As far as romance goes, “Ishq Murshid” has won the hearts of audiences with its fairytale-like story of a man who abandons it all for the woman he loves, including his own identity. However, since the reveal of Shahmeer’s true identity, fans have been divided, the writer has expressed his disappointment with the director for not following through with his vision and the villainous track with Mehreen has done little in terms of entertainment. Does episode 26 turn things around? Starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Dur E Fishan Saleem, Omair Rana, Noor Ul Hassan, Salma Hassan and others, “Ishq Murshid” has been written by Abdul Khaliq Khan and directed by Farooq Rind.
In episode 26, Salman (Noor Ul Hassan) meets with Dawood (Omair Rana) to discuss the happiness of their children and then…….suddenly……Shahmeer (Bilal Abbas Khan) and Shibra (Dur E Fishan Saleem) are married. The plotting around them, however, has not stopped and it’s clear that Dawood has some ulterior motives or a plan in mind. What is it? Only time will tell.
Honestly, the editing is the greatest enemy of this show. Were certain scenes edited out? Were they not shot? Were they not even written? It’s not clear, but someone on the “Ishq Murshid” team is continuously making blunders. How did we go from Salman completely rejecting Shahmeer to having a conversation with Dawood (that was open-ended) and then suddenly, with the snap of a finger, our lovebirds are married…..in the world’s most boring marriage scene possible. Despite how much charm and chemistry Bilal Abbas Khan and Dur E Fishan Saleem have, they could not salvage that poorly executed wedding night scene. Srha Asghar also plays hide and seek with the audience, leaving us wondering why she ever signed this role?
However, Farooq Rind comes to the rescue at the very end of the episode with Shahmeer and Shibra’s village wedding. This wedding sequence is everything we could have imagined and both Bilal Abbas Khan and Dur E Fishan Saleem are in top form as two individuals in love and finally, after many hardships, getting married. We can only wish Shibra’s family had been present for this beautiful ceremony. All said and done though, “Ishq Murshid” is not over – it’s continuing for at least two more weeks. This leaves us with the question – what else is set to play out? Is there tragedy in store for Shahmeer? We’ve never though about “Ishq Murshid” as a tragedy, but at this point, the show could go in any direction. While that’s exciting in a way, it also must be said that the past 3 episodes or so have been real dull. It’s time now for Pakistani writers, directors and producers need to think outside of the box and stop equating success with TRP numbers and dragging their shows. Bilal Abbas Khan continues to be the highlight of the show, but Dur E Fishan Saleem has caught up with him and is giving Bilal stiff competition in terms of acting and screen presence. This one, as always, is worthwhile.