This installment was split into 2 episodes titled “Musafir”. Maya (Naveen Waqar) lives with her Mamoo (Babar Niazi), Maami (Shaheen Khan) and their two kids- Ali and Maryam. She is struggling emotionally and perpetually miserable. The story begins with Maya contemplating suicide but failing and her family lecturing her on how precious life is. More than anything, I was hugely distracted by Naveen’s clown-like big shoes and I may have missed some integral part of the story as I couldn’t understand why she was so miserable. After more failed attempts and her family’s concerns, out of nowhere appears a stranger, Sikander (Imran Abbas) who speaks in rhymes. The kids develop an instant liking to their Jadugar uncle and Maya is the only one who eyes him with curiosity. But almost overnight, the family warms up to him so effortlessly that they’re okay with two young children spending time with a complete stranger. My first reaction to seeing the stranger was that he may be some sort of a jinn. I was almost convinced when they show him quoting lines from a poem Maya penned down. The writer chose to leave plenty to the viewers imagination as there were far too many gaps in the story. I kept guessing whether Maya was traumatized as a child when her parents passed away or whether Maya was driving the car and responsible for their death or she was plain cuckoo.
Maya, who had lost the will to live for whatever reason, started spending time with Sikander who shared that he too was an orphan but lived life loving those around him and caring for others. He would salvage plants from the roadsides and bring them into the forest to replant them. He would visit the sick and dying and motivate them to consider each moment as a blessing. Slowly but surely, Maya realized she had so much to be grateful for but just when she started turning over a new life, time ran out for Sikander.
To be honest, there seems to be much more Dukh than there is Sukh in every episode. Each story is gravitating towards hopelessness and misery in some form or another. The scripts are being lost in translation with the director failing to capture the essence and often times a story may be intriguing but loses its impact when being converted into a screenplay. It seems like the producers are working on a shoestring budget and even though the shooting takes place in scenic locations, the lack of picture quality makes it unimpressive. Add to that the scarce resources- the wardrobe is heavily restricted to a handful of clothing. This story was penned by Ali Moin and I’m wondering if the weak direction of Sakina Samo coupled with budget constraints makes the end result a disappointment.
What are your thoughts about Dukh Sukh? Is it working for you?
Kanwal Murtaza
