Ohkay so, some developments in this episode of Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay seemed totally rushed & out of place but there were a few bits & pieces that were convincingly done & showed a different perspective. Although I will still say that it was an enjoyable episode because one thing is for sure, as a viewer, I do enjoy watching the reactions of most of these characters. I also like the fact that Mehreen, despite everything mostly never in her favor is not shown to be a typical ‘bechari’. The way she reacts to things & as seen in this episode, giving away a half-truth to Saffan shows that she has her own defense mechanism & knows how to bring herself out of certain situations.
The Confusion & Commitment
Aswad’s character is not really coming across as impressive. So far he hasn’t shown many personality traits that make me like him. His submissiveness in front of his mother seemed a bit out of the blue. All it took was one tantrum from Saleha & Aswad immediately forgot about the committment he sort of had made to Mashal. This highlights one point perfectly that Aswad is a quitter, he doesn’t really believe in taking challenges or emotional burdens & even in the later stages of his life, he will find out an escape as soon as he feels things are not working out for him.
It was a bit too obvious that Aswad will resort to the typical excuse of ‘ammi nahi maan rahin’ & find a way out of whatever he had with Mashal. As a son, his feelings towards his mother & the respect he has for her are genuine but that doesn’t give him an excuse to be a coward who can not make up his mind & back out of his promises. Aswad’s confusion was also elaborated a bit more where he was trying to wrap his head around everything that was going on. He did not expect Shagufta or even Mashal to behave the way they did where they were trying to bring him on their team & gang up against Saleha. I still however liked the fact that Aswad made it clear to them that nothing matters to him more than his mother, therefore he will not entertain any such person who will speak against Saleha. Aswad was quite disturbed with the conversation & didn’t really know how he wanted to react to it all but to add more to his confusion was Mehreen’s answer.
I’m glad the director decided to show a flashback where Mehreen thinks of what Mashal has been doing & how Mehreen warned her lately – this gave a pretty clear picture of why Mehreen decided to accept Aswad’s proposal. This was definitely her way of getting back at Mashal. For me, the most convincing part of this entire episode was Mehreen’s reasoning behind rejecting Saffan. If Mashal hadn’t done what she did, maybe Mehreen wouldn’t have thought of getting married to Aswad. She was actually ready to let go of the love she had for Aswad & was ready to move on with Saffan because she knew this was the escape that guaranteed a fresh start in her life but Mashal took that away from her. Mehreen actually didn’t want the memories of her or her father’s past to haunt her in her future but Mashal ruined it for her. I think her reasons were justified because she has lived all her life with these taunts that the thought of any of it reoccurring in her future was unfathomable for her. It also shows that Mehreen has this surety in her heart that at least in Saleha’s place, she will not get to hear those things. So far, she has no idea how Aswad will treat her but for Mehreen, this seemed to be the right thing to do.
The reactions of all of the family members were quite expected. Mashal’s ourburst, Shagufta & Tahir’s display of disappointment & anger & then Nani’s attempt at emotionally blackmailing Mehreen. I found it rich coming from Nani who even had the audacity to use her ‘connection’ with Mehreen to talk her out of this marriage. As if she was a very loving & affectionate Nani that Mehreen would regard her opinion. I am glad Mehreen stood her ground & let her know that she was never going to say no. The slaps Mehreen received somehow also strengthened her faith that she has made the right decision. It was really interesting to see how this particular decision of Mehreen was driven by so many emotions towards people in her life. It took them years & years to humiliate & degrade Mehreen, but for her, it was just this one single decision that literally took away their peace of mind for the rest of their lives. Mashal is going to suffer emotionally & looking at her, Shagufta will suffer too. I found it amusing with Shagufta telling Mashal that there was no comparison between her & Mehreen – if that was the case, why did she ruin her daughter’s personality by comparing her to Mehreen all her life?
I am glad that from Mehreen’s side, there was a lot more clarity in regards to her decision but when it comes to Aswad, all that I know is he said yes because of Saleha. He was still pretty unsure of what to do but because Mehreen said yes & Rabia showed up with a ring, he surrendered. The post-engagement dinner was awkward & what made it a bit more of it was how both Saleha & Rabia literally turned a blind eye to Aswad & Mehreen’s forlorn faces. I wouldn’t expect much from Rabia because Mehreen has always shown this emotional disconnect to her but Saleha is pretty wise & picks up these intricate details but it seems she was too blinded by her happiness that she failed to see what they both were going through. I must say I loved the scene of Saleha thanking Aswad & showing him how proud she was & how he has always been a source of happiness for her. That scene was brilliantly acted by Huma Nawab, where you could actually see what Saleha was feeling as a mother.
Saffan’s reaction was understandable where he already knew about Aswad & saw his fear materializing but Sheeba’s reaction on the other hand was also quite out of the blue. She has seen how Mehreen has been kind of obsessed with Aswad. For any sane person, it wouldn’t have taken much to realize that Mehreen had feelings for her cousin. All this while Sheeba enjoyed listening to Aswad’s stories but now she immediately cut ties with Mehreen because she called her engagement off with Saffan? Like I said earlier, Sheeba should’ve been a bit more concerned for her cousin instead of listening to Aswad-nama from Mehreen with keenness all this while.
