Mawra Hocane and Sehar Khan headlining a show as the joint female leads is enough to get Pakistani drama audiences excited. Joining them are the immensely talented Mohib Mirza and Usman Mukhtar, along with Zaraar Khan, Nadia Afgan, Nauman Masood and others in a show written by Samira Fazal and directed by Danish Nawaz. “Jafaa” has everything going for it – but does the first episode live up to expectations?
In episode 1, we’re introduced to Dr. Zara (Mawra Hocane), a dedicated doctor who is preparing for her upcoming marriage. She is so dedicated to her profession that she’s working up until the last moment on her mayyon. Her co-worker Dr. Numair (Usman Mukhtar) is married to his profesion and anti-marriage while Zara attempts to persuade him to follow in her footsteps as well. The two seem to share a sweet friendship. Zara is marrying Hassan (Mohib Mirza), a man of principle with a kind heart – but also a man who seems to have a closet full of demons. He holds his feelings within and does not express himself well, though he seems to share a loving relationship with Zara. How will his psychological state affect his marriage with Zara? Mawra Hocane is incredibly lovable as the cool, level-headed Zara, allowing the audience to develop a connection with her almost immediately. Mohib Mirza and Usman Mukhtar are both good in their first appearances, though their characters have yet to be fully developed.
Andaleeb (Sehar Khan) is our second female lead, a chiripy, happy-go-lucky college student. She’s in love with her classmate, Moiz (Zaraar Khan), and the two are young, happy and devoted to one another. Their relationship is believable and it’s wonderful to see a youthful romance like this. However, we know the ball will drop soon enough and we have to wonder – what will be the reason for this breakup? Both Andaleeb and Zara seem to come from a loving, supportive family with a warm environment. It is, of course, a highlight to see two cousins getting along so well in a Pakistani drama and their bond is already one to love. Mawra Hocane and Sehar Khan share great girl-pal chemistry.
When it comes to first episodes and execution, the first episode of “Jafaa” is one where channels/writers/producers should take notes. This is how it’s done. All the lead characters have been introduced to the audience, bonds have been established, relationships have been presented and the graph of the story has already been set in motion. We’re enjoying the story at present while also preparing for the story taking a significant turn moving forward. This is everything a first episode should be. The cast, writing and direction is all excellent and we can only hope it remains this way moving forward!