After much fanfare and promotions that lasted for months, the new channel on the block Green Entertainment finally begins airing the first of its long list of fictional programs. Taking over the 9 PM slot on Monday is the drama Jeevan Nagar directed by Kashif Nisar and written by Awais Ahmed.
Set in a fictional neighborhood in Lahore, Jeevan Nagar boasts of a stellar cast including Sohail Ahmed, Rabia Butt, Noor-ul-Hassan, Khalid Butt, Kashif Mehmood, Saqib Sameer, Kinza Malik, Tahira Imam, Aamna Malick to name a few.
Jeevan Nagar Paints a Gloomy But Wonderful Visual
Director Kashif Nisar has once again built a world that brings forth the characters and situations which are often hidden in plain sight. At a complete contrast from the mainstream visuals of the currently Pakistani dramas which are all about the big havelis and lavish, dreamy sets; Jeevan Nagar takes you to the tight, almost claustrophobic galis that are surrounded by houses with open, airy verandas and connected rooftops that, from a distance, make the entire setting appear as one big unit. But within this homogenous looking area live characters each having different hues.
Jeevan Nagar is Home to Colorful Characters
Jeevan Nagar is as much as a character of the story as it is the setting of it. A fictional neighborhood somewhere within the heart of androon Lahore, Jeevan Nagar is home to a plethora of colorful characters, all of them immediately familiar to anyone who has ever experienced living life in a close-knit neighborhood.
Here you can find the skirmishes between a devrani and jethani over the topic of who does more chores, a young man jumping over rooftops to have clandestine meeting with his lover in the dark, a group of idle youth who don’t have anything productive to do but remark on the comings and goings of people around them, a pair of brothers dealing with the rush of customers at a general store on the eve of Eid ul Fitr, a pair of sisters walking home with freshly painted henna on their hands, and a young boy going house to house in the neighborhood delivering plates of freshly made food or sweets and waiting at the doorstep to get a full plate in return.
And to add more sparks to this already bustling neighborhood there’s also a new entrant, a beautiful and confident woman whose presence in Jeevan Nagar will rustle a few leaves and shake a few trees. We all know these people. For many viewers who’ll watch this episode, they are one of these people. The connection to this world is instantaneous.
Sohail Ahmed Stands Out
The character that truly stands apart, and perhaps is the booming heart of both his neighborhood and the story, is that of Babar Shah (Sohail Ahmed). A local goon who’s nothing less than a ruling head of Jeevan Nagar, Babar Shah has the love, admiration, and reverence of all the people of the neighborhood. He’s a goon with a heart of gold that makes sure no injustice befalls on any of the citizen of Jeevan Nagar. Beyond that, he also makes sure to maintain a one-on-one relationship with all of the inhabitants of the neighborhood, from the loitering goons to the hardworking, old kabadiya.
As warm his benevolence is, so is cold his rage. And if that wasn’t enough to make him an already spectacular character, Babar Shah is hiding a secret that could potentially destroy his image irreversibly.
Too Many Characters Do Add Confusion in the First Episode
The performances right off the bat are solid. Boasting of a huge ensemble cast of both veteran and new faces, each actor has embraced their character completely from their very first appearance. However, the downside to having a huge cast as this and giving almost all of them no proper introduction does lead to confusion about who is who.
There was simply just too much going on. The end credits of the episode also didn’t credit the actors alongside the characters they play so it might take some time for the viewers to become familiar with the characters.
The pace of the episode was fast and engaging throughout. The use of voice over to introduce key characters and happenings of the story was clever. Although, at some points the choice of BGM could’ve been better. Jeevan Nagar’s first episode has us hooked for sure.
The cliffhanger ending of the episode will definitely have us tuned in next week to find out more about these characters and the workings of this world.
