Today, when we see drama serials like the Barat series or Mora Piya (first few episodes) or even the upcoming Shadi Mubarak, how many of us remember the mega serial Mehendi (directed by Javed Fazil) that actually started this trend of wedding-focused dramas?

Yep, it was indeed Mehendi, written by Seema Ghazal, that was all about weddings and the post-marriage life. I remember going all ga-ga over the article in Images (now, Images on Sunday) that described the “launch” of the show. Instead of having a hi-fi launch party, the production team announced the drama by sending the “guests” a box of bangles and a cone of mehendi. I remember looking at the picture of the four brides and four grooms and deciding, there and then, that I will watch it from the start to the finish.

Compared to what was on air at that time, Mehendi was glamourous. There is no other way to describe it. The drama serial started with the wedding preparations of four sisters and went on to show their actual mehendi and shadi – personally, if I had four sisters, I would NEVER want all of us to get married on the same day. I mean, yes, economically it would be great, but you can’t enjoy your own sister’s wedding if you are a bride yourself.

Anyway, both the mehendi and the shadi were grand affairs. The real story began after the glitz and the gala ended: the innocent Sajal (Aisha Khan), the dreamy Alishba (Aminah Haq), the sobre Malaika and the fun-loving Laiba (Fiza Ali) embarked on the journey of their married life with their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, this journey was filled with stumbling blocks in the form of interfering in-laws and insecure husbands. Aijaz Aslam and Adnan Siddiqui played the insecure husbands to perfection, though Kamran Jilani and Humayun Saeed had their own issues.

All in all, it was a great drama serial. It was entertaining, the star cast did an excellent job, and the Sajal-Shahzeb and Ramis-Alishba couple rocked all throughout. Considering the amount of physical vulgarity in today’s dramas, this one was extremely decent and family-friendly. The OST sung by Jawad Ahmed was based on Parveen Shakir’s poetry. I was sorry to see the serial end on a very tragic note but overall, it was a commendable effort.

Written by Drama Buff ([email protected])

PS: This post is dedicated to Kiran Malik