“Mor Moharan” hasn’t been a winner with the ratings, not only due to its environment-based story, but also the face that it’s airing on TV One, a channel which automatically receives less attention than the other “big 3” (Hum TV, Geo, ARY). While “Mor Moharan” hasn’t been a perfect show, it has consistently been building its narrative, casting light on water scarcity in Cholistan, the problems and pushback in changing business practices to be more environment friendly and even creating an endearing, realistic love story. Starring Zahid Ahmed, Sonya Hussyn, Samiya Mumtaz, Babar Ali, Mustafa Changazi, Adnan Jaffar and Firdous Jamal, the story has been written by Ali Moeen and directed by Owais Khan.
In episode 21, Sikander (Mustafa Changazi) and Almas (Samiya Mumtaz) are finally at a comfortable place in their relationship, as Sikander can finally see Feroze (Adnan Jaffar) for who and what he is – a user who will stop at nothing to acquire Almas’ finances…..even if that means destroying his own child in the process. It’s great to see Sikander recognize his shortcomings, but what’s interesting is how possessive he remains regarding Roohi (Sonya Hussyn), still seeing her as his property. This is great writing, because it shows something we rarely see in dramas – change does not come with knowledge. Change comes with the desire to change and even then, that change takes a lot of work. An selfish, arrogant upbringing cannot be overturned overnight with simple knowledge. Mustafa Changazi’s performance seemed harsh for most of the show, but he is coming into his own as the episodes move forward. It was also great to see Sikander acknowledge the wall between Almas and Sher Alam, asking her to think over her true feelings towards him. This was a strong moment!
Gardezi (Zahid Ahmed) is still the highlight of the show and it’s all in his actions and reactions. When Feroze pays Gardezi a visit, his mother makes it clear that they are not interested in sabotaging Sikander. While Gardezi may be interested in Roohi, he does not want to resort to any backhanded tactics and wants to marry Roohi only if she wants to marry him in return. It’s clear that it’s difficult for Gardezi to see Roohi slipping away, but the conversations between him and his mother are absolutely beautiful as she instills hope in him. His way of approaching the situation is exactly right, winning Roohi over with his character, actions and sincerity. This is the sort of slow-burning love story that Pakistani drama viewers are always hoping for. Even now, Roohi is not interested in Gardezi in that way and still has hopes from Sikander – but slowly, will Gardezi win Roohi over? They are a perfect match in every way and Zahid and Sonya share such wonderful chemistry.
“Mor Moharan” is a slow-moving show and it is not action-packed. Yet this is a unique story with good performances that deserves to be seen. Of course, we are always hoping for more focus on the Zahid Ahmed-Sonya Hussyn love story!