan Qureshi). Omar is apparently the most eligible bachelor in town. His mother has passed away and Hitler father, referred to as The Undertaker, Rahat Hashmi, and Sr. Hashmi (Usman Peerzada) married the young Tara Mehmood. He has been raised by his nanny of 17 years, Mrs. Imtiaz (the ever graceful Shamim Hilali) who is in charge of what he wears to what he eats, along with his comings and goings. The Undertaker has just learned that his friend’s son has been kidnapped and ranson is 28 carores, so orders another set of 6 guards. I’m wondering whether its the son being kidnapped or the loss of 28 carores that is more scary to him? In Sr. hashmi’s defense though, if he isn’t so tough on his only son, he would be among the other rich brats partying all night and drinking. Fair point…underneath that strict, pompous, Hitler-like exterior, is a father who doesn’t want his son to get spoiled and mess up. Sr. Hashmi has rules and regulations, he has a title where even his son refers to him as ‘Sir.’ His word is rock solid and there is nothing to be said after he speaks his mind. He now has chosen Saleem saheb ki beti Zara (Hira Tareen) to be his son’s wife. Knowing that his son’s dream is to go get his MBA in this prestigious New York University, he shoots the idea down. (BTW, seriously? Why do all study abroads have to be 1) in USA and 2) in NY? There are other countries in the world with better Universities)!! Sr. Hashmi hasn’t given his son the right to say ‘no’ to him, as per his more toned down wife. I like Tara Mehmood. She has a very calm and collected demeanor about her. It will be interesting to see how her equation (or lack there of) with Jr. Hashmi will be played out. I’m just thankful that this step mum is not the evil vamp like in all other dramas.
Ok, so time for Mohini and Omar to meet. They both show up at the exhibition at Mohini’s mom’s hotel. Mohini is covering the story by her channel ARY News (surprise surprise…nice plug-in ARY)!! They have the same infamous banter of rich guy and working girl…seemingly full of judgments on both sides. A simple and accidental credit card drop by Omar is a show off gesture to Mohini.
During the end we learn that Omar actually has plans to run off to the US to pursue his MBA even after the shot down by his father. He is a US citizen (hain?) so can a get a job anywhere for expenses and can live at some Michelle’s apartment. We also learn that Sr. Hashmi is already aware of these plans which is why he asked Mrs. Imtiaz for Jr. Hashmi’s passport. I so feel for bechari Mrs. Imtiaz; stuck between the Sr and Jr Hashmis, trying to make them both happy. Omar clearly sees her as a confidant and perhaps even a mother figure. I really love their equation.
And ends episode 1. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. The script had Mohammed Ahmed written all over it with lines like ‘Mari hui machli jaisa moon,’ Ayat-Al-Kursi parh ke jayega’ (referring to asking his father about going for his MBA), ‘shuru se he filmi theen aap’ and many more. Even the ‘rock, papers, scissors’ between Omar and Ali to decide if Omar will go to this cafe opening was very natural and didn’t seem like it was forced on the audience. Void of over the top depressing or heavy dialogues, the lines were simple and easy on the ears. Syed Mohammad Ahmed is not the only one responsible for the script. Yasir Rana (that’s right, Coke Kahani fame) was also a crucial part of some of the episodes. Clearly the two make a great team! Farrukh Faiz’s direction is top notch as always…frames and shots perfect along with the characters looks and expressions, and the smooth scene to scene flow. What surprised me however, was that even though this is the first episode, there were no editing errors. I haven’t seen that since Humsafar!
Lets talk cast! Remember how I said, I wasn’t at all a fan of Sana Javed in the beginning? She proved me wrong! This girl plays Mohini to the max! Her dialogue delivery, expressions, I can’t imagine another actress playing this role. I also can’t imagine anyone else in the role of Jr. Hashmi. When he speaks, I feel like Syed Mohammed is coming out of him some how. It’s like the lines were written especially for him. Even his expressions are on par. OKB is not all about great looks, this guy has talent and is here to stay! Furqan Qureshi is in his element as always as Ali and there isn’t anything I can say about the great Usman Peerzada that hasn’t been written before, so I will not even try. The entire cast (even the extremely annoying Ayeza) has done great justice to their roles. The intros of Asad Siddiqi as Mohini’s colleague and friend and of Zara (Hira Tareen) even made an impact. I really really hope that Goya stays this way through out because it has immense potential to be a hit so please ARY, please don’t ruin it! Well done Team Goya!
Tell us what YOU thought about episode 1!
