The beauty of Mirat-ul-Uroos completely lies in its characters. They are well-etched and brought to life by Umera Ahmed and every single character has an important part to play in the story. There’s a lack of filler characters unlike other plays, which is quite a big relief as a result, every scene is to the point and straight-forward. But the best part has got to be the relatability of the characters with the viewers,that brings about an instant connect to the play. Umera Ahmed has managed to bring to life the story of ‘Mirat-ul-Uroos’ yet again and that too, by making Akbari and Asghari, age by two generations.
Most plays give the audience, a known hero and a known villain, but not Mirat-ul-Uroos. Yes, Ayeza’s ideologies and manner of living might give away negative vibes but she herself isn’t a completely evil ala black character (Saman from Maat). Neither is Ayema, your traditional ‘Naik Parveen’ who’s seen regularly in every other drama. Ayema is someone who’s intelligent and well-educated but also knows when she’s being mistreated.
When everyone is busy praising Ayeza’s cooking skills, the only person who appears to be affected is Ayema. Her fears are justified because she knows very well that this will only end up belittling her further in the eyes of her future-in-laws. Ayeza remains aloof at understanding why, her parents and Ayema are hell-bent on ruining her wedding. But she also doesn’t realise the pains her parents will have to go through to fulfil this wish of hers. And making matters worse, Akbari refuses to side with her son and daughter-in-law, making Ayeza even more strong-headed about her desires.
Ayema is also afraid that once Ayeza and Hammad get married, Rafia will definitely refuse to get her bethrothed to Hashim. She knows, very well that her sister is selfish and only cares about her own happiness. But pressuring Hashim is of no avail since he already has other plans running in his mind.
Asghari is now certain, that Ayeza is a carbon copy of her elder sister, Akbari. Her fears come true when Rafia tells her about the demands being made every single day, whether its in the form of jewellery or even making sure that there’s a servant definitely in their household before the wedding. Alas, the damage is already done.
But, the biggest surprise comes from Hammad. Initially, who would’nt do anything before consulting Rafia has not only bought a diamond ring for Ayeza but is now also forcing his parents to sell the piece of land which they had bought with their life-long savings for a rainy day. All this just, so that Ayeza and Hammad can have a big and lavish wedding.
The question that immediately comes to mind is, ‘Is this really worth it all?’ Are they really going to be happy by hurting the sentiments of their parents and family?
Mirat-ul-Uroos, this week stayed true to its script except that when you see two episodes a week, the expectations really run high in terms of content. The story moved forward but the pace was simply not upto the standards. But, otherwise the play is flowing smoothly with main emphasis on the conflicts of interest between Ayeza and Ayema. They are like two sides of the same coin, which definitely run in the same direction but will never meet.
Coming to the actors, Ayesha Khan and Samina Ahmed steal the show from the youngsters and there can be no better Akbari or Asghari between the two. Aaminah Sheikh is doing justice to the role of Ayeza and brings about a sense of authority to the character as well. Mehwish Hayat’s Ayema is quite the opposite of what we are normally used to seeing her as, but nevertheless here she completely mesmerises the viewer with her simplicity. Mikaal Zulfikar as the suave and sharp Hammad brings to the table, the intellect necessary for the role. Ahsan Khan as Hashim, looks very good with Mehwish but it seems as a role that he’s done several times. Moomal Sheikh does impress with the sweet sibling scenes with the brothers. Anjum Shehzad does manage in bringing forth a smooth transition from paper to the screen. Overall, Mirat-ul-Uroos has one which can be readily called, as an énsemble cast and crew.
This one’s definitely not to be missed. :)
