Dunk Episode 8: Yasra Rizvi Brings Saira’s Grief To Life As She Mourns Her Husband’s Death

“Dunk” has taken an intense turn after Professor Hamayun’s suicide. A story that began as a case of sexual harassment has proved to be a false allegation – one which led to a death. At this point in the show, the story is focusing on the repercussions now that Hamayun is gone. The cast 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.

Episode 8 of “Dunk” deals with the aftermath of Professor Hamayun’s (Noman Ejaz) suicide. Saira (Yasra Rizvi) is left not only mourning the loss of her husband, but is also left to protect their daughter as well. This is not an easy situation for anyone to lose one’s husband to malicious accusations, but to be left with a child to raise all alone intensifies Saira’s grief, unable to protect little Ghana from the horror she has witnessed by seeing her father’s dead body. Yasra Rizvi does an amazing job in this episode really getting the audience to sympathize with her character and understand the intensity of pain her character is experiencing. Her breakdown sequences are brilliantly tragic, heightened by Hamayun’s voice narrating his suicide note. The severity of the grief Hamayun was experiencing at the shame and humiliation of not being able to defend himself or protect his family just cuts through not only Saira, but the audience. This scene is placed throughout the episode, Saira’s grief running parallel to another event – Amal and Haider’s wedding.

The festivities have kicked off, but Haider (Bilal Abbas Khan) remains consumed in his guilt, which is exacerbated when harassed by Hamayun’s colleague. Haider is not a bad person, but genuinely believed Amal’s accusations to be true. However, as revealed in the last episode, Haider realized Amal’s deceit – and that has now become Haider’s “crime.” Remembering the moment he followed Hamayun home and harassed him in front of his child and wife, Haider holds himself responsible for Hamayun’s death. It’s an interesting thought – Hamayun felt his reputation had been maligned and that moment with Haider certainly did have its impact. But is Haider actually responsible or is there one person who is actually responsible for this situation?

Looking at Amal (Sana Javed), one is not clear on what her personality is. She happily prepares for her wedding to Haider and does seem to love him, but her reaction to Hamayun is puzzling – and troublesome. This is mostly because Amal does not appear to have any reaction at all. Is Amal “normal”? We already know she definitely lied about the harassment from Professor Hamayun, which ultimately caused his death. But what were Amal’s true intentions? What is her thought process? This is what’s not clear. What is clear is that Haider no longer wishes to marry Amal, which will cause a huge problem later on. How will Amal and Haider’s families react to this news?

Overall, the highlight of this episode are the performances from Yasra Rizvi and Bilal Abbas Khan. Bilal Abbas Khan is wonderful as Haider, a man completely consumed by his guilt. But Yasra Rizvi is simply a star, a woman who performs so well, she completely leaves viewers gutted. “Dunk” has been intense from the beginning, but the story is really taking an interesting turn at this point.