Madiha Imam and Ali Rehman Khan are two of the brightest actors working in our industry. They have many notable dramas to their names, including ‘Diyar e Dil’ and ‘Dushman e Jaan’, respectively. Recently, they made headlines when it was announced that both of them would be sharing the screen for the first time together in a drama. Based on the novel written by Rahat Jabeen and directed by Sheherazade Sheikh, ‘Safar Tamam Hua’ went on air on HUM TV last night, and here’s how it faired.
Plot
Most of our dramas revolve around cousins and love stories but ‘Safar Tamam Hua’ takes it to another level by introducing the audience to a joint family living in the same house. The family consists of siblings Sami and Jamal who live with their mother; their father is dead. Sami’s paternal cousin Anoushey also lives with them with her father who is a musician; her mother is also dead. Sami’s intellectually disabled cousin Rija also lives with them; her mother is dead while her father doesn’t live in the house anymore.
Judging from the conversations in the first episode, Anoushey and Rija’s mothers died years ago and Sami’s mother brought them up as her daughters. Anoushey and Sami share an endearing bond with Rija and she is quite attached to them as well. Jamal, however, is quite harsh towards Rija and doesn’t miss a chance to scold her. Another one of Sami’s maternal cousins, Danish, was introduced in the drama, although he lives in another house with his mother. Danish also treats Rija like his own little sister.
First impressions
‘Safar Tamam Hua’ had a very decent start, as far as the first episodes go. Although the storyline doesn’t seem to have anything new to offer, the execution felt fresh. The writer and director have done a commendable job in etching out the characters. It might take some time for the audience to learn how everyone is related to each other, but the team tried its best to explain the relationships without seeming too convoluted.
Regarding the acting department, Sheherazade Sheikh has lined up a brilliant cast, led by Madiha Imam and Ali Rehman Khan. Both of them performed naturally and shared great chemistry. Sameena Ahmed, Saif e Hassan, Haris Waheed, and Syed Jibran gave convincing supporting performances. The scene-stealer, however, had to be Maha Hassan. After having played two headstrong characters in ‘Ishqiya’ and ‘Nand’, Maha is definitely on a roll. She has entirely transformed herself in Rija’s character, proving her versatility as an actress, which is saying a lot considering she hasn’t appeared in a lot of dramas.
Unlike ‘Phaans’ and ‘Aulaad’ which also feature intellectually disabled characters, ‘Safar Tamam Hua’ seems like a light-hearted family story. The first episode did a great job in laying the foundation of the story and we hope the drama can keep viewers engaged as the story progresses.
