“Aye Musht E Khaak” is a story that brings together the hit pairing of Feroze Khan and Sana Javed. This show has taken a great leap with viewership beginning with episode 1 itself, fans of Feroze and Sana flocking to watch their favorite pair together again. Adding to this is the fact that “Aye Musht E Khaak” is another intense, brooding love story that brings together two very different individuals. Written by Maha Malik, the show has been directed by Aehsun Talish.
While “Aye Musht E Khaak” got off to a slightly over the top start, as the episodes continue to play out, the story being told is quite a riveting and genuine one. How do two individuals make a marriage work when they do not live life in the same way? While Mustajab married Duaa out of an obsession of sorts, Duaa believed the promises he made to her and is now struggling to understand how to live her life with a man who does not even respect her religion.
In episode 8, the two are now married and problems immediately begin for the much-in-love couple as Mustajab’s (Feroze Khan) true nature begins to ooze out. Snapping at Daayan (Asad Siddiqui) for mocking Duaa (Sana Javed), as any brother would do, Duaa and her family are horrified, uncomfortable at this possessive attitude. Mustajab does not recognize that Duaa has relationships apart from him, relationships that have existed before his involvement. Still, Daayan, being the sweet brother and son that he is, consoles his parents and tries to cover up his hurt. Asad Siddiqui is very likable in this role and again, while it was a rocky start, he has slipped into the character nicely.
Mustajab’s mother Shakeela (Iffat Omer) is really worried about her son and his marriage, as she loves Duaa and can see how Mustajab is hurting her. Things reach a head when Mustajab insists Duaa leave for America with him within a week. Realizing how he has broken all his promises and made false promises simply to “get” her, Duaa is struggling internally to understand how to proceed with this marriage.
There’s a very real moment where Duaa declines the trip as it will clash with Ramadan and Mustajab does not understand the significance. This is a situation many young women have faced, a moment where they find themselves married to someone less religious (or not at all religious) than they are. This is not an easy thing to deal with, constantly fighting one’s own beliefs to live in a way suitable to a significant other. Duaa is essentially dealing with someone who does not give importance to religion at all and the weight of this is now heavily upon her. Not only this, but Mustajab expects Duaa to change for him – because in his head, this is what women do.
Again, while the show initially seemed very over the top, there are so many situations and characters in this show that feel like characters we know in real life. From Shakeela, a mother trying to “fix” her son by marrying him to a nice girl, to Daayan, a sweet brother trying to pacify his family despite recognizing the glaring problems, to Mustajab, a man who sees himself as flawless, unwilling to change despite others being negatively affected by his actions. There’s a lot to unpack within this show and it isn’t clear exactly how Duaa and Mustajab’s marriage will proceed from here, but the show must be given credit for piquing the interest of the audience.
