“Yunhi” continues its streak of strong, engaging episodes this week as Dawood and Kim’s relationship continues to work through the bumps. Starring Maya Ali, Bilal Ashraf, Behroze Sabzwari, Deepak Perwani, Uzma Beg and others, “Yunhi” has been written by Samira Fazal and directed by Ehtashamuddin. This week, the focus turns towards Surayya’s marriage, a marriage that she does not want.
In episode 16, Kim (Maya Ali) is at Zulfi’s home and the two are seen bonding in a sweet way. The most comical moment in the entire episode is when Naveed (Deepak Perwani) calls Zulfi and is shocked upon hearing that Kim could possibly be upset with him. This sort of reaction is not expected and it’s downright ridiculous for Naveed to question why she would be angry considering he took her passport, laptop, phone and left without saying goodbye. Still, Naveed’s absence is welcome as it means we will see much more of Zulfi as he steps in to fill that void for Kim – and hopefully interacts much more with Iqbal in the process. Can this storyline please get some more attention?
Coming to Surayya’s marriage, there’s a great scene between Dawood and Dada where Dawood attempts to persuade Dada to allow Surraya to continue studying. It’s in this moment, after realizing his grandfather won’t budge, that something appears to change in Dawood. This is a strong acting moment for Bilal Ashraf as we can see something shift within this character. Dada has always been the man Dawood most admired and accepted his every decision – but is Dada simply a human being who has been making unjust decisions and those decisions have been going unchecked? It’s a tragic moment when those we admire fall in our eyes and this is visibly happening for Dawood as he struggles to accept his family’s ways while also wanting to fight for his sister’s happiness.
Surayya’s forced marriage is at the center of the episode. Kim and Zulfi meet Surayya and her significant other in a restaurant and discuss how to help her, though Zulfi advises Kim to keep her distance from the situation. Dawood (Bilal Ashraf) arrives abruptly and demands that Kim leave with him immediately. While Kim has had many unlikable moments, Dawood loses sympathy here and one can see an arrogance in his demeanor. There’s an air of superiority that lurks in the air as Dawood, just like his Dada (Manzoor Qureshi), treats Zulfi as though he isn’t worth his time. He even comments on the inappropriateness of the restaurant, not realizing his sister had just been there earlier. Watching Zulfli apologize to Dawood with folded hands is an uncomfortable scene, one that creates feelings of contempt for Dawood. This isn’t lost on Kim either, as she discusses Dawood’s actions with him in the car. The writing has been great in these post-marriage conversations between Kim and Dawood post-marriage. Kim attempts to explain her point of view, stating that she is willing to change and adapt to the ways expected of her – but she will do so when it feels right to her, not under force or fear. This is an important conversation that needed to be had and this episode really emphasizes that along with Kim, Dawood also has a lot of scope to change for the better.
Maya Ali is doing an excellent job in her role as Kim, playing this flawed young woman in a way where we laugh at her mistakes, but also support her decisions. It’s Maya’s performance which is the heart and soul of the show. Bilal Ashraf is endearing as Dawood, though the character’s flaws are becoming more apparent in recent episodes. “Yunhi” has been growing from strength to strength post episode 10. It has truly emerged as a show not only worth watching, but one to look forward to each week. This is a show that has meaning, a cute love story (or two) and is enjoyable to watch while bringing peace to the viewer.