“Aulaad” is an emotional, gut-wrenching, tear-jerker of a show that has successfully hooked family audiences. Whether it’s elderly parents, older children or the young crowd, this is a show that has everyone shedding tears, wondering if their families are any better. Starring Mohammad Ahmed, Marina Khan, Hassan Niazi, Sunita Marshal, Furqan Qureshi, Hina Javed, Nabeel Zuberi, Minsa Malik and Qudsia Ali in prominent roles, the show has been written by Syed Ameer Ali Shah and directed by Aabis Raza.
In episode 29, a two-parter, Zakiya (Marina Khan) and Jalal (Mohammad Ahmed) are fed up with their children and have written them off, making peace with supporting one another in old age. It’s Nabeel Zuberi who steals the show this week as Bilal, finally being given the chance to perform more emotions than dim and cold as Bilal moves through a plethora of emotions. Visiting Moni’s (Qudsia Ali) grave, Bilal breaks down thinking about the pain he inflicted on his sister and best friend. In an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking sequence, Bilal is “visited” by Moni as she comforts her brother and lets him know that she loves him and forgives him. There’s a lot to unpack here emotionally as Bilal not only grapples with what he did to Moni, but also recognizes her loving heart, the only individual who ever supported him no matter what. Moni also reiterates something she said in her life – that Muskaan still has Roshna’s gold set, the set which caused everything to fall apart. Her words stick with Bilal as he’s left questioning everything he has believed to be true. Bilal also has a wonderful interaction with Khurram (Hassan Niazi), who has grown very lonely in jail and is emotional to see his brother. Seeing Bilal’s emotional state, Khurram encourages him to beg and grovel at Jalal and Zakiya’s feet for his wrongdoings and make things right. Both Nabeel Zuberi and Hassan Niazi do an incredible job in this scene, bringing the audience to tears.
There’s something entirely unconvincing about how Adnan (Furqan Qureshi) has been written. Adnan’s behavior and Furqan’s performance have both come together to make the audience truly believe Adnan to be the “good son,” the son with a conscience. So why then do we consistently see him thinking about money and placing money above familial relationships suddenly? It’s entirely out of character for him. The scene between Roshna (Minsa Malik) and Adnan on the phone is a difficult moment for Adnan as he realizes how far gone he seems in the eyes of his own family. He is no longer even allowed the right to complain or scold his younger sister and this weighs heavy on his heart. It’s also seen how his family’s reaction is now causing trouble in Adnan and Farwa’s (Hina Javed) marriage. Farwa was initially seen as a decent human being, but with aspirations for her husband; however, now she is simply a selfish, cruel, manipulative character, potentially only a few notches better than the oh-so-horrible Muskaan.
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By the end of the episode, we do see Roshna discussing her problems with Furqan and Furqan giving her some solid advice, guiding her towards forgiving her brothers. It’s great to see a loving and supportive relationship here and while Roshna has always been a little “too much” of a character (a little too sweet, a little too angry, a little too timid, etc.), her relationship with Furqan after marriage is very sweet to watch. The show is now drawing to a close (hopefully) with the brothers realizing their mistakes. Khurram is already suffering and choking on regret while Bilal is beginning to see the truth for what it is, guilt eating away at him from the inside. It’s now Adnan’s turn, which leaves the audience wondering yet again if Adnan’s crime has been as bad as the others – and so will his punishment be as harsh?