A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay Episode 1 (2021). The new TV series is written by Umera Ahmed and directed by Farooq Rind. Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is a Momina Duraid Production and currently airs on HUM TV.
+ Crew
- Directed by Farooq Rind
- Written by Umer Ahmed
- Produced by Nina Kashif & Momina Duraid Productions
+ Note
Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay marks 5 years since Mahira Khan appeared in a TV drama and as was the case before, this drama is also an adaptation of a novel by Umera Ahmed where the childhood and personal aspirations play an important part in the main plot of the show. The show deals with dark topics such as drug addiction and its impact on a child’s upbringing.
The show also focuses once again on a love triangle between three cousins who shared a childhood together; Mehreen, Mashal and Aswad. Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is essentially a case study of internal flaws and unspoken guilts that makes us human and how we learn to cope up in a less than ideal society.
+ Main Cast
- Mahira Khan as Mehreen Mansoor
- Kubra Khan as Mashal Tahir
- Usman Mukhtar as Aswad Ayub
- Omair Rana as Mansoor
- Zainab Qayyum as Shagufta
- Haroon Shahid
- Laila Wasti
- Huma Nawab as Saliha
- Kaif Ghaznavi
- Shamim Hilali as Aswad’s Grandmother
- Khalid Malik
+ Plot
Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is a story of three cousins; Mehreen, Mashal and Aswad. Their lives have coincided with each other since childhood. While Mashal and Aswad grew up in a stable, loving household, Mehreen had to live through the mistakes of her father for being a drug addict and financially unstable. As they grow older, it is obvious that they all share an unbroken bond between each other that will only culminate with certain unforeseeable events.
+ High Points
i – The premiere Episode was fun and understandable throughout its runtime. The plot was well established and the characters were clearly presented to the viewers. Umera Ahmed’s writing and Farooq Rind’s direction works well together in creating this fictional world of remorse, betrayal and in quest for true love.
ii – Most dramas on television are successful mainly due to its loveable cast of characters and Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is no exception. The clash of personalities between Mehreen and Mashal could prove to be the crux of the show. Even supporting characters of the grandmother and the drug addict father presented a colorful and diverse range of people found in the world of Umera Ahmed.
iii – The strongest asset of Umera Ahmed’s writing has been her dialogue. With vast amounts of experience, Umera is very observant and can easily mimic real spoken dialogue and subtle gestures for her characters. In her world, personality dictates words and not the other way around.
iv – Although we didn’t get to see much of Mahira Khan in this episode, its great to see her back on our television screens. The veteran actors such as Shamim Hilali also perform brilliantly as characters who deeply influence the lives of our main cast. It will be interesting to see how to story of Mehreen/ Mashal and Aswad play out.
v – The OST of the show is melodic, heartbreaking and fits perfectly with the show’s theme. Yashal Shahid’s gorgeous voice accompanied by traditional instruments work exceptionally in bringing the emotional depth of the plot without overstaying its welcome.
+ Low Points
i – Although I do praise Umera Ahmed’s writing above, I also feel that she could prove to be a lot more diverse than reworking the same tired formula of a “love triangle”. At this point, this theme on Pak television equals beating a dead horse. But since this was just the first episode, I have high hopes that the drama will lead towards something more original and exciting to watch.
ii – While the camerawork is great in most instances, the Art Direction and Set Design is unimpressive. The show seems lit up as if it were a Food product commercial and lacks any experimentation with shadows to create a visually compelling picture. The overabundance of highlights does not help the show nor does it complement the dark storyline of it.
iii – Even though the adult main cast was not much onscreen for the first episode, Mahira Khan and Kubra Khan seem a bit too stereotypical representations of a nerdy, low self esteem girl and the narcissistic overconfident girl. Mehreen nervously puts on her glasses while Mashal stares at her love Asward’s picture on her laptop with a sense of possessiveness. Their characterizations are really a bit too much on the nose.
Again, too early to tell but I hope the later episodes bring a lot more depth to their characters (and given Umera Ahmed’s track record, I’m sure that will prove to be true).
iv – Can there ever be a Pakistani TV drama where they don’t have a sassy Housemaid? It seems like such a cliche now.
+ Overall
The premiere episode of Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay promises a rich world of characters and the paths they will choose for their future. The episode does suffer from typical Pak drama cliches but nonetheless entertaining.
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