In episode 9, we see Hala’s (Hania Amir) wedding taking place and Hamza (Farhan Saeed) quickly stepping in to put a stop to the indigestible match. It’s quite sick to see how Raees (Wasim Abbas), Shah Jahan (Saba Hameed) and Sofia (Tara Mehmood) have arranged Hala’s wedding to a man who is not her mental, physical or emotional equivalent at all. The cruelty inflicted upon Hala is horrendous and “Mere Humsafar” is a test as to how much torture inflicted upon Hala the audience can take. Fortunately, Hamza plays savior and begins encouraging Hala to go out and enjoy her life, wondering why she’s always so scared.
It will take time to become invested in Hamza and Hala’s love story. Sure, we want to see Hala happy and if Hamza is that source of happiness, we will take it. But what is it about Hamza that remains such a mystery? There’s something odd about him. He is too friendly with all the girls in his family and overly friendly with Hala…..while also leading Sameen on. And yet, he has great root-worthy moments, such as when he steps in during Hala’s (messed up) wedding and later, when he tells off Rumi for being the mess she is. But how will Hamza’s interest in Hala grow and will their relationship develop into more than just Hamza being Hala’s savior? Wouldn’t it be great if Hamza would help Hala get the education she deserved to have?
Coming back to Rumi, she appears to be a chip off the old block – her mother. There’s something incredibly unstable about this young lady. She is so wound up in her illogical hate for Sameen that she is willing to destroy Sameen’s life by “framing her,” making it seem as though she’s having an affair with a bus driver. Sameen is an intelligent, educated, independent, kind character, so it would be a real shame to see her fall into Rumi’s trap. But when will Rumi herself be punished for her disgusting behavior?
“Mere Humsafar” essentially leaves the audience with one thought – What is Shah Jahan’s internal dilemma? If we are to compare “Mere Humsafar” to “Marasim,” there’s one huge difference – Saba Hameed’s character in Marasim was someone we could genuinely relate to. We could connect with her, her problems, her insecurities and why she treated her own daughter-in-law a certain way. This is what “Mere Humsafar” should have done as well, allowing us to connect to Shah Jahan and recognize that while she may be badly behaved, there’s a reason for it. Unfortunately, Shah Jahan is simply a psychopath. This is a woman who has been mistreated by her mother-in-law and husband, sure. But this is also a woman who is using Hala (Hania Amir) as her own personal punching bag, not only emotionally abusing her, but also blackmailing her and physically abusing her at every turn. This has been going on since Hala’s childhood, so one could easily say both Shah Jahan and Sofia (Tara Mehmood) are child abusers (though it isn’t clear if Sofia has ever physically hit Hala). It is taking much longer to “connect” to “Mere Humsfar,” because the family is essentially a family of psychopaths, barring Sameen and Sameen’s father. Will that change soon? It doesn’t appear that way, but it would be nice to see more layers to these characters – and yet, “Mere Humsafar” is an interesting watch, bringing the viewer back each week with one thought: “How much more zulm (torture) will be inflicted on Hala this week?”