“Yunhi” is a story about East vs. West, a clashing of two cultures. When Kim and Dawood meet, the differences in thoughts and behavior is apparent, but what happens when these two polar opposites wind up married? The premise is unique and while the character sketches are not entirely believable, “Yunhi’ only gets better with each episode. Starring Maya Ali, Bilal Ashraf, Behroze Sabzwari, Deepak Perwan, Uzma Beg and others, the story has been written by Samira Fazal and directed by Ehtashamuddin.
Episode 12 of “Yunhi” centers around Kim (Maya Ali) and Dawood’s (Bilal Ashraf) wedding night, which gets off to a rocky start, to say the least. While Dawood and Kim’s wedding night was not expected to be romantic in any way, the chaos that takes place ensures that the two will not spend the night bonding. First, Kim realizes her phone, laptop and documents – including her passport – were missing. While we, as the audience, know exactly why they are missing, Kim believes they have been stolen by the family friends who helped decorate her bedroom. While Dawood and Kim bicker over this, Basharat (Behroze Sabzwari) has a “heart attack,” putting the entire family on high alert……until he burps and all is well. This is a particularly comedic moment and is almost relatable. How many of us have been through something similar with that one family member who loves to overeat? With that settled, focus once again returns to Kim’s missing items – and she realizes one more thing is also missing……her father. Naveed (Deepak Perwani) is nowhere to be found and while we knew that he would be leaving, Kim did not.
This is a huge blow for Kim and Maya Ali’s acting is excellent. The shock, disbelief, and anguish at being left behind by the one man she trusts has completely altered her life – and Maya’s expression are on point, allowing us to feel exactly what Kim is feeling. And yet, Kim does not even understand the gravity of it all, while we do. Naveed has taken all form of contact away from Kim, leaving her isolated in a country where she will now be forced to depend on Dawood. Without her phone and laptop, Kim has lost all her contacts and without her passport, she is obviously stranded. In a moment, Kim’s life has changed and we genuinely feel for her.
And yet, at the end of the day, Kim has reverted to her unlikable self, spouting nonsense which makes us wonder how a person could think this way? Dawood is a victim in all of this, being married to Kim, a woman who is plotting her escape after marrying a man of her own free will. If anything, she imposed this marriage on Dawood and is now blaming him for trying to be married. Kim is a bizarre character and that’s a fact. Dawood proves himself to be a solid man with the way he handles Kim throughout this entire situation and Bilal Ashraf’s performance is endearing.
“Yunhi” continues to frustrate with Kim’s oddly-written character, but overall, the show is highly enjoyable. The supporting cast is great with their realistic reactions (particularly Razia, who is already frustrated with her new daughter-in-law). From this point onward, it will be interesting to see how Dawood and Kim’s relationship grows and develops.