New drama, Gulbahar seems to promise a high intensity family watch. Have you watched it yet?
Gul Bahar just dropped the first episode & we’re all set for a story that’s part emotional, part Pakistani drama trope. Or maybe not? If first episodes are anything to go by, this one might not be telling the whole story.
Mehreen Jabbar’s new drama, Gulbahar, hit the screens last night. A story by Aliya Bukhari, the drama eases us into a slow-burn plot that seems like a saga we have watched often enough. But what makes it different?
Sara and Sheheryar married 12 years ago and seem to be living a “happily ever after” life.
The catch?
Sara cannot bear children, but Sheheryar, the doting husband, is content with just the two of them, together forever.
Diya is a young girl whose family, (not very well off), is known to Sara and Sheheryar. The two families share an affectionate, loving bond. Diya is also set to get engaged to her cousin Azer, but that might not happen anytime soon.
There is pressure for a second marriage from Sheheryar’s sister, who wants the business to stay in the family and also wants Sheheryar to have children of his own.
The catch?
How will the situation play out such that Diya ends up being a possible choice for the second marriage?
The drama delivers a plot we have seen often enough onscreen, but Sheheryar and Sara’s family do not seem the kind who would consider a second marriage; hence, the curiosity as to how the situation flips will keep audiences invested.
The episode closes with Sara watching a young mother at a restaurant interacting with her child. Sara seems to feel the vacuum in their lives, but she has not spoken it out loud to Sheheryar.
Will Sara’s need for a child and Diya’s family’s financial issues bring these two together?
Direction Hits
A scene not to be missed is the rain shower scene. Mehreen Jabbar has a signature sense for nailing outdoor scenes that require movement and crowds, evoking tension where none existed a few moments before. The rainy day scene was just that. Diya stuck in the rain at a bus stop with flooded roads and minimal visibility was so well executed that one wondered for a moment if the team was really shooting in the rain.
Sara crafting a boat and Diya, her candles, was another detail that added to the storytelling.
Performances
Saife Hassan, as Diya’s father, was a pleasant surprise onscreen, and we enjoyed the portrayal.
Sanam Saeed and Emaad Irfani deliver great chemistry onscreen. Komal Meer, as Diya, gives a very natural-feel performance.
Sanam Saeed slips into a role as if she has always been there, doing it for a lifetime. Sara is yet another character she has taken on remarkably well, tugging at the audience’s emotions just right. The way she told Sheheryar’s sister that she would never allow him to marry for a second time was subtle yet impactful. Despite her quiet aura, there is a determined soul within. She does not seem as easily yielding as one expects Pakistani drama heroines to be. One wonders if there is more to her than meets the eye. That is the magic of Sanam Saeed; in just one episode, she has managed to unleash multiple questions about her character in our minds.
Have you watched Gul Bahar yet? Tell us what you think.