Abdullahpur Ka Devdas: Here’s All You Need To Know Before The Grand Finale!
If you’ve been catching it on and off, or not caught it at all, or … if you’ve been following it like a hawk (which is like my mom, who has watched all episodes before I get over my Ramzan drama watch), P.S. there’s not much Ramzan drama-ing going on, thanks to the “effortless comedy” no pun intended, the comedy had no effort, really, so Devdas it was, and that too, from Abdullahpur.
Now Ramzan has breezed along in 2024 without my usual jalebi and chai episodes, I haven’t had a single one in fact. I lay the fault totally and completely on the Ramzan drama fiasco. None of them motivated me to sit down with a cup of chai and demystify the shenanigans of a joint family household. However, Jaan e Jahan and AKD certainly caught my attention. By default, these two dramas have nothing to do with chai and jalebi, Shehraam forever is being fed breakfast and even a smoothie by his guardian angel Zeenat. And AKD, oh well, AKD has not much going in the jalebi department, I would give it a solid Nihari, haleem or even qorma-sheermal feel. Yeah, Lahore walas, don’t come at me, I know you have no clue about the niceties of qorma enjoyed with sheermal, that’s a Karachi delicacy, and we’re proud of it!
Anyway, I digress from Abdullahpur Ka Devdas to food which is naturally on my mind in Ramzan. But back to Abdullahpur. I thought it apt, after missing 4 episodes and catching up back-to-back to think of my fellow Pakistani drama audience who might have missed some too and need a quick catchup before the final episode drop…soon!
Here’s why AKD is an engaging watch, and it’s the characters that are doing it for me. The story is really nothing new, but the end might be (we hope). So, let us begin from the beginning.
Fakhar is our Devdas
A Romeo deeply mired in an unrequited love story where his beloved dismisses him, spurns him, despises him, and even goes so far as to give verdict against him, hoping to damn him to the gallows. But Abdullah has 9 lives and slips through every time.
Bilal Abbas Khan’s depiction of Abdullah is on point for sure. Deeply pained, honest, smart (almost like Shahmeer of Ishq Murshid), deeply in love (almost like Shahmeer), but this time, he’s not revealing it to his Gulbano. Bilal can appear rugged and ruthless one moment and then, totally vulnerable and clueless, the next. He switches from one shade to another in a matter of seconds and that’s why he creates magic onscreen every time, all the time!
But will Fakhar eventually win over his love?
That is a million-dollar question and I have to say, despite the predictable storyline, and multiple promo reveals, the makers have kept this one a question mark right to the end. One does not know what will become of our three main protagonists – Fakhar, Kashif and Gulbano, right to the end.
An air of tragedy hangs heavy as Fakhar utters that he will fight for his love story till his last breath, oops, is he going to meet the same end as his soulmate Devdas’ in alternate universes? We really hope not. But … only the final episode will reveal all!
And that brings us to Gulbano
The intense, determined, fearless temptress who has two people smitten with her. Kashif, who has unknowingly fallen into the love trap, and suffers now, as a loyal friend who cannot betray Fakhar. And Fakhar, our original Devdas turned city gangster turned politician (are they, in fact, one and the same?) who has no idea that the person Gulbano is in love with, or thinks she is in love with is … Kashif, his best buddy at one time.
Gulbano has managed to evade both her previous suitors – defiance is, her middle name. What I love about Gulbano is her steadfast and unwavering belief in herself. Gulbano is not one to have second thoughts, hesitate or question her decisions. She KNOWS she is right (even when she’s not) and that makes me relate to her more than any other character. Yeah, I can see you shaking your head there, but you see, it is people like Gulbano that add passion and intensity to life. Her belief is based on what she knows and what she has seen, and if we are truly objective about her life decisions, we would understand exactly where she’s coming from!
Gulbano yearns for the love that’s written about in tragic romance novels and acted out on stage. She is a dreamer, and she believes wholeheartedly in her dream. But she also has more courage than any other female character I’ve seen in a while as she dodges her psychotic cousin and homicidal uncle, she seems to find herself often enough in “do or die” situations, and just like our Devdas, who’s dodged the bullet and a jail sentence, manages to escape from the jaws of defeat over and over again.
Sarah Khan has essayed Gulbano’s character with all the calm, princess-like airs and like I said, a defiance that is hugely appealing. A director once mentioned to me that Sarah is that cool, calm passive-aggressive actor who can really get into the skin of the character without a hair out of place. And … I believe him. Sarah is acing it and despite the “not a hair out of place” thing, I have to say, Gulbano sobbing at the train station tore at my heart. Sarah knows how to emote when the occasion requires it! Not a moment before, not a moment after!
