Written by: Hareem Zafar
Posted on: June 25, 2019 | 
| 中文
Known for highlighting the brutal, deeply-rooted social issues of our society through commendable writing and hard-hitting character portrayal, ARY Network’s latest production Surkh Chandni has left viewers in awe. Written by Asma Nabeel and directed by Shahid Shafaat, Surkh Chandni (Red Moonlight) is the painful portrayal of an acid attack survivor’s journey to retribution.
The drama opens on a slightly ‘filmy’ note in which the male lead, Amaan (Osman Khalid Butt) dramatically appears on Aida (Sohai Ali Abro)’s rooftop, while she is shown dreamily staring at the moon. The two exchange promising dialogues which reveal that the maternal cousins are in love and plan to marry. However, Amaan faces the age-old, clichéd problem of every middle-class young boy in our society: a lack of stability and finances.
The next scene shifts the focus on to the villainous ‘bhabhi’ Shumaila, played by the talented Mansha Pasha. A conniving, manipulative and ungrateful woman, Shumaila is constantly seen taunting her in-laws about her husband Mukhtar’s financial burdens and household responsibilities. It is refreshing to see Pasha in a villainous role and she plays it rather well.
Shumaila specifically dislikes Aida and gives her every household chore. While Aida, as a doe-eyed innocent, patiently accepts the bitterness, and secretly wishes to escape the suffocating environment of her home – marrying Amaan is the only way out for her.
The next villainous character, Jawad (Asad Siddiqui) is Aida’s neighbour and the antagonist we all love to hate! He is obsessive, entitled and not used to rejection; therefore he harasses Aida at every opportunity. Meanwhile, Aida is very persistent and open about her dislike for him, rebuffing all his advances. She also rejects his marriage proposal while simultaneously accepting Amaan’s, which throws Jawad into a spiral of rage and revenge.
This leads us to the most pivotal scene of the drama- the acid attack. On the eve of Aida’s wedding, Jawad lures Shumaila into setting up a meeting with Aida one last time, but Shumaila is unaware of Jawad’s real plan. Blinded by revenge and a bruised ego, Jawad throws acid on Aida’s face as she leaves the parlour, and runs away.
What is shown next is a heart-wrenching depiction of the physical, mental and emotional trauma the victim and her family go through after the attack. Abro’s exceptional acting in Surkh Chandni proves how far she has come in her career, from her agonizing shrieks in the ICU to her emotionally scarred dialogues afterwards; she portrays all these aspects with believable sincerity.
Similarly, Butt’s portrayal of a loving and loyal fiancé is praiseworthy. Amaan understands that the scar on Aida’s face is not only physical, but a life-long trauma she’ll have to endure. He knows he’ll have to love her even more than before to help her regain her self esteem and confidence. It’s refreshing to see how Amaan’s feelings for Aida have not wavered, but are strengthened through the course of the drama.
The best part of the drama is its portrayal of how both the victim and family, especially the partner, have to take this harrowing journey together. However, while Aida struggles, it appears Jawad, Shumaila, and Jawad’s mother Humera (Gul-e-Rana) are not done playing games yet.
The raw and realistic depiction of a lower middle- class household in this drama serial is laudable, from their wardrobe to the various settings and situations. For example, Aida goes to a local street parlour for her wedding make-up, and the family repeatedly argues over financial issues.
But even though realistic settings and conflicting emotions were on-point, the repeated attempts to beautify Aida’s face in the wake of the attack should not have been done. They could have made a little more effort in the makeup department to make the scar more encompassing or believable. Even during the hospital scene, Aida had mascara and eye liner which shows a reluctance to truly commit to the issue they wish to depict – that of an acid attack.
Nevertheless, viewers are absolutely gripped to find out what lies next for the characters. Surkh Chandni airs every Tuesday from 8pm to 10 pm, only on ARY Digital.
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