An Interesting Episode
This episode of Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay was definitely interesting. There were quite a few continuity issues which served as a distraction but definitely didn’t take away from the convincing performances of all the actors. I will say they have taken their sweet time in establishing Mashal & Mehreen’s characters, their equation & their personalities, therefore it’s about time they take us through Aswad’s character too. It definitely is quite obvious that he too has certain issues, some inhibitions & a few complexes, therefore it is important to learn more about him. I really wish they just don’t show him as a toxic partner & there is more to his personality – even if they are the negative traits that he has displayed all this while.
The engagement scene seemed a bit too random, Aswad’s decision of getting married to Mehreen if she says yes was also quite random too. It also highlighted the fact that Aswad doesn’t believe in taking responsibility because he threw the ball in Mehreen’s court & when she said yes, he was flustered because he was sure that she would say no & that might give him a chance of marrying Mashal. Even when he was speaking to Mashal for the last time in the car, he wanted to make sure Mashal knows that he never really made any promises to her, which is wrong. For a person who has commitment issues, one can only wonder how hard things are going to be for Mehreen after she gets married to him. Direction, acting, background score, editing – each & every aspect gets full points, however, I will say that the story is too plain but the complicated characters definitely make it a very interesting watch. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
It was great episode, too quick for sure and your review Zahra was very thorough & covered every aspect. Aswad got tangled in his own web. He was very sure that Mehreen will say No & this way he will satisfy mother’s wish as well. But Mehreen decision was applauding. She got a chance to settle the score for all the sufferings she had since childhood. Good conversation between her & Nani and yes she did not behave like a Bechari. Her direct confession to Saffan was a coverup but the reason behind that was very much justified. the seed of doubt or troubled life of Mehreen would have haunt her someday in future with Saffan. Sheeba’s reaction was not expected to come like that. she was the only person close to Mehreen, should not react like this, but tried to understand what could be the reason behind it. Three persons were affected with Mehreen’s decision, Saffan, Aswad & Mashal. Each one will react to her but interesting to see how Aswad reacts over the time. Mashal’s manipulation also needs to see because now if she further tells lies about Mehreen, i think Aswad will started seeing the truth about Mehreen, but this will be much later because now the man is angry & will make sure Mehreen pay for her decision. So interesting to see the further events.
Thank you so much Aamer for sharing your thoughts & reading the review. Yes, Mehreen has definitely turned everyone against her & sadly, her husband-to-be is also not too happy with her decision. I also didn’t really like Sheeba’s reaction but the fact is Mehreen doesn’t tell her anything, therefore she could never understand.
I really hope Aswad does see Mehreen for who she is but I think he will continue to be so upset at her all the time that he will never analyze the truth & continue to believe the lies Mashal has told him all these years.
Haroon ko isi tarah k hee roles milte hein kiya?
Waqay hi, aisa hi lagta hai. Always the good guy who easily gets rejected.
I liked the episode and the developments in this one, though it was a bit rushed but that’s ok.
Saleha did kind of force Aswad to say a yes to Mehreen’s proposal, if it would have been against the lead pair, we would detest her for doing so but since it works in favour of the lead pair, this doesn’t pinch as much. Aswad is not in control of the situation and possibly will never be. He does sort of find an easy way out of everything. I thought he must have heard the conversation between Mashal and her mother but looks like he didn’t. Well, atleast he did speak for his mother and told them that he didn’t want to be a part of this gang.
Mehreen’s stand is quite relatable, she would have anyway said a no to Saffan, sooner or later. Sheeba reacted awkwardly though….wasn’t she the one who always used to tell Mehreen that she has a thing for Aswad. I liked how Mehreen is firm on her decision now. May be Aswad’s character will only come to the fore after he marries Mehreen (or may be not).
The style of direction reminds me of Pyaar Kay Sadqay….not sure if its the same director.
I like the bond between Saleha and Mehreen. Saleha is the only loving character of this drama. Though she knows exactly what Mashal is made of, but not once does she say anything bad to her and always meets her lovingly too. This is the second time I have liked Huma Nawab in a character, the first one was when she played Zubiya’s khala in Yakeen ka Safar.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Sheetal. Yes, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay has been directed by Farooq Rind, he directed Pyar Ke Sadqay & Ishq Zahe Naseeb too. I really like Saleha’s character but I am afraid there’s so much she’d be able to do after they both get married because Aswad has some serious issues too.
Yes, this is definitely commendable that she has never maligned Aswad’s heart against Mashal but instead diverted his attention to Mehreen saying it would make her happy. Aswad is definitely someone who will never take responsibility or accountability. He always will find a way out to save himself – puts Mehreen in a dangerous situation considering how tough her life has always been on her, that too because of the relations she has had around her.