Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: June 25, 2021 | 
Sarmad Khoosat, Shaista Lodhi and Emaan in 'Pardes'
It takes a considerable amount of skill to weave a story that strikes a chord with almost every household in Pakistan, and ‘Pardes’, written by Sarwat Nazir, has managed to do just that. A large section of the audience watching the drama has been able to relate to the story, because either their own parents, or their close relatives, have experienced the pain of having a parent abroad to earn a living for the family, and the impact of their absence on the children.
Pardes, directed by Marina Khan and produced by Six Sigma Productions, is a story that spans two generations. The tale, set in the early 90s, walks the audience through the hardships that a family faces when the father has to leave behind his wife and children in a joint family system, and live abroad to earn a living as a construction worker.
Aiman (Emaan/Dur-i-Fishan) watches as her father Ahsan (Sarmad Khoosat) moves to Muscat in search of better economic prospects, leaving behind her mother Zuby (Shahista Lodhi) and herself at the mercy of his family. Ahsan’s mother, Mumtaz (Bushra Ansari) is portrayed as a typical mother-in-law. While she is not inherently evil, she takes it upon herself to make her elder daughter-in-law’s life difficult. Asim (Gohar Rasheed), Ahsan’s younger brother is shown to be someone who doesn’t care who he is hurting for his personal gain.
Gohar Rasheed as Asim and Bushra Ansari as Mumtaz
Soon after Ahsan leaves, the family’s financial situation is shown to improve, but at the cost of Aiman and her (later born) younger brother’s mental and emotional health, as the children are neglected by the extended family.
Emaan as Aiman
Ahsan and Zuby’s subtle romance and affection is a relief against an otherwise gloomy storyline. Eeman, the child star playing the younger version of Aiman, whom we have previously seen in Dunk, does a fantastic job of embodying the emotions of a person going through difficult changes while growing up.
The drama then goes through a time-lapse, and the children are shown to be about 12 to 15 years old. By this time, Aiman and her younger brother have both grown up, along with Asim’s children. In the few scenes that we see her in, Dur-i-Fishan seems to have settled into the role of a young girl who has resentment towards her father due to his prolonged absence. In a recent interview, Dur-i-Fishan said that the storyline not only depicts the repercussions of what her character went through as a child, but also how one should deal with these emotionally difficult circumstances. Both Ahsan and Zuby are yet to have a reunion after his absence.
At this point, Mumtaz is shown to be completely bed-ridden, but reformed and ashamed at her past behaviour towards her elder daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, Asim is still conniving and looking for more financial gain. In terms of acting, of course, Bushra Ansari is doing a great job as a mother-in-law, personifying the role of a mother-in-law and bringing depth to her character. Gohar Rasheed is also playing the role of Asim quite convincingly, although he has complained about being type-casted into negative roles by the industry too frequently.
The biggest surprise here was Lodhi, because while she has ruled the television screens as a bubbly morning show host for years, she has not acted much and her performances have not been particularly noteworthy. Here, however, Lodhi truly embodies Zuby’s melancholy in a way that has compelled viewers from the get-go. It may not be wrong to say that this is the performance of her career.
Shaista Lodhi as Zuby
Sarmad Khoosat is also doing justice to his character of a doting husband, loving father and praiseworthy son. He recognises his responsibilities towards his family after his father’s death, and makes difficult decisions for the betterment of his family.
Sarmad Khoosat as Ahsan
This drama marks Marina Khan’s directorial comeback after an 8-year hiatus, and the sensitivity and complexity with which she has rendered the show’s treatment make all the difference. This story could easily have been extremely taxing or melodramatic to watch, had it not been directed so well. Khan has made sure to balance the heavy subject of the play with lighter moments that provide a tender relief to the audience.
Nadeem Baig of Six Sigma Productions has said that this story is close to his heart as well, since his own father had gone to work abroad when Baig was just a young boy. He said that he commissioned the story himself as a means to pay tribute to all the families who go through similar experiences, and do not get the catharsis they need to process it.
Sarmad Khoosat and Emaan
Overall, the drama is another hit in the 2021 roster in my opinion. However, one minus is ARY Digital’s policy of showing double episodes of the drama every week. This has made the experience less enjoyable for viewers, as sitting down to watch this otherwise compelling show for two hours is a difficult task.
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