Looking at the promos of “Daraar,” not much is expected from a show that promises a love triangle between cousins who are, obviously, fighting over the same man. And yet, “Daraar” is a show that follows a tried and tested format which has always been a success – and most likely will be a success as well. Starring Syed Jibran, Amar Khan and Momal Sheikh in lead roles, the story has been written by Misbah Nosheen and directed by Shehrazade Sheikh.
In the first episode, we are introduced to Irha (Amar Khan), a young girl who lives with her Mamoon, Hamid (Behroze Sabzwari) and Maami, Naushaba (Shaheen Khan), along with her cousin Sajal (Momal Sheikh). While this is a middle class family, Sajal dreams of moving up in status, finding a rich boyfriend in college in order to accomplish her dreams. While Sajal is silly and frivolous, along with self-absorbed, Irha is the expected “good girl.” Irha has a full-time job as an insurance agent where she is upright, uptight and often tells off men in positions of power for making her wait. It’s in one such situation where she catches Shaheer’s (Syed Jibran) eye. However, from the get-go, we are made aware of Shaheer’s dubious activities with women. Is Shaheer’s interest in Irha one that will get her into trouble? Of course, we can already predict that Sajal will also step in to attract the attention of Shaheer, leading to the cousins competing…..though it’s not clear for what, since Shaheer does not seem like the marriage type.
Right away, it has to be said. While Syed Jibran has a presence and is an endearing performer, he feels like a miscast as Shaheer. Quite honestly, it’s not just Syed Jibran who has been miscast. Syed Jibran as a young bachelor, Momal Sheikh as a final year university student and Amar Khan as a new age Cinderella…..all three feel horribly miscast. And yet, it’s difficult to criticize too much, because Syed Jibran and Amar Khan’s pairing is one that’s intriguing and they will look nice together.
Overall, is there anything particularly innovative or unique about “Daraar”? No. It’s quite predictable and serves the stereotypical melodrama that’s expected of a Geo drama. However, the first episode is entertaining and keeps the viewer hooked, along with the promise of a cute “romance” (if that’s what it is) between Syed Jibran and Amar Khan. This could be a fun watch.