Quite honestly, when one imagines Marina Khan behind a project, whether it’s a daily or not, one does tend to expect quality from the show in some shape or form. To be fair, “Mushkil” started off strong and with much promise. Starring Saboor Aly, Khushhal Khan, Zainab Shabbir and Hamayoun Ashraf in lead roles, the story has been written by Adeel Razzaq and directed by Marina Khan. Following two friends, Hareem (Zainab Shabbir) and Sameen (Saboor Aly), their lives are turned upside down when Sameen winds up married to Faraaz (Khushhal Khan), the object of Hareem’s affection.
With episode 26, “Mushkil” hits a ridiculous point. Nonsensical plots are where writers and directors manage to lose me and even the best actors cannot make it make sense. It’s difficult to feel sorry for Asfand (Hamayoun Ashraf) in this scenario. Faraaz has been an open book, informing his brother of Hareem’s lies, deceit and plotting……and after hearing the truth about the woman he “loves,” the woman who purposely planted herself in front of Asfand in order to marry the brother of the man she once “loved,” Asfand is hell-bent on marrying Hareem. He believes it’s “destiny” that his mother and sister would choose Hareem for him. Coming to this, this part of the equation is even more hilarious. Aneela (Qudsia Ali), the snob sister of the century, looks down on Sameen for her status…..however, Sameen is of a much better stature than Hareem, who basically grew up in poverty while Sameen is of a middle class background. All it took for Aneela to fall in love with “Hareem Bhabi” is Hareem stealing and returning an assignment to Aneela – and now not only is Aneela fawning over Hareem, but Aneela’s mother is taunting Sameen to not come in front of Asfandyar’s in-laws……as if Hareem’s family is of such a high standard.
If there’s a high point, it’s the relationship building between Faraaz and Sameen. While the show initially seemed as though Hareem would turn Faraaz against Sameen, Faraaz appears to be well-aware of Hareem’s manipulations and is learning to trust Sameen. It’s refreshing to see a hero who is not blind to lies and deception. Faraaz and Sameen have endured the chaos of Hareem’s behavior together, married because of her foolishness, and while it’s too early to say, it’s nice that Faraaz has retained his logical mind so far. Faraaz not only scolds his brother for being blind to the truth and warns him of his own destruction, but also defends Sameen to his mother and anyone who speaks against her.
Saboor Aly and Khushhal Khan are the highlight of “Mushkil” and their chemistry is only getting better with each episode. With a sweet moment between Sameen and Faraaz today, episode 27 promises even more moments between the two as they grow closer. When two characters are intelligently written and are shown as having self-respect and are unafraid of speaking their minds, it’s even more enjoyable to watch their love track. However, other than Sameen and Faraaz’s love angle, “Mushkil” has genuinely lost all semblance of logic.
