After a rather disappointing episode (the one with Zhalay Sarhadi and Nouman Masood), I kept putting off watching the fifth episode, but that was before the promo featuring MARINA KHAN caught my eye and I knew I had to catch up – no excuses.
The fifth episode follows Hira, a girl who was sold to Sir Jamal and his wife by her parents. Children separated from their birth parents often grapple with identity issues and struggle to find answers about where they came from and why they were abandoned. The wailing spirit of Hira’s mother , deeply regretful and guilty, wants nothing but her daughter’s forgiveness. I found this episode to be very touching, and I liked how Maria could feel the helplessness and sorrow of Hira’s mother on a personal level. I liked Nana Sahib and Maria’s exchange here too:
Nana Sahib (speaking of the spirit): Kuch batati nahe, sisakti rehti hai. Be-chayn hai, tumhari tarah.
Maria: Koi maa hogi.
Also, the relationship between Sir Jamal and Hira was interesting. Hira had the right to ask questions about her past but Jamal refused to answer them because he, physically and emotionally dependent on her, was too afraid to lose her – the only person who cared about him. We are also introduced to the character of Humaira (Marina Khan) who is Maria’s phupo and strongly believes in the existence of spirits. We also learn that it’s Humaira who put Detective Uzair in touch with Maria.
The fifth episode follows Humaira as she brings an antique rocking chair into her new house, and with it, comes a grumpy, old ghost who is more lonely than he is scary. Marina Khan – and her character – is an absolute delight. Humaira Aunty, with her theatrics, red hand fan and white tube roses, is hilarious and extremely likable! ‘’Humare khandan mein kis qism kay buddhay hain’’ had me in splits. This track was a lot lighter than our previous tracks; I laughed out loud several times while watching this episode and I loved it. I want to see more of Humaira Aunty in the future episodes because a) Marina Khan b) Marina Khan.
I was enjoying the way every episode revealed a little more about Imran, but then we got two successive episodes that had nothing to do with the mystery behind Imran and Fawad’s disappearances. Arjumand who? Itni dramatic entry and everything, but now they seem to have forgotten all about her. All of a sudden, in the latest episode, there are all these new developments: Imran is in touch with his family and Fawad was also spotted in the village. Fawad calling his mother after all these years? That was a lousy way to take the story forward, but maybe there’s more to that phone call. I certainly hope so.
I have always complained about done-to-death stories rife with love triangles, dusri shaadian, teesri shaadian, extra marital affairs, beautiful and confident women who would go to any lengths to marry the guy who – you guessed it – is in love with his class fellow/cousin/colleague. And a counter argument to these rants has always been: these stories get ratings, audience ko yehi dekhna hai. I don’t think that’s true, I think people are sick of these stories, as they should be. Dhund is a different series in every way; it explores a different genre while also dealing with social issues in an interesting way. I don’t know how Dhund is doing as far as ratings are concerned, but if it’s not doing well, then does it mean people really do want to see old, recycled stories? Stories where two women are pitted against each other to get the guy who doesn’t deserve either of them? If it’s true and these are really the kind of stories that get ratings, then I am quite concerned for the fate of dramas like Dhund that attempt to do something different. What do you think?
Are you watching Dhund? What are your thoughts?
Maryam Mehdi
