Written by: Sana Haroon
Posted on: June 24, 2024 | 
| 中文
Iqra Aziz and Hamza Sohail
We have watched many dramas entailing the genre of love stories in the past. Whether happy or tragic, these stories tend to captivate audiences and it is one of the most-watched genres in the world. Burns Road Kay Romeo Juliet (Burns Road’s Romeo and Juliet) is one such drama, with a well-knitted, lighthearted, realistic and heartfelt love story with minimal flaws. The drama is penned down by Parisa Siddiqui, directed by Fajr Raza, and produced by Big Bang Entertainment, airing every Monday and Tuesday at 8 pm on ARY Digital. The drama includes an ensemble cast featuring Iqra Aziz, Hamza Sohail, Shabbir Jan, Zainab Qayyum, Khaled Anum, Shaheera Jalil, Raza Samo, Sabahat Bukhari, Hira Umar amongst others.
Sabahat Bokhari, Iqra Aziz and Khalid Anam
The drama unravels the love story of Freeya (Iqra Aziz) and Farhad (Hamza Sohail), and the hardships they encounter for their love. There are a few dramas in recent times that focus on main leads and their story, such as Burns Road Kay Romeo Juliet. Otherwise, dramas are loaded with sidetracks and irrelevant screen time.
Hamza Sohail and Shabbir Jan as father-son
The drama is a visual delight with breathtaking cinematography, which is rarely seen in Pakistani dramas. The lighting, sets, shots and visual effects all give a cinematic feel to the screen. The director, Fajr Raza, is well-known for capturing beautiful shots and providing a cinematic experience on screen. He transitioned from films to dramas and has directed many first-look teasers for Big Bang Entertainment projects, including Taqdeer (Fate), Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha (I had Fallen in Love) and Mein (Me). The drama is a fine watch with no continuity jumps, great editing and a pleasant background score.
The drama showcases good production value, with the main chunk of the story shot outdoors. It did not confine itself to drawing rooms, something we are used to witnessing in every other drama. Moreover, it captured the essence of Karachi city, exhibiting its signature Burns Road Street, narrow lanes and hustle and bustle of the city in its true meaning. Otherwise, this kind of treatment is only given to shoot the Walled City of Lahore in Pakistani dramas. The set design, artwork and lighting also exhibit the vision of the production.
Raza Samo and Hamza Sohail as friends
The drama has a romantic plotline with elements of action, humor, and lightheartedness in the initial episodes. As the story progresses, it is equipped with realistic scenarios where the characters face life’s challenges. Only a few situations were unconvincing, like the relentless love of the main leads in such a short period, and then choosing to stay at a controversial place after marriage by a street-smart male protagonist.
The story revolves around Freeya and Farhad, who come from two diverse family backgrounds. Freeya is an emancipated and progressive Gujarati girl having an affluent background, while Farhad is an Urdu-speaking middle-class boy. He is a street-smart guy who is uninterested in his pakwan family business and wants to do an executive job. Farhad has earned a distinction from his university, but has a personality clash with his father as both hold opposing views. Her mother is a subservient wife, always at the receiving end of her husband’s wrath. Farhad is a rebellious son, who falls in love with Freeya, a strong-headed girl who can go to any length to support what she deems correct. They both try to persuade their parents to agree to their marriage, but fail. Consequently, they elope and get married in a mosque. The drama depicts the life of a young couple facing obstacles every step of the way, and how they strive to deal with them. It also shows how different attributes of the main leads allowed them to handle situations in hard times. But the real test comes when they are faced with the dilemma of choosing between family and love. Farhad’s father passes away from a sudden heart attack, leaving him with remorse and guilt. He is not able to handle the situation well, as he is under pressure to care for the family and his mother disapproves of Freeya as her daughter-in-law.
Shaheera Jalil, Shabbir Jan, Hamza Sohail and Zainab Qayyum as a family
The drama highlights different issues like domestic violence, the role of parenting in building the character of children, favoritism, and politics for fresh graduates in private jobs, hindering them from moving forward. Farhad’s sister, Kiran, is a victim of domestic violence, and her mother has also suffered it in the past. The abusive cycle affected Farhad and his sister, Kiran. However, she chose to accept this violence as she had seen her mother bear it all her life silently. Kiran’s upbringing had taught her that it is common for men to have these excesses. Farhad has been suppressing his frustration all his life, as he was unable to save his mother from violence. He turned out to be an impulsive and emotional boy, who explodes into anger whenever things get out of control. The drama has entered a decisive turn, as Freeya has left Farhad’s house after he pushed her away, resulting in a minor head injury, during a fight between them.
Hira Umer, Iqra Aziz and Sami Khan
Overall, Burns Road Kay Romeo Juliet is a fine watch that you can tune in to every week. The drama features some brilliant performances by the whole cast. Iqra Aziz and Hamza Sohail are brilliant as Freeya and Farhad, and they have performed their well-written characters to perfection. Their dialogue delivery, accent, body language, nuances, expressions and emotions are spot-on, and they look the part. Their sparkling chemistry has made the story realistic, and the audience can connect to their characters. Shabbir Jan, Shaheera Jalil and Raza Samo have also played their roles brilliantly. Some dialogues highlighting Karachi’s qualities, like Karachi apne ander sab ko samait leta hai (Karachi is an inclusive city), are usually not heard in any play. The storytelling with a natural flow, makes the drama worth watching. The drama has a decent pace, except for the two episodes dedicated to the father’s death. It is heading towards its climax, and will get wrapped up in a few weeks. The drama has all the elements of an engaging watch, making it deserving enough to be on your watch list.
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