“Daraar” continues to earn praise from audiences, emerging as an underdog of sorts. Starring Syed Jibran, Amar Khan and Momal Sheikh, “Daraar” began with a talented yet offbeat cast and was not expected to be the winner it has wound up being. However, with the first episode itself, it engaged viewers and managed to make its mark. Written by Misbah Nosheen and directed by Shehrazade Sheikh, “Daraar” isn’t a horribly unique story, following two cousins and their fight over one man; however, it’s the presentation and treatment that sets “Daraar” apart.
In episode 38, Irha (Amar Khan) finally finds a job and begins her life once again without Shaheer (Syed Jibran). As she learns to live life again, recognize her own worth and her own identity without her husband and return to normalcy, she misses her daughter, Fatima, and even pays her a visit while Shaheer and Sajal are out. In the meantime, Sajal (Momal Sheikh) has slowly grown fed up of her lack of standing in Shaheer’s life. Her jealousy has begun to creep in towards Fatima, realizing she will never be number one in Shaheer’s life and will always be second to his daughter – more specifically, Irha’s daughter. After attending a party with Shaheer, during which she is already angry with him, she is further irked when he refers to Sajal as his girlfriend and she is forced to incur the questioning stares of those at the event. Sajal, who wants to marry Shaheer, does not understand why he does not take that next step and the wedge has officially been created and placed between the two. Sultan (Hassan Ahmed), one of Shaheer’s business rivals, takes advantage of this and attempts to entice Sajal.
Planting the seed in Sajal’s mind that he is worth more than Shaheer and will give her more importance, Sultan is ready to use Sajal as a pawn in his rivalry against Shaheer. Furthermore, Sultan is also friends with Shaheer’s ex girlfriend (Tara Mehmood), a woman who is ready to fight for Shaheer. When the two women come face to face at Sultan’s house, she does not waste a moment filling Sajal’s head against Shaheer.
What’s fun about “Daraar” is that it does not waste too much time with flashbacks and keeps the story moving forward at a steady, enjoyable pace. Within the span of one episode, the story takes leaps forward and as an audience, it’s entertaining rather than a chore to watch. Amar Khan is absolutely wonderful as Irha and continues to prove why she’s an underrated television actress. Syed Jibran continues to give great performances, 2022 proving to be his year with several strong characters to his credit. It’s Momal Sheikh who is the weakest link of the show and she continues to be – fortunately, with much of the show now centered on her, her acting has improved a lot since the beginning of the drama. Still, a stronger actor would have made the show better. The stars of “Daraar” are Syed Jibran, Amar Khan and the well-paced script. Hopefully these words will continue to ring true and will not have to be retracted in upcoming episodes as often happens!