SADQAY TUMHARAY EPISODE 1
Yeh ishq nahi hai aasaan
Yeh ishq nahi hai aasaan
Itna samajh lijiye ki ek aag ka dariya hai aur doob kay jana hai.
Mohabbat. Ishq. Pyar. Every story has one great mohabbat and Sadqay Tumharay is one such story. Shanno (Mahira Khan) and Khalil (Adnan Malik) are bachpan kay mangaytars in a not-so-distant past, yet, this ishq ka fatoor is sawaar only on our very pretty village belle. Ten years a fianc, Shanno cannot think of anyone other than her sapno ka shazada, but her shazada is more interested in cricket anddosti-yaari to pay any attention to his parents' commitment a decade or so ago.
In keeping with Qamar saab's strong writing the scene opens with bait-baazi. One lovelorn sher after another makes it clear that Shanno has always been Khalil's whether he knows it or not. Hameeshan. From naam and zamaana to yaad and anjaam, the writing evokes right from the start a sense of longing, a yearning as yet unfulfilled. For Shanno there exists no one other than Khalil. Oh the joys of young love! Yeh pehli, pehli mohabbat ki shuruwaat hai, and what a start it was! The team, it seems, is in no rush to propel the narrative and they take a good third of the episode introducing us to our leads.
Shanno's innocent mohabbat is beautifully juxtaposed to Khalil's youthful disregard. Not only is this juxtaposition verbal because Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar's writing is as always effortless, but the visuals are at once breathtaking and beautiful. I confess, though, the opening sequence wasn't my favourite part of the episode but seeing it woven into the story, I realized why it was important. We needed to see this young girl thoroughly and madly in love with but a name. We had to see her mother slaving away with three other daughters and a rather mischievous son. We had to see an arrogant and proud young man, who happens to be on a youthful high. And we needed the shaadi that'll bring them all together, as though fate had decreed the obvious.
A recurring subject of debate is Shanno's on-or-off maangi. Her parents are wary, as any set of parents would be. She, herself, is uncertain about what the future holds as she acknowledges: "Mein uski mangaytar hoon lekin woh mera mangaytar hai kya". Is he or isn't he, that's the question on everyone's minds and I'd go so far as to say on everyones lips.
It is with this question in mind that we travel from Bhopalwala to Lahore and are introduced to a rather cocky young man so assured of his youth, of his position in life and in his house, of what interests him, that a silly little girl engaged to him as a matter of courtesy is the least of his concerns. Ironic isn't it, but irony and fate aren't the best of friends and with Liaqaat's bhai's shaadi our great mohabbat is about to unfold.
A simple enough story, Sadqay Tumharay is every bit as filmi as they get. I am aware of Qamar saab'spenchant for the overly dramatic, and I am a big fan of his work having started with Bunty I Love You, so it doesn't surprise me to see Shanno and her friends rushing off to dargah with lanterns lighting their way across dark fields, as they slowly enter a brightly lit and colourfully decorated inner sanctum, the holy of holies, the dargah sharif. The visual play of light and dark, which was visible in so many ways - Shanno's white shalwar kameez and black chadar, the dark night and the laterns/diyas - is perhaps a harbinger of things to come. If anything Sadqay Tumharay will be give us more visual metaphors (remember the dogs in Bunty I Love You!). There can be no denying, though, that this beautifully shot sequence is definitely a highlight.
From the moment Humaira and Shanno are framed together through to the rituals at the dargah and even Khalil's sudden dream, the camerawork was perfect. The visuals coupled with Rahet Fateh Ali Khan's soulful vocals made for a strong , strong close to this first episode, leaving us on as much a high as our lovers. Both anticipating, both hoping, both waiting.
Now I could easily say that Qamar saab's writing and Ethesham-ud-Din's direction borrows heavily from its Bollywood cousin - Tere Dar Par from Veer Zaraa (the dargah sequence), Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka fromDevdas (the jalta hua diya), the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-esque aesthetic with an overt emphasis on colour and melodramatic effect, some form of ecstatic music, in this case the OST, the hand painted Bollywood posters, and most importantly every DDLJ (Dilwale Dhulaniye Lay Jayengay) feel I could get - are tied together into a seamless narrative such that even if they are imitations, they loudly proclaim their innovation.
As the episode concludes we know that this is a story about lovers, their mohabbat, and maybe a happily ever after, then again, Qamar saab's stories are not known to be happy.
I have yet to see more of the cast to truly see what role they play but Mahira and Adnan were perfect. Mahira looked stunning and that's no secret. Surprisingly, Adnan Malik looked dapper and very comfortable in his character, a factor that will influence the lead pair's chemistry later on. In fact, his dark and overtly masculine features will play off well with Mahira's fair and feminine charm. Samiya Mumtaz made a quiet entrance and a similar impression in the overall fabric of this series, as a woman in silent control and well aware of her realities.
Ostensibly based on Kahlil-ur-Rehman Qamar's life-story (for the full interview by Sadaf and headhere), Sadqay Tumharay is a typical Qamar saab story or need I remind you of Bunty I Love You andPyaare Afzal. I see two tragic lovers but not necessarily a tragic love story, but that remains to be seen.
Till next week,
Rab Rakha
RB (Tweet me!)
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