Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay addresses childhood trauma

KARACHI: The much anticipated Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay went on air on 1st August. Starring Mahira Khan, Kubra Khan and Usman Mukhtar in lead roles, the drama sure had created a lot of hype. As the first episode aired, the storyline seems promising as well. While the teasers had hinted towards a conflict between Mehreen (Mahira Khan) and Mashal (Kubra Khan), and Aswad (Usman Mukhtar) being stuck in the middle of sorts, the drama began by addressing childhood trauma and internal conflicts.

Mehreen, Mashal and Aswad are cousins with the two girls always being compared to each other. Mehreen, the star of the family, is also Aswad’s favourite. Naturally, Mashal feels left out and annoyed by Mehreen. The latter’s life seems perfect, given her father’s position as a government official, a lavish car, and nice clothes. Until it turns out that her father (played by Omair Rana) is a drug addict and a thief who eventually loses his job. Mehreen not only witnesses fights between her parents, she also watches her father die when she was a child. The background story gives insight into what might happen as the drama goes on. The team’s decision to dedicate at least half of the first episode into developing the characters’ pasts also came as a pleasant surprise since many might have expected the story to jump straight into the future, as so often happens with Pakistani dramas.

Mehreen and Mashal grow up to be students of MPhil while Aswad works outside Pakistan. The latter two seem to be financially stable and doing fairly well while Mehreen roams around in buses and relies on her art to earn her some money. Mashal also seems to be fond of Aswad as one particular scene shows her sitting in front of her cousin’s picture, while their grandmother initially expressed her desire to see Mehreen and Aswad married. Will Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay turn out to be a love triangle between cousins, like Laapata? Or does the story have more depth to it, since it is based on Umera Ahmed’s novel of the same name?

Omair Rana’s inclusion in the drama is questionable since the actor has been accused of sexual harassment in the past, but the cast otherwise is truly commendable. Shamim Hilaly as the grandmother is a natural as always, while Laila Wasti as Mehreen’s mother and Huma Nawab as Aswad’s mother fit well into their roles as well. Zainab Qayoom as Mashal’s mother, however, looks strikingly similar to Qayoom’s role in Shehnai as she plays the angry bhabi in both dramas.

Safe to say, it is Mahira Khan’s return to the small screen that has viewers the most excited. Can the drama and the superstar live up to their hype? One can hope so.