Writer Zafar Mairaj reminds us again through Biryani that a script can be used to change perspectives — to make people look at things beyond the stereotypical notions we hold. In last night’s episode, Biryani shed a different light on Sindhi women. Are they as smart as women in the city? And if yes, how can staying home give them the exposure and wisdom we generally do not associate with them?
While the drama is being praised for showing the lifestyles and traditions of various ethnicities, it also runs the risk of characters becoming representatives of these cultures. The audience then might not separate a character’s actions from their ethnicity. That’s a double-edged sword.
For example: an action by Nisa might be taken as “something an Urdu-speaking girl would do” — and that can irk the Urdu-speaking community.
Nisa and Meeran’s relationship has now reached a point where they are comfortable, trusting, and lowkey understanding of the unspoken emotions between them.
The way Nisa offers him her dupatta to wipe his sweat… the way she blushes when he talks about going for Kulfi Falooda in the library…
In this week’s second episode, the creators pushed boundaries — the chemistry between them is no longer just cute or pookie, but often borders on intimately sensual attraction. The way she smells his shirt, the way their eyes linger on each other — it’s intense.
The drama also highlights the growing business of home chefs, many of whom bring back traditional flavours that commercial restaurants can never quite replicate. The idea of a college assignment about starting a business was brilliant — it gave a legit reason for Nisa and Meeran to interact, bond over traditions, and also bring us more of the food heritage Biryani is using as signature messaging in its storyline (like using lotus flower roots in cooking).
Gul Mehar gets a scare when she mistakes Nisa from Meeran’s college for someone visiting her. While this twist may not seem too bright at first, it showed two things:
Gul Mehar clearly doesn’t want to face Nisa — she’s hiding something.
It highlighted the progress women in rural Sindh are making and the work they are part of at a grassroots level.
Meeran learning to ride a bike was the ultimate cute moment! A shoutout to the drama for its attention to detail and realism — like the bike skidding on an uneven road and both Nisa and Meeran falling into the mud, which then turned into a sweet romantic scene.
Also, Mitthal is our favourite person now. Thank you, Mitthal jee, for helping Meeran and teaching him how to ride a bike!
Meanwhile, Meeran’s mother doesn’t seem to like Haroon.
And Gul Meher… although she holds some power, she is also answerable to Meeran’s father. Baba Saeen is angry when he tells Gul Mehar she has the power to convince Meeran to join politics — yet later, she manages to convince him not to bother Meeran by responding: “Pehle hi hum itna sub kuch musallat kar chuke hain uskay upar, bus thori si marzi usko bhi apne upar chalane den,” which seems to make him back off for the time being.
What does Gul Mehar mean by this? What had they forced Meeran to do earlier?
Biryani is written by Zafar Mairaj and directed by Badar Mehmood. It is produced by Big Bang Productions. The cast features Ramsha Khan, Khushhal Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Laila Wasti, Javed Rizvi, YBQ, and more.
