Gentleman might be about Iqbal Munna and Zarnab’s love story, or about gang wars in the midst of big cities, it might also be about the misery of the common man, but what we didn’t expect was Gentleman in the shade of Faaris, the confused, two-timing, eligible bachelor who’s stuck between two headstrong women; he loves Zarnab (he says) yet spends time with Mifra on the quiet. Here’s a deconstruct of the character that is confounding viewers and possibly, himself too in this maze of Gentleman(ly) relationships!
Gentleman is a currently on-air Pakistani drama showing on Green Entertainment. The story, with shades of romance, is scripted with the backdrop of gang warfare, a feel of dark comedy, and the miseries of the common man overshadowed by big city life of Karachi. Penned by Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar who needs no introduction and directed by the talented Haissam Hussain, the cast features a list of who’s who starring Yumna Zaidi, Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, Zahid Ahmed, Sohai Ali Abro, Ahmad Ali Butt, among others.
Faaris, essayed effortlessly by Zahid Ahmed in Gentleman is charming, cool, calculating and in love – but with whom? Writer Khalil ur Rehman Qamar is used to painting shades of grey with a generous dab of colour on all his characters, that is, after all why, we see ourselves in many of them. Has Faaris just broken through the male psyche to give us the many shades of a man in love with more than one woman, or… is he merely being unfaithful to Zarnab, despite professing that he loves her?
Or in fact, is Faaris in love with Mifra, two minds who think alike, she knows it but he doesn’t?
Here’s why Faaris has us confused and requires a character deconstruct of his own…
1. Faaris seems to care about Zarnab, but does he?
He visits her when she’s upset with him and calls him in the office to release Iqbal Munna from jail, he attempts to pacify her, dealing with her indignant anger, frustration because … well, he cares right? He tries to understand her passion for standing up for the wronged – idealistic behaviour that, and hard to swallow for a practical man like Faaris, but he relents nonetheless, because, well, the man is in love, right?
But then, this too is Faaris…read on!
2. Faaris dines with Mifra despite telling Zarnab he won’t
Not once, but twice or more. Faaris makes himself available for Mifra, though he continues to tell her he needs to stop meeting her alone because Zarnab doesn’t approve. Faaris conveys Zarnab’s reservations about meeting Mifra alone and in that, he is honest, telling Mifra that Zarnab has asked him to take her along next time he’s invited to dine with her.
This honest confession makes us wonder, is he really in love with Zarnab? Is Mifra merely an inconvenience, but a rational one that Faaris needs in order to further his career? And Faaris being a rational man, unlike Zarnab, cannot just throw away a career opportunity because his fiancée feels possessive, right? But is it just business as usual with Mifra or something more lurking between the moments they share and the dinners he doesn’t disclose to Zarnab?
And then we have another Faaris, the one who’s not totally honest, totally unlike Zarnab?
3. Faaris is not the best example of honest, upright citizen of the world
Zarnab has been known to fight for the rights of the common man. Her pain reflected in the way she speaks about the prisoners who are harassed before even being convicted, or even supporting Iqbal Munna, jailed without reason. In all this, Zarnab reveals a nature that will stand up for what’s right, regardless of the consequences to herself or her career.
On the other hand, Faaris is not quite our silent or loud crusader.
Faaris cares about his Assistant Commissioner title and beyond. He transfers money into Zarnab’s bank account, allegedly obtained through unlawful means or a bribe to keep Rehmati out of jail, but he probably justifies it on the grounds of a reality check – the business he’s in has some perks, right? This is the law of the land. Zarnab on the other hand, is all black and white. There are no greys in this character. She is double dealing or she’s not. And she’s not. She would never.
Zarnab does not understand what “under the table’ means, or, “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”. Zarnab is in the business of revealing the truth and standing up for it. Hence, can she even live with someone like Faaris? Does she even know what Faaris is up to? And would she accept it, let alone approve of it?
And lastly, is Faaris actually and truly and unbeknownst to himself too, in love with Mifra? Does he think he’s meeting her solely for the sake of his career but in reality, he enjoys spending time with her? Is his engagement to Zarnab merely a matter of convenience, once done, he has to go through with it for the sake of convenience, or habit, or propriety?
Who is Faaris really and which woman does he really care for? Or, as in the words of many men, is Faaris in love with two women at the same time? (Not us, just something we hear spoken often enough). Whatever Faaris is or isn’t, he’s certainly leaving the door open for Iqbal Munna, and that, dear folks, is why he needs to take a long, hard look at his dining choices, with or without Zarnab! Drop a comment below and tell us what you think!
Gentleman airs every Sunday on Green Entertainment. It is based on a story written by the renowned playwright, Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar and directed by Haissam Hussain, produced by the dynamic duo Samina Humayun Saeed and Sana Shahnawaz of Next Level Entertainment. The cast includes Humayun Saeed, Yumna Zaidi, Adnan Siddiqui, Zahid Ahmed, Sohai Ali Abro, and Ahmad Ali Butt among others.
