Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha (MPHT) – First Episode, First Review
The first episode leaves us confused … not sure if Saad’s confused yet irresistible majnoo avatar is enough to overcome the forced and somewhat cringe romantic angle of Maheer and Areeb.
The Story
Saad is in love with his cousin Maheer who is brought up by an overprotective father. Maheer meets Areeb at her cousin’s wedding. Areeb is a rich guy who apparently sings really well. Though Areeb has not said anything and Maheer is not even aware of his feelings, but when Saad sees them together his sixth sense sets off instantly. And here begins the love triangle.
Our Take On the Story
We are about to enter 2023, and a guy following (stalking, we could say) a girl at a wedding, staring at her nonstop, eavesdropping into her private conversation, is not romantic from any stretch of the imagination. It is creepy, in fact downright scary. We wonder why the team chose to portray this as romance. The interaction between Maheer and Areeb seems forced and lacks connection despite an overdose of dreamy shots and background score.
The opening scene won us and brought an instant smile. The first 10 minutes are heart winning, but we could have easily done without Maheer’s friend.
Saad’s character seems confused at present. While he lashes out at the motorbike guy for staring at Maheer, he seems to merely glare at Areeb for trying to dance with Maheer and talk to her. Although we could credit it to the decorum at the family Mehndi, which prevented Saad from speaking his mind.
Performances to watch out for
Wahaj delivers a winning performance, and we can already see ourselves falling for him. Whether it is the comic moments in the car, heartbroken monologue on the terrace or his restrained irritability at other people eyeing Maheer, Wahaj aced his expressions.
We loved that Hania’s portrayal of Maheer was a refreshing change from her recent roles and we enjoyed watching her onscreen. Her performance in certain scenes is testament to her growing acting skills. Hania’s natural appearance onscreen in her not so perfect skin wins our applause.
Zaviyar also delivers a good performance as his expressions and body language came together to deliver Areeb’s personality traits. Rabiya Kulsoom stands out as the concerned, over emotional sister who can already see her brother’s peace of mind affected by Maheer.
What could’ve been better
A small note for the creators – if an actor plays a singer’s role, then please ensure his mannerisms & expertise with his instrument is believable. This adds miles to the visual experience and connection with the character.
The friend’s banter towards the end that ended up with Anabiya’s friend harassing Maheer seemed very out of place. One could have moved the story forward with better performances and dialogues from support cast – this interaction just seemed to pull down the entire episode.
Final Word
The first episode was interesting, but it offered nothing new. The scenes and some performances seemed disjointed. But to be honest, the magic of Wahaj and Hania, some funny and some heart winning moments, save the episode and make us want to watch the next one. There are moments when you will smile, moments when you will feel the intensity of Saad’s emotions and then there are times when you are left wondering – why oh why!
