Introduction

HUM TV’s latest drama Qismat is about a vivacious woman Soha and how life changes when she’s forced into marrying her sister’s brother-in-law.

Channel: HUM TV

Producer: Momina Duraid Productions

Director: Fahim Burney

Writer: Asma Siyani

OST: Composed by Sohail Hyder, Arshman Khan

CAST AND CHARACTERS

Soha & Family

Minal Khan as Soha

Soha is a young ambitious girl. She’s working and is in love with Waleed. 

Sharmeen Ali as Maham

Maham, Soha’s cousin sister. She is married to Adnan.

Shaheen Khan as Asiya

Maham’s mother and Soha’s aunt. She has raised Soha like her own daughter.

Nasir

Maham’s father. 

Qudsiya

Nasir’s sister. She doesn’t like Soha and her only aim in life is to kick Soha out.

Faizan & Family

Faizan Khuwaja as Rayan

Soha’s Nakeh / husband.

Kamran Jillani as Adnan

Rayan’s brother. He’s married to Maham.

He looks quite young in this one. In Deewar-e-Shab, he plays Izhar the second generation man. 

Khalid Bin Shaheen as Shabbeer

Raya and Adnan’s father.

Mariam Mirza as Rasheda 

Rayan’s mother. She was never a fan of Soha, but after she finds out that Soha has asked for a divorce, she simply cannot tolerate Soha. Typical mother-in-law.

This woman is getting a lot of roles these days. She’s also playing Sameena Yousuf in Deewar-e-Shab.

Waleed & Family

Subhan Awan as Waleed

Soha’s love interest. Waleed is career oriented and is less interested in marrying. 

as Bilquis

Waleed’s cunning and dramatic mother.

as Sara

Waleed’s sister

 

Let’s begin.

PLOT SUMMARY

Nadir and his wife have raised Soha but Nadir’s sister is against Soha for no reason. Maham, their real daughter, is married to Adnan. 

Rayan likes Soha and they get married. Rayan goes abroad for higher studies. But, Soha wants a divorce because she likes Waleed.

Maham finds out about this and tries hard to stop Soha from her stupid decision. She even hides the divorce papers so Soha wouldn’t sign them. When Adnan finds out about his, he threatens to divorce Maham. Now, Soha is in dilemma. Should she care for herself? Or, she should sacrifice her love for Maham? Ehsaan ka badla and all that.

Waleed gets an onsite opportunity and asks Soha to stay married to Rayan until he gets back. Soha is so stupidly in love that she agrees to this. On the other hand, Waleed’s mother is planning to marry off Sara in watta-satta.

Maham and Adnan pass away in a road accident leaving Rahab, their daughter, behind. Soha takes care of little Rahab and soon it is only Soha can handle Rahab well. Soha’s parents and Shabeer want them together for the sake of Rahab. 

Rayan is still not willing to reconsider his decision. He doesn’t want to be with Soha.
But, there’s the matter of looking after Rahab, who cannot live without Soha. Young kids cannot talk, so their consent is not important. People just assume that they want to be with a certain someone.

Rahab, in this case, can only be handled by Soha. Rasheda also concedes, albeit reluctantly, for their marriage. JUST FOR RAHAB’s SAKE.

As does Soha, shocking everyone, including Rayan. JUST FOR RAHAB’s SAKE.

Rayan doesn’t agree, though. Thank goodness. Koi toh soch raha hai.

Sara and Bilquis play a pratical prank to force Waleed to return. Bilquis tells him that Sara has eloped. Waleed comes back and finds Sara at home. 

Waleed meets Soha and tells her to sign the divorce papers, because he is ready to marry her now. Soha is double-minded and cannot make up her freaking mind. Soha makes up excuse to get down on the way as she had to go and be with Rahab.

Later that night, Shabbeer asks Soha to stay for dinner and asks Rayan to drop her. Waleed sees them and then there is loud overdramatic music for one whole minute.

Soha is upset and confused about Waleed’s proposal. and stays up till late.

The next morning she is going to Rahab place but Waleed comes to her house. He catches her lie that she has resigned from her job. That’s not all. He forces her and takes her to a restaurant instead. I mean, Soha, don’t you have to be somewhere else? You’ve to take Rahab for her weekly checkup.

They fight and just when you think it is over, Sara calls Waleed that her mother is unconscious. Waleed also leaves.

Rahab has fever but Soha doesn’t arrive for her weekly checkup. In all this drama, Rayan and Rasheda are even more upset with Soha for her lack of responsibility.

Sara’s in-laws like Sara as well as Waleed. Waleed annouces that he doesn’t want to marry and leaves. Bilquis promises that Waleed will marry their daughter. 

Waleed comes to meet Soha’s parents. Through taunts and rubbish talk, he expects her to agree to marry him. Dude, she has made up her mind. You cannot be as important as Rahab, the tiny toddler who has no idea what a stir her existence is causing.

REVIEW

Generally speaking, all women fiction stories in Urdu rely on age-old tropes.

1. If hero or heroine has to live with his relative, his parents are conveniently killed in air crash (for rich families) or road accident (for lower / middle class families).
2. Heroine’s sister’s brother-in-law falls for the heroine. Since he has to go abroad for higher studies, the families decide they should be bonded in Nikaah.
3. Heroine likes someone else.
4. The other hero’s family doesn’t want this alliance. Even he is not very sincere, a little selfish.
5. Heroine asks hero for divorce. Being a loving hero, he is (for)giving and concedes.
6. Someone from heroine’s family would know about this and would try to avoid the divorce.
7. Heroine’s sister and her husband would die, leaving their young-born to hero and heroine who are reluctant to spend their lives together.

I have read billions of stories where one or more of these tropes are at play. Especially, #2 is almost in all stories. However, Qismat is different. It is that one drama where ALL OF THE ABOVE applies.

One may wonder, if I know it is full of tropes and does not have anything original to offer, why am I watching this? 

I am not, YouTube forces me to. After I watch Deewar-e-Shab, this one starts playing automatically. I need something in the background to drown the noise from neighbours, so I don’t stop the video.

And, it gives me more content for my blog. 

Let’s be honest. It is quite fun to watch a drama when you can predict every single move. Even Thora Sa Haq, another tropified drama has some surprising elements but this one has been predictibility personified.

My next review for Qisamt, hopefully, will be after it’s over. 

Shabana Mukhtar