Pyarey Afzal- Last Episode Review (Episode 37)

Pyaar agar pyaar se kuch ziada ho, toh kya hota hai? When life throws you a curve ball how do you deal with it? Do you try to run away? Find someone to blame? Or do you embrace it and make the most of it? Pyarey Afzal was essentially a love story- but not just any ordinary run-of-the-mill types; it was the story of a love so pure and so unfathomable, it deserves to be ranked alongside the likes of any epic love story like Romeo & Juliet, Heer Ranjha, Laila Majnoo… Pyarey Afzal was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride; it was limitless in portraying human relationships- it reminded us of the golden years of classic television. It gave us a retreat from our routine lives and united us with its ideologies. Khalil-ur-Rahman took us on a journey high on emotional content and filled with some of the most memorable dialogues in recent times. Be it Afzal’s catch-phrase “Mere Abba Kaha Kartey Theh…” or Farah’s confident “Thamm ke raho...”, every interaction between the characters added to the story and helped take it forward.

A tad stretched at 37 episodes, Pyarey Afzal had us under its spell. Tuesday nights suddenly became special for those of us who exclusively watched this serial since nothing else could come remotely close. Each character established a presence- the supporting cast did not allow the leads to overshadow them simply because they were brilliant at what they did. As much as I adored Afzal and Farah, I cannot ignore Yasmeen- she played a very vital role in bridging the communication gap between the two ill-fated love birds. Ek thi Yasmeen, mere bhai se pyaar karti thi, par mera bhai Farah se pyaar kartha tha… Such was her love for Afzal- k****** agar phone pe bhi kehta ke mangni karlo toh mein mangni karleti… When you love someone, you care enough to set them free if their happiness lies with another. Yasmeen was a woman with unparalleled strength. Our dramas seem to be content showing women as regressive, desperate or as victims of circumstances. But Yasmeen defied the norms- she stood up and got engaged to Afzal but when she uncovered the entire scenario, she stepped down. Ab mein tumhara dil rakhney ke liye mangni tordeti houn…

Farah owned up in front of Lubna- Mein Afzal se mohabbat karti houn Lubna, toh batao phir mein kya karoun? Lubna finally narrated the ingenious set-up to her father- how Sabtain had proposed to her but she had challenged him to cure Farah before she would be his wife. Apparently her mother and Sabtain’s parents were in on this all along but they decided against sharing the details with Sheikh Ibrahim since unko acting nahin ati!

Yasmeen parted ways with Afzal’s family and reminded them that mein chali bhi jaoun toh appkey dil mein rahoun gein… Jab bhi uss coconut wali ko dekhein gein toh dua dengein mujhe… Afzal, being Afzal admitted that he was the one who wrote those letters- he was too nice to break her heart and hoped for forgiveness- Maaf kardo gi na mujhe?

The last few minutes were the ones we’ve been waiting for since the past few weeks. Afzal and Farah expressing their love for one another. But alas, all great love stories have to end in tragedy and Afzal and Farah’s love story was no different. Afzal’s tryst with the underworld cost him his life and he was shot at point-blank on his way back from Karachi… The ending sent me spiraling in a whirlpool of what-ifs. What if Afzal hadn’t agreed to playing the lover when Farah wanted to rid herself of Mehtaab? What if Afzal had stopped his parents from going over with the mangni ki anghooti? What if Afzal hadn’t left for Karachi? What if Afzal hadn’t befriended Babu Hameed? What if Afzal hadn’t crossed Wali? What if Afzal didn’t seek vengeance? What if Afzal didn’t turn to the dark-side? What if? What if? What if?

As much as I enjoyed the journey, I can’t help express how disappointed I felt after watching the last episode. It was missing the unique flavour we’ve become accustomed to over the past few months. It wasn’t just the ending that left a bitter aftertaste, the episode itself wasn’t up to the mark. As Farah stated- ya toh tum se baat nahin hoti ya phir poori baat nahin hoti… I too, am at a complete loss for words. Khalil-ur-Rahman Sahab has a reputation for sorrow and this time around I felt cheated! I began reviewing this drama from Episode 13. Having invested my time and dedication for a span of over 24 weeks, I feel the ending wasn’t as powerful as I had hoped. At the same time, I’m experiencing mixed feelings- I cannot ignore the impact of this serial- the phenomenal acting, directing (Nadeem Baig) and script (Khalil-ur-Rahmen) all coming together. Hamza Ali Abbasi has become an icon with this role; Ayeza Khan and Sohai Ali Abro have proved her versatility; Sana Javed has made a mark for herself despite being a newcomer in the field; Firdous Jamal and Saba Hameed win my vote for couple of the year; Shereyaar Zaidi and his on-screen missus have been exceptional; the other supporting cast have done their bit and should cash-in on their performances. Thank you to all my readers who stayed with me week after week. What were your thoughts on the last episode? If there are any creative types out there, I’d like to request you to create a Pyarey Afzal compilations video- the possibilities are endless. The Pyarey Afzal K****** compilation, the Mere Abba Kaha Karte Theh compilation. Who knows! Before signing off, I can’t leave without my parting words- Goli sirf Afzal ko nahin, hum sab ke dil ko lagi hai…