Every once in a while, a drama comes along that captures the interest of nearly everyone. Jackson Heights falls into that category. With Vasay Chaudhary behind the writing, Mehreen Jabbar directing and an ensemble cast including Marina Khan, Noman Ejaz, Adeel, Aamina Sheikh and Ali Kazmi, there's very little about this drama that could deter viewership.
Did episode 1 meet my incredibly high expectations. YES!
The episode starts off showing that Salma (Aamina Sheikh) is in high demand at the waxing-threading parlor she works at. From the get-go, you realize that this drama focuses on the "labor class" of immigrants rather than the "professional class." Aamina Sheikh plays the part with sincerity.
We also bear witness to a group of Desi taxi drivers (Indian, Pakistani and Bengali) visiting Jackson Diner, a place owned by "Madam," (Marina Khan), a tough woman with strong principles. This scene is clearly to show Marina Khan's character's attitude - very no nonsense with little sympathy to the plight of immigrants (probably due to her own struggles in life).
A great portion of the episode focuses on Imran Bhatti (Nauman Ejaz), a taxi driver working hard to support his family back home. Not only are his scenes heart-warming and doused with mild depression, but also highly comedic due to his personality. Nauman Ejaz is a complete natural in this role!
Michele "Madam" and the Indian Muslim Rizwan (Adnan Jaffar) are shown having a close friendship, one that Rizwan would like to take forward, but is unable to, due to the hesitation on Michele's part. Again, we assume Michele's story will unravel with time. These two actors have done a great job with their parts.
And last, but not least, we are introduced to Jamshed (Adeel), Imran's nephew. Jamshed is nothing short of a dreamer with few goals in life. The only thing on his mind is to go to America and make money - how that will happen, who knows? Adeel plays the role of your stereotypical, typical dreamer who imagines the grass will be greener on the other side, not realizing how much of a struggle comes along with those dreams.
All these characters have come together to make the first episode of Jackson Heights incredibly interesting and a great mish-mash of different personalities. I am thoroughly impressed!
That being said, I'm not claiming everything about this episode was perfect. The age-old concept of "America bad, Desis living in America bad, the USA so cruel" is featured here as well. Lines like "Pardes mein kaisi Eid?" managed to rub me the wrong way. People who have been living in the USA, regardless of whether they're immigrants or the children of immigrants, have formed their own traditions, ways to celebrate occassions and so forth. No one here is sitting around remembering Eid in Pakistan/India/Bangladesh and not celebrating here. YES, there's no Eid like Eid with your family and loved ones, but Muslims in the USA still celebrate Eid AND have their own sense of community among the other Desis they meet. I just really wanted to hit the nail on the head with that one. It happens too often in Pakistani dramas (Aahista Aahista) and Bollywood (Aa Ab Laut Chalen) that Desis living in the US are either "kameenay" or super "Lachaar, ghareeb and bechaaray." Let's give those stereotypes a rest.
Moving away from the complaint, I DID love that Imran Bhatti (Nauman Ejaz) so frustratingly tries to explain to his family that Jamshed should be studying and working a good job in Pakistan, rather than running to America with the notion that money grows on trees. It really hit home, especially seeing how hard Imran himself was working to earn a living and complete the "Farmaishein" of his family back home. Stories like these are the heartbreaking reality for some immigrants.
In closing, I really loved all the performances in this first episode, along with the direction and the dialogues. Everything seemed very "real." I'm expecting great things from this drama and so far, it's off to a great start!
If you aren't on this bandwagon, hop on now! =)
Happy watching!
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