A Big Bang Entertainment production, Mera Yaar Miladay’s first episode aired this Monday on ARY Digital. I had mixed feelings when I saw the poster online and realized Sajal Ali is the female lead. Not a big fan of hers and seriously baffled over the raves of her being an amazing actress. Khair, I decided to give her a ‘chance’ because I will admit I do think Faisal Qureshi is a fine actor.
The episode begins with Master Sahab (Firdous Jamal) addressing a class full of students and lecturing how whatever one does in life should not reflect badly on one’s parents, etc. We then see that Mushq (Sajal Ali) – what’s with the name by the way, haven’t heard of that one before – has run away from home, leaving a note which is found by her sister. Mushq is being forced to marry her father’s friend’s son and she refuses to be bullied into a marriage with someone she doesn’t love and apparently has run off to be with the one she does love – Fahd.
We are then introduced to Fahd (Ahmed Ali). Mushq has informed him of her plans and he seems to be panicking as to what he should be doing now. I wasn’t very thrilled with Ahmed Ali’s look to be honest. The longish moustache – eek. I do wonder over the emphasis on speaking in Punjabi when talking to his friends and later to his mother..maybe to establish that he lives in another city (Lahore I believe) whereas Mushq lives in Karachi. Through a couple of flashbacks, we see how Fahd and Mushq met at a mehndi (very filmy with the bumping into each other then Fahd watching Mushq when she is dancing and then giving her his number).
Anyhow, Mushq’s sister shows her father the letter and he reaches the railway station and manages to find a very excited and happy Mushq waiting for her train to take her to her beloved Fahd. He brings her back home and locks her into her room despite protests from a very concerned Dado (Ayesha Khan Sr.). Mushq comes across (so far) as a defiant character and feels she is absolutely justified in running away. When Fahd rings on her mobile phone, her dad answers and tells him to never call again or he will be responsible for her ‘maut’! Sigh.
What happens next does boggle the mind. Fahd will go to Karachi! Yep, alone! To bring back Bhabhi he tells his friends. And announces to his mother – who is a widow and has raised him all on her own and has no other relative to call her own – that he has found a job in Karachi and is leaving. He tries to console her by saying he will return soon but how can he just leave her? Or why not tell her the real story? Take her along to ask for Mushq’s rishta? What exactly does he think he is going to accomplish by showing up at Mushq’s doorstep?
Well, our hero reaches Karachi and comes upon a young man being robbed by two men. And what does Fahd do? Runs down the street to jump into their midst and oh, the robbers had guns by the way. So, not only do they snatch the other guy’s mobile phone they take Fahd’s phone too and ride off. The glitch – Mushq’s home address is saved on Fahd’s phone. And Mushq’s phone her father promptly threw and broke after his conversation with Fahd. So now he doesn’t have an address or any way of contacting her by phone. Somehow, I don’t think either of them are familiar with emails.
Faisal Qureshi only makes an entry in the last scene as Daboo bhai (Daboo? Really?) – someone who is the dada of the mohalla.
I hadn’t watched the OST before I viewed the first episode for had I watched that before and read some of the comments that were posted on this website I probably wouldn’t have watched the episode as it would seem to be another drama where Sajal Ali is abused and pushed around. But from what I could gather, and I may be wrong, but the being thrown into a room and crying etc is when her father finds her at the train station and brings her home. The thapar hasn’t come yet and I do hope it is only a one off, although we could have done without it because yes we get it, her dad is not thrilled with her ishq for Fahd and she insists she can not be without him.
I have rarely watched a Sajal Ali drama till the very end – I end up ditching them midway. I do wonder if this may be any different. The fact that it is being aired on Mondays at 8pm doesn’t bother me with regards to it competing with Mann Mayal for viewership. I am rarely able to watch a drama at that time as I am normally putting my kids to bed. I either record and watch later or just watch online. I do hope half the drama doesn’t pass with Fahd ‘bhatkofying’ here and there in his search for Mushq – without a home address or phone to reach her at. Yes, it does seem filmy but I think I will give it a few more episodes to see how I feel about the drama.
Phew! That turned out to be quite a long review – and my first, so please be kind when (and if) you comment. Did many of you watch this episode? What did you think?
Kunwal Javid