There is no denying the fact that the series of Khuda Aur Mohabbat has always done well in terms of popularity. These stories have been written in such a manner that the viewers find it easy to connect to the characters. Another aspect that takes Khuda Aur Mohabbat to another level is the spirituality and the path of self-discovery that the characters embark on. Khuda Aur Mohabbat series has had three seasons. The first one was based on the novel written by Hashim Nadeem, the second season was an elaboration of the first one and now the third season that is currently on air is an entirely different story but there have been factors and aspects that the writer has borrowed from the original story to make it more cohesive.
The fact that the writer of all these three dramas is the same, the viewers find it easy to see the similarities in all the stories. This time around, there have been a few changes and differences as well, which the writer has brought in to give something new to the viewers who have widely watched and loved the previous seasons. Khuda Aur Mohabbat has become a brand of its own and just the name itself is enough for the drama to sell and to make the viewers anticipate it. The credit definitely goes to the entire team of the first season because they all laid the foundation of what has now become one of the best dramas in the history of Pakistani television.
Khuda Aur Mohabbat 1, 2, and 3 have quite a lot of things in common, yet they are quite different. The first two seasons can be treated as one because the second one was just a more elaborate and commercial version of the first one. The first season had 16 episodes and half of the story was dramatized. The second season aired in 2017 and had a total of 23 episodes where the entire novel was dramatized. The third season after a lot of hype and wait has started airing this year in February 2021 and it is speculated to have around 35+ episodes.
Similarities & Differences Between The Seasons of Khuda Aur Mohabbat
Similarities
Theme & Love Triangle
The theme of the entire series is based on the emotion of love. Khuda Aur Mohabbat is a love story, that more or less covers the one-sided unrequited love that the hero develops for the heroine. There has also been the element of the love triangle where the heroine is committed to someone else and finds herself in a perplexing situation when she feels the intensity of love the hero has for her. Although the leading lady always feels obliged to continue with the commitment that has happened with the permission of her parents, she eventually develops feelings for the protagonist. In the first two seasons, Hammad fell in love with Imaan and although Imaan was engaged to Abdullah, she didn’t even wish to call her engagement off with him, but she eventually did get moved with the intensity and purity of Hammad’s emotions towards her, leading her to fall in love with him as well.
Spirituality
This has to be one of the most endearing aspects of Khuda Aur Mohabbat. The writer Hashim Nadeem has used the emotion of love and has turned it into a driving force to discover the true meaning and purpose of this life. In the first two seasons, the fact that Hammad could not get the love of his life made him leave everything, all those barriers, all those luxuries that came in between him and Imaan. This became a way for him to get closer to The Creator and attain the peace that he was after. His pain became his healing and although the love he had for Imaan never subsided, he found a reason and actual purpose of his life.
In the third season, this is a recurring theme as well where Farhad is already on that tangent where he is feeling disconnected from the entire world, only because Mahi has not reciprocated his feelings. As the promos have already given away, Farhad too will be on a path of self-discovery and will explore the true meaning of his life.
Difference Between The Financial Status
Another factor that is similar between these seasons is the difference between the financial status of the protagonists. In the first two seasons, Hammad belonged to an affluent family whereas Imaan was a daughter of Imam e Masjid, belonging to a very humble background with religious values. In the current season, it is Mahi who hails from a wealthy background whereas Farhad comes from a lower-middle-class family with his parents finding it hard to make the ends meet.
Hero Is Always The Center of Attention
This is another similarity in all the seasons of Khuda Aur Mohabbat. The hero is always the center of attention with each and everything revolving around him. However, in the first two seasons, the directors took their time in establishing why everyone was touched with Hammad’s struggles and his journey. Also, despite being the center of attention, it never looked forced but in the current season, all of it is looking a bit too stretched and half-baked. All of a sudden everyone around Farhad is a bit too invested in him and seems to be advocating everything that he is doing or has done so far.
