Bringing back the hit team of “Muqaddar,” “Dil E Momin” is Har Pal Geo’s latest launch. While “Muqaddar” was a problematic show and did not sit well with sections of the audience, it cannot be denied that it was a hit show. “Dil E Momin” appears to focus on the obsessive emotions, specifically those of “love,” and how those emotions can spiral out of control when not reciprocated. Written by Jahanzeb Qamar and directed by Shehrzade Sheikh, “Dil E Momin” has been produced by Abdullah Kadwani & Asad Qureshi. The show has a stellar cast including Faysal Quraishi, Madiha Imam, Momal Sheikh, Saba Faisal, Javed Sheikh, Gohar Rasheed, Shabbir Jan, Tara Mahmood, Haaris Waheed, Annie Zaidi, Tariq Jameel, Mubassara Khanum and others. Along with this, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is behind the beautiful OST, which only adds intrigue.
In episode one, we are introduced to Momin, played by Faysal Qureshi. Momin is seen as a dutiful son to his parents, Shahzad (Javed Sheikh) and Saba Faisal’s character. He is pure of heart, religious, kind and just the image of a “good” man. A professor by profession, Momin is in love with Aashi (Moomal Sheikh), his fiancée. Momin is surrounded by a loving family with his parents and two loving sisters, Fari and Annie. However, things seem set to change when Momin begins a new job at the same college where Maya is a student.
Maya (Madiha Imam) is a bold, confident, outspoken young girl who knows what she wants. Gohar (Gohar Rasheed) is in love with Maya, but she, while being friends with him, does not consider him more than that – and makes sure he’s aware of this. Still, Gohar does not appear to be a man to give up easily – but neither is Maya. Maya is a young girl with a complicated relationship with her father. It’s not clear yet if she’s the daughter of divorced parents or what the situation is exactly, but she is angry with her father, which leads viewers to assume they are estranged. In this case, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to understand why Maya would fall for someone like Momin, as she has spent her life wanting attention from her father and has a void in her life there. Still, what comes across as “too quick” is Maya’s sudden, random emotion for Momin at the end of the episode when the two have only had negative interactions until then. Maya did not show any indication of liking – and suddenly, she’s seen daydreaming about him. This comes across as too quick.
Still, episode one of “Dil E Momin” is fast-paced and shows promise. Faysal Qureshi is endearing as Momin while Madiha Imam is a natural as Maya. Gohar Rasheed also makes an impact as Gohar, not only performing well, but also visually appealing. The great cast aside, it will be interesting to see how an obsessive love story like this is carried out on our television screens as we haven’t really seen something like this recently in Pakistani dramas.
