Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: February 27, 2023 | 
| 中文
Hira Mani, Ahsan Khan and the kid in Hum Dono
Express TV's Hum Dono has taken up themes that are complex and fresh, but has it managed to do justice to them? The drama is one of Express TVs experimental mini-series and is expected to have 7 episodes only, and yet the editing on the show is really loose, leaving the viewers frustrated and confused about their experience with the show.
Let's discuss the good part first. The show has garnered a large audience because they've nailed what a modern 'urban cool' couple looks like. Mahi (Hira Mani) is a botanist while Omar (Ahsan Khan) is a chef, and they live tucked away in the mountains where Omar has a restaurant and Mahi spends her day studying plants and taking care of them. The two do not have any set gender roles. Omar cooks for his wife and is more dedicated as a 'home maker'. Mahi is shown to be extremely practical and has a 'no-nonsense' air about her. Their lives get upended when they become involved in an unexpected mystery. The cracks in their relationship and the little things that bothered them about each other come to the fore, making them rethink their priorities and their relationship.
Hira Mani and Ahsan Khan
The second good thing about the show is the baby we see, who is actually a boy but has been shown as a girl on the show. The child's little quirks end up bringing a smile on one's face.
Ahsan and the kid
Thirdly, the show's cast is limited, but honestly, it could have been much shorter. We see a cameo by Rose Mohammad, and another one by the much-revered veteran Azra Mansoor. But the point of both these cameos is a little lost on the viewer, except that they bring in a few filler scenes, some of which are mildly funny and others mildly emotional.
Lastly, the premise of the story is good, the young childless couple suddenly has to take care of a baby that's mysteriously appeared in their life, which not only trigger them to see the cracks in their own relationship, but also revisit the difficult relationships they had with their parents. Had this premise been clearly shown on the show, without all of the other fluff, it would have been great.
Hira Mani and Azra Mansoor in Hum Dono
The biggest issue in terms of casting and acting is with the random couple of domestic help that Omar and Mahi have. They are shown as Pashtuns, but the actors playing them are obviously from a different ethnicity. Secondly, no pair of helpers are this well dressed, no matter how rich the family they work for is. Their dress is too modern, and their acting is too bad to ignore. The casting and acting both should have been completely different. They have been made integral parts of the storyline in the 4th episode, but all the scenes with them were so nonsensical that one had a hard time taking them seriously.
The domestic helps
In terms of writing, it feels like something's being lost in translation. From paper to screen, either the writer and director's views don't match, or one hasn't communicated them clearly to the other. That coupled with the absolutely terrible editing in the 3rd and 4th episodes, leaves one relieved that the show has only 7 episodes.
However, it needs to be said here that the idea to have shorter series on TV is great, that's not the problem here. The problem with the show lies with the way it has been edited. The scenes are quite loosely knit, and it seems like the different people responsible for the production were not able to coordinate and make a harmonious serial. What seems to be happening here is that because the show is just 6 to 7 episodes, they didn't shoot enough story-based scenes for it and thus ended up putting in a lot of filler scenes in it. Which then keeps the viewer's dilemma of having to watch too much of unnecessary scenes, making the whole endeavor of going into the mini-series format redundant.
Hira Mani, Ahsan Khan and Azra Mansoor
To sum it up, the concept of a mini-series is really good and the genre for Hum Dono suits the format. However, producers must realize that for shorter shows to succeed, the execution should be near perfect and the editing much sharper. Do we still recommend the show? Yes, solely because the concept of mini-series should not fail, and because both Hira and Ahsan have given a good performance.
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