Author: Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay Episode 5 (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

1. Mahira Khan as Mehreen Mansoor
2. Kubra Khan as Mashal Tahir
3. Usman Mukhtar as Aswad Ayub
4. Omair Rana as Mansoor
5. Zainab Qayyum as Shagufta
6. Haroon Shahid
7. Laila Wasti
8. Huma Nawab as Saliha
9. Kaif Ghaznavi
10. Shamim Hilali as Aswad’s Grandmother
11. 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 – One of the aspects that Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay does better than the rest has to be the dialogue. The written conversations between friends in the show is one of the stronger suits of the writer Umera Ahmed. It seems very natural as if the two characters have known each other for some time. The casual banter between the friends lures the viewer in to become a part of it. And exactly what good writing should do.

ii – Its a neat idea to show Mehreen writing her daily dairy as to how the current situation is unfolding and it would be great if the show could have more such scenes added to the narrative.

+ Low Points

i –  Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay has the potential to be original and different from the rest of the shows out there but that’s unfortunately not the direction the show wants to go for. The cousin love triangle, the tired old tropes of misunderstandings and jealousy, we have seen such themes time and time again and this show is no different. It’s such a pity because the writer Umera Ahmed has proven to be (as a writer) much more talented than this. 

ii – Apart from Mahira Khan, the other two leads Kubra Khan and Usman Mukhtar seem like their performances are not up to the task. The subtlety that the role requires is absent from both of these performances. And as I have previously mentioned before, Usman Mukhtar lacks the screen presence that the character of Aswad requires. The lead does not have to be cocky but there has to be an abundance of charisma which attracts both of his female leads towards him. And this always begs the question; why are the two girls in love with him? So far, the show has given no explanation for this. Just cause the script demands it I suppose …

iii  – Since the premiere episode of the show, I have been complaining about the production quality of the show, namely the habit of “overlit” scenes and the picture below is a prime example of it. This scene takes place in a car at night but the interior of the car has been lit as if they are being interrogated by the cops! The scene needed some softer light and shadows to give the illusion of the actors sitting inside a car at night. Momina Duraid’s projects usually have great production work but Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is one of their worst looking shows to date.

iv  – I believe the show will benefit more if there are more scenes outside the bungalow. Scenes taking place in the University, office or just outdoors will bring a much needed authenticity to the story. It is becoming very tiresome that 90% of the scenes are just characters sitting on a sofa and having a conversation about the current situation. This is why Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay as a show lacks energy or even a sense of urgency to its plot. Show the characters going through their daily routine, mixing work with personal life. So far, Mehreen is the ONLY character that we know who has a life outside her situation with Aswad. And at its current state, the show is lethargic and downright boring.

+ Overall

Episode 5 was proven to be inconsequential to the rest of the plot. Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay continues to suffer from tired old Pak drama tropes and lack of originality really hurts the overall product at the end.

 Rate: out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay Episode 4 (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

1. Mahira Khan as Mehreen Mansoor
2. Kubra Khan as Mashal Tahir
3. Usman Mukhtar as Aswad Ayub
4. Omair Rana as Mansoor
5. Zainab Qayyum as Shagufta
6. Haroon Shahid
7. Laila Wasti
8. Huma Nawab as Saliha
9. Kaif Ghaznavi
10. Shamim Hilali as Aswad’s Grandmother
11. 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 – What is commendable about Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is the fact that the team behind the camera does not force emotions out of its audience through overly melodramatic music and excessive use of slow motion/ flashbacks. It tries to achieve all this through the performances of its actors because on some level, the director of the show has faith in their capability to do so.

ii – In these four episodes, Haroon Shahid has been briefly involved in the show’s storyline and hopefully we get to see much more of him since his performance and screen presence seems noticeably better than Usman Mukhtar as the lead actor of the show.

+ Low Points

i –  Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is an unfortunate retreading of old drama cliches, presented in an unoriginal fashion. Characters play their good/evil parts without much reasoning behind it. Mashal does bad deeds against Mehreen just for the sake of plot progression, characters enter at the wrong place at the wrong time, creating misunderstandings between two characters who the audience would want them to be together (namely Mehreen and Aswad). Although this is not a flaw but a certain lack of originality from the creative team and thus, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay feels already stale like the majority of the TV shows on Pak television. With Umera Ahmed as the writer, I had some high expectations for the show but unfortunately (so far), I have been proven wrong.

ii – Of all the cliches, Mashal seems to be the least developed main character of the show. Like Mehreen, she wants Aswad and is willing to do whatever it takes to attain him. Her goals are to create falsehood regarding Mehreen and create misunderstandings between her and Aswad. Even going as far as poisoning her pet bird?? I don’t understand what motivated her to do so as this drastic step felt completely out of place with the rest of the plot. And sadly, Kubra Khan’s performance is not convincing enough to play a strong main antagonist of the show.

iii  – “Why is the electricity bill so high!?” asked by one of the characters in Episode 4. 

