After a long break, HUM TV is back with a much talked about serial- MANN MAYAL. Written by Samira Fazal, produced jointly by Momina Duraid, Samina Humayoun Saeed, Sana Shahnawaz and Tariq Shah and directed by the brilliant Haseeb Hassan, Mann Mayal has finally made its way to our screens. There was much hype around this project which was previously named Tera Gham Aur Hum and just a few weeks ago Dil-e-Janam. Let’s hope the third time’s a charm.
Our story is set against a picturesque backdrop of what appears to be Hyderabad but I could be wrong- I got a more Punjabi feel listening to the womenfolk communicating with one another. Mannu (Maya Ali) lives in a joint family and is the typical ghar ki laadli– however, Mannu isn’t Little Miss Perfect and has a slight rebellious streak- I’m hoping Maya Ali manages to break out of the mould of the clichéd “Mein tumhara moun tor doun gein”, “Mujhe shadi nahin karni” roles she’s been doing for quite some time now. As the story begins, Mannu is struggling with anxiety over her results- she sneaks out of her house late at night and heads over to her friend Bia’s (Aiman Khan) home. On her way there, Bia’s brother, Salahuddin (Hamza Ali Abbassi) sees her and seems rather ticked off. Mannu pushes Bia to accompany her to the mazaar as a hifz-e-maa-taqaddum. Knowing they’ll get into trouble, Bia asks Salahuddin to accompany them and he quietly agrees.
Mannu is petrified the following morning and is even more upset when her family asks her about her result. She faces her father who questions her whereabouts and assumes Salahuddin tattled on her.
The contrast between Mannu and Bia’s families is quite evident- while Mannu lives in a big home surrounded by her family and extended family, Bia lives in a modest abode and in fact, the kitchen isn’t even a proper one. The scene at the mazaar and Bia’s kitchen reminded me of Sadqay Tumharey and I tried to determine if we are seeing a previous era or this is a conscious decision on the director’s part to convey simplicity.
Hearing the news that Mannu failed, Mannu’s father decides that she should take tuition from Salahuddin since he taught Bia and she passed with flying colors. Salahuddin is too polite for his own good and cannot refuse although later on we find out that Salahuddin has a soft spot for Mannu and that’s why he was apprehensive about taking on the role of her tutor. Luckily, his feelings are reciprocated in equal measure by Mannu!
But every love story has its fair share of hurdles and our young lovers haven’t even had the chance to express their true feelings yet and we already have a rishta scenario! Mannu’s parents have invited over a suitor and have conveniently kept her in the dark knowing her reaction might not be one they are hoping for.
For a first episode, this was a fairly nice watch- I thought the DOP did a tremendous job of capturing the essence of the ghar aur galiyaan. I liked the role reversal of Saba Hameed (who played the loving mother of Afzal) and Shereyaar Zaidi (who was the father of our beloved nakchari Farah). There were times I was reminded of Pyarey Afzal– Hamza Ali Abbassi is such a fine actor, he delivers a flawless performance as Salahuddin just as he did Afzal. The supporting cast is strong and hopefully will continue to add value as the story progresses. I’m hoping Maya Ali delivers a contained performance- feel she is one of the luckiest actors around. She has bagged some of the best projects in a short span of time. Let’s see how this drama shapes up- for now, despite my fear of watching Pakistani dramas after witnessing one catastrophe after another, I will take this one episode at a time and see how it goes…
Kanwal Murtaza
