Sami Khan’s diverse acting prowess has pivoted ‘Dulhan’ to the next level!
OMAIR ALAVI UPDATED 11 NOV, 2020 01:36PM
HUM TV’s Dulhan is moving at an express pace, making it a one-of-its-kind thriller in the Saas – Bahu era. With Sami Khan leading the cast, the drama is all set to dazzle the audience for a few more weeks, provided the writer Adeel Razzaq and director Adeel Siddiqui maintain their speed, and carry on with the brilliant execution. The last two episodes featured a fired up Faizan Khawaja and an equally flared up Mashal Khan who gave an excellent performance, despite their limited number of scenes.
The Plot
With Mikaal (Sami Khan) finding out that his family has shares in his uncle’s business, he starts going to the office where he is mistreated by Shahmeer (Faizan Khawaja) on his first day. The two later confront each other on the road when the latter tries to abduct Amal (Sumbul Iqbal), and Mikaal is there to save her. A confused Amal first tries to take her life but after talking to her colleague (Sonia Nazir) decides to change her job. She had no clue that her new boss-to-be would be Mikaal’s mother (Shaheen Khan) and before she could sit for the interview, Mikaal walked in with his Zoobi, his friend who had earlier lied on the phone saying that Mikaal proposed to her before Annie (Mashal Khan) came into his life. The two families had a sort of falling out but Annie acted maturely and met Mikaal who told her that Zoobi is lying, and he has no idea why. She did emphasize the fact that if she ever finds out that Mikaal wasn’t loyal to her, she will make his life miserable.
The Good
If you love Sami Khan for his performance in Saraab then you will definitely hate him for what he has done to Sumbul Iqbal’s Amal in Dulhan. The scenes where his friend Zoobi lies about being proposed as well as the one where he defends Amal from being abducted show his diversity as an actor. Mashal Khan impresses with each passing episode, be it the scenes where she surprised her fiancé by visiting his office or where she cries her heart out without realizing that the ‘other’ girl might be lying. Her chemistry with Sami Khan is spot-on who plays her fiancé but the same can be said of her equation with Faizan Khawaja who tries to bully her, being her older brother. For one reason or the other, Faizan’s Shahmeer comes out as the main antagonist, and while Sami Khan’s Mikaal who has done a few bad things, doesn’t.
One must also mention the powerful performance of Sonia Nazir who plays Sumbul Iqbal’s friend, advisor and well-wisher. She is the one who stands up to Shahmeer before he sends her back at the boutique, recommends her for another job from where she comes back without giving the interview, and was present at her Nikah, a fact that is unknown to Amal’s mother. Talking of mothers, Shaheen Khan plays Mikaal’s mother and uses her observation skills to perfection and wants to find out what is wrong with her son and why is he acting strangely. With moments like these, Dulhan is moving in the right direction and one hopes that the pace remains the same so the audience can enjoy the drama for a few more weeks.
The Bad
One of the biggest reasons why Dulhan is doing well on a Monday is the fact that it is the story of two friends, not one always crying girl. For a viewer who is hooked on the former, the interruptions at Amal’s place are nothing short of a distraction. Sumbul Iqbal looks great while crying but she should change the gear for once and stand for herself rather than shedding tears for something that can’t be undone. The scenes where she confronts her sister on the roof gave her the chance to prove her other-than-crying skills, and the director should capitalize on that. Be it the sister’s revenge or the mother’s constant bickering, it takes the edge away from the two boys who are more important to the story. But then it’s Pakistan, no one would watch the story of two boys in a country where a weeping woman is considered more rating-worthy than a bet gone wrong.
Also, there was no need to make a big issue out of Zoobi’s lie because a) had Mikaal proposed to her he wouldn’t have taken her on speakerphone and b) her animosity towards Annie was known to all including Annie, and she shouldn’t have been considered seriously in the first place. If Mikaal’s in-laws feel that he isn’t trustworthy, he should leave their girl instead of the other way round where their possessive girl gets rid of her fiancé for something that never happened. When you can’t change the girl, change the girl!
The Verdict – Expect the unexpected in Dulhan as it continues to grow on the audience
Dulhan is different than all the other dramas currently on-air and grows on the audience’s mind due to it’s ‘expect the unexpected’ technique. Like How To Get Away With Murder, every episode brings out a twist or a turn that was least expected, making the audience wait for the next episode. Adeel Razzaq’s script and Adeel Siddiqui’s direction is top-notch and the two youngsters have a bright future ahead of them if they continue to stay away from the run-of-the-mill stuff. Yes, the last two episodes had a few drawbacks but on the whole, the pace is as fast as it could be in a Pakistani play.
