Here is a rare thing: A Pakistani drama serial about the younger generation that actually rings true. I had been excited for this serial for some time, but quite frankly the promos left me disappointed. Osman screwing up his handsome face again a la AunZara and telling his father off about class differences suggested this was another story about a spoiled little boy who has to grow up. The first episode thankfully proved me wrong … yes this was a coming of age story but from an entirely different perspective.
Superficially this is a romance between Mohini (Sana Javaid) and Omar (Osman Khalid Butt) but like all good writing it works on several different levels. What I found fascinating was the contrast in parenting styles. Omar (Osman Khalid Butt) is more like a hostage or prisoner to his authoritarian father’s Rahat’s (Usman Peerzada) love while it seems Asma (Farah Shah) seems to have left Mohini to just grow. Both Mohini and Omar are missing a piece in their lives that most of us take for granted. So Mohini takes Omar to eat Gola Gunda. I loved the way that they connect; it is so casual, so direct and so refreshing. They are like two children bunking off school to go and have some fun.
Many thanks to the lovely Sana Javaid for playing this role without trying to be too cute or sexy or anything else other than a normal, practical young girl who has had to be in charge of her life. It is so much more attractive. She knows about Omar’s wealthy background but doesn’t seem particularly impressed or interested, if anything she feels sorry for him. In any other drama her middleclass values and saintly struggles would be thrown at us at regular intervals, instead we are treated to a sensible young lady who is dealing with life as it comes.
The women in this serial are impressive as a whole .Tara Mahmood plays a distant but normal step mother who has no nefarious plans for her step son or husband. She has her own career and even if she is a young and pretty fashion designer, she is allowed to be caring, sincere and well mannered too, again defying the drama stereotype. Omar is a little afraid of her and addresses her as Mrs. Hashmi and I get the impression that she has chosen this path of indifference because she knows how possessive her husband is about his son .Similarly Shamim Hilali is a pleasure to watch on screen, as Omar’s Nanny; the one person he is closest to. None of the women are a negative or manipulative and they all have lives and ideas above the run of the mill female’s common in our dramas.
The building block of this serial is Senior Hashmi and Junior Hashmi’s relationship. Their relationship is not healthy. Rahat Hashmi is typical of a certain type of parent; who fence their children in and then are disappointed and surprised at their children’s lack of initiative or success. The scene at the dinner table was masterfully done. Rahat Hashmi’s friend bragging about his son Junaid’s exploits is typical for any desi dinnerparty … “mera beta vo” and “mera beta yeh”. Rahat Hashmi seems disappointed but he would never allow his son to cross the road by himself let alone allowing him to take the risks or space to make mistakes necessary to achieve anything. Osman plays Omar with depth and control. He has managed to differentiate this character from Aunn, who was another young man with an overbearing family. Omar maybe rich and sheltered but he is also polite, respectful and actually quite caring. He doesn’t talk back to his father, nor is his rebellion threatening or angry, his thwarted plan for America was more about self-discovery and growth. Despite all the luxury he is surrounded by, I cannot help but feel sympathy for Omar. This is in itself Osman’s best achievement with his character , otherwise Omar could easily come across as self-absorbed and ungrateful.
I am finally happy with Usman Peerzada too. He is actually acting instead of shouting as he did in Numm and Kuch Kahi Unkahi. There is a secret tragedy behind Rahat’s belief in money binding his family together and his obsessive shielding of his son that was hinted at today. The chemistry between the entire cast is working great. Sana and Osman look unbelievably good together and may well be the cutest couple I have seen in a while. Talking of good looks, Furqan Qureshi used to be annoying Abdullah in Marasim, but seems a lot nicer as Omar’s friend. I love their interactions and his bad taste in girlfriends.
This is again one of those lovely serials in which I can just relax and not bang my head against a wall about time lines, motivations and avoid the bewildered feeling ,’hang on that doesn’t make sense”. The lighting is 100% better than the first episode and no long, slow scenes. The director is Furrukh Faiz and writer Mohammed Ahmed and Yasir Rana (who wrote for some of the episodes) deserve full credit for doing all the hard work for us and making this wonderfully entertaining story come to life.
Written By Sadaf Haider
