Perhaps Jaan e Jahan is the story that will live on through the decade. Shehraam and Mahnoor’s love story will be the stuff dreams are made of, but what is absolutely certain, is that Jaan e Jahan will urge better and greater storytelling in the Pakistani drama world.
What stood out for Jaan e Jahan’s storytelling, is that the characters defied being boxed into neat little generational audiences – Jaan e Jahan served goals for my mother, my sister, myself, and perhaps, the 18 year old cousin watching who’d rather vibe to Taylor Swift. The magic was in the storytelling – intense, vintage, yet with a modern day mindset (check out Aliya and Abdul), that will live on much beyond the final episode. Here’s a deconstruct of the drama and characters that hit different levels of deep, poignant, relatable, love, anger and despair, but more than anything else, these characters made us feel, each one of them, in surprising ways that stirred the soul, even as we sought to pretend that it’s only a drama, we recognized, deep down inside ourselves, that it was so much more!
For Jaan e Jahan, The Secret Lay In The Characters
Shehraam won hearts with his charming, tragic hero feels that blossomed into a fine young man who stood up for his girl, his subtle gestures, even lowering himself to the floor to sit beside his Mahnoor, bonding with Ayesha, cherishing Abdul’s presence in his life won us over again and again and yet again. And though he did not forgive those who had wronged him, but was above seeking revenge, aah, what a fine balance he struck, quoting Shakespeare here, all of nature stands up to proclaim: “Now THIS was a man!” And Kishwar, dear Kishwar, tired in battle, snatched sympathy from the jaws of defeat and humiliation. Hers was a character that climbed the highest axis of evil and yet, to feel for such a villain is indeed, no ordinary feat. If anything, it is this hero, and anti-hero that pulled the story forward in leaps and bounds.
But then who can forget Gulzeb, the utterly defeated heroine who exacted revenge for Aamir. Hers was a grief beyond any we’d know as she had started feeling for the very man who killed her husband, and her former life. It was probably an act of self punishment, guilt, regret, resentment and revenge all rolled into the final take where she takes Tabrez’s life and then, let’s him fall in her lap – execution dear folks, execution and the irony of it all was certainly not lost on viewers.
On the topic of Gulzeb and Tabrez was our dark villain to offset all of Shehraam’s bright feels. Where Tabrez won us was in his ability to appear boyishly in love with Gulzeb, then, all of a sudden, become all rebellious with his mom, and this toxic male hero with Aliya. Tabrez was the tragic hero that walks the earth when he has a mother like Kishwar, and although that is no excuse for evil, it gives more clarity to the character beyond just plain, simple evil. After all, there has to be a reason for characters who stray from the path so determinedly as Tabrez and here the story gave us reasons to understand his evil and yet, pity him for his destiny.
If you thought Mahnoor was forgotten in all this, not really. Mahnoor certainly earned audience rage in her tight-lipped interactions with poor Taimur, but then, saved herself eventually as we saw a return to her old self under that magical evening when Taimur brings her to Shehraam. Mahnoor’s character did leave us for a bit I feel, when she was not with Shehraam or even herself – guess love does that to the best of us, or at least the Shehnoor kind of love, all engulfing like a heavy cloak that freezes reaction times unless you are with your beloved?
Aliya and Abdul are what cute love feels are like. Friends above all else. Where Aliya was defiant and resilient, Abdul was wrapped in a soft blanket, tender, caring, yet not the take charge hero we’re used to seeing onscreen. But then, none of Jaan e Jahan’s characters resembled that hero, unless of course we see Shehraam taking care of Kabir when he decided to take on Mahnoor – that anomaly we will discount because, after all, it was the love written about in romance novels we love to read, so a bit of magic and fairy dust is what we came for anyway. So show us your Alpha male side Shehraam, but only for the likes of Kabir. For the rest, be the soft hero we have grown to love and romance in our dreams.
Zeenat you were a breath of fresh air. Your desire to do good earned you so much respect, love and good vibes. We hope you find your soulmate and if it happens to be Taimur, well then, the story would sit happier and neatly wrapped up with our unchecked urge to pair every single character to a happily ever after. Which was not, of course, Gulzeb’s fate, and our heart still cries for her. And although hers was a character that received poetic injustice, we wish perhaps the makers could have wrapped up a family pardon, or perhaps we can hope that happened anyway.
Taimur you changed the tide of history by becoming that hero who forsakes his happiness, yet without resorting to evil conspiracy or toxic tactics. You earned more followers if you were on Instagram, we kid you not. And while on the topic of Taimur, Ayesha was a surprise that added cute-tender sibling feels to a bond that needed just that.
The Secret Lay In The Aesthetics
And while the characters sept us away, how can we let go of the magnificent wedding, simple yet ethereal, the mela scenes, complete with ice cream and chooriyan, the village flood, Shehraam’s shawls and Mahnoor’s bridal feels – Jaan e Jahan was a complete package. The makers did not allow the narrative slip, from dialogues to packaging, the presentation was utterly complete and wholesome. The attention to detail, let’s not forget Mahnoor frying pakoras for Karhi, to painting diyas, Kishwar’s regal jewelery and dupattas, there was a completeness in the frames, not cutting corners or taking viewers too lightly. Jaan e Jahan, you won hearts in every scene.
The Secret Lay In The Final Episode
Most dramas do a fine job of the narrative, but then, up comes the last episode and viewers are left twiddling their thumbs. Was that the end? How did everything all into a place like some sort of hocus pocus, wizardly in full action? Jaan e Jahan did not undermine the sensibility of the viewer. Kishwar stayed true to her character and yet, we saw a closure. Her repentance was real, the letter brought a tear to very eye who hear it and the graveyard scene just took it away on another level. But then, before thing could take a deep dive into a dark, depressing abyss, came the delightful wedding scene, the poetry, and an unexpected aliya and Abdul meet up.
Life is full of surprises if you’re in the world of Jaan e Jahan.
And although we didn’t really buy into Jamal’s changeover or Kabir leaving town all docile and submissive, we have to say, Jaan e Jahan hit the right spot so many times that we’re not complaining. And that’s it from the world of Shehraam and Mahnoor, happily ever after never felt so good!
Renowned writer Rida Bilal, has lent her talent to the script of Jaan e Jahan. The drama is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and it is produced by Sana Shahnawaz and Samina Humayun of Next Level Entertainment in collaboration with Shahzad Nasib and Humayun Saeed of Six Sigma Plus. Jaan e Jahan drama aired on ARY Digital and you can find all episodes on YouTube.
The cast features a blend of seasoned veterans and rising talents. Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ayeza Khan, Asif Raza Mir, Savera Nadeem, Emmad Irfani, Mariyam Nafees, Nausheen Shah, Nawal Saeed, Zainab Qayoom, Raza Talish, Haris Waheed, Srha Asgr and others infuse the ensemble with energy and dynamism. With such a diverse and talented line up, audiences were treated to an enthralling performance each time.
