“To the well-organized mind death is but the next great adventure” …

This was a sad ending to what started out as a cute romance.  I started watching this because Osman Khalid Butt and Sana Javaid were looking good in the promos but mostly because of Mohammad Ahmed Saheb and director Faiz’s previous collaboration the amazing Dareecha. This serial had a lot of potential, with a writer known for his insight and proven  skills and a cast with not only looks but a lot of the acting ability which is often missing in a younger cast.

As a viewer and then as my alter ego the reviewer I cannot help arguing with the script. This should have happened; they could have done this or at times just an exasperated “why?” Ultimately just like everyone else I have to reconcile myself to the fact that this story belongs to the writer and the only complaint that can be made is if a plot point is not believable or plausible. So yes, if Mohini had cancer and her dying is the story, fine, go for it, have a ball. What I want to know is why do I feel like I have been cheated?

This episode’s scenes of pathos and sadness were well written and well executed. Both director and actors were humming the same tune and most scenes were very moving on a technical level but there really was no reason for Mohini to die. Mohini refusing to see a doctor, then her self -diagnosing the cancer as terminal, and then slowly willing herself to death …why? From the last episode I thought she wanted to live, and if she was able to visit Karachi why didn’t Omar just subdue her and take her to the hospital last week?

Faced with death, Mohini is preoccupied with life. She says goodbye to her loved ones and does the by now obligatory sickening phone call to the second wife saying: here, he is all yours; take care of him, like a good girl. She has no regrets and is now an official saint who forgives everyone. There is little to no introspection on her part and she doesn’t seem to be the slightest bit curious or angry about why this happened to her or spiritually aware. This was a real missed opportunity to explore the stages of grief, anger and acceptance facing victims and their families with terminal illnesses. She really did need to prepare for her next adventure.

This serial was made watchable by some excellent performances by Osman Khalid Butt, Gohar Rasheed and Sana Javed.  OKB and Sana Javed made for a memorable couple and this is part of the reason poor Zara felt like such odd piece in this story; the lead couple was just too good together to allow for any daylight between them. I have not seen either of these two in such serious, starkly painful situations before. I had always thought of Sana as a pretty girl who was a competent actress but she has shown real depth as Mohini. Much as I admired Osman in Aunn Zara, I was not sure if he could handle a more serious role, .Here he has proved that he is a strong, versatile performer who can shine in any role. The other standouts in this serial where Gohar Rasheed, Usman Peerzada, Tara Mahmood, Furqan Qureshi and Asad Siddiqui who surprised the life out me by with a very moving goodbye scene.

This serial was dogged by controversy from Day one. The hasty withdrawal of Ushna Shah as Mohini, when a quite a few scenes were already shot, the lack of proper resources from the producers and the ensuing delays, and my deepest, darkest suspicion that the second wife plot line was a typical ‘commercial’ addition forced by the usual suspects, all took their toll. The story at its most basic would have been good enough. This was one of the better serials on air till the Mohini gets cancer and Omar gets another wife started . Again and again I wish producers and channels would trust the creative minds of their writers and directors instead of treating them as worker drones.

I wanted to begin the review by saying” congratulations Senior Hashmi, you win ..” but, thank God, we were spared any trite little scenes of Omar forgiving senior Hashmi , followed by Zara and him naming their first child after Mohini as an ending . I guess life is not fair I just wish fiction could be.

written by Sadaf