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asoom, written by the brilliant Zanjabeel Asim Shah and produced by Momina Duraid, is making waves, these days. The play seems to be heavily inspired by the Bollywood film Woh Saat Din.
The first episode opens with an aerial view of the Clock Tower in Faisalabad. The viewers are introduced to Dilshad Faisalabadi, played by Imran Ashraf. Dilshad is a struggling singer who dreams of going to Karachi and making it big. He roams the streets of Faisalabad with his harmonium. He also has a younger sister who he is very attached to.
The protagonist is a simple man who believes everything he is told. He is naïve and gullible. When he approaches Chaudhry Sahib and offers to sing at a wedding in his family, he is cruelly rebuffed and beaten up. Thoroughly depressed, he decides to head off to Karachi with his sister in tow.
As soon as the two siblings get off at the train station all their belongings are stolen. Despite this initial setback, Dilshad manages to find Nawab Shafquat Allahbadi’s house. The nawab, played by the extremely versatile Waseem Abbas, is unhappy when he finds out that Dilshad, a distant relative of his wife, has come over to stay. He judges him, calls him a merasi and is always insulting his wife’s family, much to the lady’s chagrin.
While staying at nawab’s house, Dilshad meets his daughter Neeli, played by Sonya Hussain. She takes the brother and sister to their room upstairs which is extremely run down and extracts Rs 20,000 from them as an advance payment for it. She plans to renovate the room with that money and then rent it out for a higher sum.
Neeli is portrayed as a bindaas (uninhibited) character. She is very close to her friend Rija, lovingly called Rajjo. Whenever Rajjo gets into trouble, Neeli is ready to bail her out. When Rajjo loses her job, Neeli goes to her office and gives her boss, Wijdaan, played by Mikaal Zulfiqar, a piece of her mind. As a result of her intervention, Rajjo gets her job back.
Neeli delights in making Dilshad’s life miserable and loves playing pranks on him. She also becomes attached to his sister who reciprocates her feelings. Cupid strikes and Dilshad and Neeli start developing feelings for each other.
A little background on Wijdaan. His first wife betrayed him. He has a young son, Sunny. He lives with his mother who is always urging him to remarry, as she believes Sunny needs a mother figure in his life. Wijdan is not too keen on the idea as he is quite hurt by his first wife’s betrayal. However, when he meets Sonya, who as mentioned earlier, goes to plead her friend’s case, he gets quite enamoured of her. One day, he even visits her house.
The screenplay, direction and dialogues are above average and the acting is superb. Imran, as usual, takes to his role like a fish to water; Sonya also acts beautifully. The supporting cast helps to propel the narrative forward and is good with what they do. The characters playing Rajjo and Imran’s village friend are also extremely effective.
Imran is a pro at playing the simpleton and nails the part. Waseem Abbas, as usual is highly efficient. Mikaal is also proficient and enacts his part well. It is a simple, straightforward play that tugs at the heartstrings. Although heavily inspired by a Bollywood film, it manages to hold its own, largely due to the excellent acting, gripping narrative and stellar direction.
As the third episode ends with the arrival of Wijdaan, the viewer is left wondering about how the story will unfold in the coming episodes. Will Imran and Sonya confess their feelings for each other? What will be her father’s reaction considering he has been allergic to Imran? How will Wijdan’s character develop?
Keep watching it to see how the story unfolds, especially if you are a fan of Imran who makes you fall in love with Dilshad Faisalabadi. Sonya is also a brilliant actress and not only acts well but emotes beautifully. The actress playing Imran’s sister is also a talent to watch out for and manages to hold her own against seasoned actors like Imran and Sonya.
Verdict: Definitely something to look forward to.
The writer is aneducationist. She can be reached at gaiteearahotmail.com