“Jalan” continues to rake in the ratings, starring Minal Khan, Areeba Habib and Emmad Irfani in lead roles. Centering around an affair between a man and his sister-in-law, the show has introduced viewers to a new level of unstable with the character of Nisha (Minal Khan). At present, “Jalan” has taken off with the secret of Nisha and Asfandyar’s affair now out in the open. Episode 12 begins with Misha (Areeba Habib) being hospitalized due to the trauma of discovering the affair. Nisha (Minal Khan) does not display any signs of regret, rather continues to blame her sister even after she’s been hospitalized and continues to pester Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani) into divorcing her. When Nisha’s parents discover her actions, they are livid and both Nisha and Asfandyar become the (deserving) targets of their anger. Unfortunately, while they try to arrange Nisha’s marriage quickly, Nisha runs away from the Nikkah, leaving her parents to deal with the aftermath.
Nisha is a different sort of character in that she doesn’t seem to put on any pretenses – and so that makes one wonder if Nisha has been the problem all along or has her family been the problem for being so completely blind to their own daughter/sister’s faults? When Nisha destroyed Ahmer’s reputation, no one in this household batted an eyelash before presuming Nisha was innocent and now, suddenly, everyone is surprised that Nisha could have gone to this extent. Well, sure, as viewers, we are also surprised that a character like Nisha could exist, a woman so disloyal that she does not care for her own sister’s health or her parents. But that’s who she has been all along, isn’t it? And while Nisha is an infuriating character, that doesn’t necessarily mean Minal Khan’s performance will be winning any awards – or it shouldn’t. Minal has been displaying limited expressions in her performance, either smirking or remaining stone-faced and one just wishes there was more depth to this performance. That being said, when Nisha’s mother lunges for Nisha’s neck and begins strangling her, the audience laughs and roots for her, such is the extent of the hatred for Nisha as a character.
But let’s be honest: Is Asfandyar facing the same backlash that Nisha is? Asfandyar is not an innocent child who was lured into an affair with his sister-in-law. He is a grown man who willingly had a relationship with his sister-in-law within the walls of the home he shared with his wife while she was expecting their child. There is something so sinister and disgusting about this character and what makes him more repulsive is how he stands in front of Misha’s parents and talks back when being insulted. Does he believe he has any dignity left? But of course he does, because he is the “damaad,” he is a man. While watching Nisha get slapped repeatedly brought out a sort of sadistic joy (something I’m usually against), where were the slaps reserved for Asfandyar? What is promising is how Misha’s parents, wonderfully played by Mohammad Ahmed and Sajida Syed, react towards Asfandyar’s presence, making it clear that Misha will not forgive him, because they will not allow him near her. Fiercely protective of their daughter, it’s not surprising then that they are completely repulsed by their other daughter, Nisha, and set to rid themselves of her immediately. What’s funny is – who is this guy who is willing to get married at the drop of a hat? Also, is marrying an unstable girl into a respectable household really the solution? This family has high hopes that their daughter will behave herself – which she obviously does not and runs away from the Nikkah.
http://thebrownidentity.com/2020/08/28/jalan-episode-11-misha-catches-asfand-and-nisha-red-handed/
The positive in a highly stressful, anger-inducing episode is that the father does not die and will hopefully live a long life to support his wronged child emotionally through her grief. Quite honestly, a death like this would have destroyed the show, so it’s great that the makers didn’t head down that path. Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh) has now married Areej (Hajra Yamin), but it seems Areej will have a lot to deal with post-marriage considering all the emotional baggage Ahmer is bringing to the table. One can’t help thinking Nisha may change her mind and create problems in this marriage as well, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Hajra Yamin is given a little more scope to perform today, but as of right now, both Hajra and Fahad Sheikh have been relegated to the background while Nisha-Asfandyar-Misha’s chaotic “love” triangle takes center stage. There’s honestly no way to predict how this show will play out now, but despite its messy, repulsive storyline and characters, the show still manages to hold viewer interest and leave us wanting more.
