After the success of “Mushkil,” a new show has arrived to fill its spot. “Siyani” stars Anmol Baloch, Usama Khan, Saniya Shamshad, Mohsin Abbas Haider, Tipu Shrareef and others in prominent roles while the story has been written by Sadia Akhtar and directed by Ali Akbar. Airing daily on Geo, “Siyani” immediately pulls in viewers with its aggressively manipulative female lead and dramatic storyline. But will it be able to carry itself for the long-haul?
Immediately, viewers are drawn in by the likable, sweet Ujala (Saniya Shamshad), our sacrificial lamb heroine who fortunately has more intelligence than past heroines of her type. Living with her older sister, Reema (Erum Akhtar), brother-in-law, Bakhtiyar (Tipu Sharif), her Taayi (Beena Chaudhry), Daadi and her self-absorbed cousin, Kiran (Anmol Baloch), Ujala is essentially treated as babysitter for Reema’s children while Reema herself is put to work around the house. The girls are not mistreated, but are not given preference in this household which revolves around Nusrat Taayi and Kiran’s whims. Ujala wants more in life and is hardworking.
Kiran has decided her key to happiness is through trapping a rich husband – and she actively seeks out potential partners. When she zeroes in on Zarbab (Mohsin Abbas Haider), she is determined to keep him, building a web of lies within their relationship. Kiran is not just a manipulator, but also a thief, stealing Ujala’s winning prize bond, which brings good fortune to the family – good fortune which should have been Ujala’s.
The narrative created in “Siyani” is one that’s intriguing, because as viewers, we are invested in Ujala’s happiness. This is a girl who is wronged due to her own nativity, but she isn’t a “dim” character. Rather, she’s a bright girl who knows how to handle herself, her fatal flaw being her inability to completely distance herself from Kiran. Saniya Shamshad is honestly very likable in this role.
On the other hand, Anmol Baloch has been perfectly cast as Kiran. This sort of role isn’t new for Anmol, having played a similarly “clever” character in “Khwaab Nagar Ki Shehzaadi” on ARY last year. It must be said that as well as she plays the “good,” likable roles, she also plays this negative roles incredibly well and is a natural. If there’s a glaring flaw in “Siyani” right now, it would be Mohsin Abbas Haider’s character, Zarbab, who “falls in love” just too quickly. For him to be willing to bend over backwards for Kiran, there needed to be more of a connection, more of a build-up and active “trapping” on Kiran’s part. He simply sees her on the stage at a wedding and he is caught, hook, line and sinker. It isn’t digestible. Regardless, “Siyani” is now 9 episodes down and the story Is only growing more interesting. As we know with these daily shows, a time will come when it begins to drag unnecessarily, but for now, this one is entertaining.