If food is the language of love, play on, give me excess of it! Misquoting Shakespeare is becoming a favourite pastime, but with Biryani, it’s all about food and language, so there’s no way you can blame us, and although we might be getting an excess of it, we’re not complaining.
From Qulfi-falooda to rasmalai, Urdu speaking daal-loki and the locally sourced dish Sindhi Bae (made from the Lotus flower), yes foods speak a language. While these flavours may not be present in Mamoo’s ‘makhanchoo’ and ‘jadoo ka pitara,’ this still constitutes a valuable language lesson that should not be underestimated.
Biryani takes us on a love-talk about food, be it popular joints at MA Jinnah Road or Tanvir’s Sohanjnay ka saag, the idea is to show us, subtly yet beautifully that our cultures; Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, Pathan and Urdu speaking have adopted each others food flavours, knowingly or unknowingly, and the drama is rereading the food dictionary for us so that we know that whether we think we are not like each other, and we don’t need to be, our foods have found a way into each other’s hearts. And that is the beginning of friendship, tolerance, acceptance – a shared food heritage can bring together a diverse people in the happiest of ways.
Not just that, but Gul Mehar teaching the local women how to speak in English; keep the accent but perfect the pronunciation was such a beautiful message. Our accent is us, and the pronunciation is there’s – respecting a language means respecting a people. And our accents often define where we come from, that is the part we must always keep and carry forward.
Onwards to our hero-heroine who are falling hopelessly in love. From Meeran’s Qulfi-falooda bunking plan to Nisa’s handing him a dupatta to wipe his sweat, these two are bonding like a pea in a pod, and the poetic blooming of a relationship over two episodes, fleeting yet fulfilling, over rasmalai, bae and a collared shirt, were possibly one of the most engaging romance we witnessed in Pakistani dramas since a long time. Shout out to both director Badar Mehmood and writer Zafar Mairaj for a fabulous rendition of ‘that thing called love.’
But although the drama sent us on a world tour of Karachi, the narrow lanes and the mithai shops, it also gave us conversations that added to the bond Meeran and Nisa have formed. And the one that tops the list was when Meeran tells Jannat’s husband that he called his wife Baji, and that to him should signify the ultimate sign of respect. Nisa is taken aback that Meeran is capable of showing emotion but only when needed.
Even though raging is not a hero thing for us, this rage of Meeran’s was well-placed and showed us a glimpse into his character – one we rarely if ever earlier. Lesson learnt: It’s okay to be angry if it’s directed appropriately. Our hero won with flying colours.
He also won when he brough Nisa home and proceeded to help her with the clothes situation, every respectful, ever careful not to behave or act inappropriately. The scene was shot with great responsibility and yet, one was able to fully grasp the emotional dynamics running through these two.
Ramsha Khan’s portrayal of a sensible, practical young girl who is now falling for a guy she had no plans to fall for, or for anyone for that matter, was engaging and so well enacted. Khushhal hit the right notes every time he and his interactions with both Gul Mehar and Nisa are a treat to watch.
But if the lead pair is taking us places, it is the supporting cast that is making us feel the drama is a complete package. From Mitthal (played by Sarfraz Ali), who played a bit dense towards the end about where to dry the clothes, to Rashid bhai whose character aptly essayed by Mazhar Suleman Noorani is powerfully positive in a manner that will pull at your heartstrings (if you have a Rashid bhai in your midst), the drama is sending out positive role models amongst ordinary people belonging to every ethnicity, class and relationship.
Mitthal is refreshingly non judgmental, despite his ‘mard ego’ we hear of from Gul Mehar, Rashid bhai is strongly protective yet never toxic, in fact, seems hurt and visibly injured as he notes the growing bond between Nisa and Meeran – where we are used to seeing negativity or misogyny, we merely see a human being, with shades of grey and yet, a shade of positivity too. For instance, when Rashid bhai tells Nisa he saw her at the shop and therefore did not bring her the rasmalai, there was no accusation in his tone, just pure pain and honesty.
Gul Mehar is turning out to be a positive presence as well. Not only are we appreciating Sarwat Gilani’s depiction of this character, one that we have (again) not seen played out earlier on TV, her protection of Meeran’s wishes before the imposing rage of baba saeen was heartening to watch. Her words: “Pehle hi hum itna sub kuch musallat kar chuke hain uskay upar, bus thori si marzi usko bhi apne upar chalane den,” seemed to clinch the deal with baba saeen at least for the time being.
The screenplay skilfully brings together, village and city stories with multiple characters, making it thoroughly enjoyable to watch without cluttering the screen.
The drama injecting Jannat’s journey towards home catering, Gul Mehar’s efforts at self empowerment for the local village women and the reporter’s story, helped shift mindsets in the simplest possible ways, without any grand scenes or unnecessary monotony. However, we would appreciate seeing some authentic village scenes where these women are learning local embroidery or preparing food.
The banter between Nisa and Meeran kept the story alive, a hint of teasing each other, a hint of poignancy, and also the detailing of the business project, from poster design to distribution as well as Meeran learning how to ride a bike, then riding Mitthal’s tasseled, ajrak clad vehicle followed by a skid in a muddy lane and the fall, made for a great watch!
Tell us what you love most about Biryani. The story will soon be taking a deep dive into the emotional, perhaps intensely dramatic moments, we see it coming. Do you? Let us know your predictions on Biryani!
Just make sure you have one of Tanvir’s crispy parathas and a dhabay wali chai to take it all in!
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, Yousaf Bashir Qureshi, and more.
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