Hum TV has been putting out a generous number of new shows lately and “Bisaat” is one of the newer Pakistani dramas. “Bisaat” stars Anmol Baloch, Azfar Rehman, Zain Mirza Baig and Ayesha Omar in lead roles, has been written by Fahim Burney and directed by Ateeq Inayat. While “Bisaat” doesn’t have a slew of superstars in it, it does boast of some reliable names and a seemingly different story.
With two episodes down, this drama tells the story of Afreen, played by Anmol Baloch, who grows up in a wealthy household despite being the daughter of the house help. Straight away, there’s a “Rang Mahal” hangover here; however, some added components make this narrative stand out. Afreen is loved by all in the family, particularly Murtaza (Mirza Zain Baig), who wants to marry her. The relationship between Murtaza and Afreen is actually very cute due to the fact that it’s not in-your-face. The way they behave feels as though they have a very good understanding – and they don’t have the need to verbalize their feelings for one another. When Murtaza “proposes” to Afreen, she’s already more than aware of his feelings and does not require that declaration. What would be silly here is if Afreen’s “Noor Ami” (Saba Hameed) ends up being too dense to realize Murtaza and Afreen love each other – though chances are that this is exactly what will happen.
The story involving Sophie (Ayesha Omar) and Jahanzeb (Azfar Rehman) is a rather intense one. The couple has been happily married and in love for years, but Jahanzeb is unable to have children. So, on their anniversary, he gives her divorce papers as a gift. Jahanzeb believes he is doing what’s best for his love, but the cruelty of his one-sided decision is clear through Sophie’s shock. It’s nice to see Ayesha Omer on screen again and her pairing with Azfar Rehman is sweet. Hopefully this pair manage to find their way back to each other, because an impotent Jahanzeb attempting to marry another woman wouldn’t make sense in light of his actions towards Sophie.
Jahanzeb has more problems than being unable to father children. It seems this was brought on by a terrible car accident – in which his sister’s husband passed away and his nephew was left paralyzed and now requires the use of a wheelchair. This is a heavy emotional burden for anyone to bear, but it’s made worse by his sister’s (Sharmeen Ali) trauma caused by the car accident and her severe hatred towards Jahanzeb for destroying her family. The situation presented is not a difficult one to understand and allows the viewer to sympathize with both sides. Would any woman feel differently? And yet, Jahanzeb has truly been suffering and punishing himself for his actions.
Azfar Rehman has been taking some pretty great roles lately. Whether it’s the angsty, resentful Abaan in “Dour,” the manipulative predator Zafar in “Aakhir Kab Tak” and now Jahanzeb in “Bisaat,” these are very different characters with different shades. It’s great to see Azfar Rehman back on-screen and getting roles worthy of his talent and his pairing with Ayesha Omer is likable. Mirza Zain Baig is as endearing as always and Anmol Baloch is a natural actress. It’s Sharmeen Ali who gets the most scope to perform in this episode as a wife who has simply lost too much – and that too at the hands of her own brother. She is giving a noteworthy performance. We will have to wait to see how the story progresses moving forward, but so far, it’s worth a watch.