Let’s start from the end – a novel way to begin, but that’s because the finale for Meem Se Mohabbat delivered resoundingly fabulous, (not flawed), moments and hence, it’s always good to start from the top!
Unpopular opinion but… Meem Se Mohabbat delivered as many fabulous moments as flawed ones. As audiences, we like to watch dramas with rose-tinted glasses or — audiences who watch Pakistani dramas are viewers in love with their favourite actors essaying characters they’d love to meet in real life — we are very much like hopeless lovers, who tend to slip into a kind of oblivion, a safe space, a bubble(?) where we spiral into denial, reluctant to admit that possibly, the person they love has his flaws too (just like the drama). Well, because Mr. Wonderful is too wonderful to be called out — because then, he wouldn’t be Mr. Wonderful, would he? Or Ms. Wonderful, if you’re looking at it from the other side.
But the good things first.
Meem Se Mohabbat Delivered!
Talha’s emotions, his trauma and the manifestation of it, the revelation of it to Roshi, was perhaps the beauty that encapsulated all of the narrative in one simple yet stunning scene. From Ali Hassan’s execution of the frames to Dananeer and Ahad’s performance and Farhat Ishtiaq’s scripting, this scene — where mature, alpha male meets vulnerability and emotion — was so well cast, it drew audiences into a spellbinding moment, when sun, sand and sea came together in a perfect frame to take Roshi and Talha’s emotional bond to the next level.
From the moment Ahad’s expressions crumpled into a reluctant tear-jerking moment, to Roshi holding his hand and comforting him, letting him know that he holds the best memory of his brother and sister-in-law in Mohid, the couple cemented the theme Farhat Ishtiaq has often pushed in her writing – that love can heal, and heal beautifully.
Meem Se Mohabbat brought an endearing tale to an end, with characters whom we had grown to love and live with – Mohid, Roshi, Talha… even Abid uncle and Dada had our hearts.
Slowly and Gradual…
As Ahad played out Talha’s character with deep sensitivity and all-heart, Dananeer seemed to grow into hers, with Roshi taking on more relatability as the story progressed. What stood out most about the young girl who kept her chin up and refused to give in to the most catastrophic of situations was her monumental courage and self-respect – Roshi did not need a prince on horseback, or the proverbial knight in shining armor to grab her wins. Yet, love is always welcome when it strikes — Cupid does not have a timeline. Hence, when people like Roshi fall in love, they fall hard. And when they get hurt, they are crushed beyond anything they had ever imagined. Dananeer manifested the multiple traits in Roshi with effortless ease and a natural performance that made her the sweetheart of all who watched MSM to get their cute romance vibes.
Dada and Abid uncle added to the formula. Their relationship with Roshi guided not just her, but possibly countless other Roshis watching from across the screen, hanging on every word they uttered. Advice from adults that is not laced with judgement or intimidation is hard to come by, and both these characters gave truckloads of the same, hence, making us fall in love with the pen that penned them…
Mahi and Omer also added to the MSM formula. And tgough Jamal and Saleeqa night have had their ‘slip moments’ in the plotline, Shariq and Sabeeka — a thorn in the smooth love story of Talha and Roshi — were a much-needed obstacle, showing two young people the way to each other’s hearts.
Of course, the jewel in the crown was — you guessed it — Mohid. Abu Hurairah is the child actor we have our eyes on. His rendition of Mohid, the child who was too traumatized by the sudden death of his parents, was nailed to the tee. Abu Hurairah convinced in every scene, his onscreen chemistry with all his co-actors shone through, and Roshi and Mohid represented so much love together that it was hard not to smile every time they appeared.
But as we get done with the fabulous in MSM, we cannot but ignore the flawed.
These were the high points of the story that made it go viral on prime-time Twitter/X feeds, with fans sharing Talha-Roshi moments, then Mohid-Roshi moments, and then all three moments, and then back to Talha-Roshi – just as the creators would have it, and just as it should have been.
But for a drama to reach epic views or recommendation status — as in, if I have to answer this question: Which Pakistani drama should I watch? — and for me to recommend Meem Se Mohabbat would sound something like this:
Meem Se Mohabbat is a lovely story but just gather up all your patience reserves in the first few episodes, or better still, skip them.
Oops!
