“Baddua” stars Amar Khan, Maryam Noor, Muneeb Butt, Mohsin Abbas, Osama Tahir and others in lead roles. The story has been written by Sameena Aijaz and directed by Ramish Rizvi. In the past, we’ve seen shows like “Dilruba, which also revolved around a flirtatious young woman who led on several men at once, ultimately leading to her own downfall, so to say. “Baddua” also falls along these lines. The difference between “Dilruba” and “Baddua” is that in the former, Hania Amir’s character indulged in innocent flirtations that took men to a different level – but her behavior was not unforgivable, it was simply foolish. In “Baddua,” we have Abeer, played by Amar Khan, who is revealing herself to be a thoroughly rotten human being – and that’s what makes the story interesting.
In episode 2, Abeer continues to pursue Junaid (Muneeb Butt), who is her best friend Neelam’s fiancé and the two declare their affection for one another. Meanwile, Mohsin (Mohsin Abbas Haider) brings his mother to Abeer’s house for a proposal, overjoyed that his dreams of marrying Abeer will finally come true. Unfortunately, Abeer has moved on and lost interest in Mohsin now that she has set her sights on “bigger fish,” the current fish being Junaid. She ruthlessly denies knowing Mohsin, calling him a stalker, insulting both him and his mother and having the two kicked out of the house. What’s clear from this scene is that Abeer’s mother is a huge part of the problem. She has been aware of Abeer’s habits all along and has covered them up, defending her in front of her father and grandmother. Fortunately, Abeer’s grandmother (Samina Ahmed) is much more intelligent than Abeer’s mother would give her credit for and she calls out Abeer’s unacceptable behavior.
The story takes a tragic turn when Mohsin commits suicide in his depression over Abeer’s betrayal. Both Mohsin Abbas Haider and Salma Hassan deserve a round of applause for their performances in this episode. Mohsin Abbas Haider has always been a solid actor and he pulls through here as well, really allowing the audience to feel for his plight and the heartbreak Abeer has put him through. Salma Hassan is equally brilliant in the scene where she storms into Abeer’s home and informs her of Mohsin’s death, cursing her for using her son this way. The grief a mother goes through at a time like this is indescribable, but Salma Hassan does a great job enacting the emotions a woman would go through after losing her only son.
The time for Abeer’s payback sooner than expected, especially considering Neelam stumbles upon Junaid and Abeer’s secret meeting at the end of the episode. With Neelam and Mohsin’s mother turning against Abeer, how will she move on? Adding to this, Mohsin’s cousin has returned from abroad, played by Osama Tahir, and it’s clear that he will not sit idle after this. Is there a revenge track in store for viewers? While in the case of “Dilruba,” one did not feel the lead character deserved the grief she was put through for her childish actions, with Abeer it’s a different case entirely. Abeer, brilliantly played by Amar Khan, is a devil of a character who does not have a care for the emotions of those around her. Even after Mohsin’s death, though she was initially a bit shaken, she moves on without so much as a second thought. It will be fun to watch a nasty character like this meet her karma.
