The very thought of watching an Imran Ashraf project excites every drama buff. Right from Alif Allah Aur Insaan to Ranjha Ranjha Kardi his performances have stood out from the rest.
It has to be said though, actors usually deliver a range of performances over their careers, with their highs and lows. However, sometimes, a particular performance draws into question the previous opinion one may have about an actor.
Imran Ashraf’s recent outing Kahin Deep Jaley (KDJ) has not been received too well by the audience. His act as the ‘conventional hero’ is receiving a fair amount of flak too, something that doesn’t happen often for the actor. The television show itself comes across as a mediocre attempt with a script and teleplay that needed more work, more so given it spans a massive 30 episodes.
Pressure to deliver high ratings?
The show makes me wonder whatever happened to Imran’s well-regarded script sense. By now, he has the luxury of picking and choosing what suits him the best. KDJ was heavily promoted as a love story, but the chemistry required to pull off romance convincingly was lacking. In the initial episodes, he was restricted to mundane lines such as ‘Maa Ji, App Ki Tabiyat Kese Hai,‘ which are met with equally standard responses. Later in the show, his character follows a confusing arc as he develops insecurities and misunderstandings following his marriage.
His introductory scene with on-screen romantic interest Neelam Muneer, where he saves her dupatta that has caught fire, featured some unusually high level of melodrama. And then the drama’s plot, as well as his character, lacked proper direction.
Despite all this, performances by Nazish Jahangir and Ali Abbas did leave an impression. Which brings us to the question that why didn’t anyone in the family have the courage to say anything to Nazish’s Shamila for her evil games and plans?
Who should be blamed?
It’s hard to digest that Qaisra Hayat of Alif Allah Aur Insaan fame has written the script that lacks novelty. The direction by Saima Waseem too is a letdown. Makers now need to understand that there are many sources of entertainment and that one really needs to do something different to keep viewers engaged. A formulaic assortment of top-billed actors on a lackluster script does not do the job.
Imran’s performance
Ashraf has been vocal about his opinion that ‘good looks don’t matter, acting does’. Yes, we agree but here even he is found to be mouthing loud, sometimes baffling dialogues in a single breath. All of this has not gone unnoticed by his fans, as I came across a loyal one who said that he watches the episodes in fast forward mode, wrapping an episode in less than 10 minutes (!).
I personally wonder given KDJ’s content if it was even advisable for the show’s social media team to ask viewers about their feedback. And with the kind of response KDJ has received, all the hyperbole on the official Insta-stories makes one scratch his head.
Final word
It’s true that Imran’s previous body of work has raised our expectations, however, here he needs to do some introspection. As they say, it’s all about how hard you bounce back. Ashraf next stars in drama serial Mushq directed by Aehsun Talish. Interestingly the latter has directed him in Alif Allah Aur Insan and Tabeer. Besides, he is all set to make his film debut with Dum Mastum. We hope that his craft comes in full circle with his future endeavors.
