Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: September 22, 2021 | 
| 中文
The lead cast of Qissa Meherbano Ka
Have you ever watched a drama where you know the story is captivating and the actors are capable of performing it well, but the execution is lacking, and you have nothing else left to do but blame the director? That's exactly what is happening with Qissa Meherbano Ka.
A project of Momina Duraid Productions, Qissa Meherbano Ka has a stellar cast, and a premise that sounds interesting, but director Iqbal Hussain's execution is so lacking that a viewer cannot help but be frustrated by it.
(left) Director Iqbal Hussain with Ahsan Khan and Zaviyar Noman Ejaz, and (right) Mawra Hocane
The story, written by Fakhra Jabeen, unfolds in Meherbano's (Mawra Hocane) household in the early hours of the morning, when she sits and prays that all that ails her family is sorted out. Soon after, we are introduced to Abba Miyan (Mohammad Ahmed) and Noor (Areej Mohyudin). Noor is Mehru's niece, and is being raised in this household because both her parents passed away in a car crash.
Areej Mohyudin as Noor
As the story unfolds, we find out that Meherbano had been married to Murad Ali (Ahsan Khan), and while a nikah had been performed ten years ago, Ali’s family never took her with them due to rifts between the two families. Consequently, Mehru spent the past ten years tied to Ali legally, but without any hope of ever having a life with him.
Ahsan Khan and Mawra Hocane
Mehran (Zaviyar Noman Ejaz), a distant cousin of Mehru, is interested in marrying her, despite knowing all about her past. On the other hand, his mother (played by Ghazala Kaifi) strongly disapproves of the idea, a stereotypical character in Pakistani dramas.
We also see Murad Ali returning to his family home with financial problems, and ready to give up on life; his mother (Zaib Rehman), however, in a sinister tone reassures him that he would find a way out of the mess.
Veteran actor Mohammad-Ahmed is playing the role of 'Aba Miyan'
In the first instance what does not make sense is the relationship between Noor and Abba Miyan. In the second scene of the drama, we see Abba Miyan furious at Noor, and instead of responding like a young girl would with a grandparent who raised her, Noor reacts by annoying him further and being childish. She despises her grandfather for "keeping them poor", and "making their lives colorless". Secondly, Areej has not done justice to her role as Noor; her portrayal is too juvenile and excitable.
Areej Mohyudin
Mawra has a more mature version of a role in this series, as compared to Sabaat, her last stint on TV. While her melancholy is understandable, the way she has been directed to portray it, isn't quite right. She is all over the place, and after her performance in Sammi and Sabaat, we know that Mawra has come a long way and acts well. The onus of the faulty performance then lies on the director, and with Zebaish being Iqbal Hussain's last drama on air, it is understandable that viewers are pointing the finger at him for poor execution.
Zaib Rehman, who plays Ali's mother in the drama, seems like she means business with her character, even though she has barely gotten any screen time in the past three episodes. Ahsan Khan's role appears to be a more evil version of his recent performance as Rashid in Qayyamat. Mashal Khan and debutant Khushal Khan, both have yet to make an appearance in the drama.
Many pundits have criticized Zaviyar for lacking the charisma and finesse of his father Nauman Ijaz. Audiences need to understand that Nauman Ijaz has years of experience and hundreds of dramas to his credit, to expect the same from his son in his debut serial is downright unfair.
When it comes to production value, audiences see a disconnect between what is being said and what the setting portrays. Mehru's family continually talks about being poor, and yet they live in a lavish and well-furnished house with a lot of furniture and artwork.
The camerawork, the frame, and the setting of the play are all repetitious and boring. In this day and age, audiences are spoilt by abundance of choices, and effort needs to be put in the production of dramas, else they end up watching something else.
The question now is, will Qissa Meherbano Ka manage to keep audiences hooked with its storyline?
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