A thought provoking tale of resilience and defiance, against societal norms, to dream and dare. As the path of Meenu is burdened with challenges, emerging from her own family, she embarks on a courageous journey to defy the odds and pursue her ambitions for a greater cause. Undeterred by the barriers constructed by tradition, she rises as an emblem of change, inspiring not only herself but also countless other girls in her community to dream and strive for a brighter future.
Penned by acclaimed writer Mustafa Afridi and helmed by director Saife Hassan, this collaboration between Momina Duraid Productions and Kashf Foundation promises to deliver a gripping narrative. Set against the backdrop of a conservative community where opportunities for women are scarce, “Zard Patton Ka Bunn” follows the journey of our protagonist as she challenges the status quo and embarks on a quest for self-discovery.
Written By Mustafa Afridi
Directed by Saife Hasan
Produced by Kashf Foundation & Momina Duraid Productions
[Source: Hum TV’s Official YouTube Channel]
Zard Patton Ka Bunn Episode 1 Written Review and Update
Intro-Village
We see an old man talking to his paltoo desi murgha, encouraging him to win the battle that is about to happen…
We see a maulvi asking the villagers, the Qaisar klan, to give chanda for masjid’s paani ki motor, in a sing-song voice. We also hear about Maimoona aka Meenu, a girl whose metriculation results are about to be announced and she requested the whole village to pray for her results. She is old enough to be amother of four had she been married at right age, apparently. She offers to make chicken qorma for Maulvi Yusuf if she passes.
Maulvi Yusuf: Tere dheetpan ko maulvi Yusuf ka salam.
And then we also see the girl herself, Meenu, bowed in a sajda praising for her results.
Meenu: Allah, mujhe suppli ke azab se bacha le
And then there is the whole village who has gathered to see kukkadbaazi. The villagers aren’t willing to give a few rupees chanda but they bet huge sums, lakhs, on who will win. Six lakhs for a murgha, and 1180 rupees masjid ka chanda, the irony of it is so painful, and so true.
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Intro-City
And then we meet a lovelorn doctor about-to-be couple. The heroine has assisted a senior gynaecologist in an operation but couldn’t save the woman, say Nadra. Now, the husband of the said woman, say Imran is out for revenge. Dr Nofil, our dear hero, promises to listen to Imran’s point of view and that the responsible doctor would be responsible. And the next thing we see, is that Imran is being sent to the prison with a vengeful expression on his face.
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The Kukkadbaazi
Bhure Ustad’s Shahbaz and the other guy, some Khan’s Surkhaab go head-to-head for the contest. The owners do a verbal dual first, and the audience bet their monies.
Surkhab kills Shahbaz.
End of the contest.
Or is it?
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The Result
Roshan, Meenu’s nephew, is in the same class. Instead of going to get the newspaper to check the results, he goes to see Muqaddas, his love-interest. Nice dynamics they share.
We meet Ameer Ahmed and his nagging wife who does these things in order:
- complains about Ameer’s ghareebi
- asks him to wake up and go for Juma namaz
- taunts him for being good-for-nothing
- refuses to iron his clothes
- taunt s’ more.
Ameer isn’t a pleasant person himself. He order his sister Meenu to press his clothes, who refuses (haha). He’s such a bitter person.
Roshan brings the result home with a long face, and Bhura returns home with Shahbaz’s dead body in his arms. The atmosphere is sombre.
Ameer comes up with a brilliant idea.
Ameer: Iska rishta dekho. Kab tak exam deti rahegi?
Bhura: Fail huyi hai, faut nahin. Dobara paper degi.
Loved Bhura’s response.
It is, however, Roshan, who has the best line.
Roshan: Bua kyu paper degi? Fail toh main hua hoon. Bua ne toh Zila top kiya hai.
Seriously? Although it was a great moment to watch, Meenu didn’t come across the woman who would top the class. If she was so good at the studies, why was she so under-confident? Why did she fear failing the exam? Is there more to her that we don’t see? Maybe we would find out later.
Bhura then returns to the kukkadbaazi maidan, dancing (astaghfirullah!), worrying the villagers. Has he lost his mind? Why is he dancing even though his kukkad is dead?
And then he breaks the news to the villagers. Achha scene thha.
The Consequence
Dr Nofil is being applauded for his heroic act of saving the damsel doctor in distress (love the alliteration), but he is uncomfortable with the way Imran was handled. As he gets into his car to go back home after a day’s work, Imran and his goons also get in the car.
Haw!
Ab kya hoga? Dekhiye agli episode.
Review
I LOVED the exposition, simply loved it. The way all the characters were introduced, their motives subtly revealed; the way we got a sneak peek into everyone’s head; it was so beautifully done. From Roshan’s quest to learn bansuri to woo Muqaddas, to Ameer Ahmed trying to dominate younger sister Meenu; from the unnamed guy who lost his wife during an operation who got sent to prison to Bhura Ustad himself; from maulvi Yusuf collecting chanda to the people working at Markaz-e-Behbood-e-Aabadi: they all have agendas.
I also commend the writer’s job to show the stark contrast of thinking between two sections of society.
And we can’t wait to see what that is.
Parting Thoughts
I know it’s going to be gut-wrenchingly sad and painful to watch but the drama has a strong pull, at least as of now. So I guess I would be watching the next episode.
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Until we meet again, check out my books on Amazon. You can subscribe for Kindle Unlimited for free for the first month, just saying 🙂
Shabana Mukhtar