I knew this was going to be a gripping episode, we had been told as much last week by MJ and Sarwat. Having read the novel, I knew what was in store for us today, so by the time the beginning credits rolled, I was all set with a box of tissues at hand, prepared to shed a boat load of tears.
Now that a few hours have passed, I can tell you I am still sorting through my emotions. I’m glad for the tissues because I did get weepy, but it was more than just tears. The way the story unfolded: Haniya lovingly caressing Aabi’s picture, Aabi on the phone, the accident, Hajra beseeching everybody to not take her beloved Aabi away from his home, Haniya’s breakdown, and Uzair, who could not stand to see his child upset even for an afternoon, now haunted forever by the memories of his last conversation with Aabi – by the end of it all my heart had shattered into a gazillion teeny tiny pieces. For sure, this was an emotional episode, but not like a hurricane that roughly sweeps away everything that stands in its path, rather it was more akin to an exquisite piece of music that moves you by touching the heart and speaking to the soul.
With this episode all the mystery surrounding Aabi’s whereabouts was finally laid to rest. The last few minutes of Ibaad’s life, the bustle of everyday life on busy roads, his conversation with Haniya, the text to his parents, and his final interrupted conversation, were superbly done. The death scene was fantastically handled, brilliant flashes interspersed with fading light leading to an eventual all engulfing darkness – the finality of it all was inescapable. Ibaad was dead. Many might say otherwise, but for me Adeel Hussain was/is the perfect Ibaad.
With Ibaad’s death, two of Haniya’s biggest fears, being abandoned and alone, were now staring her right in her face. Sarwat Gilani was superb as Haniya, who goes through a whole gamut of emotions, initially refusing to accept Aabi’s death and later struggling to find the will to live a life without Ibaad in it. Sarwat, you nailed it today!
I appreciated the extension of Adeel’s character, his presence in Haniya’s life and their burgeoning friendship sets the scene well for what is to transpire. Ahsan Khan was great in his cameo as was Sanam Saeed. I liked the way both of their trips, Adeel’s to Pakistan and Yamina’s to Chicago, were used to mark the passage of time – so much more creative than simply running a banner blandly announcing: teen maah baad …
Hina Bayat ruled once again. She has done complete justice to her extremely well written character, drawing on so many shades of emotions, bringing so much depth to Hajra’s character, that at times it is hard to believe this is a fictional character. Her reaction to the instinctive feeling that something was terribly wrong with Aabi, her shock at his death, and her demeanor at Aabi’s funeral, all simply heartbreaking. Hats off to you, Hina!
Till this episode I had felt absolutely no sympathy for Uzair, not even one bit, since he’s wholly and solely responsible for this whole mess, but it is to Javed Sheikh’s credit that he actually made me feel for Uzair. I grieved for his loss and felt the burden of his guilt.
Superb as all actors were, fantastic as Farhat’s story is, Mehreen Jabbar was the real rockstar today. Her sensitive handling of the accident and funeral scenes was absolutely brilliant, couple that with the superb intertwining of the past and present, and add in the seamless manner with which the story moved between New York and Karachi, and voilà you see a master storyteller at work.
Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter: SZ_DramaPakistani (@sz_dp)
