Sorry for the long Haitus but here I am back with a review of PNKK, simply because this drama deserves all the attention it can get

So Shehzadi Shabnam manipulates and connives her way into becoming Mrs Shams Syal. She rides rough shod over her family’s feelings using every weapon: her intimate knowledge of their natures and their love for her allows. I think I said earlier that I wasn’t sure if I liked Ghoshi , now I know I don’t like her for sure . The way she used Elyaas was unkind but the way she uses and abandons her father was simple cruelty. Irfan Khoosat has been simply amazing throughout and it was almost physically painful to watch Ghoshi twist Abuji around her little finger without a thought to how she would hurt him, and hurt him she did. Finally ending his years of hard work and all the loving relationships he had built up over the years in the deepest disappointment and the finality of death. Like many children Ghoshi doesn’t understand just how much she owes her father, but she will learn the hard way. The wedding sequence was heart wrenching. Ghoshi’s father knows his daughter is wrong, he can see the train wreck ahead but he cannot protect his willful child . A round of applause for the fabulous Irfan Khoosat , who reminded me so much of my own father I wanted to physically slap Ghoshi for hurting him. Another Brava! For Ehtashamuddin for managing to balance the pathos and the light hearted, even ridiculous elements in balance.

I have to thank Amna Mufti for coming up with an interesting, authentic character like Ghoshi.  She is the exact opposite of all the silly, bholi larkiyan we endure on screen. This woman is not willing to silently suffer, or endure physical or mental torture till someone recognises her inner ‘worth’. Ghoshi really isn’t an admirable character at all, selfish, stubborn and arrogant, the only good things I can note about her are that she genuinely loves Shams and above all else she really is quite brave. As a contrast we have  Shams’ first wife  the much abused Zarina who seems to be everyone’s whipping boy and in any other drama would be the “true heroine” . It is that comparison which then makes someone as uncaring as Ghoshi look stronger and perhaps initially more successful. The way Ghoshi threw Zarina out was brutal and callous but it made a satisfying change to the usual pattern of Pakistani dramas. The other wife is allowed to live in the house, then the Numm-Shukk games begin : who makes the best parathas , tea etc Zarina is so incredibly annoying , in the promos she actually drops a cup of milk or something because she hers Shams is in trouble . Concern or interest for her own future is understandable but deeply caring about someone who has abused you is ridiculous.

Ghoshi has a friend in Shams’ political Godfather, Solayri Saheb, but she has lost all her other friends. Her father is dead, Elyas and his mother don’t want to see her again and her college friends have disappeared. Ghoshi is paying the price for her selfishness and in the promos for next week it seems things will certainly come full circle as Shams is in prison for what I am guessing is the murder of his own brother over their inheritance. This brings me to why I didn’t like Shagufta Shehzadi in the first place; she values Machismo and daring over Sharafat and kindness. Elyas may have been a bit of an idiot but he was essentially a good person, whereas Shams is a volatile brew,  a man whose moral compass seems to be askew. When the letter from Shams’ elder brother arrives instead of counselling her impulsive husband, she joins in the criticism and sends him on his merry way , only worried about his breakfast. It is a universal truth that power and strength always have admirers but when they are uncontrolled there is nothing constructive in them. There is a hair’s breadth of separation between Shams and the goondas who stood up the college bus .

Shams and Shagufta really are made for each other : their only loyalty is towards each other and their own best interests . Again a simply standout , flawless performance from Ahsan Khan as Shams , on whose medieval character , education or civilization have only made very slight dents . He is not as clever or as Machiavellian as Ghoshi but he makes up for it with physical strength. Ghoshi has picked up on the fact that Soleri saheb will probably make them pay for all his patronage some how but Shams is a little slower on the uptake.However,just like Ghoshi  he is single minded, ignoring his first wife’s attempts at ….ahem reconciliation and agreeing to Ghoshi’s every whim. I wonder if Solanki Saheb had patronized Zarina ,whether the situation might have been different, despite Ghoshi’s much vaunted “gora rang” and good looks ? Hira Salman Has been excellent throughout as Shagufta Shehzadi , allowing her to be both strong and vulnerable . My only complaint is the strange eye makeup. It’s not doing Hira any favors. It makes her look much older. I realise that actors have to play roles like this and they cannot be 19 forever but Hira’s look seems a little too sophisticated at times. It is still a hundred times better than the strange burgundy coloured hair Zarina sports – what strange magic is this? On the whole Hira looks great and she and Ahsan Khan are a treat to watch .

Hassan Noman and the lady playing his mother are brilliant. Elyas’s transition from guilty, easily used, buffoon to a sensible man of understanding and depth is completely believable and one of the pillars of this story. Mira Sethi seems like an actress with a lot of range and talent. I am watching another drama where she is a villain and she manages to define each role perfectly.

It has been a long time since I saw a story with the depth and nuance that Amna Mufti has given these characters. Characters don’t always have to arouse our sympathy to gain our attention, the viewer doesn’t always have to slip into the role psychological or shadow protagonist, the viewer can simply be a fascinated observer. I hope Amna Mufti can maintain this level of excellence throughout. Ehtashamuddin deserves a huge round of applause for handling each facet of this story with clarity and not missing a single cue. He understands exactly where the writer is coming from and has extracted some great performances from his cast. This serial is well tuned combination of good performances, a well written script and nicely controlled direction.  It really is one of the best things on Television at the moment.

written by Sadaf

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