A scene, a conversation in HKKST that we were eagerly awaiting ever since we saw Mehreen and Mashal hugging in the teasers. It sparked the audiences’ interest as we wondered how a turn of events could magically conjure up an image of these 2 arch rivals hugging each other?
And finally, the much-awaited scene arrived and we don’t think we were ready for the emotional journey it took us on.
What a beautifully written scene by Umera Ahmed! The emotions, the tears, expressions, it really did make us feel the longing for some sort of closure that Mehreen and Mashal craved for each other, to revisit their childhood when they were unaware of being pitted against each other..
Mahira Khan posted on her Instagram account with a heartfelt caption that many resonated with.
She writes, “This scene. Thissss scene. It is the heart and soul of HKKST.. at least for me. I remember reading it and thinking – This will be interesting – two women who have been pitted against each other their whole lives, sit opposite each other and talk. Rarely do we see that on our screens. Talk about their vulnerabilities, their childhood, their take on life and how it unfolded for them, what went wrong, and all the time they have lost just because of what was fed to them.”
The scene looked effortless to us but in reality, it took Mahira and Kubra much longer to perfect it – three times, to be precise! Mahira added, “Weirdly enough we tried doing this scene twice.. and something or the other would go wrong. Finally a third time we came back to this house and shot it. I remember wanting to cry seeing Kubra, but as Mehreen I didn’t know she was going to die.. so I had to still act a bit angry a bit weary of her, still not trust her fully. But when I’d get out of character I just wanted to hug Mashal. There is no one I’d rather have sitting there except for her. @thekubism my Mashal.”
HKKST has had its fair share of criticism. Viewers felt the storyline was overly stretched and why Mehreen was taking all the emotional abuse when she was shown to be a strong girl at the onset… Mahira Khan fans were wondering why she has chosen such a weak character. But, at the end of the day, the drama was sending out multiple messages, the journey must be seen in its entirety perhaps? And this conversation added miles to supporting both Mehreen & Mashal’s case.
HKKST is about upbringing, cousin rivalry and highlights the consequences of children being pitted against each other by parents. It shows how damaging negative comparison can be to a child’s self-esteem and how it shapes their personality when they grow up. Lastly, it highlights the importance of conversation.
That conversation, in particular, was in a way, a resolution of past hurtful behavior. It probably showed the viewers that people needed to have more of these conversations and resolve their issues before they threaten to poison the critical relationships in our lives (wishful thinking?). We hope this drama changes mindsets within families and relationships that although there is so much hurt, abuse and jealousy, we need to peel back the layers of negativity and question how and why it all began.
Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay seems to have been an emotional journey for both the audiences and the actors involved.
Tell us if the conversation changed your perception of the narrative or do you still feel it needed a revamp?
