A Romance laced with political intrigue and zero joint family conspiracies might be up your alley. If Pakistani dramas have failed to catch the mystery buff in you – and Pas e Deewar is a watch that might come close
When new stories emerge on the drama front, we often take time to ingest the new diet, so used to the usual are we; from saas bahu shenanigans to extra marital affairs and the ‘other woman’ trope. Some dramas catch audiences with sensational-filmy feels (there’s a large audience that will lap that up btw), some grab the stargazers amongst us – cast a super-duper onscreen couple and the story can go out the window, yet some dramas attempt to go the “different’ route, albeit a rocky road it is, there’s no harm in checking out the Pakistani drama audience palate for variety – the spice of life, they say?
Green Entertainment is trying out just that with Pakistani drama Pas e Deewar. And here’s why you can try giving this story a go.
1. The lead couple are already married
If one is not a romance buff, then this one is not about courting a dame or chasing a dashing young hero. Our hero and heroine Iftikhar and Ujala are a happily married pair and their challenge arises from poverty, not the “other woman” trope, which is such a relief really. There’s a lot of that on the horizon so we can steer clear of a cliched narrative here. Their love story is also portrayed in a simple, charming manner and both Arsalan Naseer and Noor Khan emit powerful onscreen chemistry to give the right does of romance without the (thankfully) cheesy feels.
2. Struggles of the common man
Poverty and trying to make ends meet it is – the struggle is very relatable. Iftikhar struggles to put food on the table, and that, coupled with local landlords who seek his land as a possible revenue plot leave him struggling to survive in a world where money and power mean everything. Iftikhar’s struggles are portrayed with a relatability that is unsettling and pull sat the heart strings – a story about a common man who refuses to bend to power politics, and as a result, meets the consequences for his quest to live an honest life.
3. Political clout and power games
We read about them in the news, but Pas e Deewar shows them up close; how powerful landlords and politicians exploit the powerlessness of the poor and feed off their deprivation. Additionally, the power games and hierarchy between the powerful are shown up close, with Shabbir and Hamid Zaman vying for the bigger slice of the pie. Elections are up close and the race heats up as candidates are pawned, switched and dropped, depending on their ability to carry out the dirty deeds of those in power. Shabbir played by Ali Rehman Khan and Hamid Zaman played by Saleem Sheikh, (once allies), turn political opponents and the power game swings to, you guessed it, media games!
4. The role of the media in exposing society’s dark deeds
Pas e Deewar essays how politicians employ media and journalists as a tool to fight each other on the political field. From exposing each other’s dark secrets to silently feeding the media secret information that could unmask their political opponent and keep him or her out of the election race, is something suspected to be happening in power corridors. The drama plays out how Shabbir, the less powerful politician as opposed to Hamid Zaman, will use a news channel reporter to expose his opponent by feeding her information and unearthing dark secrets and wrongdoings about his opponent. The drama takes on a suspense-thriller like narrative as Sadaf, the reporter might pursue the clues left her on a USB by Shabbir.
5. Villains painted a darker shade of grey
SP Najm ul Nisa, played by Nadia Afgan, is your prison in charge – a woman who’s ruthless, playing the politicians who play her in return, and yet, battling personal issues that give insights to why and how this character and women like her in power positions, might play out their personal and professional life choices – it’s dog eat dog in the world of Pas e Deewar and no one carries a clean slate. If we expected Najm ul Nisa to show mercy just because she’s a woman, oh well, her personal troubles are bigger and she didn’t achieve her position in the force by being upright and law abiding – there is a hierarchy of corruption in the line of crime and no one is really clean – real life feels right there make Pas e Deewar more relatable. Shabbir is another ally who evokes a strange kind of sympathy at times, for his feelings for Ujala, yet, one knows he is as ruthless as the rest when it comes to his own survival. And then there’s Maqbool, who committed the ultimate treachery and is paying for it with his conscience and more.
Pas e Deewar is a story that will keep you intrigued as to the final outcome. Will Hamid Zaman’s dark deeds be exposed finally, will Iftikhar and Ujala sort out their misunderstandings, or will Shabbir succeed in his secret scheme? The drama stands at a crossroads presently and one you can catch up on the 20 plus episodes over the weekend to get in on the story.
Note: A few misses must be pointed out, lest you say we didn’t warn you. Ujala’s near perfect makeup in jail was unwarranted and the creators needed to give her the battered look she was projected to have undergone. This takes away from her struggle quite a bit unfortunately. The story drags at times , but the narrative aims to pull you into the storyline in a gradual, slow burn kind of way, so bear with the pace at times.
Pas-e-Deewar is written by Shagufta Bhatti and directed by Sabeeh Ahmed and airs twice a week – Thursday and Friday, on Green Entertainment. It is produced by IRK Films. The cast includes Noor Zafar Khan, Arsalan Naseer, Ali Rehman Khan, Saleem Sheikh, Khalid Butt (late), Naima khan, Ismat Zaidi, Nayyer Ijaz, Nadia Afghan, Khawaja Shayan, Mahnoor Niazi, Sabir Khan, and more.
