Last week, I chanced upon the promos of TV One’s new mystery/horror series, Dhund – written by Mohammed Ahmed, directed by Faiz , produced by Erum Binte Shahid – and it seemed right up my alley. And after watching the first episode, I am excited to see what happens next because if the first episode is anything to go by, horror buffs have something to look forward to every Saturday.
I will be a bit vague about the storyline because I think when it comes to stories that fall in this genre, it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible, and the real fun lies in exploring the story and connecting the dots yourself. We are following Maria (Maria Wasti), an interior decorator who also happens to be a medium – someone who sees visions and hears voices of the dead who have unfinished business with the living and come to her for help. Maria’s life is far from perfect: her husband and son went missing years ago, and while the police believe they are dead, she is certain that they are not. Uzair (Hassan Ahmed) is a police officer who promises to help her find her family only if she agrees to communicate with the spirit of a girl who was murdered.
We have another track involving the tormented spirit of Jahan Ara (Sana Askari) who haunts Waqas (Asad Siddiqui), a drama editor. The way this track intertwines with Maria’s is something you’d have to see for yourself.
I think this episode was incredibly well written and well directed. In the past, I have found horror dramas (like Woh Dobara) to be laughably terrible. The drama makers behind the said shows seem to think that loud background music and lame sound effects are enough to impress the viewers, but here it was refreshing to see that the background music was tastefully played. Also, the inevitable jump scares were very well done, in my opinion. The atmosphere was gloomy and eerie which suited the story. I do hope, though, that in the next episode, Maria’s visions are shown to the viewers, because in this one, she simply narrated what she saw.
I am not a big fan of Maria Wasti’s acting, but I liked her in this episode. Mohammed Ahmed plays Maria’s late grandfather, Nana Syed. Nana Syed is wise, and gives his granddaughter the one thing she needs the most: hope. I think we are going to see some really interesting and poignant conversations between the two characters. I can’t wait! Sana Askari was terrific (and terrifying) as Jahan Ara! I think she is a talented actress who sadly settles for roles that don’t have a lot of room for performance. She should opt for more characters like the one she portrayed here. Asad Siddiqui was also quite convincing. I am not too happy about Hassan Ahmed playing Uzair because I find him…I don’t know…boring? Maybe it’s the way he talks? He just doesn’t seem into the story, which is a weird thing to say, but that’s just how I feel. But to be fair, we didn’t see a lot of him in this episode so I guess I should reserve judgment.
I think each episode will deal with different cases of earthbound spirits needing closure alongside the ongoing mystery surrounding Maria and her family. If you enjoy horror shows and movies, especially the ones involving mediums (like The Sixth Sense and Ghost Whisperer), I urge you to watch the first episode of Dhund.
Did you watch this episode? Do you plan on watching it? Please do let me know. Looking forward to your comments.
Maryam Mehdi
