“Jalan” began airing a week ago, replacing “Thora Sa Haq” on ARY. Starring Emmad Irfani, Areeba Habib and Minal Khan in lead roles, “Jalan” is a drama I, as a viewer, made an effort to avoid, stating that I would not watch it due to the nature of the storyline (a younger sister stealing her elder sister’s husband). Haven’t we seen enough of these problematic storylines? Haven’t we seen enough shows where sisters are disloyal to their own blood relatives for no apparent reason? Don’t we have enough examples of bad men on television? Is it necessary to show a man falling into a trap and being disloyal to his wife? Such stories are frustrating, and the show was instantly tick-marked as “ignore.” However, due to a lack of other promising options, I somehow got pulled in – and I’m pleasantly surprised.
Check out our review of Dushman e Jaan here.
“Jalan” follows two sisters, Nisha (MInal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib). Nisha is selfish and greedy, always setting her sights on what other people have – particularly Misha. When Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani) spots Misha at an event, he immediately sends a proposal to her and the two get engaged. However, Nisha, who is also engaged to her cousin Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh), begins to compare Ahmer and Asfandyar, jealous of her sister’s good fortune. She begins sending videos and pictures of herself to Asfandyar, which troubles him greatly. This jealousy worsens when she sees Asfandyar and Misha’s home after their wedding. Asfandyar gently tries to send the message to Misha to guard and protect her own things – including him. But will Misha understand or will it be too late?
First of all, it must be pointed out that the production values for this show are high and the presentation is appealing. It is, in fact, the visuals on screen that pull the viewer in right from the beginning and unlike other channels, the production, editing and direction is all coming together wonderfully. While the character of Nisha is set to infuriate the audience more with each passing episode, Minal Khan gets a chance to display her acting range here as she usually plays roles that require her to cry more often than not – and she’s doing a good job. Areeba Habib is playing a sweet, lovable character this time around (a welcome difference from her role in “Koi Chand Rakh”) and her pairing with Emmad Irfani is striking. Emmad Irfani is always easy on the eyes, but this role is almost tailor-made for him as he plays the reserved, passionate, suave Asfandyar. The supporting cast is promising as well with Hajra Yamin and Nadia Hussain making their presence felt as well.
Watch the episode here.
What remains unknown is how the story will play out. Will this show set a new precedent on television, one where love and trust go hand-in-hand? Will Asfandyar continue to be critical of Nisha or will he fall into her trap in a predictable manner and betray his wife? If there is an affair, will the woman be the only one punished for it? It’s the description of the show that makes the premise exciting, seeming to state that Nisha will turn into an obsessive lover/stalker. If that’s the case, this show will be worthwhile. However, the chances of “Jalan” being yet another run-of-the-mill sibling husband stealer story are high, so expectations will need to be kept low. Still, the show is interesting so far!
