The first episode of Rutba dropped last night and Umera Ahmed has viewers’ attention once more as Pakistani drama audiences turn to yet another story that tests their ‘Faith’… no pun intended, just a thought in progress as the story progresses. Read on for the first episode, first review.
The Story
Hadi has just made it to civil services and is about to marry his long time sweet heart Mahnoor. The two families are starkly different in lifestyle though and that’s the conflict coming up in the second episode. Hadi comes from a small village, his father is a Hafiz e Quran and he himself is also very close to his faith. On the other end of the spectrum is Mahnoor, who loves dogs, lives in the city and has waited 8 years for Hadi to pass his exams and be qualified and independent enough to take on a wife.
The two families meet for the first time and what follows is a light-hearted take on the differences that set them apart yet the goodness at heart that might bring them together.
Performances
Talha Chahour is giving us a vintage look – throwback to his appearance in Jo Bichar Gaye as Captain Farrukh and this time too, the vintage air possibly matches the vibe of his character in Rutba! Hiba Bukhari takes on a young girl in love, independent minded yet sensitive to her potential in-laws’ lifestyle and expectations.
The flashback scenes thrown in to lay the background for Hadi and Mahnoor’s story help link the narrative to the present. They also throw some light on the relaxed relationship between Mahnoor and Hadi where Hadi seems to be asking her to understand his parent’s expectations and yet, not forcing her to make drastic changes in her lifestyle and fit a mould. Where the relationship goes from here will be interesting and possibly, throw a message to other young couples who hail from starkly different social and religious backgrounds.
Ali Tahir and Salma Hasan as parents of Hadi do a great job of acting the part – simple, human, non-judgemental and coaxing a smile from audiences at just the right moments. And while all that is happening onscreen, a part of us is wondering if a young girl should be asked to prove her Faith to her future in-laws by reciting the kalmas and possibly allay their fears by mentioning that she is good at housework and cooking. But since the performances and dialogues have tried to keep it light and balanced, there is no unnecessary drama or outward judgement so far, we wait to see how the drama proceeds.
Messsaging
Messaging stands as the focal point of the drama yet again – it is Umera Ahmed after all, as Hadi’s father reminds him at the beginning of the epsiode, that we are all human and humans are liable to err. But one is a bit cautious with the class difference shown where once again, the girl’s background – Mahnoor is more liberated and possibly not that close to her Faith as opposed to Hadi’s family.
One wonders if perhaps the creators should have waited before they fielded yet another Umera Ahmed narrative (there are quite a few of them currenty on-air or recently ended in the present drama season), since they carry a very distinct message of Faith, morality and messaging. Variety is the spice of life after all, even in Pakistani dramas, or should be, nonetheless, said no one! But then again, perhaps, this one has something entirely different up its sleeve as we wait to see the Mehwish Hayat-Zahid Ahmed track unfold in future episodes.
Tell us if you watched the first episode of Rutba and drop us a comment with your thoughts.
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Rutba is penned by Umera Ahmed and directed by Hasseb Hassan, with a cast featuring Hiba Bukhari, Mehwish Hayat, Talha Chahour, Zahid Ahmed, Ali Tahir, Salma Hasan and more. It airs on ARY Digital.