By Ali Haider
As 2024 is about to become a story of the past, let's recall the dramas that ruled in the outgoing year.
Pakistani dramas, as is widely known, are celebrated for their unique storyline, ensemble cast and excellent pageantry which set them apart.
Not only within Pakistan, they have also garnered praise from abroad including India.
Known for their rich content, the drama industry has produced some quality serials over the past few years.
Also Read: Dramas in 2023 - stories that kept people glued to screens
But, what was different in 2024?
It was different due to exceptional storytelling and diverse range of themes. The dramas had it all: they presented a mixture of romance and thriller.
Let’s recount the top dramas of the outgoing year:
ISHQ MURSHID - Theme: Life is Beautiful
Cast: Bilal Abbas Khan, Dur-e-Fishan Saleem, Omair Rana, Zarmeena Ikram
The list should begin with Ishq Murshid. The drama earned laurels for depicting a diverse environment. It showed a blend of many cultures. Just upon its release, it was well received by audience.
Bilal Abbas Khan and Dur-e-Fishan Saleem played the lead roles in the drama. Not only the project offered diversity, it also portrayed subtle touches of romance and deep social messages.
The Story: The son of a famous politician falls in love with a girl. But there is a caveat: the girl and her family are challenging the very system which his family supports. To win over the woman, he must pursue some risky endeavour and it could even mean masquerading as someone else.
He is now not what he was. He disguises himself as an ordinary man looking for a job. And guess what, he finds work in the office of her father. And from there on, a journey starts which ultimately ends in their union.
The story is well-written but so was its OST. Needless to say the title song of the drama played a crucial role in its overall success.
DUNIYAPUR - Theme: There Will Be Blood
Cast: Nauman Ijaz, Manzar Sehbai, Sami Khan, Ramsha Khan
Duniyapur has earned massive accolade even before its release.
The drama is often dubbed as Pakistan’s most expensive. Its set remains top-notch with exquisite and natural areas for its shoot.
Not only for the money only, the serial has become a success due to its wonderful cast. From Nauman Ejaz to Ramsha Khan, everyone has been assigned their best possible roles.
The Story: It revolves around the two families in Dunyapur – the Adams and the Nawabs. They could not withstand the existence of each other.
The script undergoes a major turn when the older sons of both families died in a bloody enmity. Now, the rivalry lands in the hands of Shahmeer – an Adam – and Anna – a Nawab.
Amid their efforts to overpower each other, they both fall in love to secure peace in the area.
KABHI MAIN KABHI TUM: Theme: Romance is Not Everything
Cast: Hania Aamir, Fahad Mustafa, Emmad Irfani, Zainab Mazhar
The serial marked the return of Fahd Mustafa on small screen. He along with the ever-charming Hania Amir performed superbly. It explores the idea that perfection in a relationship isn’t about two similar people being together, but about opposites completing each other.
It is a highly anticipated drama serial revolving around the ‘Opposites Attract’.
The story: Two people with opposite personalities find each other at crossroads when their marriage is planned all of a sudden. The boy is happy-go-lucky and easygoing while the girl is practical on her approach. Throughout the story, one observes moments of banters and seriousness between the lead actors.
The story also explores favouritism within a family with a critique on the role of society to prefer certain traits and dislike others. Also, the story touched upon the topic of greed and how, in the long run, it could make matters worse.
KHAIE - Theme: For a few murders more
Cast: Faysal Quraishi, Durefishan Saleem, Shuja Asad, Noor ul Hassan, Hina Bayat, Uzma Hassan
The drama took a swerve from the routine scripts. It brings forward a revenge story with people getting killed left, right and centre.
What matters most in any drama? The hooking technique works here as well. And this drama hooked the audience from the start. It grabbed their attention through its powerful story exploring many unique many themes.
Starring Faisal Qureshi as Chanar Khan and Dur-e-Fishan Saleem as Zamda in the lead roles and supported by late Khalid Butt as Durab Khan and Noor-ul-Hasasn as Darvesh Khan, it offers a tale of revenge and the preservation of cultural values.
What stands out in this drama is the pompous style which offers a pageant deserving accolade.
The Story: Two families – one headed by Durab Khan and the other led by Darvesh Khan - are engaged in a bloody feud.
Durab has murdered Darvesh’s father and fears retaliation (Khaie). Darvesh, after living for almost 20 years abroad, comes back home. In an unexpected change of event, Darvesh offers reconciliation.
