Late in the Game - Reviewing "Uraan"

Every once in a while, a drama comes along that touches you down to your very core.  "Uraan" is one such drama.  Despite my large bulk of dramas I'm watching lately, I've been searching for "the" show with the power of Humsafar, Maat, Dastaan, Durr-e-Shahwar, Daam, etc.  Nothing has managed to create that strong of an impact on me lately, the last one being "Durr-e-Shahwar."

I had free time, so on the recommendation of a fellow Tumblr blogger, I downloaded and watched "Uraan."  I can't believe I overlooked this drama for so long.  To say this show was powerful would be an understatement.

The story focuses on the lives of three women who come from different professional backgrounds.  However, these woman come together to face the one shocking thing they have in common.  I won't ruin the storyline any more than that for those who haven't watched it, but I will say that the storyline is about domestic violence presented in different ways.

What's the best thing about this drama?  It's realistic.   It deals with people from middle to upper class families.  I could actually relate to this drama, because I could see anyone I know fall into the role of Aisha, Savera or Sana.  This was a drama based on the educated class.

There weren't any over-the-top characters in this drama.  There weren't any over-the-top situations in this drama.  Every person could be your next door neighbor and every situation could happen to anyone.  That's what made this drama so powerful.

I have to give special mention to the performances.  Starting with the main 4 leads:  Saba Qamar as Aisha was perfect in her role - innocent, meek, unable to realize that she needed to stand up for herself.  She didn't realize how to deal with her situation.  You felt for her.  Zhalay Sarhadi as Sawera was perfect.  She was strong, vocal, carefree and knew her worth.  That didn't make her situation any easier, as she was presented with different obstacles.  You wanted to be her friend.  Aamina Sheikh as Sana was probably the "strongest" character, the one who fought taboo topics head-on and dealt with society's hypocrisy without batting an eyelash.  But at her core, she was hurt by her own broken family and landed into her own trap of being a victim.  This trio makes up the very heart and soul of this drama.  These girls aside, Hamayun Saeed as Dr. Faraz is spellbinding.  You can see how charming and terrifying he is all at once, while seeing the injured child inside.  This is one of his best performances, hands-down.

The actors who played Sawera's brother and bhabi deserve notice - their storyline of how a good marriage needs work was an important story to show and they effectively played their characters and the misunderstandings in their marriage in a way that any couple could relate to.  Hina Khawaja Bayat is impeccable as Sana's mother, graceful, modern, confident and yet carrying her own burden.  And Shamim Hilali, last but definitely not least, deserves a standing ovation as not only the mother, but also the mother-in-law from hell.  This woman played the realistic face of society.  No one shows their inner demons to the world and can come off as sweet, social and all-around great human beings.  It's only when you get to know a person that you see what their true nature is.

Some scenes were truly notable, regardless of how subtle.

• The scene when Aisha gets Sawera and Faraz's wedding pictures.  The pain in Aisha/Saba's eyes was heart-wrenching.
• When Dr. Saira's real nature is revealed after the 2nd episode.  It was shocking to see the double-face.
• Sana's mother's reaction when Zubair came to apologize to her after 20 years.  This scene brought me to tears, because the emotions were so genuine.
• The scene when Aisha's father asks his younger daughter's to-be-in-laws to put off the wedding until she completes her education.  I had tears of happiness in my eyes after this scene, because it truly showed what he learned from Aisha's experience and that he learned from it.
• The scene when Sawera finds the voodoo dolls.  I think the viewer gets as shocked as she does!

I have to say, it was refreshing to see that all three female characters had such incredibly supportive families.  Without the support of her family, a girl has to face a lot.  But this showed that these girls had strength regardless of their situations, because they had their family's support.  This is in stark contrast to Umera Ahmed's current drama on a similar situation, Kankar.

I also have to give this drama credit for NOT moving in circles.  The drama is clear and to the point.  The proceedings happen in a timely fashion and there aren't any "filler" episodes.  Also, the female characters are smart, which is a great change.  There aren't any moments where you think "What's wrong with this girl?" which has become so common in dramas.  The actions of each character make sense. 

Also, the ending was perfect in every way.

In closing, I think this drama deserves to go down on the list of all-time classics in Pakistan.  It sends out a great message to Pakistani society about how to treat your daughters, wives and loved ones.