Now that my mind has accepted that this drama has a filmy touch to it, I didn’t think this episode was bad, to be very honest.
So Dado pleads with Mushq to put an end to her madness and to apologize to her father. She tells her that in order to ‘win’ a battle, one needs to backtrack/ pull your troops back a bit. Not sure what she meant really. Mushq’s ‘battle’ is to be reunited with Fahd – surely Dado is not referring to that. Maybe the battle in Dado’s head is Mushq being released from her confinement to her room. Oh well!
Anyhow, the drama moves on to Master Sb at school and being taunted for the ‘badnaami’ his daughter has brought upon him. You know unless he dragged a screaming, kicking Mushq along the streets all the way from the station to home or the entire mohalla was sat at the train station, I wonder how everyone knows about Mushq’s (attempted) elopement. Or is it the constant shrieking, throwing things around and mayhem that Mushq has caused after being locked up that has given them away?
Back to Master Sb who is approached by a colleague, Qureshi Sb tut-tutting over the misfortune that has befallen Master Sb. I have never, for the life of me, understood what joy people glean over doing what Qureshi was doing to Master Sb. Khair, it seems he had an ulterior motive. After throwing in his two cents on the entire situation, he offers himself as a sacrificial lamb (read very creepy bhuddha dulha) to take the ‘burden’ off of Master Sb’s shoulders. I was glad when Mushq’s father flared up and gave him a piece of his mind – and naïve old me thought that was that. Alas!
When Master Sb gets home, Mushq implores him to let out and that she has realized her mistake. Is this a ploy, a twisted result of Dado’s well meaning naseehat or is Mushq genuinely regretting how she has upset and hurt her family. We see that she sneaks off to call Fahd later that night and is connected instead to the robbers who stole his phone. Feeling that Fahd had been playing her all along, she throws the phone down in anger. Waisay, ya tau mobile phones boht sastay ho gaye hain ya phir inn kay kissi rishtedaar ki mobile phones ki dukaan hai aur ya phir khandaani aadat hai – Mushq and her father throwing phones on the ground in anger without a second thought!!! Take your pick!
Dabboo Bhai – I still wish they could have picked a more fitting name – seems to be a perfect mohalla ka gunda. Perfect – as in intimidating and putting thugs in their place but at the same time has a heart of gold. I don’t really have any problems with his character so far as I would not like to see the ugly side to his gunda-ness (is that a word?) – but then there must be otherwise why does the mohalla fear him. Dabboo Bhai apparently owns a movie shop and we are introduced to his love interest Mehru Jee (Faryal Mehmood). It is strange how Mehru is wandering around the streets, ban thhan kay but then let’s not get too critical here. I don’t think Mehru has spoken to Dabboo Bhai before and it seemed to be that he just likes her but then she looks interested in Fahd now and is sort of using Dabboo to get to Fahd.
I find it a bit difficult to get my head round and relate to characters who are being paired together or starring alongside each other in one drama and then another goes on air with the very same actors. Like for instance, Mikael Zulfiqar and Kiran Khan in Sangat as siblings and then a married couple in Mann a few weeks later and then there is this play on PTV -that I haven’t watched but keep hearing is very good- which also has Mikael Zulfiqar and Kiran Khan. Not sure what their relationship is in that one though. The same goes for Faryal Mehmood and Faisal Qureshi who are also starring in A Plus Bheegi Palkein and now in this drama although I suppose their romance won’t last for long as Mehru Jee seems to have her sights set elsewhere.
Master Sb falls prey to the ‘duniya ki baatein’ and feels Mushq should marry Qureshi. Mushq agrees to marry creepy old Qureshi seeing it as a fitting punishment for her ‘ghalti’. I did not get her line about when people are hurt in love they begin to hate themselves. Why hate yourself? Because you were silly/ naïve not to realize your feelings weren’t being reciprocated? You are unworthy of love? That one sort of went over my head. Fahd finds out that he is in the very area that he knows Mushq lives in and the drama ends with Dabboo saying he has a plan in mind. Let’s see what he comes up with.
I do watch quite a few dramas. I may not hang on to every word but I do find most of them enjoyable/interesting and decent time pass. I was skeptical of the first episode and even though the story seems fairly predictable (or not?), I quite like this drama so far. Will Dabboo bhai/ Fahd manage to stop Mushq’s marriage to Qureshi? Or does she run away again and this time come across Dabboo. I find myself back in a Maths class studying venn diagrams when I think of the mini love triangle of Mehru-Dabboo-Fahd within the more obvious love triangle of Mushq-Dabbo-Fahd. Sajal Ali, Ahmed Ali and Faisal Qureshi acted well and made me relate to their characters so far. Firdous Jamal as the ‘wronged’ father is good except that I do not understand the constipated expressions. Growing up, he was always one of the amazing actors on TV but I have noticed the weird expressions in a few other dramas, like Daagh a few years ago. Poor man, with all the taanas from the mohallay walay I keep thinking he was about to keel over and have a heart attack. Maybe that is what will happen and save Mushq’s marriage to Qureshi from happening?
I loved your comments on the episode last week. I did get the feeling many of you were not too thrilled with the episode and story line and had given up on it but I will be sticking to it for now. Please share your views on this episode!
Kunwal Javid
