wo episodes of the eagerly awaited Aik Aur Pakeezah have already been aired. Produced by Geo and Kashf Foundation, the play stars Sehar Khan and Nameer Khan in lead roles. Written by Bee Gul and directed by Kashif Nisar, this promises to be an offbeat production.

The expectation is based on the past projects of Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar. Bee Gul is a prolific and accomplished writer, known for plays like Dar Si Jati Hai Sila and Raqeeb Say. After thought-provoking productions like Ullu Baraye Farokht Nahin, director Kashif Nisar needs no introduction. Will this combination work its magic and deliver a blockbuster? Will it live up to all the hype?

Sehar Khan plays Pakeezah, a law student and the apple of her father’s eye. She has two brothers, Asghar and Akbar. The play opens with Pakeezah cowering in a room as somebody knocks insistently on the door, calling out her name. Faraz, her lover, has been locked in the bathroom. As the two plead with the intruders to let them go, admitting that they have made a mistake, one of them makes a video of the couple, which later goes viral.

What next? The play abruptly switches to flashback mode and the viewers are introduced to this bubbly, chirpy young girl called Pakeezah, who is full of life. Through flashbacks, it is revealed that she had first met Faraz at a friend’s wedding and that the two have become romantically involved.

Things take an ugly turn after the video goes viral. The two are married hurriedly. She is sent off with Faraz and the two shift to a rented portion, which belongs to the groom’s brother, Urfi. Urfi, too, has been married recently and is away on his honeymoon.

A branch of the plot that runs parallel to that of Pakeezah and Faraz’s life is that of Gohar Rasheed who plays Barrister Zubair Kamal and Advocate Saman Ibrahim portrayed by actress Amna Ilyas.

We have something incredibly special in the offing, a befitting follow-up to the critically acclaimed blockbuster, Case No 9.

Saman has returned from the United Kingdom after three months. She is trying to establish herself as a voice for the women unable to speak up for themselves and are ostracised by the society. Soon, Zubair and Saman admit their love for each other and get engaged.

Pakeezah’s father works for Saman, managing the administrative side of her legal practice. When she asks him about his daughter, he is visibly disturbed and is reluctant to tell her anything. On being informed that he has married her off, she is taken aback. Instead of probing further, however, she hands him a box of chocolates that she had brought for his daughter from the UK.

Although only two episodes of the play have been aired till date, the story sounds promising. The cast is capable of doing justice to their roles. The dialogues, especially those delivered by Pakeezah, are layered and nuanced; a testimony to the linguistic prowess of the writer. The pain that the titular character goes through after the video goes viral without her consent is captured with nuance and depth.

Overnight, Pakeezah is shunned by her family and becomes its black sheep. The viral video also turns the family into the laughing stock of their mohalla. The brothers are baying for her blood. Had they had their way, they would have killed her.

Before the matter proceeds in that direction, however, she is married off and sent away. However, the dishonour she is supposed to have brought to her family is something that won’t be erased from people’s memories in a hurry.

The direction, production and the script are superb. The cast includes Noor-ul-Hassan and Nadia Afgan.

As the viewers wait for the story to unfold, speculation is rife about how the narrative will develop and progress. Needless to say, we have something incredibly special in the offing, a befitting follow-up to the critically acclaimed blockbuster, Case No 9.

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