In the world of Pakistani dramas, it’s rare to stumble across a truly good psychological thriller, a drama which makes the viewer second guess the lead characters and remain hooked, wondering what will happen next. This is what “Wehem” accomplishes. With 22 episodes down, the show has seen it’s own period of dragging, but fortunately, it did not last longer than 2-3 episodes and has, overall, remained a strong story with well-written characters, intrigue and mystery without being prolonged unnecessarily. While we, as viewers, have long since predicted the twist in the tale, the way it has come out and, in episode 22, is finally confirmed has been a gripping jourey. “Wehem” stars Savera Nadeem, Babar Ali, Shamim Hilaly, Kinza Hashmi, Adnan Samad Khan, Zaviyar Nauman Ejaz, Tara Mehmood and others. The story has been written by Imran Nazir and directed by Adnan Wai Qureshi.
In episode 22, Eeshal (Kinza Hashmi) and Rukhsana (Savera Nadeem) are officially at war after Eeshal returns home. Having not only accused Rukhsana of having questionable character and setting her sights on Khawar (Babar Ali), Eeshal has also banded together with Saira (Hurriya Mansoor) to protect her from Rukhsana during her pregnancy. Of course, this means Junaid (Zaviyaar Nauman Ejaz) is now turning against Eeshal, as he is ever the protective son and cannot fathom his mother ever being wrong. Meanwhile, Fareed (Adnan Samad Khan) is hired on by Khawar and is happily settling into his life as a working man and to-be father, doting on Saira. But will Rukhsana really destroy this happiness for Fareed by resorting to poisoning Saira, like Eeshal believes?
There’s an incredible scene between Rukhsana and Khawar where the two, finally, admit that they are, in fact, Fareed’s biological parents. This moment drives home the point that however bad a man’s actions, the question of character always falls upon a woman. It is her burden to carry and the fingers now pointing her way do not seek to ask what she went through – rather, they question what her crimes were. And still, what’s refreshing about “Wehem” is that Rukhsana is not a victim. Rukhsana is not a good person. Rukhsana is vindictive, mean-spirited, vengeful and really probably the worst mistake Khawar has ever made. This is good writing, made only better by Savera Nadeem’s strong, believable performance. Khawar’s true colors are coming out now and showing exactly the sort of man he is, a coward wrapped up in the shell of a strong family man. This is a man who has been allowing Rukhsana to take the brunt of his actions and live a difficult life due to his inability to claim his own mistakes. Babar Ali is just brilliant here and it’s great to see both Savera Nadeem and Babar Ali being given roles worthy of their talent!
Credit must also be given to Adnan Samad Khan and Hurriya Mansoor as Fareed and Saira. Adnan Samad Khan is such a natural and Fareed is a character we truly root for, a young man who simply wants to know who he is and where he comes from. But Hurriya Mansoor as Saira is truly special, especially considering she has only been in a small handful of roles before this. Saira has been trained by Rukhsana. One could call it brainwashing, but Saira has been a key confidant for Rukhsana and has been used as a protector through manipulation. Now that the spell has broken and Saira has begun to see Rukhsana’s lies for what they are, this is a face-off worth watching. Saira knows Rukhsana’s tricks and is waiting with eyes wide open.
There are few shows on air that have been able to grip its audience like this with a layered characters backed by a well-written story. With 22 episodes down, there is enough content here for the story to easily be explored for another 6-7 episodes without any stagnation. We can only hope the writing remains as strong as it has been and the show wraps up on a high note in coming episodes. As of right now, “Wehem” is a must-watch!