“Fitoor” tells an intense story of love and heartbreak. Written by Zanjabeel Asim and directed by Siraj Ul Haq, it stars Faysal Qureshi, Hiba Bukhari, Wahaj Ali and Kiran Haq in lead roles. Faysal Qureshi is always a draw for Pakistani drama viewers, but “Fitoor” manages to keep viewers hooked even while the focus is on Wahaj Ali and Hiba Bukhari, Wahaj Ali truly showing of his acting chops in the last few episodes.
Episode 8 continues with Dilnasheen (Hiba Bukhari) being herded like a sheep into marriage with Haider (Faysal Qureshi). The true villain of this show is truly Dilnasheen’s family. Of course Hamza’s family started this entire thing, but even now when they are bending and realizing they have been wrong, Dilnasheen’s terror of a mother (Saba Hameed) continues to berate her daughter. Even Dilnasheen’s Bhabi behaves as though Dilnasheen is going on a picnic when she’s going shopping with Haider rather than being forced into something she simply does not want. Dilansheen goes along with Haider, but is awkwardly silent through the entire encounter. It’s actually nice to see that Haider isn’t clueless and picks up on her hesitancy – and later wonders why she’s behaving like a child and agreeing to everything he says. Throughout this encounter, Hamza (Wahaj Ali) follows the duo and, when Haider steps away, confronts Dilnasheen. Hamza is intensely in love with Dilnasheen and feels as though she’s betraying him, but she makes it clear that his family humiliated her family and now she’s being forced to do as her own family says. After hearing this, Hamza goes home and attempts suicide by cutting his wrists, throwing his family into a frenzy, particularly his father who finally decides he will bring Dilnasheen home as Hamza’s bride.
As far as complicated love stories go, this one is extreme in the sense that all of these characters are complex and likable in their own way. Haider is still hung up on Mehmal, but he’s still genuinely trying to move on and do the right thing – and do right by his fiancée, though it’s unnerving to see him thinking about Mehmal while with her. Likewise, while Dilnasheen continues to try to do what’s “right,” it’s difficult to see her suffering, because both she and Hamza love each other. Hamza, while obsessive, has never faltered in his love for Dilnasheen and is genuine in his affection for her – to the point that he attempts to kill himself at the thought of living without her. Is there any real “villain” in this trio? All three of these characters are being true to who they are. What is the right outcome in this scenario? Again, coming back to the earlier statement, Dilnasheen’s family are the real villains of the show, unable to recognize the pain Dilnasheen is in and unwilling to tone down their egos for Dilnasheen’s happiness. When a boy and girl like each other and want to marry each other, is this kind of backwards, stone-age thinking necessary? This is the part that’s irritating about “Fitoor” – it’s simply not relatable on the part of Dilnasheen’s family and their behavior. They are unlikable to the point that one wishes Dilnasheen would rebel against them, marry Hamza and leave them behind to deal with their oh-so-important “izzat.” Wahaj Ali continues to be the star of the show with the most scope for acting, giving an incredible performance as the intense Hamza. “Fitoor” is an entertaining show, but the frustrating family interactions and behaviors make it infuriating.