“Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay” is an audience favorite these days due to its wonderful cast, including Mahira Khan, Kubra Khan and Usman Mukhtar in lead roles, and Umera Ahmed’s return to script writing after “Alif.” Add to that, Farooq Rind’s brilliant direction and Azaan Sami Khan’s haunting OST (sung by Yashal Shahid) and this drama became a success with the first episode itself. Despite an uncomfortable story that leaves little room for happiness, this is a show that has left its audience waiting for each episode. Despite that, episode 9 left many viewers, myself included, underwhelmed with the execution of what should have been the most impactful part of the story. Fortunately, episode 10 puts the show back on track.
In episode 10, Mehreen (Mahira Khan) is in jail, being accused of Mashal’s (Kubra Khan) murder. If last week was a disappointment, this week has made up for it and how. Mehreen is incredibly isolated in her family environment. She has been mistreated since childhood, which is something that we have seen. Still, when one is at their worst, the phrase “blood is thicker than water” always comes into play. We expect our families to be there for us if no one else is. Mehreen does not have this bond – when she is at her worst, she is not only neglected in jail without any visitors, but her own family actively pursues a guilty verdict for her. It’s not surprising then to see how disheartened Mehreen is mentally and emotionally. She does not have faith that anything good will ever come her way and while it’s frustrating to see her reject Saffan, this is what makes it easy to understand where she’s coming from. Mehreen only has her Khala on her side and unfortunately, that’s simply not enough for her to feel uplifted, as Aswad (Usman Mukhtar) also believes her to be guilty. Aswad does ultimately tell Mehreen that he will help her, but he also informs her that the engagement is off, because murder or not, he does hold Mehreen responsible for Mashal’s death.
We still find ourselves rooting for Safaan (Haroon Shahid) and Mehreen and want to kick Mehreen for throwing away the one loyal relationship in her life, other than Saleha (Huma Nawab), that she can count on. Safaan genuinely loves and cares for Mehreen, but Mehreen’s self-confidence is too low now for her to believe she’s worthy of anything other than hatred and abuse. This is the impact her family has had on her. Mahira Khan and Haroon Shahid both act so well in their scenes together and the use of the OST only enhances the impact.
Honestly, this episode belongs to Zainab Qayyum and Ali Tahir as Shagufta and Tahir. While their characters are detestable, these are parents who are looking to place blame for the death of their only child, unable to acknowledge what they may already internally recognize – that she killed herself. Women like Shagufta are rampant in our society, women who cannot hold their own words. While her own daughter was a victim of her bullying during her life, Shagufta now realizes her mistakes and finds herself apologizing to a daughter who is no longer there. However, this is a part of her personality and so, now that her daughter is not around, the target of her words and her abuse is Mehreen. The cycle will always continue with individuals like this. Mehreen and Mashal‘s family have created such a toxic environment for these two girls, which ultimately led to tragedy. She is content with blaming Mehreen for Mashal’s death because it absolves her of her crimes, the thought of Mashal committing suicide too much to bear – because it would place blame on parenting. While we know exactly the direction in which this drama is heading and that direction may be unsettling, this is a show that brings the audience back each week due to its wonderful acting and brilliant direction.