“Dunk” has hit the gas pedal, finally taking steps to move forward – and away from the “love” triangle – not only to open war between Haider and Amal, but also towards re-opening the sexual harassment case as Haider desires justice for Professor Hamayun. The cast of “Dunk” includes Noman Ejaz, Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed, Azekah Daniel, Fahad Sheikh, Shahood Alvi, Saife Hassan and many others. The show has been produced by Fahad Mustafa’s Big Bang Entertainment, directed by Badar Mehmood and written by Mohsin Talat. Now that Haider and Minal are married, Amal sets out to paint the two in a negative light.
In episode 17, Haider (Bilal Abbas Khan) enters the room on his wedding night, furious with his new wife for plotting against him with Amal (Sana Javed). Minal (Azekah Daniel), on her part, is stunned, horrified that a tweaked version of the truth got to Haider before she could tell him herself. Unfortunately, this starts their marriage off on a rocky start. This scene is tragic for both Haider and Minal as Haider has had his trust shattered so badly in the past, he’s unable to paint this situation as anything but a betrayal. On the other hand, Minal has married Haider against the support of her family and has entered a volatile living situation, so Amal’s games are horribly unfair to her. While Haider and Minal are angry for the day, their friendship and understanding of one another does come into play as they have a logical, open discussion about things. This is the strength of the Haider-Minal bond, that the two have never been romantically involved, but they have always been close friends – and it’s that friendship of trust and understanding that they can (and hopefully will) build their relationship on. The chemistry between Bilal Abbas Khan and Azekah Daniel comes across as a pleasant surprise and has many viewers rooting for this innocent duo. Azekah Daniel is a natural in this role.
Amal continues to play innocent, not only with Safeer (Fahad Sheikh) as she turns him against his brother, but also with Haider’s father, Nawaz (Shahood Alvi), who she has completely brought over to her corner. Fortunately Saba (Laila Wasti) is beginning to see the toxic nature of Amal’s “selflessness” and how Nawaz and Safeer are not only being completely swayed against Haider, but now also showing callous behavior towards Minal, their newest family member. She has the family convinced that Haider called off the wedding for Minal, which couldn’t be father from the truth. There’s a great moment where Haider stands up against Nawaz’s behavior towards Minal and almost blurts out the real reason for his breakup with Amal – though we continue to wonder why he defends her, considering she has pulled out all her knives and sharpened them. Still, Minal does work to build her bonds in the house, having not only Haider in her corner, but also winning Saba over.
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Sana Javed is simply excellent as Amal, portraying a woman without a conscience, a true sociopath who only acts for self-preservation. She does not care how she’s destroying a family or even her so-called best friend (Minal), but will do anything to exact her revenge. The way Sana Javed changes her facial expressions with the blink of an eye is fabulous. On the other hand, Bilal Abbas Khan shines as the silent sufferer, a man who is so overcome with guilt and regret, he’s unable to move forward as he sets out to rectify his mistakes. With Haider and Amal now declaring open war on each other, one has to wonder if Haider will confide in Minal and tell her the whole truth – or will Amal continue to create problems in their marriage?
