After watching this episode of Goya, I am getting the kind of buzz I usually get from a good old fashioned thriller. Yes, this is still the same serial about the dysfunctional father /son duo Rahat and Omar Hashmi but that is not the usual one note melodrama we have been conditioned to accept in serial after serial. .The writer, Mohammad Ahmed Saheb has added a few twists and turns to this journey which makes it far from predictable. So Omar is slowly losing his support system of friends: he mistrusts Adnan, his best friend Ali is leaving for Dubai, Mrs Imtiaz has died and Zara is off to rehab meanwhile his father is waiting and watching in the shadows making this a game of cat and mouse rather than love and reconciliation

Omar’s new life with Mohini is a steep learning curve for someone from his privileged and overprotected background but his innate decency and humility help him through every situation. Osman and Sana are a delight to watch, their on screen chemistry is fabulous …quite simply how adorable are these two? Unlike the usual onscreen couples, they aren’t setting challenges and tests for each other and blessedly they aren’t making over dramatic promises to each other either .Osman’s underplaying and wonderfully subtle handling of this role is working like a charm, keeping the audience engaged and completely involved with Omar’s story.

Omar and Mohini really are made for each other. Mohini has easily slipped into the role of caring wife because she understands that of the two of them Omar has the greatest adjustment to make. The 5000 rupees she slips into his laptop bag , the way she tries to anticipate his needs go to show Omar made just the right choice. Sana Javaid is a not only beautiful but plays all her roles with a certain practical , straight forward style that endears her to the audience straight away.

There is a rather curious contrast between Omar’s character and Adnan Shah Vaziri’s, played by the amazing Gohar Rasheed. He seems like another victim of a dysfunctional father /child relationship similar to Omar’s situation but he has not survived as unscathed as the latter. Adnan is a high functioning drug addict, marked by abruptly changing moods and sudden decisions. At his core he seems very needy; his extravagant kindness to Omar, his ‘crush’ on Asma and his sad goodbye with Zara all point to extreme loneliness. Here is someone trying to create the warmth and love his actual family never gave him literally by force of will, while Omar has gained it by sacrifice. Gohar Rasheed is a powerful actor and his Adnan reminds me of a sleepy tiger, which senior Hashmi recently learnt it is better not to wake.

The confrontation between Usman Peerzada and Gohar was one of the highlights of the episode. The others had to be Omar’s lessons in married life, don’t disturb the wife when she is watching a drama serial, remember to call your charra (single) friends to put on their pants when you bring your family over and learn to love Bollywood if you didn’t before.

Things are moving at a fairly cracking pace: Omar and Mohini are about to become parents. I loved, loved the ‘announcement scene’ in the car and Mohini … If the father is this cute, how cute will the baby be? With the addition of the mysterious housekeeper from Bangladesh the story is becoming more and more interesting. It is obvious the woman was not desperate for work; rather she was desperate to work at the Hashmi’s. Rahat Hashmi’s flashbacks to a mysterious Bengali beauty in the past hint at something sinister. The astute Mrs. Hashmi picks up on the subconscious signals given by both her husband and the new housekeeper straight away despite their denials. This is what I love about Mohamad Ahmad’s Saheb and Director Farrukh Faiz’s previous collaboration Dareecha, so many threads and character were woven into a story to make it intriguing and insightful, without ever losing site of the main narrative.

Good direction combined with a well written, modern script and talented young actors make Goya a must watch every week.

Many Many Thanks to MM aka amusingMuslim for covering for me, truly appreciated.

written By Sadaf Haider