Jhok Sarkar is certainly upping the game in the crime thriller genre. Here are 6 points to convince you, if you need any more convincing (coz’ we sure we don’t)!
Jhok Sarkar is directed by Saife Hassan and written by Hashim Nadeem. The drama on HUM TV stars Farhan Saeed, Asif Raza Mir, Hiba Bukhari, Maham Shahid, Faiza Gilani, Usman Javed, Saqib Sumeer and Sakina Samo. The drama set in the village of Jhok Siyal is no doubt, upping the game in Pakistani dramas genres and also serving a dual purpose. You ask what? The story is not only elevating the direction game, execution and all, but also claiming its space in the otherwise neglected or rather untouched genre of crime thriller in the Pakistani drama space. It’s clearly setting the standards in the niche genre, and with style!
The worlds of the villainous Peeral and Meeral vs the brave and honest, ASP Arsalan along with his trust worthy police force, fighting for the downtrodden, collide. Farhan Saeed’s character is attempting to revive the sanctity of the law in the corruption-ridden village but as he keeps being tested in the process, we wonder, will ASP Arsalan’s fight for justice be enough to flip and better the lives of Jhok Sial inhabitants? One thing is for sure, ASP Arsalan has triggered a chemical reaction – a sort of yet untapped jazba, emotion and fighting spirit running strong like an electrical current throughout his police force.
Here are some scenes from the last couple of episodes that prove our point: It has all the ingredients; necessary and impactful for just the right kind of crime thriller drama.
1. Fakira, The Tracker Impresses With His Craft
In episode 15, as they tried to find the missing pieces of evidence to help reach conclusions in the case of Iqbal and his father’s abduction, the reference and the addition of a tracker (a skill dating back to the British regime) was smart and added value to the episode and story line. Being a crime thriller, these are niche plot add-ons we haven’t watched in previous dramas. The tracker, Fakira dusts the ground to unearth footprints, his entire process is so detailed, thought out and well-depicted – yes we were impressed with the attention to detail!
It’s how the police in Jhok Siyal obtain conclusive information, with lack of scientific methods in remote locations. The tracker successfully determines 3 people entered the courtyard, one of them jumped over the wall, one’s foot prints were still present on the wall, he figured out Iqbal was dragged off his charpai and even a woman was dragged along with him – yes, all that research just through a tracker using dated methods. The story line so carefully carries the mystery element to keep viewers invested, peeling away the layers gradually, in every episode.
2. The Hero Is Truly Heroic!
The honorary salute for ASP Arsalan by his force was a special touch, it shows how ASP Arsalan has rightly so, boosted the morale of the entire force and they respect him so much to present him with the honor of a special salute. The officers mention that even if he dismisses them, they won’t leave – such is the impact of the heroism of the main character which is crucial to maintain impact in a crime thriller, giving the hero traits that truly justify his actions and evoke respect and admiration. End result? ASP Arsalan real life fans and reel life police force are jointly rooting for him.
3. Peeral’s Sharp Snake Inquisition
Audiences witnessed the interesting moment when a snake appears out of nowhere on Noori’s bed but thankfully, Peeral walked in, just in time. What though impressed us was the subsequent inquisition by Peeral on identifying the whereabouts of the snake which was so cleverly executed. Every smart and logical option was explored – Did it simply slip into the haveli from outside? But Peeral is sharper than your ordinary villain, he points out that it was raining hard that night, if the snake had come from the outside, it would have been wet. Yeah, sounds simple, doesn’t it, but often the finer details are missed out in the narrative, undermining audience perceptions or, just lazy storytelling? You tell us!
Jhok Sarkar just showed us how it’s done!
4. Cleverly Carrying The Case Of The Missing Earring
The tracker even found Mukhtar’s earring which he had lost in a skirmish with Iqbal which he didn’t pay much heed to btw (but the makers sure did)! The significance of the missing earring was a cleverly consistent part and crux of the storyline. ASP Arsalan didn’t let that one go, and weren’t we impressed! After a clever inquiry procedure, he comes to the conclusion it belongs to the kidnappers. From visiting a gold shop in the area, to finally locating the jeweler who had made and sold it to Mukhtar, (one of Meeral’s special henchmen), ASP Arsalan nailed the culprit and oh what a smart way to do it.
No sloppy story telling here, it all came together in signature ASP Arsalan style we couldn’t expect any less!
5. ASP Arsalan’s Encounters His Ex
ASP Arsalan gathered his entire force, this time for a historic raid at Peeral’s. They charged forward with such vigor and fearlessness, it was a riveting watch for sure, especially because we were aware of the terror tactics surrounding the haveli and its owners. The Meeral-ASP Arsalan face off up close was enough to raise the fear factor feels, edge of the seat kind of suspense, about what was about to happen next. While ASP Arsalan’s surprise in the midst of this intense face-off was Lubna’s presence in the party, his gaze rests for a moment on his ex, and then returns to the task at hand. But oh how that diversion added to the final feel of the scene!
6. ASP Arsalan & Meeral’s Men Galloped Through The Desert
The final scene in the most recent episode where Meeral and Peeral deceitfully plot to intervene and release Mukhtar from the clutches of the police certainly topped the charts. The presentation of the entire scene was enthralling from start to finish. Our focus was really all in, we were engrossed to understand the utterly smart move by ASP Arsalan leaving Meeral gobsmacked even though Meeral had done all he could to make sure to not miss the opportunity to get Mukhtar back.
The sight of ASP Arsalan on horseback, galloping through the desert was fascinating and a welcome surprise, and just the kind of scene we longed to see in Pakistani dramas.
A police officer cleverly disguised as ASP Arsalan was a move we literally didn’t see coming! And the part where Meeral rather disappointingly discovers that Mukhtar is not present in the police van. ASP Arsalan stays a step ahead of his enemy and the look on Meeral’s face was one to not be missed for sure!
All these scenes serve as super glue to stick mystery elements together in a drama plot that is super believable, enjoyable and seamlessly brings the storyline together. Kudos to the makers for prudently fleshing out characters and adding a backstory to almost every incident.
Are you enjoying Jhok Sarkar too? Tell us in comments if you find this crime thriller as riveting as we do!
