Opening Thoughts – Different Aspects of A Victim’s Journey:

Ohkay so, this episode of Surkh Chandni was depressing & somewhat slow but still, it is good to see that they are showing different aspects of what a victim goes through & how in some rare cases a victim tries to take the matters in her hands. Aida was pushed to the limit & her patience was being tested time & again, therefore she was left with no choice than to do what it takes to punish the one who was responsible for what she was going through. The direction & acting to be seen in Surkh Chandni is definitely amazing but it is too bad that the theme of the drama is so depressing.

Aida Took Matters In Her Hands:

Aida tried to harm Junaid but she couldn’t succeed, however Aida showed no remorse over what she did, to an extent that she was not even worried about the consequences she’d have to face if Junaid had actually died. It was basically the way to highlight what Aida was put through time & again & how it boiled down to this point that she saw this as the only option. Aida has grown cold, she has shed enough tears & after seeing the destruction her family has faced, she was numb but the only thing that riled her up was the thought of Junaid roaming around freely while still being the one who did this to her.

Aida was arrested & then once again, Amaan’s love & patience for her was tested. Amaan did everything to get her out of the prison but in the end, his helplessness took him to the path which he so did not want to walk on. Safina knew that the only person who could help them in this hour of need was Junaid & Amaan ended up doing which no one would’ve done for Aida. He surrendered but made sure that it guaranteed Aida’s freedom. Aida stayed aloof & numb but a part of her was done sulking because AIda had pretty much understood that nothing else or nothing worse could happen to her. Aida once again got to see the love Amaan had for her but she would may be never find out how he arranged for her to get out of the jail, it was by begging for her life in front of the one who destroyed it completely.

Mukhtar took the gloves off & told his mother that they had nothing to do with Aida anymore & if she wanted a roof over her head, she had to abide by the rules set by him. I know, this is yet another realistic part of the story but showing this much of helplessness is pretty depressing. Aida’s mother knew she couldn’t do much plus she was not even in the right state of mind to do anything, she was mourning the tragic loss of her husband & now her daughter too.

Junaid now has called dibs on Shumaila & I am sure this was something that no one saw coming. Junaid is after this entire family & he obviously is mentally twisted, that is why he didn’t even feel ashamed of thinking about Shumaila that way. I am sure Shumaila, despite hesitating will eventually understand what Junaid wants & she’d most probably get ready to get married to him. Shumaila only wants comfort & luxuries, that is the only reason she is drawn towards Junaid & his mother, while bearing in mind that they are responsible for all that has happened to Aida. This was definitely an unexpected twist & I am interested to see the doom of Mukhtar, when he will be ditched by the wife he trusts the most & this will eventually lead to the doom of Junaid & Shumaila too. Their lives will be full of regrets but then, before that happens, I so want to see Aida & Amaan pushing though. The ray of hope in this entire situation is the involvement of the NGO worker, where she has not only grown curious about Aida but is also following her case up because she can sense something is totally off about the way her family has been behaving. I so hope she gives Aida a hope & a new path which will shape her life like no one would’ve imagined.

Closing Thoughts – Brilliant Acting:

Overall, this drama definitely scores brownie points for the overly realistic portrayal of what happens in an acid victim’s life but still, I can not emphasize enough about the fact that it is very very very depressing & I watch the episode by forwarding quite a lot of closeup shots, tears & such scenes where the OST is echoing non-stop in the background. I must say, this drama is also quite loud, loud in a sense that it does have a lot of yelling & screaming but on top of that, the usage of OST is horrifically way too much. I so wish they had toned it down on it a bit because they are making quite a point so they don’t need to emphasize the sad state of affairs by relying so much on the depressing song. All the actors are doing a phenomenal work in this drama, be it Hassan Ahmad, Huma Nawab, Mansha Pasha, Sohai Ali Abro, Osman Khalid Butt or Asad Siddique, they all are brilliant in Surkh Chandni. I must also add that I am glad once they start off with one chapter, by the end of the double episodes, they wrap that up & give a teaser of what is going to happen in the next episode, I guess this will keep the story moving consistently & I hope that doesn’t change. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Surkh Chandni.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.