If #Justiceforthecommon man had a hashtag, it would be #Faraar. The drama echoes the sinister reality of living within a system, fighting the system, giving in to the system and eventually, if you get unlucky, losing to the system – Faraar is the story of Hamdani Sahab, Sadia, Batish, Faraz, Fasih, Nazo, Babrik, and possibly, the new faces who are about to join the narrative very soon.
Pakistani dramas have often mirrored the struggles of the common man, but few have managed to bring together entertainment, subliminal messaging, suspense, thrill and sharp storytelling in a manner that resonates strikingly with the ordeal of many who are watching on the other side of the screen. Each character in Faraar carries his or her own burden, and each one has a backstory that has something to do with being caught in a downward spiral of incidents, a kind of ‘systemic quicksand’ that is hard if not impossible to beat, let alone escape.
Hence the name Faraar. Faraar or ‘flee’ is what the characters do when they know that they have no recourse to a just trial, or solution. That even if they are in the right, even if they have not erred, the system will call them out, met out instant punishment and/or even instant death, (as we have witnessed already), with zero recourse for justice even for the surviving family members. Sounds pretty morbid yeah? It is, except that, Faraar is doing the storytelling in ways that is refreshingly entertaining, and thus, audiences are riveted despite the murder, bloodshed and dark underlying themes.
And part of this ‘out of the box’ storytelling are fleshed out characters who seem to have pulled a truckload of empathy from viewers, despite the fact that some of them are fairly new in the Faraar saga. So here’s a breakdown of why and how Faraar is fighting the cause, one character at a time and why we’re so invested in saving their lives eventhough, wait for it… neither of them seems to be completely innocent?
What more could the common man want? He sees himself, his flawed yet unfair life journey laid out in human beings that might have erred, but not so much that they deserve to die or, (better or worse, you decide), be on the run for the rest of their lives.
But onward to our heroes, and heroines who are making it all happen… first up is none other than our superhero:
1. Batish – Just A Pawn In The Bigger Game Of Life
Batish is our man. He’s your ordinary chill guy, went to college, hung out with friends the likes of Faraz, lived an ordinary life and then, somehow, got caught in the race for survival, landed himself as a hitman for a party that thrives on hitmen to do their dark deeds in the city. Fast forward to today, Batish is on the run for a murder he didn’t commit, (though he committed others but who’s counting). But the sad part his, Batish is inherently a good man, and when he wanted to turn over a new leaf and walk away, oh well, that’s something unheard of… beating the system or the party is not one for the Batish’s among us. They die like Hamdani Sahab or Naseer, right?
But since Batish has all of our heart, we’re rooting for him and feel his pain, hoping his spirit is not battered to death before his ‘swag escapes’ from impossible situations. Batish gives us hope, but deep down, we know he’s just another pawn in the power game of life where sooner or later, he might meet a tragic end? Ouch, that sounds very painful, even to write here.
2. Hamdani Sahab – Those Who Go Down Fighting
The common man who died a death at the hands of ‘na maloom afraad’ – countless have faced the same fate in the city. Hamdani Sahab represents the face of courage, honour, intellect and defiance that we are gradually losing to the brave souls who put up a fight till the end. The city has lost many journalists, some for spekaing out, and some, silenced before they could speak. These voices, silenced once and for all represent the silent battle of souls who refuse to give up even as they see death staring them in the face.
Hamdani Sahab felt such a presence a few days earlier when Batish chose not to kill him, yet he marched on. However, his crusade with the pen was brought to a tragic and final end, a brave life extinguished, paying tribute to many more Hamdani Sahab’s who might have met the same fate in real life.
3. Sadia – Those Who Were Punished For Believing
Sadia fell victim to the system by default. Just like all the family members of the brave souls who lead the fight, ‘they’ come for them after they have taken the life of the primary offender. Sadia is that victim. She has nothing to do with her father’s fight for justice, but just that she believed in him. But believeing is also a sin for the unversed, find out from those who know and whose families have been persecuted for ‘believing’ in them – the struggle of ordinary people in an ordinary world who have to deal with extraordinary circumstances like poor Sadia who had to leave her home overnight for fear of her safety. And what stands out is how these extraordinary circumstances make heroes out of ordinary people like Sadia who is willing to risk all, only to seek justice for her father’s murder.
And this brings us to another victim by default.
4. Faraz – Those Who Were In The Line Of Fire
Dear Faraz, you warned Batish many times and you offered him refuge when he had no where to go. Faraz is the friend we wish we all had. Faraz who lived a simple life and wanted nothing more or less from life – his music, a girl to love and a peaceful night’s sleep. He just lost all that because he chose to be there for a friend.
Faraz pays tribute to countless Faraz’s who get caught in the line of fire, falling victim to a plan that’s bigger than their dreams. They have to up and go before it’s too late and the people tied to them might suffer too. At this point, it is his undercover wife whose life seems to be at risk.
