Also, will Mehreen go down as Mahira Khan’s win & is Aswad too dated for the modern day Pakistani drama hero?
Mehreen, Mashal & Aswad have us in a trance for sure. Where Mehreen’s bechaargi urges us to sympathize, her admirable pride & lack of self pity make us respect the young girl who’s fighting back.
Where Mashal’s toxicity & jealousy astound us, she stoops to a new low in very successive episode and we are secretly enjoying the evil genius more than condemning the evil inside of her…sound familiar?
And Aswad jee aap ka kya kahen?
Aswad has bewildered us with his gullibility but then charmed us with his onscreen chemistry with mehreen – the kitchen talk was defo fun to watch!
So here’s the thing
We are playing Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa with HKKST. It disappoints to witness such a regressive sazishi plot being taken on by HUM TV but then we cannot but admire the noteworthy performances & cute, heartwarming scenes.
We are totally perplexed. On the one hand, Aswad believes Mashal when she tells him that Mehreen stole her ideas but then later, he completely forgets everything & thanks Mehreen for setting up his room? Is it that he is unable to resist Mehreen’s jadoo when he meets her.
Love the respect & pride Mehreen’s character shows for herself, bravely opting to live life on her own terms.
But all said and done, is Hum Kahan Kay Sachy Thy going to play out as a one dimensional story of love & revenge between these three key players? What’s keeping it going is the stellar performances from Mahira Khan, who has stepped out of the box, as if reborn in a role where she can pout, wear glasses, not do up her hair or contour her nose, or, mince her words! Dream role that, and she’s clearly acing it!
Kubra Khan is matching up to the evil cousin who cunningly strategizes to win her guy. She looks stunning, her expressions are on point & her toxicity, real! We are loving hating her and that alone perhaps, keeps us glued to the 40 minute watch.
Finally, Usman Mukhtar gets the playing field to romance his Mehreen, and brief as the kitchen encounter was, he stepped right up to play the cousin who is fondly reminiscent of old times.
The chemistry between Mahira & Usman was very tangible and if nothing else, HKKST seems to be giving us a new lead pair in the making!
And why not, that’s what we wanted, right? Mahira’s return to the screen with someone other than Fawad Khan meant large shoes had to fill the space and good on Usman Mukhtar for standing tall, and Mahira for matching up of course!
Is Aswad too dated?
Asked many viewers. Yes, he might be, but somehow, the role is played up by Usman & scripted in a manner that makes us want to watch more. Despite his (ahem), superb gullibility, he displays a fondness for the childhood affection he harboured all throughout his growing years, and that makes us want things to work out between Mehreen & Aswad.
But
Will the drama be able to sustain a one dimensional story line without any strong supporting plot?
So far, we are engaged. Even the performances that were fleeting – Omair Rana & Laila Wasti – were impactful. Huma Nawab is packing a punch with her positive role and … the cast member to deserve special mention is … none other than…
Shabo! Kaif Ghaznavi is winning hearts as the quick-witted, comic addition to an otherwise sober story line. Well played by Kaif and well scripted by Umera Ahmed.
Finally, the refreshing camera angles, superlative direction & attention to detail through the astute lens of director Farooq Rind deserves nothing short of applause.
And that being said, HKKST is a mix of emotions right there. We question the cliched story line, yet stay riveted to the hypnotic screenplay & performances. Will Umera Ahmed’s pen be able to conquer all in the year 2021 when Pehli Si Mohabbat, Aakhir Kab Tak, Parizaad and Laapata have our attention? So far, yes, she’s doing it & we hope this one goes on to give us a story that stays with us long past the final episodes!
