Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: November 25, 2022 | 
| 中文
Hina Altaf as Hooriya and Usama Khan as Farrukh in Agar
Truth be told, 2022 has been quite a decent year for dramas that are not your run-of-the-mill saas bahu (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law soaps) sagas. We had Raqeeb Se (to the rival in love), Dobaara (again), Sang-e-Mah (moonstone), Sinf-e-Ahan (women of steel), Parizaad (fairy’s child), Bakhtawar (fortunate) , amongst others, and all of them revolved around themes that are relevant for our society. Agar may soon join the list of these dramas, if the topic is treated intelligently. That said, the fact that these dramas are the exception and not the norm, is not lost on us. We hope that the dramas next year will be more realistic and relevant for Pakistani society.
(L to R) Maheen Siddiqui, Juggan Kazim, Hina Bayat, Hina Altaf and Ahmed Randhawa in Agar
The first episodes show a matriarchal household, where the eldest sister Annie (Juggan Kazmi) is shown to be over 30 and still unmarried. She is the principal of a school and portrayed as a balanced and mature person. The second sister Hooriya (Hina Altaf) is shown to be a rebel of sorts, who has no interest in studying beyond Bachelors of Arts (BA), and wishes to marry and settle down with a rich man. The youngest sister, Chandni (Maheen Siddiqui), is shown to be the runt of the pack, with the mother continuously asking her to do housework.
The teaser suggested that the drama would contain an unusual message for young women, that marriage is not the end and be all of their lives. An aspect of the serial that we appreciate is the fact that an older woman is shown to be romantically interested in a man younger than her, who reciprocates her feelings. However, Junaid Khan may not have been the right guy to play the character, simply because he doesn't look any younger than Juggan. It may have been a better idea to pair Usama’s character with Juggan, in order to show the obvious age difference between them.
(L to R) Junaid Khan as Shawaiz and Juggan Kazim as Annie with their colleagues in school
Other members of the cast include Junaid Khan, Hira Soomro, Ali Abbas, Hina Bayat, Behroz Sabzwari, Ahmed Randhawa, Ismat Zaidi and Sehrish. The serial has been written by Madiha Shahid, directed by Ilyas Kashmiri and produced By Momina Duraid Productions for Hum TV.
(L to R) Behroz Sabzwari, Ismat Zaidi and Junaid Khan
After a decade-long break from acting, Juggan has come back to impress her fans through her admirable performance. The woman can act, and ‘Agar’ is an ode to her talent. From the first scene to the last, Annie holds the storyline together. Annie’s inclusion in the story ensures that the drama does not turn into one of the usual hackneyed storylines. Hina Altaf in Hooriya’s role, has done justice to it, and might evolve into a more credible character.
Hina Altaf and Maheen Siddiqui in Agar
The production quality of the drama is good. Mariyum Siddiqui, who has a pronounced English accent in real life, has worked hard to portray the character of belonging to a middle-class family. Junaid Khan is exceptional, just as he is in every role he does. However, we do object to him being cast as a younger guy, someone in their early to mid-20s, when he clearly is in his early 30s. We haven’t seen much of Usama on screen yet, but he is one of those fine young actors who usually does a decent job in the roles he plays.
Agar’s first few episodes introduced its characters quite well, and each got a significant amount of screen time to portray their pasts. Another thing that viewers highly appreciate is the pace at which the drama is going. The two main romances in the story have already bloomed, as both the sisters are headed towards marriage. The men’s characters have been established, and there are not too many characters in the show commenting on Annie's age or relatives that wonder when she would be married off.
Hina Bayat and Jugan Kazim
‘Agar’ has taken its time with laying the foundation and revealing its plotlines. Here’s to hoping that it will continue at a decent pace and not make the viewers wonder why they decided to start watching it in the first place.
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