Maine toh kuch bhi nahin banaaya… mein toh bas logon ko buddhoo banaati houn... And there you have it! Manahil urf Mannu is yet another clichéd chulbili, masoom, bholi larki. Pakistani dramas seem fixated on portraying clichés. While I can appreciate that Mannu’s character will undergo a transition, I sincerely hope that our writers realize that they don’t necessarily have to portray a woman as stupid to show a growth in personality. I found the rishta sequence very forced- for a girl hailing from a conservative family, Mannu was a tad too hyper. I’ve only seen Gohar Rasheed in Goya prior to this but in those few minutes as Meekail, I felt Meekail and Mannu had more chemistry than Salahuddin and Mannu! As much as I adore Salahudin, I fail to see the fireworks when he’s with Mannu. Maybe I’m still stuck on the Afzal / Farah pairing but for the life of me, I can’t seem to picture these two as a couple. Maybe they’ve rushed too soon into the relationship or maybe they’ve just not grown on me yet. There’s definitely something missing here. In these two episodes, Salahuddin has been in close proximity to Mannu far more times than Afzal shared over a course of 30 plus episodes with Farah yet the two of them felt like a couple from the moment Afzal laid eyes on Farah! See, this is another thing- I can’t help draw comparisons! There are so many scenes that give me the feeling that I’m watching a rerun- maybe having a brother instead of a sister might’ve helped- although big ups to the casting director- Beeya and Salauddin truly look like siblings!
Story-wise, we got to know a little more about Mannu’s gharaana– there are about 20 people living under the same roof- Mannu’s family is complete with Chacha, Chachi, Phupi… all the ingredients needed to add the much needed mirch masaala in her relationship. It doesn’t help that her cousin Sara Baji dared to have a love marriage but her family saw to it that she never lives a happy married life and instead, she’s back in her mayka. Speaking of Sara Baji, what made Mannu think the rishta would be for her cousin whose still married but has had some sort of a rift and is at her parents home? Again, I can understand that Mannu has been sheltered from adult conversations but surely she has an ounce of common sense to know better.
The zabardasti ka roothna manaana sequence didn’t really convey the kind of “awwww” moments I was hoping for- but at least it jolted Salauddin to the harsh reality that despite their differences, he genuinely wants to marry Mannu. As expected, his mother went into defense mode with the typical- log kya kahein gey type baatein and his father instructed him to quit playing tutor for fear of this getting any further. Salauddin’s parents are practical people who know that their social standing (or lack thereof) will be an easy target for Mannu’s family. Salauddin will come across an an opportunist who’s seeking a shortcut to climbing up the social ladder. Plus, they have Beeya’s future to consider. Any negative implications are bound to jeopardize Beeya’s propects.
Mannu is hopelessly in love which is why she can’t see beyond her dreamy happy ending. By the looks of it, there will surely be an ending- just not a happy one for our star-crossed lovers.
I find Hamza Ali Abassi captivating as the brooding Salauddin- but then again, I’m clearly biased due to his good looks. Maya Ali is on an upward curve where her acting is concerned but I still can’t watch a show solely based on her presence. I’m actually looking forward to Ayesha Khan’s entrance and I’m hoping to God this doesn’t turn into a dusri biwi fiasco and she’s not playing another insecure, obsessive female. Ayesha Khan has given some fine performances, I am hoping this role will be signal her comeback. I must mention Aiman Khan is adorable as Beeya and I hope they give her more of a role than just Salauddin’s sister. The direction was crisp yet again and I loved, loved, loved the colorful outfits that added a nice touch. Until next week…
Kanwal Murtaza