A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay Episode 6 (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.
(Note: If you’ve already read the review of the previous episode, you can skip directly ahead to the High points section).
+ 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 was also originally a novel by Umera Ahmed where the childhood and upbringing 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 – Episode 6 served as a better narrative this time around. The story progressed fluidly, the conversations and arguments made more impact to the plot of the show. There were no time wasting scenes to hinder the pacing and a good example of how an episode should be written on a weekly basis.
ii – It was great to see Mehreen stand up for herself and make realistic counter arguments to Mashal’s accusations. Its really few and far between but when it comes to strong female representation, Mehreen currently serves as one of the better ones on Pakistan Television.
+ Low Points
i – Aswad’s reaction to Mehreen seemed very unrealistic to the context of the show. His incredibly conservative mindset when it comes to meeting friends of the opposite sex seemed forced and unnatural to the character that we had been initially introduced to. Granted, one could argue that it is Mashal’s manipulation that has corrupted him but its way too early for that. We are only six episodes in, this doesn’t feel earned and natural but only what the script required him to do. Oh my god, she is having lunch with someone at a restaurant!? How dare she!?
ii – The cousin rivalry between Mehreen and Mashal solely revolves around Aswad’s affection (even though there are plenty of issues under the surface like favouritism, lack of parental support, horrend childhood etc). This storyline is worthy of exploration but what would serve most beneficial is that they get rid of Aswad as the main crux of their rivalry. Luckily, episode 6 feels like Mehreen is slowly moving away from being under the fascination of Aswad and probably the right way to go.
iii – Speaking of Mashal, her character is not being properly represented by the actress Kubra Khan. Her performance is not on par with what the script requires of her. And the fault lies on both the actress and the director Farooq Rind. The narrative portrays her as a conniving, evil mastermind who is pulling the strings of Aswad but only comes off as a whiny, entitled child of the family. This scenario would’ve been much more believable if Aswad was head over heels in love with her, which obviously does not seem to be the case. Why would he so blindly believe her lies is beyond me or the intelligence of their audience. And this seems to be the underlining problem of the show. The plot structure seems to be solid but the development leading up to it seems faulty and not given enough time to breath to make it seem realistic.
iv – The Production of the show still looks like an overlit mess. Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is one of the very few Momina Duraid productions that look visually unpleasant as if they have no clue what lighting is supposed to represent in moving pictures.
+ Overall
All the pieces of the puzzle are there for Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay to be a successful drama but lack of proper progression and not so stellar performances hinder the show’s true potential.
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