Due to lack of a compelling story and competent VFX, it’s tough to have high hopes for Pakistani horror dramas. When it comes to this specific genre, the previously touted dramas like Saya and Bandish, both of which managed to dazzle spectators initially but witnessed a significant drop in viewership in their respective season two.
Geo Entertainment’s “Jin Zada” – a horror, thriller, love story hybrid; has recently received a lot of attention for its intriguing premise. Produced by Masterminds Productions, the sequences filmed in the stunning locales of Muzaffarabad and Kashmir stand out in the drama.
In terms of lightning, sound and editing, the drama has managed to give spooky vibes. However, unfortunately in terms of visual effects, its unlikely to be considered as a success.
The Plot: Love story blended with troubled married life and Djinn
The main protagonists include a married couple namely, Abiha – played by Nazish Jahangir and Adnan – played by Saad Qureshi.
Adnan’s parents, played by Parveen Akbar and Waseem Abbas, are portrayed as selfish, greedy, and crafty individuals who keep a relationship with their daughter-in-law for financial gains. Unlike their parents, Adnan and his sister Mehreen – played by Arisha Razi, had emotions of love and respect for Abiha.
Adnan is shown as a husband who cherishes his wife, and it is because of this love that Abiha tolerates her in-laws’ dreadful behavior.
The narrative here depicts the troubles of a woman’s married life as well as the negative impact on her life caused by the intervention of a mystery entity linked to her, which may be based on some truth true to certain extent.
Abiha comes from wealthy and well-established family, and is an only child of her parents. Behroze Sabzwari and Salma Asim are playing as devoted parents who won’t accept any type of concession or compromise when it comes to their only daughter.
In one episode where her mother-in-law makes a demand through her for 10 crore rupees. A demand which resulted in an extremely distressing situation – as despite Abiha’s mother’s fear of adverse consequences for their daughter’s married life, the father chose to bring Abiha home rather than caving in to the absurd demand.
The story then takes an unexpected and tragic turn as Abiha’s parents are then killed by ‘the Djinn’, henceforth adding to Abiha’s suffering and misery.
In-short, Jinzada is precisely a tale where an individual’s life is ruined by a demonic entity namely ‘Djinn’.
The impacts of Demonic Entity: Who’s Djinn?
Feroze – played by Syed Jibran, a vengeful and powerful Djinn, embarks on a treacherous and nefarious mission in “Jinzada.” Consumed by the anguish of his sister’s tragic murder, Feroze becomes determined to seek retribution at any cost. Armed with the ability to transform into anyone he desires, Feroze sets his sights on Abiha and begins to destroy her life and all of her cherished relationships.
The tug of war between good and evil continues but the question remains, ‘Why is the Djinn is after Abiha at all?’ Nevertheless, his presence in itself is causing unexpected twists and turns in the story.
However, a flashback revealed in the previous episode that Abiha’s father had shot a deer somewhere long ago which in fact was a Djinn in disguise – it is later revealed that the disguised Djinn was none other than Feroze’s sister. Nevertheless, however, it’s unclear to the audience yet.
Vengeance is frequently a driving force for a Djinn, but one of the reasons to be startled here is that the Djinn that died was Abiha’s doppelganger.
So far, the first few episodes have also revealed that Abiha married an evil Djinn during her honeymoon and that she is about to give birth to “Jin Zada”.
The not so flawless plot for Jinzada!
While the side characters are also catching up to the main plot, there remain certain flaws. For instance, while being under the influence of a demonic entity, Abiha is neither terrified nor aware of anyone’s presence.
In an earlier episode, Abiha waking up in the woods was the only time she realized something was off was when she noticed the mud in her room.
Despite having a great relationship and being in love with Adnan, not informing him about the behavior of the in-laws and leaving the house without telling him about it, is still an odd occurrence and contradicts the seemingly ‘perfect’ husband-wife relationship that is portrayed here.
However, it’s always a treat to watch Jibran on the screen, his dynamic acting adds to the story’s appeal, although VFX’s could’ve still benefited from some much-needed improvement. So far, Jinzada has charmed viewers with its intriguing tale, but if it continues on its current trajectory i.e., one dimensional, predictable and stereo-typical ‘Djinn story’, it might result in another disappointment for the audience when it comes to this genre.