One True Friend
The hero always has one true friend in Khuda Aur Mohabbat. This was seen in the first two seasons with Coolie Ghafoor, commonly known as Ghafoora, standing by Hammad, supporting him through thick and thin, with whatever little he had to ensure Hammad felt comforted. Their friendship was developed beautifully and it became quite strong over the period of time. The iconic and memorable role of Ghafoora was played by Shafqat Cheema and Afzal Khan (Rambo) in the first two seasons. It is interesting to note how two big names of Lollywood were cast for this role because it was an important part of Hammad’s journey. Both Shafqat Cheema and Rambo brought a very special charm to the drama with their presence and performances.
In this season, Farhad has found that one true friend in Dilawar played by Saqib Sameer, who not only feels for Farhad but also understands everything that he is going through because Dilawar himself has had a similar experience in the past. He too has gone through a heartbreak therefore he exactly knows the toll it has been taking on Farhad’s heart and soul.
Train Station
The train station has been another similarity in Khuda Aur Mohabbat. Although in the first two seasons, it was a part of Hammad’s journey and also became his identity. Hammad worked as a coolie at the train station and was found there mostly during the time he was away from his family. In the promos of Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3, the train station was shown to connect the viewers with the first two seasons however not a lot of scenes have been shot there. It also doesn’t feel like in the upcoming episodes, Farhad will have anything to do with the train stations. However, Mahi met her fiance Taimoor at a train station and another scene that was shot there was when Farhad came to Bhawalpur.
Hijab
This has been a point of debate now when the third season is on air. It is because the way this aspect has been dealt with in Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3 is not too convincing. In the first two seasons, the Hijab and Niqaab were a part of Imaan’s attire, her personality and that is what made Hammad fall in love because he saw her purity and piety. Considering that Imaan was a daughter of Imam e Masjid, this attire came naturally to her and suited the dynamic of her character. She and her younger sister both observed Hijab and Niqaab.
In Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3, the writer and director have tried to show that Mahi also observes Hijab, so much so that when she passes through the corridors of her own home, everyone is cautioned to lower their gaze because Mahi is passing by. However, this aspect has not been justified and conveyed convincingly because this season started off on such a note where Mahi came to Lahore and was seen in the most glamorous attire with beautifully done hair and makeup. Iqra Aziz has looked stunning in Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3 and it seems this is what the director wanted to make the most of therefore the Hijab and Niqab were merely used to bring in the charm of the previous two seasons only. If they had given up on this in the third season, it would not have made much of a difference to how the audience would have perceived Mahi’s character.
The Library
The library was the meeting point of Hammad and Imaan where they met each other for the first and the last time. It was an actual library where the entire sequence was shot in the first two seasons. This scene has yet to come in the third season but going by the promo, Mahi will go to meet Farhad in a library of her own home because the bookshelves could be seen in the background. It is interesting to note how the director of the third season has tried to make the most of all those elements and factors that made the first two seasons special.
The Look of The Hero
Although the story is mostly about the heartbreak and sufferings of the protagonist, it is also interesting to note that there is a lot of similarity between the look and the get-up of Imran Abbas and Feroze Khan. They both have worn shalwar kameez with draped shawls. Although in the later stages of the story, their looks are going to become different because Hammad carried a uniform worn by coolies and Farhad will have more of a darvesh kind of look. However, it is pretty obvious that at the initial stages of the story, their look and even the styling are very much alike with more or less similar hairstyling and slightly grown beard.
Locations
The major part of the first two seasons was shot in Bhawalpur, it brought a very different feel to dramas especially during the time when almost all the dramas were being shot in Karachi, a different city gave a very new and organic vibe to Khuda Aur Mohabbat. Keeping the tradition alive, the current season has also been shot in Bhawalpur. Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3 has also been shot in Lahore, Multan, and Karachi but most of its story is covered in Bhawalpur.