Onwards to Kashif
When Kashif began meeting up with Gulbano, I was monumentally disappointed in the man. After all, Devdas had done so much for him, treated him like a younger brother and here he was, mooching off his friend’s poetry, happily taking credit and winning attention to gain, oh well, in the social media age, we’d say followers, yeah, gain followers, but here, in vintage Devdas town, it’s the lady we ‘re talking about – Gulbano. Kashif wins over Gulbano through Fakhar’s poetic words, and Gulbano, thinking it was Kashif who penned the magic, falls for him of course! Love is poetic, yeah.
Raza Talish is doing a splendid job as the tragically tormented Kashif. One hopes and wishes we see him in more powerful roles in 2024 and beyond. He is doing full justice to Abdul in Jaan-e-Jahan as well!
A tale of coincidental coincidences
While Abdullahpur Ka Devdas is a story set in a time that is somewhere between the new and old, as in, the feel is very much classic, yet the times are modern day, one wonders at the multiple coincidences that have propelled the plot forward. From Gulbano hiding in Fakhar’s flat, to Fakhar saving her on the road (all their cars, Gulbano’s taxi, Fakhar’s car and Shehroze’s happened to be on the same road at the same time). Not just that, but Fakhar turning up at Gulbano’s friend’s house, missing seeing Kashif on the accident scene and then again at the hospital, made me wonder if the scriptwriter had it too easy? I mean, why couldn’t the narrative have delivered more intriguing plot twists? Why keep it all so coincidental?
Over simplified storytelling can be a deal breaker if I may say so. And just because we have Sarah Khan and Bilal Abbas Khan to rope in the audiences does not justify lazy storytelling. Although, I’m a bit on the fence here as AKD seems to be purposely using this tactic to tell its story, almost as if it’s a signature AKD storytelling. Just my observation, I ‘d love to hear what you think!
However, there is a reason the writer has aptly redeemed himself. Wait for it in my grand finale, right at the end of this AKD thesis.
Now I am not going to delve into the multiple complexities of the multiple characters in AKD, simple because, it is the age of crisp, concise writing, which I’m not very good at! Ask Chat GPT, it can hopefully summarize my thesis on AKD for you.
But I do have to shed light on one character.
Jamila aka Anoushay Abbasi’s character has my heart
Not only because her’s is an unrequited love story, but she is now also made to feel that she must compromise on life by marrying Shauqi. There is a lot to be said about this “no pressure” in the family, where your near and dear ones do not physically force your hand on the Nikah Nama, but they do repeatedly suggest to you that the prospective is “not a bad person” after all.
Oh, what is that thing called love that I must ne’er enjoy. Am I misquoting a popular poetic line? But my point is, Jamila represents all those young people who have been coerced into a marriage without love, and who have, in essence, merely sought out love in their simple existences.
My heart goes out to Jamila, and I sincerely hope she finds true happiness and peace, because really, she deserves it, like all the Jamila’s of the world!
Incidentally, my heart also goes out to Shauqi. For all his tomfoolery and annoying bits, he is, totally in love, heart, mind and soul, with Jamila. The tragedy of unrequited love stands tall amongst the players in AKD – sort of, like a morbid bond, holding them all together in a forlorn embrace.
And that, dear folks, is Abdullahpur Ka Devdas in a breezy recap for you. The stage is set for a grand finale and whether you’re a romantic at heart or not, this one’s for the Pakistani drama lover in you. After all, that too, is an ongoing romance (one that turns a bit passive-aggressive too at times…) But I digress, another conversation for another day!
To Sum It Up
For now, let me know if your heart cries for Jamila and Shauqi too, Kashif as well, perhaps Fakhar too, and then again, Gulbano. Even Shehroze in his madness, carries a vulnerable, desperate air about him.
And so it is in fact, (and this is my grand finale) … in the purity and honesty of the characters that I see the final redemption of the writer. We are feeling for all of them, and we don’t want any of them to lose!
And that is why Abdullahpur Ka Devdas is so special. The characters linger on, way past the episode and will probably do so, even as the curtain closes on this love story, told in the age of AI, yet, holding on to a vintage love tale that has defied the ages in its retelling, again and again, and yet again!
Abdullahpur Ka Devdas has been scripted by Shahid Dogar and directed by Anjum Shahzad. The cast features Bilal Abbas Khan and Sarah Khan as leads along with Raza Talish, Naumaan Ijaz, Srha Asgr and an experienced ensemble cast.
