If one were to place “Kaala Doriya” into a category, it would be “feel good viewing.” This is light-hearted comedy with a pinch of drama. While “Kaala Doriya” has been written by Saima Akram Chaudhry and directed by Danish Nawaz, the team of Hum TV’s general Ramadan show offerings, there is something different about the treatment of this particular show. The comedy isn’t as in-your-face, is much more subtle and the focus is less on laughs and more on storytelling. Starring Osman Khalid Butt and Sana Javed in lead roles, the drama also stars Adla Khan, Farhan Ali Agha, Zainab Qayyum, Sohail Sameer, Nadia Afgan, Samina Ahmed, Khalid Anam, Ali Safina, Khalid Malik and others.
In episode 19, the chemistry between Mano (Sana Javed) and Asfi (Osman Khalid Butt) heats up as the two begin to slowly realize that they have feelings for one another. If Asfi feels jealous of Mano’s proposal from Goher, Mano also feels jealous seeing Asfi sitting close to Bubbly. What’s refreshing is that neither is trying to play games necessarily (at least not yet) and are mildly open and honest with their words. They do have a feeling of possessiveness for one another and they don’t hold back from expressing it, even while recognizing a potential relationship between them is more or less impossible. Osman Khalid Butt and Sana Javed’s chemistry has been strong since “Goya” back in 2015, but it only gets better with each episode here and their performances are also top notch. It’s also a sign of good writing that we can see the human side in Mano despite her rude behavior. Being defensive of one’s parents is something ingrained in South Asian children and while Nida may be Mano’s sister, Mano has been the one to see her parents pain and anger first hand, causing her bitterness. Still, we can’t wait to see Mano let her guard down and soften towards not only Asfi, but also Nida and the rest of the family.
The scenes between Dada (Khaled Anum) and Daadi (Samina Ahmed) are so sweet this week as the two feel relief after settling Baano (Tamkinat Mansoor) in her life and realize they’ve wasted too much time apart from one another. But how will the two find their way back to each other without forcing their sons to reconcile in some way? The wedding scenes have been shot very well, almost making us feel as though we’re watching our own family members during the rituals. But of course, there cannot be a wedding without its dose of drama – and the episode ends with much drama as Shaji (Sohail Sameer) falls ill and Mano is robbed while driving home.
It’s difficult to praise “Kaala Doriya,” because there isn’t much to critique. This is genuinely just an enjoyable show with some fun, sometimes heartfelt performances and a storyline that is one many can relate to. Whenever finances and property come into the picture, family feuds have been known to occur – but how does family come back together and reconcile after so much hurt and grief? This is the story “Kaala Doriya” is attempting to tell and has been successful so far. But hopefully, as the latter bulk of episodes approach, the story wraps up these loose ends and relationships in a true-to-reality, well-written conclusion to end the show on a strong note as well. For now, we are more than excited and content seeing Mano and Asfi sharing sweet moments and potentially realizing their feelings for one another next week!