Differences
Commercial Aspect
The third season of Khuda Aur Mohabbat is quite commercial. It is due to the fact that the producers very well knew that the impact the first two seasons have made and the impression they have created in the minds of the viewers. The first season especially had a very simple and organic feel to it without much element of commercialism to it. The simplicity was what made the drama very realistic and relatable for the audience. The second season was a bit more commercial but still, the element of simplicity was kept in mind while filming it.
The third season is very commercial and the production value is quite high. It won’t be wrong to say that it might be one of the most expensive dramas that have been made in recent times because each and every detail is a testament to how much effort has gone into creating the ambiance and vibe on screen. The third season of Khuda Aur Mohabbat has been shot on a high budget and it can be seen in every single frame of the drama. The huge cast as well as shooting at four different locations definitely goes to show that the production house invested a lot of money in the making of the third season.
Change In Dynamics of The Characters
In the initial seasons of Khuda Aur Mohabbat, it was Hammad who belonged to an affluent family and Imaan came from a humble background. She was also engaged to her cousin who lived in the same house and pretty much had a similar lifestyle as hers. In the third season, it is Mahi who comes from a wealthy family and her fiance Taimoor matches the financial status of her family. They both are a perfect match in this regard because they both also share the same philosophy of life and have more or less similar aspirations. Farhad on the other hand comes from a very humble background and actually did not really have any goal or objective in his life that he wanted to achieve.
Larger Than Life
It won’t be wrong to say that everything in the third season of Khuda Aur Mohabbat is larger than life. They have created this ambiance and each and every frame is so magnanimous which shows how grand everything is. The producers actually wanted to create an impression and because the viewers waited for this drama for so long, they now understand why this season took such a long time to finally air because a lot of detail was gone into creating it. The first season especially was very simple and dramatized as any regular drama, however because of its popularity and the kind of viewership it attained, the producers definitely realized that they had to make it bigger and better, therefore the second season was also improved but the third one is grand.
Gradual Development of Feelings
In the first two seasons, it can be seen that the directors took their sweet time in establishing the love between the characters. The writer Hashim Nadeem also gave an insight into all the characters especially the protagonists, which made it easier for the viewers to understand what they were going through and how the intensity of the emotions developed between them. In the third season, there seems to be a lack of attention given to this particular aspect because a lot of effort has gone into making it look visually and aesthetically perfect that the characters and their personalities are not polished enough. Their feelings are not elaborated and conveyed, making it look a bit too sudden and forced. Behind all this magnanimity and grandeur, the basic essence of their feelings and emotions is at times lost and does not meet the eye.
Simple Yet Special Characters
In the first two seasons, the writer kept the characters very simple however with the kind of coverage they got, they started to look and feel quite special. It was established effortlessly, which is exactly why Hammad and Imaan and their love story became unforgettable and probably one of the greatest love stories witnessed on Pakistani television. The main aspect was that it was never verbalized how special they both were and just with the way their characters were elaborated and conveyed on-screen by Imran Abbas and Saadia Khan, they pulled the heartstrings of the viewers. In the third season of Khuda Aur Mohabbat, the characters started off on a very basic note like they were turned into regular people that at times it became hard for the viewers to take them seriously and find insight into their characters which was missing. The element of specialness has not really come naturally and all the supporting characters are given the kind of dialogues that work as a testimony to how special Farhad is, which in actuality should’ve happened without so much verbal reinforcement.
The Pacing
The pace of the story in Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3 is a lot slower than the previous two seasons. The story is not fast-paced and almost all the scenes are a bit too stretched and prolonged. The first two seasons had decent pacing with each episode taking the story forward and the developments happening at a steady pace. In the current season, the director has made the most of the grip Feroze Khan has had on this character, therefore all the scenes and scenarios rely heavily on his performance and expressions.
This completes the list of differences and similarities between all three seasons of Khuda Aur Mohabbat. What are your thoughts on this? Do you also notice and see these aspects while watching the current season? Have you watched the first two seasons, feel free to share your thoughts and add more to it?
