Sirf Shabana just dropped its first two episodes and here’s a rundown of the story to get you up to speed. Promising much or yet another story on the Pakistani drama landscape? Read on to find out more…
This is a story about a young girl raised by her aunt and uncle, she is empowered, independent minded, and nothing like your airy-fairy Pakistani drama heroine. She wants to make it alone in a world ruled by men, and set against this backdrop, resides a story that will possibly map out the high and lows of Shabana’s life.
The Story
Shabana is an honest, gritty young girl who has no intentions of getting married in the near or distant future, She works two jobs, one of which is tending to her mammoo’s shop. She stands up for the downtrodden (a feature predominant in most self reliant heroines, so we’re hoping this one doesn’t come off as a cliche), but so far, her take on self empowerment and independence has been fairly subtle, thanks to a balanced performance by Sohai Ali Abro and a script that hasn’t fallen to the usual trope of young, outspoken girl who is hard to digest onscreen. In other words, the character sticks so far.
Also starring, Adeel Hussain aka Kabir who resides in Karachi as opposed to iur heroine in Hasilpur. Kabir runs his own business and has a seriously negative vibe with his dad. These two can’t seem to communicate and there’s history there that Kabir is not aware of. The cushion between these two is Kabir’s dadi whom he seems close to. It is good to see the script navigated events such that both Shabana and Kabir have spoken to each otehr over the phone. What remains now is a face-to-face encounter.
Then there’s Bawla aka Bilal Ahmed played by Durrab Khalil. Bawla inhabits his own world – of poetry and dreams. His mother wants to get him married and regards him as a lost cause, one who can barely look after himself let alone a family. However, Bilal is an entertaining character, adds comic relief to the screen and that too, in a subtle, amusing interplay of dialogues. One has to watch him living in the moment, dreaming of a time when he become an acclaimed poet, respected in all the world – of course, no one else in the story has the patience to see his dream through, and hence, he tends to his paan shop, along with his partner played by none other than Muslim Abbas, who was a pleasure to catch onscreen.
What Stood Out
Sirf Shabana opened with a wedding scene that was as bizarre as it was entertaining, and drew the viewer straight into the story. Without giving away a spoiler, one has to watch to understand the significance of this one. SImilarly, Bawla and his pal at the paan shop, engaging in poetry, song and a comical camaraderie brought a smile to the lips. On the other hand, Shabana’s aunt and uncle come across as positive people who genuinely love their niece. Her cousin Hina shares an equally close bond with her. Shabana practicing her salary raise spiel before the mirror and then repeating it to her boss later, was a brief yet amusing moment in the screenplay, elevating a simple moment into an engaging watch.
The Messaging
The drama isn’t called Sirf Shabana for nothing. While Shabana’s story will take center-stage for sure, there is an underlying thread with women needing to reclaim their identity; from Shabana’s sister Shahana who has lost herself in her post marriage life, her only goal being to keep her husband happy, to her cousin Hina who wants to be just like Shabana – independent, assertive and single; to Shabana’s age itself, which is somewhere in between that of a girl considered ideal “marriageable” age, to one who’s missed the bus. There is also a hint of dark comedy in the opening scene where Shabana, married, gets into the groom’s car with her mother in-law (minus the groom), amidst reassurances that the groom’s family will look after the bride just like their very own.
Then there’s the bloke who stalks Shabana at the bus stop, a permanent menace she chooses to ignore, but who is part of the background noise in her life. Familiar much? Ask the girls who’re watching, and they’ll tell you a story. Not to forget Shabana’s desire to disassociate herself from her father’s name – a move she has her heart set upon.
Sirf Shabana could fall under shades of a dark comedy but not quite. Does it hit the high notes? Possibly yes, though a few more episodes should pull the story together. The characters intrigue in themselves but need a bit more show and relevance to each other to get the ball rolling. For the first two episodes, Sirf Shabana seems to have grabbed eyeballs and we hope the gaps fill in to give us a drama that can happily take over our prime time watch.
The drama is written by Sanam Mehdi Zaryab and directed by Aabis Raza. It is produced by Moomal Production & MD Productions. It stars Sohai Ali Abro in titular role. It also stars Durrab Khalil, Adeel Husain, Muslim Abbas and more.
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