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 30, Sikandar (Mustafa Changazi) continues to moon over losing Roohi (Sonya Hussyn), attempting to kill himself, but is (unfortunately) saved by Sher Alam (Babar Ali). Unfortunately is because Sikandar is such an insufferable character without any redeeming qualities, almost as bad as his father, Feroze (Adnan Jaffar). The following is an actual conversation between this odd, cartoonish, loud father-son duo:
Sikandar: “Am I dead, dad? Am I dead?!”
Feroze: “It’s over, it’s never going to happen.”
Sikandar: “Oh no no no, I will make this happen, by hook or by crook!”
Feroze: “Bloody *&%^”
This is the way almost all of their interactions have been etched out and it’s mind-numbingly ridiculous, to the point that one might as well view it as unintentional comedy….except it isn’t really funny at all. You have to wonder what memo was given to Mustafa Changazi and Adnan Jaffar in regards to how they should perform these characters, because they’ve really given it their all, leaving no space for further hamming.
The highlight of the show is, as always, Gardezi (Zahid Ahmed) and Roohi’s budding friendship. In this episode, Gardezi is shot and Roohi stays by his side as he returns to full health….which is sweet to see, but also very odd, considering Malook Shah (Firdous Jamal) has been openly vocal about Roohi not being seen with Sikandar, as it’s shameful…..and yet, it seems the rules are entirely different for Gardezi. Though really, who can blame him? Sikandar is an absolute cartoon while Gardezi is a dignified suitor for Roohi. But it’s certainly hypocritical! Zahid Ahmed and Sonya Hussyn look so beautiful together, it’s hard to really care about these small flaws in their scenes. If anything, the entire show should focus solely on their scenes, because the rest is forgettable.
“Mor Moharan” is one of those unique shows which has an interesting premise, focusing on the Cholistan area, its environmental issues and the plight of its people as they attempt to improve their conditions. However, while the show started off very strong, the story has gotten deeply off track over the past several weeks. Forget the environment, the show focuses entirely on the personal issues of Bibi Rani (Samiya Mumtaz) and her psychotic ex-husband, Feroze, along with their absolutely insane son, Sikandar. Once in a while, we will get a return to the environment through a random song and dance sequence shot like a stage play, which is bizarre in itself and completely disjointed from the narrative.
“Mor Moharan” has good scenes, mostly the ones focused on Zahid Ahmed, Sonya Hussyn and Azra Mansoor (as Gardezi’s grandmother). Everything else is more or less atrocious, though Babar Ali is doing his best with his repetitive role. The problem with “Mor Moharan” is that if you skip fifteen episodes at a time, the story will still be exactly where you last left it. Sikandar is still mooning over Roohi and trying to forcibly marry her, Gardezi is still being targeted by randoms while also trying to silently win over Roohi, Roohi is still in love with Sikandar while also disgusted by him, Bibi Rani is still trying to defend her character to her insane son while Feroze continues to harass her. What has changed from episode 15 to 30? Absolutely nothing. This is the problem with “Mor Moharan.” If there were a category for “slowest show,” this would win it – and that’s unfortunate, because it does have its strengths and positive points…..but the stretching, dragging and aimless direction is ruining the overall product.
