Taking the slot that previously belonged to “Dobara,” “Wehem” arrives with big shoes to fill. Starring Babar Ali, Savera Nadeem, Zaviyar Nauman Ejaz, Kinza Hashmi, Adnan Samad Khan, Shamim Hilaly and others, the story has been written by Imran Nazir and directed by Adnan Wai Qureshi. This is a story that appears to focus on both the elder characters along with the younger generation, which makes it one to watch out for. The first episode begins on a strong note.
In the first episode, we are introduced to Junaid (Zaviyar Nauman Ejaz) and Eeshal (Kinza Hashmi), cousins who are in love, but have a complicated family situation. Junaid’s mother, Rukhsana (Savera Nadeem), has a firm hold over her sons – Junaid and her adopted son, Fareed (Adnan Samad Khan) – and prides herself on their good upbringing. Rukhsana’s husband, Anwar, left the family to work in Dubai years ago and never returned, disappearing into thin air and not even sending a cent to support the family back home. Rukhsana has raised these boys alone, along with starting her own business and caring for Amma (Shamim Hilaly), her mother-in-law. Rukhsana is a strong woman, but has a constant back and forth with her mother-in-law while also being caring for the elderly woman in her moments of need.
The twist comes towards the end of the episode where we see that Rukhsana is putting red chili powder in Amma’s chai. This adds an entirely different layer to Rukhsana’s character. Is she playing mind games with Amma, as we saw with her food earlier? Amma was adamant that Rukhsana had put too much spice in her food, but later, when she (and the boys) tasted it, it was just fine. What is Rukhsana’s game here? It’s not clear as yet, but this certainly does make Rukhsana an intriguing character.
Khawar (Babar Ali) is Eeshal’s father and while he appears to be a very good man, Rukhsana blames him for first encouraging Anwar to go to Dubai and, later, being unable to find him to bring him back home. This animosity from Rukhsana’s end has seeped into the family with everyone aware of her feelings – including Junaid and Eeshal. Junaid is now tutoring Eeshal, giving them room to further their romance, which Rukhsana will obviously not like. Khawar also seems to have a real soft spot for Fareed, which seems a little suspicious. Is there more to this story?
Overall, “Wehem” is an interesting story which touches upon many different topics from female independence, families being broken apart when husbands leave the country, adoption and so forth. Savera Nadeem is a stellar actress and seems to be given a real chance to perform in this role. It’s also wonderful to see Babar Ali in a role that appears to be worthwhile. Adnan Samad Khan manages to make an impact in every role he takes on and this one is no less as he’s very likable in the first episode. This is a story with promise – a great cast, an interesting story and good direction (so far). “Wehem” is off to a good start!
