“Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” is a show that Pakistani drama audiences waited two years for – and yet, this drama appeared to show no signs of releasing. Until, after the grand success of “Ishq Murshid” and Bilal Abbas Khan’s bankability as a star, suddenly a release date was announced. With beautiful sets, two incredible original soundtracks and a stellar cast, “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” was poised to be a mass hit on the Pakistani drama circuit. With a finale gaining 3 million views within one day, one could call “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” a success…..but is it a good finished product? Starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Sarah Khan, Raza Talish, Anoushay Abbasi, Noor Ul Hassan, Ali Ansari, Saad Qureshi, Savera Nadeem, Nida Mumtaz, Arjumand Rahim and others in prominent roles, the story has been written by Shahid Dogar and directed by Anjum Shahzad.
“Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” started off as a poetic version of “Saajan” with a young poet, Fakhar (Bilal Abbas Khan), infatuated with the woman of his dreams, Gul Bano (Sarah Khan). Unfortunately, Gul Bano has many suitors, including two unstable cousins, and Fakhar goes through many trials and tribulations for his love, including jail time. Meanwhile, Gul Bano has never seen his face and mistakes Kashif (Raza Talish), Fakhar’s best friend, as her mysterious “Devdas.” Here begins Fakhar’s real struggle as he struggles to choose between friendship or love.
In the finale, Fakhar finally realizes Gul Bano is devoted to Kashif and will not listen to reason. In a weak moment, a spiritual man tells him he can either get the girl or her love, but is not destined to get both at once. This describes Fakhar’s plight perfectly (this is assuming we’re pretending “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” is well-written, which it is not), as he currently “has” the girl, but she does not love him. In what can only be called a masterstroke, the finale of “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” quite honestly saves the show from otherwise being a disaster as Fakhar makes his final move. Reuniting Gul Bano and Kashif, the two prepare for their wedding. Gul Bano asks Fakhar if she can do anything for him, as a repayment for his kindness. He asks for his umbrella back, leaving Gul Bano dumbstruck. She hesitantly asks “who are you?” as he replies “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas,” bringing the show full-circle.
The ending winds up being incredibly satisfying for the audience, those of us who sat through thirteen episodes of Gul Bano’s illogical behavior. Gul Bano has been rude, dimwitted, a young woman yearning to find romance simply to escape her controlling family – even if she has never met or spoken to the lover in question. By the end, even Fakhar finds Gul Bano as exhausting as we do. Gul Bano and Kashif genuinely deserved each other – and yet, with Fakhar’s final line, he has thrown Gul Bano into a lifetime of longing for him, the man she had been chasing all along. Did he get the girl? No, but he certainly got her love. It’s a twisted ending in a way, but one that’s so fitting.
The show takes the audience through a real “khichdi” of a story, one which could have been halted if Kashif or his friend decided to clearly explain things to Gul Bano – but they never do, dragging out “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” needlessly. Let’s not even talk about how wasted Savera Nadeem and Nauman Ejaz have been in this show. What happened to their romance? Honestly, that romantic angle was more interesting than Gul Bano’s antics. While the finale does leave a great impact, is it enough to salvage the weak storyline otherwise? While Anjum Shahzad’s visuals are stunning, Shahid Dogar’s writing falters. In the end, there are only three positives in “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” – Bilal Abbas Khan and his wonderful performance, Anoushay Abbasi’s performance as Jameela and the two wonderful OSTs.