The craze surrounding Bilal Abbas Khan and Durr E Fishan Saleem’s Shahmir and Shibra is unquestionable. This is a hit pair with a romance which has sustained “Ishq Murshid” through 28 episodes. However, in recent episodes, despite the cute sequences between Shibra and Shahmir, the audience has been left wondering……where is this show headed? Unfortunately, episode 28 does little to quelch our concerns. 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 28, Shahmir sets out to create his cabinet and put the “right” people in positions of power. Of course, this starts with Suleiman (Noor Ul Hassan) receiving a well-deserved promotion while Shahmir surprises Shibra with the form for her civil services examination. While Shahmir, Shibra and her family are celebrating these small successes, a shot is fired at Shibra. Shahmir sets out to uncover the perpetrator, but Mehreen (Hira Tareen) declares to Shibra openly that her father has done it. At this point, we have to question why Shibra would keep this from Shahmir. There is absolutely no reason for Shibra to remain quiet, especially with Shahmir on alert. Attempted murder, even as a “warning,” is not a light matter and Shahmir remaining in the dark and remaining on good terms with those who want his wife dead isn’t a great look for a politician…..or a husband.
At the end of the episode, Maleeha (Srha Asghar) decides to make a spontaneous reappearance to help Shahmir relocate Shibra’s family members to keep them out of harm’s way. It’s wonderful to see Srha Asghar, as always, but we have to wonder why she even bothered taking on this non-role? As the episode draws to a close, shots are fired once again – but who is in the line of fire? Is it Shibra or Shahmir? It’s quite the cliffhanger we are left on for next week.
Bilal Abbas Khan is the heart and soul of “Ishq Murshid,” performing so well as Shahmir – and his return to Fazal Baksh, even if for a few moments, is truly a joy in this episode. This show rests on Bilal’s shoulders and he has done complete justice to it, deserving every bit of success. Durr E Fishan Saleem is his perfect partner as Shibra, a character which she has infused life into. “Ishq Murshid” has been a romance from the beginning, but we’ve always known it would take a turn for the political soon enough, considering Shahmir is a politician. However, it almost feels as though we’re walking into this track blind. What is the purpose? What is the intended outcome? It’s not clear and that’s where “Ishq Murshid” is starting to lack with a feeling of being aimless and not clear in its intended outcome? Will one of our main characters die? Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too long as there are only two episodes of “Ishq Murshid” left at this point. Let’s hope the remaining episodes wind “Ishq Murshid” up on a strong note!
