Jo Bichar Gaye yet again beats its own previous episodes on every level. It highlighted the urgency, terror, fear and the commitment on each side, once again reflecting eloquently the mindset and the dedication to stand against all forces to defend one’s beliefs and ideas.
The Plot
This week’s episode highlight was the incidents that unfolded on 25th March 1971, that followed the Operation Searchlight initiated by the Pakistan army.
On one hand we see the army trying to disarm Bengali soldiers and in parallel, we see Bengali activists rounding up West Pakistani students – absolutely brilliant story telling.
“Do not hesitate. Remember It’s them or us… Only one will see the morning”
This phrase said by Col Aurangzeb played by Aurangzaib Mirza was the highlight of the episode, summarizing the gravity of the situation and the fear from both sides. Ominous words like these invoked deep fear and terror, giving us instant goosebumps.
With events unfolding with great intensity in each episode, the sense of urgency in the army personnel was shown to be more evident than ever as the Mukti Bahini is trained under their respective leaders to cause chaos and destruction. The Pakistan army gathered its most trusted officers and prepared them for operation searchlight. The discussions, the planning and the final scene leading towards the actual execution of the entire operation were well executed, successfully able to teleport the audience to the events of Match 1971.
Characterization
Once again, we were able to connect with the characters on a human level, being able to comprehend their emotions.
Fazal Hussain as Haroon stole the show this time! He gave an impactful, gripping performance that made our heart race, feeling scared and fearful for him. He perfectly depicted the character of Haroon and the enthusiasm he has in him of young blood rearing to prove himself with a courageous deed in times where political upheaval, heroism & patriotism riled the hearts & minds of the young & old. His scene with his mother Shabnam played by Nadia Jamil nearly had us in tears. Without saying a word, Nadia Jamil was able to depict her emotions aptly and was able to transmit her inner dread of losing her son to the violence of the times.
While we love Rumi, we are a bit confused about his stance. Has he given up on his ‘no violence’ ideals and now supports the warden and Shil’s ideology? Or has he brought his cousin in to gradually include his own people & balance perspectives? Well, only the next episode can tell! As of now, Wahaj was brilliant once again in his scenes especially the last one where he goes on to seek Haroon (again showing his mistrust towards Shil).
Needless to say, we were fearful for Captain Farrukh’s life in this episode. As Farrukh embarks to fulfill his assigned tasks, he added to the endearment we feel towards his character, especially in the scene where he writes his mother a letter to say that he finally got a chance to make her proud and then, the much-awaited scene of him confessing his love to Sonia. During all his scenes, Talha Chahour remained in character, giving the right expressions on point and without overdoing it!
Also, is Captain Farrukh doubtful about Captain Siddiqui’s intentions? The long interrogation and the suspicious looks did not make us think otherwise!
We did miss Maya Ali in this episode and hope to see more of her in the next one as she is shown to process Captain Farrukh’s proposal.
Overall, the drama deserves a spot on Netflix due to its superlative production quality, direction, script, and performances. We pray it happens soon!
