It is not like the usual sitcoms that we see on Pakistani television. They are based on vulgar and repeated jokes. In their unsuccessful attempt to show comedy, they compromise the story. Coke Kahani is a package of comedy and drama.
The story of Coke Kahani revolves around a broken family. Zoya’s (Syra Yousuf) parents do not live together. Her father Asfand (Faisal Rahman) lives in Pakistan and operates a restaurant called ‘Alfonso’ while she and her mother Maya live in Florida. On her visit to Pakistan to meet her father, she gets to know that he is selling his restaurant which he had inherited from his forefathers. The reason was that he had taken a big loan to support Zoya’s education and now he was unable to pay it back. Zoya feels indebted to him and plans to stay back and revamp the restaurant with the help of her friends; Raiyaan, Saad and Ruqaiya.
These three are some interesting characters that we get to see in this play. Raiyaan is seen as a lazy and an irresponsible person who never misses a chance to escape work. His attempts are hilarious and you can’t help but pity him at times. Saad and Ruqaiya, however, are the exact opposite, they are more sensible and mature.
Other interesting characters are of Jugno, Maria and Bedil. They are the employees of Alfonso. Bedil is the biggest flirt ever and his failed attempt to do ‘shayari’ and his weird imagination makes one rolling with laughter. Jugno, on the other hand, never fails to show his ‘feminine’ side with his unusual streak for cleanliness. His scenes are also a treat to watch. Maria is shown as a sweet, bubbly character who has hidden from her family about where she works for some reason. Interesting… I am curious to know why?
How can anyone forget Mr and Mrs Mutmaeen (Raiyaan’s parents)? In this episode we got to see a lot of light hearted moments between them. Mrs Mutmaeen wants to join university to study ‘Urdu Adab’, Mr Mutmaeen’s reaction to this news was a pleasure to watch. Poor Mr Mutmaeen couldn’t believe what he was hearing and he started imagining her in university. I think I died laughing on this scene. It’s a must watch!
Zoya’s strained relationship with her father is finally getting better. It is said that ‘silence creates misunderstandings’ and I think this was the reason for Zoya and Asfand not being close, both avoided talking to each other. Zoya took an initiative to fill the gap and she is finally succeeding. Asfand has finally opened up to the idea of his restaurant getting revamped, he appreciates Zoya’s efforts. He has finally seen a ray of hope. However, Maya’s interference may cause problems. She is not in the favor of Zoya staying with Asfand. She came all the way from Florida just to take Zoya back. Will she be able to convince Zoya to go back with her?
Mr Mutmaeen had never missed a chance to scold or degrade his son (not in a serious way though, the scene are usually very hilarious) but in today’s episode we got to see a new side of him. He may be stern with Raiyaan because of his irresponsibility, but he has complete faith in his son that he will always respect his parents. We also got to see a new side of Raiyaan, he is shown as a hotheaded young guy who likes to blame everything on his country. I loved the way Zoya made him realize that a person usually gets angry to cover up his shortcomings. Maybe Zoya would be able to change Raiyaan… Let’s see.
Ruqaiya and Saad have chances of ending up as a couple. Interesting… I always thought there was a chance of both of them being together. Ruqaiya is interested in Saad but Saad is busy dating her ‘burger’ girlfriend. Poor Ruqaiya! Saad thinks she considers herself too good for him.
Mehreen Jabbar’s direction is flawless as usual, the story by Mohammad Ahmed is very well written and the screenplay is simply fantastic. This is what we call a quality play. Coke Kahani is a breath of fresh air for me.
So guys, what will happen now that Maya is back? Will Zoya will able to save Alfonso? Will we finally get to know why Asfand and Maya got separated?
A lot of things are coming up. So stay tuned to Coke Kahani!
Mariam Shafiq