This line of dialogue was hilarious yet so fittingly ironic for me because since its premiere episode, I have been complaining how the show is unnecessarily overlit, presenting a washed out, over produced look to the images. Just had to laugh at that moment. Seems like the show itself is subconsciously aware of this fact! 

iv  – There is apparently a “Comedy scene” where Shabo (the maid) breaks the fourth wall and addresses the viewers by staring directly into the camera. Breaking the fourth wall is usually done when it is well established right from the beginning that the character has that ability (for example, the character of Deadpool). This just came out of nowhere and felt completely out of place to the format of the show.

v  – The romance feels stale between the duo; Mehreen and Aswad. There seems to be virtually no chemistry between the leads of the show and the scenes that Mahira Khan and Usman Mukhtar share seem awkward and unnatural. This should not be the case since in the show, they are in fact close cousins who have shared their childhoods together. On the other hand, the romance between Mahria and Haroon Shahid seems much more natural and plausible (and this is where the plot is heading I suppose). Usman Mukhtar was a miscast in this show as his performance does not carry the charisma and presence that the role demands.

+ Overall

Four Episodes in and Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay already feels stale with retreading of tired old cliches of Pak TV dramas. With a writer like Umera Ahmed onboard, I would have expected much more original storytelling.

 Rate: out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay Episode 3 (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

1. Mahira Khan as Mehreen Mansoor
2. Kubra Khan as Mashal Tahir
3. Usman Mukhtar as Aswad Ayub
4. Omair Rana as Mansoor
5. Zainab Qayyum as Shagufta
6. Haroon Shahid
7. Laila Wasti
8. Huma Nawab as Saliha
9. Kaif Ghaznavi
10. Shamim Hilali as Aswad’s Grandmother
11. 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 – Mehreen can potentially be a character of interest as she suffers from childhood traumas and a wallflower in a society where the modest are never appreciated. The themes are all placed accordingly for the actress to execute it with emotion on screen (but unfortunately fails at it. A point I will get to more later in the review).

ii – I suppose it is also commendable that Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay does not over rely on cheap emotional tactics like music overpowering the scene rather than the actors playing it out through their strong performances.

+ Low Points

i –  (Yawn) this show just lacks any sort of momentum or energy to it. Nothing significant happens during the third Episode. The characters themselves feel lethargic, just lounging on their couches in pretty much every scene. Whatever story progression we saw in the first episode has been missing since.

ii – Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay has the potential for sympathetic characters for the audience to get behind but so far, that has not been the case. The performances of the two lead actresses seem mediocre and overly simplistic to their personalities. Every interesting character should have layers of emotion or depth to them but up till now, the acting seems very flat. Although judging from past shows, Mahira Khan has the potential to be more diverse than this show has you believe.

iii  – The production of the show seems visually off color to the dark, dramatic narrative of it. Every image is overlit without any play of shadows  and in return, the show looks cheap and tacky. 

iv  – Episode 3 has a scene where Shabo the maid accidentally trips and slips tea over a character. This comedic scene fell apart completely on arrival because we, as an audience, never got to see the result! It’s as if Charlie Chaplin slipped over a banana peel but instead of showing the pratfall, only the laughter of the crowd is depicted on screen. Slapstick comedy is all about visuals and timing and the director Farooq Rind seems to be lacking in both.

v  – Three episodes in, and Umera Ahmed’s writing has been surprisingly very disappointing. It all seems like a rethread of regular cliches of Pakistani dramas, namely cousin love triangle, lifeless exposition scenes and (with exception to Mehreen) flat two dimensional characterization. I really hope that the show picks up pace and depth soon as Umera Ahmed as a writer is definitely capable of it.

+ Overall

Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay is unenergetic, filled with long drawn out scenes of dialogues that lead to nowhere. That trend should change soon if the show runners want to keep their viewers tuning in every week.

 Rate: out of 5 stars