“Mein Hari Piya” has a great cast, starring Sami Khan, Hira Mani, Sumbal Iqbal, Marina Khan, Maira Khan and others. Written by Qaisra Hayat, the drama has been directed by Badar Mehmood. This is a story with a typical storyline, yet another “dusri biwi” (second wife) tale; however, it’s the talented cast that makes “Mein Hari Piya” worth tuning in.
With episode 8, an otherwise decent show suddenly goes down the expected path – and the expected path is the very reason one would stop watching. Up until now, we’ve seen Farwa (Sumbal Iqbal) and Sarah’s (Hira Mani) friendship being one of loyalty and trust. The two have stood by one another through their worst and been a support system for the other. Sarah, when pushed against a wall to get Fawad (Sami Khan) remarried, decides to marry her own best friend to her husband in order to protect her own marriage. Up until now, Farwa has been a very nice, level-headed character and one really felt sorry for her being put into such a situation. Unfortunately, now with Farwa married to Fawad, Farwa is quickly doing a 180, suddenly listening to her manipulative mother and brother (who she has never listened to before) and deciding it’s time to stake her claim to Fawad.
One thing is for certain – Hira Mani will spend the majority of the show crying from this point forward. Honestly, with the exception of the first twenty minutes of episode 1, that has been the case for the past eight episodes. The premise for “Mein Hari Piya” isn’t innovative or creative to begin with. This is the same cliched story we’ve seen on our screens many times before, a woman sacrificing her happiness for ungrateful in-laws and bringing in a second wife for her husband. However, one could hope that the method for tackling this storyline would be different. There genuinely isn’t any reason for Sarah to bow down to her nasty mother-in-law (Marina Khan), a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or her horrible sister-in-law (Maira Khan). Fawad has staunchly been on her side, refusing to remarry. And yet, there’s no doubt that Fawad is a weak man without a real backbone. He may love Sarah, but when push comes to shove, he allows himself to be needlessly bullied by three women – most importantly, allowing his mother to emotionally blackmail him as she asks (angrily) if she will now have to ask him to arrange his second marriage. Well….yes…..that’s what individuals usually have to do when dealing with grown children.
The real irritation comes in as the show moves along the woman vs. woman track yet again. We now have two best friends fighting over one man – a man who has been happily married to Sarah for years. Why can’t we ever have storylines showing women supporting other women? That’s genuinely what I thought would be happening here as the first seven episodes progressed, but now that dream has been put to rest. Apparently best friends are only there to turn against their own support systems and betray one another. With such a great cast, at least the performances should be praise-worthy, but it’s simply too typical to appreciate the acting at this point. It’s yet to be determined if this is a show that I will continue with, but the likelihood is not high.
