“ Mohabbat Say ajazi seekho ,gharoor naa seekho .Khudaa ki taraf deykh ,khalaa ki taraf na deykh” –Dr Maqsood
I think Dr Maqsood was the voice of reason this week and crystallised what a lot of the audience have been thinking since the start of this serial. Khalil definitely made a mistake in not greeting his Khaala and Khalu appropriately and acting like a spoiled baby at the wedding only sealed the impression. Dr Maqsood had so much good advice this week that I could not help thinking that this is Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar Saheb’s analysis of events, after many years have brought perspective and experience has brought wisdom .I always think it is very brave of anyone to write autobiographically; to allow the glaring lights of other people’s opinions to shine on a very personal history is not easy. I have to give the author great credit for that.
Khalil has fallen hard for Shanno, all it took was a few glances and I have the feeling that like most ziddi people he might not have fallen so quickly if he hadn’t sensed Rasheeda and Amin’s hostility. All these strong emotions are making him irritable and angry but on the plus side his batting averages are going up. He knows he is in a fight for Shanno but first he wants to make sure Shanno is on his side so he persuades his friend to visit Shanno on a day he knows her parents will be out at some funeral.
Meanwhile Shanno is being menaced by her creepy cousin Fayaaz played by the totallyUncreepy Mukarram Kaleem. Great to see him again .In a way I don’t blame Fayaaz , who could fail to be interested in Shanno ? Beautiful, sweet and caring, she is a prize. I can hardly believe she is related to Amin and Rasheeda. This is a flaw in an otherwise good story. Shanno’s parents are being presented as almost cartoonish villains when it is quite obvious to the viewer that their antipathy is reasonable. These are normal people who have raised their daughter with love and affection, why should they give her to someone like Khelu who has no job but lots of nakhras and not enough manners to greet them with respect? The deeper reasoning behind the situation is that Rasheeda was engaged to Khelu’s handsome father but ended up married to Amin ,which it seems has turned her bitter and twisted in side .I am not saying it cannot happen but perhaps more nuance was required in depicting this.Next week’s promo shows Rasheeda talking to herself about like some child’s version of a witchy relative which only proves the point.
As Dr Maqsood says Shanno really is the most beybas out of all the characters . She has no rights , she is not allowed a preference. Again Mahirah looked great in this role ,striking just the right notes of hesitance and excitement ,fear and hope that a girl might have. I just wish the characters would at least use Punjabi accents , only the bus drivers and tanga wala’s give us any proof the serial is set in that part of the country . If I am not mistaken Irfan Khoosat is the typically well informed local Tanga walla who takes Khalil to Shanno’s house. I hope he has a bigger role than just those scenes.
Adnan Malik is looking good and playing his role well, especially in the cricket scenes. I loved the Bus journey, it was hilarious to see the two Baus from Lahore in fancy sunglasses in a bus full of normal less “dressed to impress” crowd. As usual Ehtashamuddin manages to capture the serious tracks of the storyline well but falls flat on the little asides and humour. Nothing heavy handed was required just good use of the background score or a little music here and there to set the mood. I kep thinking of Aunn Zara which had great lines and visual jokes which its director Haissem Hussain managed to highlight without being overbearing. Having said that, over all this was a fantastic episode so thank you Ehtashamuddin and the Sadkay tumharey team.
Written by Sadaf
