“Kaala Doriya” has managed to succeed and become a success despite limited promotion from the channel. If Hum TV currently has a clear winner, it’s this light-hearted comedic family drama, which has been written by Saima Akram Chaudhry and directed by Danish Nawaz. Following its predecessors like “Suno Chanda” and “Chupke Chupke,” “Kaala Doriya” also follows warring cousins who grow from a hate-filled relationship to one of love and affection. And while there isn’t anything wildly innovative about this show that sets it apart from the others, it has a very sweet underlying theme of family loyalty and togetherness that wins over viewers. Starring Osman Khalid Butt and Sana Javed in lead roles, the drama also stars Adla Khan, Farhan Ali Agha, Zainab Qayyum, Sohail Sameer, Nadia Afgan, Samina Ahmed, Khalid Anam, Ali Safina, Khalid Malik and others.
In episode 10, the story revolves around Mahnoor’s (Sana Javed) attempts at apologizing to Tabassum (Samina Ahmed) and recognizing her fault in the entire situation – though does she really? Mahnoor appears to be an egotistical young woman who softens momentarily, but after being forgiven, immediately bounces back to being her arrogant self. Asfandyar (Osman Khalid Butt) and Mahnoor put aside their dislike for one another to bring happiness back into Bitto’s (Tamkenat Mansoor) life. This angle is sweet, but it’s entirely unclear as to why Bitto’s marriage has been dragging along for so long. In episode 10, the flow of the show has picked up greatly and each scene is entertaining to watch without many filler moments.
One thing must be acknowledged straight away with “Kaala Doriya.” Saima Akram Chaudhry, as a writer, is very good at getting family dynamics right….once she gets warmed up. In the initial episodes of “Kaala Doriya,” the family dynamics felt illogical and the characters felt ridiculously rude. This is not a problem restricted to this drama, rather all four of her dramas on Hum TV have had this problem. However, as the story is progressing, the level of depth within these characters is also developing, putting forth nicely fleshed out characters with weaknesses. This is the greatest strength of “Kaala Doriya” as a show – those beautiful family relationships. While a character like Mahnoor has an ego, she’s not a terrible person. She is brash, has outbursts and hasn’t necessarily been trained to respect her elders or control her tongue – but at heart, she is simply defending her family and has her heart in the right place. Meanwhile, Asfand is deeply possessive of his family unit, including his sister-in-law, Nida, who is ironically Mahnoor’s sister. He holds his loved ones near and dear and would do anything for their happiness. He may have a trace of the same ego Mahnoor has, but he is a much softer soul, consumed with guilt at the thought of hurting anyone close to him. Osman Khalid Butt can only be described as comically sweet in this role. It seems to be a regular thing with Saima Akram Chaudhry, at least with her Hum TV shows, to have a softer male lead and a more difficult female lead and that’s certainly true here as well, but Sana Javed is adding a softness to Mahnoor that was entirely lacking in Hum Tum’s Neha – and thank goodness for that.
Overall, “Kaala Doriya” is not a storyline driven show. This is a show that’s all heart and wonderfully so. If you’re looking for something action-packed, this may not be the best show to recommend, but it’s a great, breezy show with some fabulous performances and underlying messaging regarding family values – and even a great elderly romance.
