If the first two episodes of Aye Ishq e Junoon had you fooled that this is your typical love story with a predictable love triangle, you’ve got another thing coming. The drama flipped the plot on its head and fast!
Well, for starters, Aye Ishq e Junoon had a few trope-ish factors in the first few episodes that made one wonder at the orignality of it all – rich boy, poor girl, sick younger brother, another one, depraved, spoilt rich brat, and then the opportunistic fiance – even the most savvy drama fan would have put it down as a story pulled out of many magicians’ tattered old hats.
The Story So Far
Spoilt rich brat plays a prank, then makes a beeline for the heroine, who falls victim to his dark intentions, but then what follows next, perhaps the last 10 minutes of episode two this week(?) held our attention throughout. Safe to say, and in all honesty, the tropes were meeting expectations with Jamal bullying Aimen and her parents with an inflated sense of self entitlement, hanging on to a bachpan ki mangni, then Maheen and Rahim engaged as their rich dads look towards a profitable business alliance, following close behind was Shehroze and his questionable friends who spend all day splurging someone else’s wealth, driving fast cars and wining and dining in fancy restaurants, getting high on weed or more, and then, but of course, eyeing poor unsuspecting Aimen as the prize.
But then comes the switch…wait for it.
Shehroze’s actions have landed him in deep waters as Aimen is injured in the struggle, perhaps fatally? And thankfully, there is no misunderstanding as Rahim takes in the entire situation and seems to ‘get’ what his little brother was up to. The final moments of the episode were well executed as “suspense, what happens next, will they get caught, will Aimen wake up, will Rahim save her, will Jamal get to her first and cause more trouble,” all came together to deliver a change of pace, and a much needed boost to the story.
If these final moments hadn’t occurred and been depicted in a gripping manner, one would question the previous events, from Rahim saving Aimen in the swimming pool, Shehroze’s friends shooting a secret video and Jamal turning up at the hotel to make a complete nuisance of himself. Add to that Aimen’s reluctance to reveal the problem before Rahim, when he discovered the CCTV footage was a bit frustrating but also a very stereotypical Pakistani drama move – after all, we can’t have our cake and eat it too. The scene where Aimen and Rahim talk it out after being soaked through in the swimming pool was unnecessarily dramatized but hey, what a drama’s gotta do to roll in the views is anybody’s guess. We assume that video will be used at a prime moment in the story, just when our hero and heroine are least expecting it.
One must acknowledge though that the cinematography here, with underwater shots was a first in Pakistani dramas and deserves a shout out. Pushing boundaries should be a norm and the director’s certainly understood the assignment here!
Rahim forgiving Shehroze everytime he pulls a prank is getting a bit tiresome though, especially after the swimming pool incident. It was also a bit incredulous that not a soul was present in the area, either in the swimming area or in the changing rooms throughout the scene. A bit more normalcy and less damatization would have added relatability to the events.
Maheen and Rahim seem to be totally in love and one wonders how the tables will turn there, for eventually, they will, in order for Aimen and Rahim to ahem, discover each other? Jamal’s toxicity is another level indeed and he’s going to spell trouble with a capital T very soon.
What happens next?
What happens next is anybody’s guess, though the next episode promo gave away too much as usual. Shehroze will manage to slide off with the support of his mother who will exert pressure on Rahim. Will Aimen survive? We assume yes. It has to be said that the story and how it is executed from here onwards will reveal if Aye Ishq e Junoon can touch base with many who might relate to such dark events and the sense of entitlement that the privileged enjoy in society, or, will a promising story lose touch with reality and become just another drama watch.
With a seasoned team behind the project, we have high hopes for this one!
The drama is penned by Sadia Akhtar and directed by Qasim Ali Mureed. It is a project of Six Sigma Productions. The cast features Sheheryar Munawwar, Ushna Shah, Mahe Nur Haider, and Shuja Asad in the lead roles. The supporting cast includes Mohammed Ahmed, Mehmood Aslam, Shabbir Jan, Sohail Sameer, Irsa Ghazal, Furqan Qureshi, Kinza Malik and more.
