“Mohabat khudghurzu ka khel hai, qurbaniyan dene wale koi aur kaam karein!” The ending of Mera Naam Yousuf Hai was exactly what many of the viewers predicted it would be like but does that make it any less gratifying? Most certainly not! It was filmi to the core just like the drama as a whole, very emotional and for once viewers can be happy that Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar who personally does not believe in happy endings gave this drama a very happy ending probably because he knew that people would have wanted to see Yousuf and Zulekha together. Madiha’s character was one of the many lovable characters in this play and the way she played a pivotal role in bringing Yousuf and Zulekha together in the end did not come as a surprise at all. The viewers did not expect someone like Madiha to settle for anything less than all or nothing and that is exactly what she did. Madiha and Zulekha both proved that their love was truly selfless; the sort of love which everyone wants but very few find it. Although I am not for sacrificing your love for someone’s happiness but in this case I am all for what Madiha did because there was no point getting married to someone who was not going to love her ever especially when the love of his life was sitting there right in front of him and in a position to be with him for a lifetime.
Waji Ahmed’s conversation with Zulekha was the highlight of this episode. The way he summed up Yousuf’s personality and how sacrificing your love effects people in the long run was absolutely superb. Everything he said to Zulekha was like a reality check and i it also helped convince Zulekha to attend Yousuf’s wedding. Watching Yousuf in a shirt and tie working in a proper office, spending quality time with his sister and calling his step mother ‘ami’ was very touching. It went to show that a great deal had changed in Yousuf’s life.
“Us admi ko mei 25 saal de chuki hu judge sahiba ab dene ke liye mere pass aik pal bhi nahi hai!”….music to my ears! Afia Begum is finally free and it was delightful to see Noor Muhammad being kicked out of the house by Bushra. This was the perfect end to this particular track. I am glad that Afia Begum did not take Noor Muhammad back.
Right till the last minute Zulekha kept on denying her real feelings for Yousuf but when the moment came to make the final choice she knew exactly what she wanted. “Qaurbani dene se pehle hi tumhara dum nikal gaya!” Hajra’s witty dialogues have given comic relief all through the play and in this episode too Hajra managed to knock some sense into Zulekha in her unusual yet very entertaining way! The last two scenes were a class above the rest! Right till the end I wasn’t sure if Zulekha and Yousuf will end up together and when they did I could not help but smile and cry at the same time. Beautiful ending to a superb play!
Mera Naam Yousuf Hai was much more than just another love story, it was a beautiful play that showed many aspects of our society from male domination to how religion is used by many for their own selfish ends in a very apt manner. Like all of Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s plays we saw some very strong willed women paving their own path with all the courage in the world in circumstances that were anything but favorable. The powerful script, soul-stirring dialogues and Mehreen Jabbar’s excellent direction brought out the best in all the actors. The director of photography deserves a special mention for paying special attention to detail and giving us some beautiful scenes which made this drama a visual treat. The character development throughout the drama remained convincing.
Imran Abbas brought out the best in his character yet again; his boyish charm coupled with his polished acting skills added the spark which Yousuf’s character needed to portray it aptly on screen. Maya Ali did not stand out as Zulekha at first but once Zulekha fell in love with Yousuf she was totally into the character. Maya Ali’s expressions in the last two scenes of tonight’s episode were priceless. I cannot praise Mansha Pasha enough for breathing life into a beautifully written character in a flawless manner. She outshone in her character and stood out more than Zulekha in the first few episodes especially and carried forward the transformation in her character perfectly. Ali Sheikh played Daa Ji’s character brilliantly throughout the play; he is a natural and I am definitely looking forward to watching him showcase his acting talent in other quality projects. Behroze Sabzwari made us fall in love with his character by highlighting the soft and sensitive nature of Waji Ahmed. No one could have played Yousuf’s step mother’s character better than Seema Seher. The character itself was exceptionally well written and it couldn’t have been translated on screen in a better way. Hina Bayat’s exceptional performance throughout this play went to show that she relished every minute of playing a character with a lot of substance and I would like to thank her for taking time out to read the reviews and for commenting. Waseem Abbas made us hate his character but the viewers could not help appreciating the precision with which Waseem Abbas portrayed different shades of Noor Muhammad’s personality. Mizna Waqas and Taqi Ahmed are definitely two very promising actors with a natural gift of acting who I am sure will go a long way as long they work in the right projects and with good directors. Faizan Sheikh, Parveen Akbar and Farah Nadeem portrayed their characters effortlessly on screen as well. The OST of the play along with all the other old classics that were used in the background were pure genius. This is the first time that we heard so many different songs old and new in a drama which basically showed the creativity of the director.
Mera Naam Yousuf Hai was one of those very few dramas that restore your faith in Pakistani writers, actors, directors and producers and prove that there is hope for Pakistani drama industry. As long as Pakistani drama industry has all these talented individuals associated with it, it will continue giving us dramas that are a complete package. I would like to thank the entire team of MNYH for giving us 20 amazing weeks of wholesome entertainment. I would also like to thank Mehreen Jabbar for reading the reviews and answering our questions. A big thanks to all the wonderful readers who are always very kind and without whom this whole review writing experience would be worthless. Thank you so much for accompanying me on this beautiful journey.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts about this last episode in the comment section.
Fatima Awan
Eid Mubarak to all our readers:)