5. Faraz’s Wife – Those Who Represent All Of Us
The ordinary-est citizen of all is the latest Faraar victim. She has no clue why the police is coming after her husband, yet she is well versed in the ways of the world to know when to stay silent or not reveal all. She represents all of us. We tiptoe around life, everyday, taking in everyday as a gift, a bonus 24 hours, and pretend everything is fine, yet always prepared for the unplanned, unexpected moment when we instinctintively turn on our shock absorbers, (read guard) and trust no one. Faraz’s wife did just that, she hedged her answers to police inspector Fasih, and although bewildered, did alright in hiding what she could – trust no one, not even the police. Yeah nod your head if you know what you know.
Ordinary people leading not so ordinary lives!
6. Fasih – The Police Officer Who Tries To Beat The System
And that brings us to Fasih, the police inspector who’s as defiant as Hamdani Sahab but not as sharp as his target Batish. (At least not yet). He’s an anomaly in a world of police inspectors who give in to the ‘system’ and hence, he might soon be out of a job. The Fasih’s in this world are fast becoming non existent – they are termed foolish, idealistic, unsmart or even a failure in the game of life. Well, because they haven’t learnt to read the system and pander to it.
Fasih is on a timeline that’s about to expire and as he closes in on his target, Batish, it is but a fine job from the storytellers that we’re feeling for them both. Such is the pull of these two characters that though on opposite ends of the battle lines (with Sadia in between, let’s not forget), we want them both to succeed and neither to fail.
Fasih is the police officer who rises to our storybook description of police officers, the ones we read about in school. If he seems too good to be true, perhaps he is, but his predicament isn’t. Because he too, is a victim of the sytem that fails to support his struggle to stay honest and true to his job. Fasih might still win though, and although he might be a storybook hero, he mirrors the struggles within all of us who want to stand for the truth but risk losing all if we do so.
7. Nazo – The Doubly Cursed
Nazo has double skin in the Faraar game. She’s fleeing twice over. Once from her village, knowing she won’t be safe after defending herself and subsequently murdering her harasser, and then fleeing again as Shakeela and her brothers pin her for a murder she didn’t commit. Nazo has fallen prey to powers much bigger than what she can handle. Yet her single-minded flight for survival echo the unfortunate, the damned among us who fail to find a resting place just because we stood up for ourselves or a loved one’s protection, safety and /or rights.
Nazo is in hot waters and her story is keeping audiences invested. Again, a woman who has taken a life but not one who deserves punishment. But will the sytem let her free?
8. Babrik – Exploited By The Powers Who Serve The System
The young man who just wants to marry his beloved is about to be plunged into a nightmare we have read about, watched on our screens and shudder to think of as a reality in our modern world. But such is the divide between the rich and poor that Babrik might end up on a boat, bus, train headed towards tragedy – the dunki route or seeking refuge through illegal routes to Europe. The dream to merely to save up for his wedding and make a life for himself might be the biggest mistake of his life.
Babrik represents all those people who dare to dream, hope the impossible and risk all to seek a brighter future – young, brave, desperate hearts who believe in the power of youth and hardwork to make it happen but have lost hope to achieve the same in their own country. Young, hot-headed yet naive Babrik might be exploited by the system, by opportunists who will use him for their own financial gains – many innocent Babriks have met a tragic fate – news stories are littered with their dying dreams. We hope he is not one of them. But in fact, his story teaches many other young men not to follow the same route.
Faraar is not done yet as more stories unravel against the backdrop of all the ones we root for already. Among them is Chaudhary played by Faris Shafi and then Sami Khan’s character, apparently brother of Azam Shah. The brief scene we witnessed in the latest episode seemed to depict a man who seems to be waging a lone war against insurmountable power and influence, that too against his own brother. Politics is a dark game and once a family member has his hands covered, there’s no way out.
Is this the story of Azam Shah’s brother?
And there you have it. These are the stories of the common man – the characters and the chase that linger on in our mind well past the episode. Which one are you most invested in? For us, the game changes every episode. For now it’s Faraz and his wife, but Batish and Fasih are forever on our minds. What about you?
Faraar airs on Green Entertainment every Sunday evening at 8pm. The drama’s ensemble cast consists of Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sohai Ali Abro, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Mamya Shajaffar, Noor ul Hassan, Sami Khan, Danyal Zafar, Merub Ali, Nadia Jamil, Hassan Niazi, Noor ul Hassan, Iffat Umar, Haroon Shahid, Maha Hasan, Sami Khan, Faris Shafi, and others. Faraar is written by Mustafa Afridi, directed by Wajahat Hussain and Mussadek Malik and produced by Samina Humayun and Sana Shahnawaz under Next Level Entertainment.
