Qissa Meherbano Ka is a new Hum TV series that started airing on 28th August, 2021.

It is based on a story by Fakhra Jabeen. You can read the review here.

Let’s see how the story Ujaloan Ki Basti Mein is changed to be a screenplay for a 2021 drama Qissa Mehrbano Ka.

• The story is set in old times, when people used to travel in carriage, women wore sarees, and electricity was scarce.
• The story is told from Noor’s POV, which isn’t the case in the drama.
• Some character names have changes in the drama, and some new characters are also introduced for screen.
  • Munni Khala becomes Mehrbano.
  • Wamiq becomes Mehran. Mehran also has a sister Tara who was not part of the story.
  • Athar becomes Murad. Murad’s wife is Fari, even though she was not named in the story.
  • Noor-ul-Qamar becomes Noor-ul-Ain aka Noor.
  • Achhe Miyan as added for fun.
• Story is very short, many things are told instead of showing. In drama, we see more elaborated scenes and details. We also see more background details about a lot of characters.
• In the story, Munni Khala likes Wamiq. In the drama, Mehr has never encouraged Mehran.
• In the story, the writer masterfully summarizes why Professor Asghar Ali Mehtab is the way he is. He isn’t just a bickering old man. He’s vicious and ruthlessly blunt at times, so much so that one wonders how he could say such things to his own daughter and granddaughter. In the drama, however, we don’t learn much about Professor’s backstory.  All we see is that Abba Miyan is a grumpy old man who is super strict for unfathomable reasons. True, he’s upset that Atif has left them but isn’t it a bit much? Even in the flashbacks, he was not the sweetest father, or a husband.
•  Ayaz isn’t allowed to be part of his nano’s house. But in drama, he’s quite freely roaming around in the house.
• More to come…

Before you go…

This short story was a dark and grim and made my heart ache. That’s Fakhra Jabeen’s style of writing. In very few words, she pulls you into a fictional world where you feel the pain that the characters go through. I am noticing that the story is adjusted to suit the screen adaptation. I will be doing a comparison soon.

Pssst… My new romantic comedy Fara & Moyeez is published. Check it out.

Shabana Mukhtar