A happy ending is always satisfying especially when it is well-deserved. Asfand’s character was the highlight of this drama throughout and this episode too belonged to him entirely. This episode however was not executed perfectly. Faiza Iftikhar always explores love from different dimensions and this time around too she did just that. We live in a society in which many men face the situations Asfand faced in this drama but there are hardly any dramas which tell the story from the man’s perspective. Apart from a hero who was a role model in so many ways, Baba Jani also showed how controlling relationships and women who find it difficult to trust their brothers and husbands make their job even more difficult. Like all of Faiza Iftikhar’s main protagonists Asfand too never asked for the viewers’ sympathy but you couldn’t help but feel for him. There were some serious editing mistakes in this episode and there were continuity bloopers as well but the dialogues and situations were completely in line with the central message of the drama.
Asfand’s Emotional Outburst
Watching Asfand wanting to give up for a change made his character easier to connect to and definitely more human. This scene however was followed by Naila entering the house and Najiba following her, which did not make a lot of sense. For once, Asfand should have been given the time to recover from the emotional outburst before he was shown consoling Naila. Nimra’s role tonight was commendable and just like always Asfand and Nimra’s scenes together were emotional. Although Asfand was an ideal man in many ways but his sensitive nature and the failure to put his foot down when he needed to, gave his character the kind of flaws which made it more relatable. A great deal happened in this episode and it was the kind of last episode in which all the realizations and apologies come at the very end. It was however good to see Asfand getting the love he gave for all these years being returned back in the manner he truly deserved. It was also great watching him confronting Najiba for a change.
Saba Hameed made it incredibly easy for me to believe in Najiba’s guilt and changed behavior. Faysal Qureshi and Madiha Imam’s performances coupled with the way their characters were written made their scenes an absolute treat to watch throughout. In fact, I wanted to watch more of Nimra with her Baba Jani. Savera Nadeem and Faysal Qureshi’s on-screen chemistry and the relationship these two shared was heart-warming. Mehwish was like another test for Asfand and there were times when you felt that Asfand deserved better. Saba Hameed’s performance too never faltered even though Najiba got excessive screen time. Watching Afshan Qureshi in a balanced, positive role was definitely refreshing since most often she is seen playing negative roles.
Overall Impression
Although, the last few episodes were not too impressive and this last episode too wasn’t edited and directed perfectly but Baba Jani overall was a decent family drama. This was Faysal Qureshi’s first production and he deserves all the credit for choosing a mature script and not starting with a typical drama which usually gets the ratings but such dramas seldom have substance. Faiza Iftikhar keeps on experimenting and always gives us at least one protagonist in every drama who is appealing and isn’t run-of-the-mill.
The direction and the overall treatment given to this play disappointed at times but if I compare it to many of the hyped dramas in recent times, it was not that bad considering that this drama was never promoted as the next big thing but it did deliver. The pace of the drama slowed down towards the end but I would still highly recommend this drama to all those people who like watching quality family dramas. Faysal Qureshi will be remembered as Baba Jani for a really long time!
Do share your thoughts about this last episode.
