The upcoming TV channel, Green Entertainment promises to offer a different side to Pakistani dramas. Judging by the trailer of one of the channel’s offerings, 22 Qadam, it looks like Green Entertainment has definitely put its money where the mouth is.
Starring the current top star of the country Wahaj Ali and Hareem Farooq, 22 Qadam is a story about dreams, aspirations, hard work, dedication, the power of belief, and the one thing that contains all of it in magnitudes – cricket.
Love for Cricket Reinforced in 22 Qadam
Pakistanis love for the game of cricket cannot be denied. From the narrow streets of obscure cities to huge stadiums filled with thousands of spectators, the game of cricket has a power to unify people like few things in this country can do.
And this love for the sport is not specific to just one gender. For the past years, women playing the sport at national and international level have been bringing pride to the country by their spectacular performances and by becoming an inspiration for the cricket lovers. However, despite all their successes, cricket is still widely considered as exclusively as “men’s sport”. And it is this notion that 22 Qadam has chosen to tackle and dismantle.
22 Qadam Story
The trailer of the drama features Fari, played by Hareem Farooq, who dreams of playing cricket at a national level. It is not a mere dream for Fari, it is her passion and her zidd as this dream ties to her need of wanting to live her life on her own terms. Completely determined to make her dream her reality, Fari is shown fighting against all manners of blockades being put in her way – physical, emotional, and psychological – as she sticks to her beliefs and refuses to leave the pitch until she has hit the winning shot.
Supporting Fari’s ambitions and dreams is Junaid, played by the versatile Wahaj Ali who simply refuses to have his next project be in any way, shape, or form be similar to his previous one, another cricketer who is passionately working hard to be selected in the national squad. Junaid is the coach/mentor to the ragtag team of cricketers that Fari has gathered and can be seen training them physically and motivating them off-the-ground; in short, he is the unshakable wall of support that is the missing element which turns defeats into victory.
Incredible Production for 22 Qadam
The production level of the drama is incredible. A sport-genre drama cannot be made within the confined walls of a house and demands the visuals match the large ambitions of the story. 22 Qadam appears to have achieved just that with training scenes both in-field and in gym, actual cricket matches being played in a proper cricket ground as well as a rough open area.
The aesthetics are completely on point and not just visually; the snippet of the soaring OST played in the trailer is sure to get the blood pumping when paired with the inspirational visuals of the drama.
Focused on the Human Aspect
Written by Zeeshan Ilyas and directed by Anjum Shahzad, 22 Qadam doesn’t appear to be a drama that focuses just on the sport of the cricket. It seems to be aware that ultimately the ones playing the sport are human beings and when humans are involved, the emotions are bound to be complex.
Specially more so when its women struggling to get to the center of the ground that’s dominated by men. Featuring characters that belong to different walks of life, living completely different lives from each other, who are only united due to their shared love for the sport and the ambitions they have for it, 22 Qadam promises to be a human story as much as it promises to be a story that shows the love of the game.
Creating a Positive Buzz
The trailer for 22 Qadam has already created a positive buzz within the audience who is desperate for a break from the run of the mill dramas dominating the screens now. And rightfully so. In times like this, the importance and the need of a story like 22 Qadam can hardly be denied.
A story that shows women being more than just the wives and the bahus of the house but being individuals not just with dreams and ambitions but also having the determination to achieve those dreams. A story that shows men being not the hindrance for women in achieving their dreams but being the support and motivation that they need to achieve their dreams. A story about the power of dreams and the sacrifices and pain one endures to achieve. A story about lessons learned through painful losses that lead to a victory that makes it all worth it. A story that is just different and will, hopefully, take many qadams to progress the genre of Pakistani dramas in a much-needed positive direction.
