“Daraar” airs twice a week on Har Pal Geo. Starring Syed Jibran, Amar Khan and Momal Sheikh in lead roles, the story has been written by Misbah Nosheen and directed by Shehrazade Sheikh. “Daraar” just aired its tenth episode and with ten episodes down, it continues to be an engrossing show…..but the confusion remains – what exactly is the story?
Shaheer (Syed Jibran) is a suave businessman who dotes on his grandmother who, in turn, dotes on Irha (Amar Khan), the woman she sees as a perfect daughter-in-law for her grandson. Fortunately for Daadi, Shaheer also sets his sights on Irha and the two are engaged. Up until this point, it’s all clear. But confusion begins when Sajal (Momal Sheikh) enters the picture.
Irha has grown up with her Chacha and Chachi, Hamid and Naushaba (played by Behroze Sabzwari and Shaheen Khan), along with her cousin Sajal. Irha has more or less been treated like a work horse by all other than her Chacha, who is sweet and protective. However, Sajal has always wanted the best – and at present, that best is Shaheer. Sajal cannot believe Irha is getting what should be “hers.” In the most recent episodes, we discover that Sajal’s boyfriend Shahrukh is the man behind a carjacking that ends with Irha in the hospital with a gunshot wound. When Shaheer finds her at the scene of the crime, he immediately has her involvement with Shahrukh covered up – but here’s where we will now see Sajal and Shaheer spending time together.
The confusion arises in some odd scenes between Sajal and Shaheer. Is Shaheer genuinely a good guy? While he seems to be one outwardly, the opening scene when we are introduced to him seemed to indicate that he was a womanizer of sorts and there have been a few uncomfortable exchanges between Sajal and Shaheer where it almost appears as though Shaheer is propositioning Sajal.
It will be interesting to see where they take this storyline, but one thing is for certain – we, as an audience, are exhausted of sisters/cousins sabotaging family and fighting over a man. If this turns into yet another sister-stealing story with a slimy husband, its appeal may not last. However, at present, Syed Jibran and Amar Khan’s pairing is what’s holding the story together. They share really sweet, warm chemistry and Syed Jibran is an excellent performer who deserves more central, character-driven roles. Unfortunately, the greatest weakness in this entire story is Momal Sheikh’s casting. She is a complete miscast as a college student and a woman who believes men should be falling at her feet.
Overall, “Daraar” is a good watch and is entertaining – but whether it continues to be entertaining depends on where they plan on taking the storyline moving forward.