One could also say: The story’s great but don’t expect a few stereotypical flaws like, what happened to the ‘cool’ cyber crime guy who emerged in one scene only to disappear forever like benching your star soccer player mid-game, or moving back Babar Azam to two down in the batting line up, but then, the match ends before he has a chance to play his game?
There’s More…
One could go on to explain: Oh well, it’s a great story, watch it backwards maybe? Because you will love Roshi who comes into her own. Not the one who is, ahem, foolishly trying to kill her husband on her wedding night, but rather, the one who is calmly listening to Talha unpack his traumas, and has all the right answers for him – she is soothing, the calm in his storm, and the love in ours. Watch Roshi because she is playful, yet knows how to keep her self-respect, because she can make a mistake and misread a person like Shariq, but then so many other young girls would relate. And also because she walked a journey of determination, enrolled into engineering university, continued with her internship and impressed beyond words to take over the main player status in the story, making us smile with her selfie shenanigans one moment, and gelling with Mohid in the most endearing possible way in others.
But ignore the Roshi who was a bit too energetic, untamed, and perhaps contrived in the first few episodes. See, I told you not to watch those! Also, ignore the Talha who cascades into a barrage of mean, hurtful phrases as he tells Roshi to leave him alone. Ignore the guy who never apologized for his words — well, because he was deeply tormented.
And also, bear in mind to ignore the entire scheme where Talha and Dada planned Roshi’s surprise wedding and, in a way, married her off disregarding the very word – consent – that we hear so often in our dreams.
Roshi was, in fact, hoodwinked into marrying Talha. Whereas he could have just as easily apologized to her, told her that it is she he really wants in his life, and that she can take her time deciding. But dramas are dramas — and are we expecting too much?
Here’s Another Thought
Did MSM show us an errant girl who needed a young, self-assured male to fix her life and save her from disaster? Or did MSM show us that men too can be traumatized and men too, need to express themselves — and sometimes, that special person they need in their lives is the one person they fall in love with, barring age, background or similar lifestyles?
When Talha tells Roshi that Sabeeka told him he can never admit anyone into his life, he needed validation. And he got that from Roshi. Even the most confident souls who always tend to others need looking after.
And even the best stories, who deliver fabulous finales, need to take a long, hard look at their beginning. Because where you start from, and your journey along the way, can make all the difference in how a drama will be remembered and recommended.
In retrospect, it has to be said that the final moments in Meem Se Mohabbat were crucial for audiences to know that Talha did not marry Roshi just for the sake of Mohid. Talha needed her presence in his life to heal him, and perhaps, in doing so, she healed everyone around him too. This journey of a Pakistani drama heroine will send out messages beyond the screen to every man who marries for the sake of his child, to give him or her a mother – the equation is deeper than that, and Farhat Ishtiaq, before the curtain call on Meem Se Mohabbat, showed us exactly why.
Now tell me, would you ask someone to watch all of MSM, from beginning to end, or skip the first few bits, ignore some of the loopholes in the middle, but certainly watch the end? We’d say the final few episodes and everything with Mohid, Dada and Abid uncle is a winner – the rest, pick your episodes and start from the end…
To cap it: The ending for Meem Se Mohabbat is a sure winner, and that’s what I’m recommending to everyone!
Catch Up On The Latest Drama Gup Here:
Meem Se Mohabbat is penned by Farhat Ishtiaq with direction from Ali Hassan. The drama aired on HUM TV as a Momina Duraid production with a cast featuring Ahad Raza Mir, Dananeer Mobeen, Asif Raza Mir, Zarrar Khan, Khadija Saleem, Faiza Gilani, Tehseen Wajahat, Rabia Rizwan, Zainab Mazhar, Muhammad Hunbal, Naveen Naqvi, Arshad Mahmood, Irfanullah, Neha, Abu Hurairah, Raana Zafar, Touseeq Haider.
I’m pretty new to Pakistani dramas and just marathoned this fabulous tale, am still hangover from it actually. It was perfect in lots of ways, the ending episode especially is simply amazing! But have to agree on the negatives. In fact, when I recommended it to my friend I had to tell her ”irritating, overly manic pixie dream girl in first 6-7 eps, and two unnecessary comedy tracks involving the neighbours and in-laws of sister to skip through. But the rest is chef’s kiss!”
What it does good, it executes with unmatched flair; just ignore the crummy bits.