A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay Episode 16 (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 – With all the chaos that surrounds Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay, the performances of the leading cast is the only salvageable factor left of the show. Even with its massive flaws, the actors still manage to make the fictional scenario believable with their acting chops.
+ Low Points
i – I have to be honest, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sit through each and every week for this show. Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay has lost all its curiosity factor and has almost nothing to offer to its viewers. Every week, each episode now revolves around Mehreen’s visions of Mashal (which have become tiresome by this point), the continuing saga of whether Aswad will divorce Mehreen or not and the anguish of Mashal’s death on her parents. I really don’t mind if the show is opting for a darker path in conveying the storyline but at least follow a clear path of storyline.
Since the past five / six weeks, no story progression has occurred. The conflict of Aswad and Mehreen is farcical at this stage of the show and it is becoming increasingly clear that the writer Umera Ahmed has no real clue which direction her characters should follow. As of now, they are all stuck in Purgatory, continuing mental torture each and every week with no real storyline behind it.
ii – What really grinds my gears is the unnecessary conflict in Pakistani dramas. This mental anguish could all be resolved if Mehreen just signs the divorce papers. Even if her husband does not accept it (which he did in this episode), Mehreen’s Mother in Law is on her side, so why is this point being unnecessarily dragged on through countless episodes?
iii – And once again, I have to forcefully ask myself; why did Aswad want to marry Mehreen in the first place? What was his revenge plan? What did he accomplish? This is all so ridiculous and nonsensical to the main plot and was a massive waste of time for the audience to sit through.
iv – Since Episode 1, the visual presentation of the show has always been a contingent of criticism. The ‘over-lit look’ of each scene directly contradicts the tone of what the show is going for. The story conveys dark, gloom and melancholy but the visuals represent a commercial for a new sunflower cooking oil.
+ Overall
Each week, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay seems to be falling apart. The storyline has dried up, the characters are now directionless in their private limbo and quite frankly, if not for the performances, the show has nothing interesting left to offer to its viewers.
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