Pakistani Dramas: Humsafar

I have not been much into Pakistani plays since the emergence of private channels in the television industry as most of their dramas took off with a repellent stance, mimicking the strategy and get-up of the not-much-liked Indian soap operas.

However, last month, I downloaded and watched the much admired Pakistani drama serial, Humsafar. I had not seen it with the world. I had just heard and liked its title song by Quratulain Baloch, and hadn't even seen a glimpse of the play when it was aired on TV. But I downloaded it for a later time to see what all the hype had been about after all.

I was not in the least disappointed. I must say the drama was brilliantly done. The climax was stunningly brutal, shaking me to the core. The awe-inspiring story line was captivating till the very end.

All acting performances were exceptional and flawless. I really liked Atiqa Odho and Hina Khawaja Bayat. The latter's reaction when she found her daughter was dead was very real and very well acted. Mahira Khan looked fabulous throughout. The simple sweet role suited her innocent looks just fine. The groomed Fawad Khan lead his part superbly and did a fantastic job in portraying the varying faces of his messed up life. Naveen Waqar performed her nasty character pretty well, delivering her jealousies with fineness and superiority. The entire mix of characters couldn't have been better.

The drama demonstrated great understanding and affection building up between the husband and wife, who were forcibly tied in marriage due to unforeseen circumstances. The serene relation tumultuously twisted into silent fights with an explosion of unuttered words. Finally, the husband's susceptible trust fell prey to the false appearances feigned to escalate his mistrust in his loyal companion. The flailing husband was predominantly unreasonable in not granting his wife a single chance to appear before him with her version of the earth-shattering story. It is sad but true that trivial misunderstandings and communication gaps can create havoc in the lives of even those who love each other to the extreme - a reality well depicted by the play.

On the whole, it was a good show. Of course, it had a few elements that were uncalled for or exaggerated. But then a drama has to be dramatic after all.