he play starts with a boy witnessing a violent argument between his parents: the woman accuses her husband of having an affair. The boy is visibly disturbed by this altercation and begs his parents not to fight. A few scenes later, the father asks the boy to say hello to his new stepmother. For the child, these years are formative and, so, he is deeply scarred by the incident and never really able to get over it.

Khwabon Mein Mili is the new drama starring Aashir Wajahat, Adnan Raza Mir, Aena Khan and Ameema Saleem Khan. Penned by Kifayat Rodani and directed by Ali Masud Saeed under the banner of MD Productions, this play stars a number of fresh faces along with stalwarts like Faisal Rehman, Adnan Jaffar and Faiza Gillani.

Fast forward a decade and the boy is grown up. He is a man, played by the actor Adnan Raza Mir, who lives in Canada with his paternal aunt. He studies there and is in two minds about returning to Pakistan. He has still not made peace with the fact that his father had remarried within moments of his mother calling him out.

His father, Iftikhar, desperate to make him stay, asks his friend, Iqbal for advice. Iqbal, essayed by the actor Faisal Rehman, suggests that Iftikhar get his son married as soon as possible. Iftikhar likes the idea and takes to it. He introduces his son to Iqbal’s daughter, Samira, portrayed by Aena Khan, in the hope that the two will hit it off.

Samira, though, is in love with another man, Shah Alam, played by actor Aashir Wajahat. Alam’s aunt, Sharmeeli, was in love with Iqbal, but his mother (Navin Naqvi) did not allow her to marry him. They have not been able to get over each other and, in order to avenge her, Iqbal is determined not to let his daughter marry Sharmeeli’s nephew - even if they are in love with each other.

Samira and Shah Alam visit Sharmeeli and convince her to talk to Samira’s father. She agrees and Iqbal and Sharmeeli arrange to meet. She brings up the subject. From the promo of the next episode, it is clear that Iqbal is angry with his daughter. The conversation with Sharmeeli makes him even more determined not to let his daughter marry Shah Alam.

The story rests on a weak premise and the characters have not been fleshed out properly. In the case of Khwabon Mein Mili, it is clear that songs, dance and set design will not make up for a shoddy script and poor direction.

The story rests on a weak premise and the characters have not been fleshed out properly. The senior brigade, with some exceptions, is average. They have done this a million times before, so it requires no great histrionics on their part.

Faisal is the weakest link. He looks quite haggard also; his acting leaves a lot to be desired. Shah Alam’s mother, Navin Naqvi, has exactly the same expression and acts in exactly the same way in every television production. Her acting is quite stilted and her expression does not change either. The horrendous wig she is made to wear in every production does not help matters either. Faiza Gillani, who plays Samira’s mother, on the other hand, is a brilliant and versatile actress who breathes life into every character she plays.

The younger actors are also nothing extraordinary. Most of them are, in fact, quite mediocre. Aashir and Adnan have no screen presence at all; Aena is passable. The scene where she applies a fairness cream, looks quite crass and sends the wrong message to the girls watching this. I wish Glow and Lovely had been a little more discreet in their marketing.

In a nutshell, the play rests on a weak premise and the characters are not developed properly. With the exception of Amina Malik and Faiza Gillani, acting is average. The youngsters are also not very convincing. Adnan Raza Mir is a disappointment. He needs to work on his expression. Aena looks pretty, but with the kind of cutthroat competition there is in television, you need more than just a pretty face and a good figure to make it in the long run. In the case of Khwabon Mein Mili, it is clear that songs, dance and set design will not make up for a shoddy script and poor direction.

Although the production looks glossy and the sets are lavish, the loopholes in the script are quite apparent. The Iqbal and Sharmeeli angle is not convincing at all and there is absolutely no on-screen chemistry between the two.

Verdict: Most of the actors seem to be sleepwalking through their roles and fail to impress or have a lasting impact. All in all, a big disappointment.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at [email protected].