Humsafar Review: Love reigns supreme while revenge remains overrated!

With my heart heavy, tears unshed, I begin to pen down my thoughts on Humsafar for the last time in this forum. Bear with me, if this turns out longer than usual.

It feels like yesterday that my friends were pestering me to see a drama that has gripped the interests of several. My ears perked up and soon I was sitting down to see what the commotion was all about and I din’t stop watching till I went through four episodes without a break. I found it simple, gripping, and honest, a virtue I regard above all else. So it wasn’t a surprise that I fell in love and eagerly awaited the next episode.

I wanted to shout out from the rooftop about Humsafar and the result is there in front of you for all to see. What is a joy if not shared?

Humsafar spoke to me right from frame one – a heart to heart that is seldom possible in a pretentious world that thrives in manipulating our emotions. Humsafar has been a straight shooter that brought our deepest emotions to the fore and by doing that has earned a permanent place in our hearts.

The final episode of Humsafar finishes what it set out to do – narrate a poignant story of two innocent hearts ripped apart by a vicious scheming mother only to find each other on the basis of strength of character, maturity, and love.

“Maa se zyaada insaan ka is duniya mein koi nahi hota,
Aapne to meri duniya hi khatam kar di”

 Ashar believed in his mother above all else. While he could never say no to his father, Baseerat, he trusted in sharing his innermost feelings only with his mother. She was his support, his lifeline, and until the image got shattered into thousand pieces, she was the only woman he completely, blindly relied on. A woman he had no reason to distrust, a mother who was supposed to protect him against all odds, deceived and manipulated him using the knowledge of his nature as her weapon.

The scene where Ashar confronts Farida, at the onset, relays the hurt, humiliation, and utter helplessness of a son betrayed by his mother. The very manners instilled in him by his mother initially forbid him to rip her apart unmindful of the respect a mother deserves. But as she continues to assault his wife’s character and questions Hareem’s parentage the father in him takes over.

Ashar’s anguish at his mother’s betrayal makes him question her love for him. It is impossible for a man to fathom that a mother could ruthlessly destroy her own son’s happiness. There are moments in this scene when we can glimpse the little child in him, bruised and shattered, begging his mother to convince him that her treachery and the pain she caused him is not true, is not intentional. But the man in him recognizes and has witnessed the brutality with which his mother had single handedly, painstakingly mapped his destruction.

Farida’s honest moments

 

 Farida, on hindsight, has been deceptive right from the word go. When you think back, you wonder, has she ever been in love with anyone other than herself. She was a simple mother, wife, mother in law to start with only to later metamorphosis into simply evil. The last scenes in this episode, where she turns neurotic are her only honest moments in the entire drama.

She breaks down with the knowledge of her actions, succumbing to her subconscious that assails her with guilt, regret, and fatality at her wrongdoings. This scene gives us a glimpse of humanity and goodness in her that probably was deeply buried by her own insecurities, her false sense of pride, and misplaced sense of justice on behalf of her son.

As a viewer, am happy to see Ashar taking care of his mother when she needs the love of her son the most. Goes to show, revenge is overrated, forgiveness is divine.

“Mohabbat mari to nahi,
Lekin kahin kho zaroor gayi hai”

 As much as I loved the confrontation between Ashar and his mother, which was predictably intense, I could not wait for the scene between Ashar and Khirad that gave me goosebumps. How would a woman who was forced by circumstances to relinquish her love for a man who did not stand up for her, react to finally hearing him break down with guilt and self-disgust at what she had to go through because of his distrust?

The fact that tugged at my heart was her honest confession to Ashar that she has no idea how to bring back the feelings of love for Ashar that had once consumed her. To be fair, Ashar not once laid the blame on his mother, instead took the blame on himself, as a man rightly should. He was responsible for his wife and he miserably failed to uphold her honor no matter what the circumstances.

Khirad finally letting go of her loneliness and confessing that she is tired of standing alone and fighting brought tears to my eyes. Ashar promises her that he would never let her go.

The happy family – THE moment!

The scene we envisioned and wished for a million times was finally here and predictably, I had a goofy grin on my face. Am sure you did too. Three months later, Ashar watched his daughter getting happily drenched in the rain, reminded him of his wife doing thesame during the happy 

days of their marriage. The look between Ashar and Khirad that followed spoke volumes without a single word being uttered. Alongside her husband who was lost in her eyes, Khirad looked radiant, clad in bright hues of blue and green. Against the backdrop of the rains with their daughter present as witness to their growing love for each other, Humsafar ended on a happy romantic note.

Tribute to Humsafar

Humsafar will remain a benchmark in the art of story telling for years to come. Script writing is a different ball game to penning down a story as a book. Farhat Ishtiaq has excelled herself with a tight script, crisp dialogues, and deep characterizations that have kept us glued to the plot. 

Sarmad Khoosat with his simple yet exemplary execution of the strong script has made Humsafar the phenomenon it is today.

 The actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan have immortalized the characters of Ashar and Khirad by infusing so much life and individuality into playing them on screen.

Who would have thought that Navin Waqar would give a seasoned performance as the traumatized Sara in her first ever television appearance as an actor? She did and the multi-talented actor hopefully will grace us with many more notable performances in the near future.

Atiqa Odho convinced and fitfully deceived us with her acting prowess as the scheming neurotic mother of Ashar. Farida is the most layered character of the drama and she has effortlessly portrayed every emotion to justify the layers.

Last but not the least, Qurat-ul-Ain Baloch’s melodious voice crooning the title track of 

humsafar will remain in our hearts as a buzz that reminds us of a drama we will always cherish.

 In the last now i would like to thank MOMINA DURAID and HUM TV for this great and awesome serial.