The last Har Pal Geo romance, “Mannat Murad,” wound up being a great disappointment for those looking for a light-hearted, romantic show with some conflict. With “Burns Road Kay Romeo Juliet,” all eyes are on Geo to rectify the situation and deliver on a sweet, enjoyable romance. With Hamza Sohail, fresh off the success of “Fairytale” and “Breaking News,” and the always lovable Iqra Aziz, the lead cast in itself makes the show worth watching. Written by Parisa Siddiqi and directed by Fajr Raza, “Burns Road Kay Romeo Juliet” also stars Shabbir Jan, Khalid Anum, Raza Samo, Zainab Qayyum, Shaheera Jalil Albasit and others in prominent roles.
In the first episode, we are introduced to Farhad (Hamza Sohail) as he gets the highest distinction in business management. Hamza Sohail gets into the skin of his character, delivering a great speech in Urdu but leaving us in splits as Farhad attempts to speak English, highlighting how he’s been bullied by his elite peers over his years in University. With the exception of his brother and sister (played by the hilarious Raza Samo and the brilliant Shaheera Jalil Albasit), his family is not particularly impressed with his educational qualifications and simply want him to take over his father’s food business. Raza Samo is a great addition to the cast, immediately bringing out laughs. Of course, Shaheera Jalil Albasit is great too, but let’s be honest – she deserves much more as an actress, so we can only hope her role is more than just the sister role.
On the other side of town, Fariha (Iqra Aziz) is preparing for her sister’s wedding and is horrified to discover the clothes haven’t been delivered yet. The scene with Fariha and the tailor plays out like a dream sequence for so many girls who are constantly waiting for their clothing to be ready on time. Succeeding in her bullying and receiving her clothes, Fariha and her brother head back home. In a hilarious meeting, Fariha’s dupatta flies onto Farhad’s face while driving his motorcycle and he crashes. For Farhad, it’s clearly love at first sight as he completely neglects his injuries and focuses on Fariha. The chemistry between Hamza Sohail and Iqra Aziz is immediately evident and we can hope the writing creates scenarios to enhance it. Meanwhile, while arriving at the hospital, Fariha and Farhad’s fathers meet in the parking lot and get off on the wrong foot, setting us up for the heated battles to ensue, which will cause trouble for our “Romeo and Juliet.”
The first episode is genuinely very enjoyable. There’s little to complain about at this point. “Burns Road Kay Romeo Juliet” feels like the sort of show that was written as a Ramdan drama initially and that’s not a bad thing. It remains to be seen how the show plays out from this point on, but the first episode is a success with entertainment, humor, love and bickering all rolled into a nice package. So far, it’s off to a good start!