All of it is arranged but things take a dangerous turn when Durab’s son – Channar Khan – develops feeling for Zamda - Darvesh’s daughter.
Upon rejection from the girl’s family, Durab comes with his team of gangs and kill Davesh and his sons.
Now it up to Zamda to seek revenge from Chanar and his family. And she does it perfection.
JAFAA - Theme: As good as it gets
Cast: Mawra Hocane, Mohib Mirza, Usman Mukhtar, Sehar Khan
Jafaa offers promising cast which does a complete justice with the powerful storyline. Usman Mukhtar as Dr Numair and Mawra Hocane as Dr Zara could not have been more better. Their chemistry is also on point. The praiseworthy aspect is the way they handled tough shots through poise and calm yet displaying heartfelt emotions.
The Story: It follows a unique story of love, loss and resilience. It also delves into the details of societal pressure and familial expectations. The life of two cousins takes an unexpected turn through marriage. Mawra Hocane’s Zara struggles with her husband’s whimsical and demure nature. As their relations unfold, they learn to deal with each other. The viewers would be drawn into a story of emotional depth.
ZARD PATTON KA BUN - Theme: Wonder woman
Cast: Sajal Aly, Hamza Sohail, Adnan Shah Tipu
A gripping tale of women empowerment, self-discovery and challenging the taboos of society. It explores how a woman, living in a conservative household, stands up for herself and the whole community by following her goal against some heavy odds.
The tale sheds light on the significance of family planning and women’s health and the harmful effects of not paying heed to these issues. Also, the much hyped but equally much-ignored topic of child labour is also explored.
The Story: what happens when Meenu - a young, hopeful woman – decides to follow her passion to become the first doctor from her village? The journey is daunting but it is worth taking. Faced with many obstacles in her way, she continues her journey. The watershed, if one asks, is when Dr Nofil comes to village.
Seeing the shambolic condition of the village’s hospital, he decides to return. However, his interaction with Meenu – who sheds light on his responsibility to treat patients - changes his plans. They both now must face the uphill battle of changing the people’s views on women pursuing the higher education.
One little loophole in the drama is the accent of Meenu played by Sajal Aly - it should have been more similar to the local and rural community. The tone was more urban and elitist than a girl who hails from some suburb far-off.
JAAN-e-JAHAN – Theme: The good guy redemption
Cast: Ayeza Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Searha Asghar
The drama deserves applaud for its interesting story as well as enchanting cast. It marks Hamza Ali Abassi’s comeback to the small screen. The male lead is non-toxic who cares for his family and the legacy of his father. Equally brilliant is the role played by Sawera Nadeem as a mother who promotes favouritism among her children.
The Story: It encapsulates the feelings of love, jealousy and enmity within a family. The focus is laid on Shehram, the male lead, who is not fully into the family business but faces a lot of pressure from his father to support him.
But here is the major plot: Shehram’s mother wants her other children to join the family business. She uses conspiracy and violent means – even killing Shehram’s father – for her purported success.
After his father’s death, Shehram plans to delve into business. But his mother uses tricks and deceits to keep him at bay. The things take a turn for worse when Shehram is given life-threatening medicines to deviate his mind.
The protagonist’s life becomes purposeful when Mahnoor comes into the life of Shehram. She makes Shehram aware what his father wanted him to be. After many bottlenecks and hurdles, they both unite and their life become beautiful.
GENTLEMAN – No country for goodfellas
Cast: Humayun Saeed, Yumna Zaidi, Adnan Siddiqui, Zahid Ahmed, Sohai Ali Abro
Has there ever been an occasion when Humayun Saeed and Yumna Zaidi failed to make a mark? Her performance in Gentleman is no different.
The serial sees the return of Humayun Saeed and Adnan Siddiqui after the monumental success of Mere Paas Tum Ho. It provides a cinematic experience on the small screen.
Saeed’s portrayal of a local gangster by the name Munna is impressive notwithstanding, as some critics point out, his monotonous style of dialogues with empty expressions sometimes.
Zarnab, played by Yumna, deserves praise also for playing a tough character with dexterity.
The Story: It is based on local gangsters who are engaged in attacks against each and create chaos. Munna is a notorious criminal in his area. He creates havoc at the behest of others – politicians or business elites. But, unbeknownst to him, he thinks he is not used by anyone and himself involves in killings and kidnappings.
Here comes a journalist named Zarnab who requests Munna to respect the law. Ignored at first, Munna develops feelings for the journalist.
But in order to win her heart, he must leave vandalism. Is he ready to that? You bet.