On request, I have written out the FULL summary of Umera Ahmed's "Alif." The Drama begins on Saturday, October 5 on GEO. This is a SERIOUS disclaimer that if you don't want the entire story spoiled for you, do NOT read this. This is the full story from beginning to end. I've tried to include as many details as possible, but I may have left some things out. Haha, enjoy.
"ALIF"
The story follows the lives of several characters, but the
four main characters are Taaha, Husn E Jahaan, Qalb E Momin and Momina. The story is told in flashbacks and moves
from the past to the present as well as switching between Turkey and
Pakistan. It’s hard to summarize, because much of the
information is revealed at different points of time, but I will try!
The story opens with Qalb E Momin, a little boy who lives
with his mother, Husn E Jahaan, in a little house in Turkey. He writes letters to Allah daily where he
asks for material things, because they are not well off. But he also asks for his mother’s happiness
and wishes that Allah sends his father back so they can be a family again. It’s slowly revealed through these letters
that Husn E Jahaan and Taaha are Momin’s parents and they got into a fight
which resulted in Taaha leaving the house – and did not return (time frame,
roughly a year or more). Husn E Jahaan
continues to wait for him, sorry for her behavior and full of guilt. Momin lovingly describes his mother as
simple, but beautiful and complains that she used to dress up for her father,
but no longer does. One day after stumbling
upon Momin’s letters to Allah, Husn E Jahaan decides to write a letter of her
own to Tahaa and sends it (along with all of Momin’s letters) to the place she
believes Taaha is – his father’s home, Abdul Aala. The two receive a letter back from Abdul Aala
announcing his arrival. Husn E Jahaan
happily prepares for Taaha’s return.
On the day, Abdul Aala arrives alone. After talking, Husn E Jahaan and Abdul Aala
realize that neither knows where Taaha is.
They weep and make up as Abdul Aala asks Husn E Jahaan for forgiveness
and promises to find Taaha. Time passes
and it is discovered that Taaha passed away in a car accident. Heart-broken, Husn E Jahaan and Momin move back
to Pakistan.
*****
Abdul Aala is a world-famous calligrapher. His art is housed in many museums and despite
his fame and fortune, he lives a simple life in a small house in a small town
in Turkey. He devotes his life to Allah and
works painting calligraphy dedicated to his Creator. Raising his only son, Taaha, he teaches Taaha
the family business as well and Taaha is also a successful calligrapher. Taaha is also a whirling dervish and finds
joy in performing at cultural events – something which Abdul Aala and Taaha
clash on, as Abdul Aala believes he should only dance in private for Allah. Taaha goes on to perform at a huge cultural
event taking place with performers from all over the world.
Husn E Jahaan is the queen of the Pakistani film
industry. A beauty with talent in acting
and dancing, she works to support her family, but is not particularly happy
doing so. Accompanied by Sultan, her
faithful assistant and makeup artist, she visits Turkey to perform at a
cultural show. It is here that she meets
Taaha and everything changes for the two. Sultan is devoted to Husn E Jahaan and he is
painfully in love with her.
Taaha falls in love with Husn E Jahaan at first sight and,
for the first time in his life, Taaha paints a portrait of a woman. He gifts the painting to Husn E Jahaan and
she is taken. Husn E Jahaan feels the
pull towards Taaha, believing he is the vessel that will change her life and
bring her closer to Allah. She wants to
be free of the world of entertainment, a world that thrives on cashing in on a
woman’s beauty and body. She takes great
pains in finding something appropriate to wear when going to meet Abdul Aala,
driving Sultan crazy by making him find modest clothing, but when she is
unsuccessful, she decides to take a white bedsheet and wears it around herself. This is the extent to which Husn E Jahaan wanted
to cleanse her image and her soul. However,
Abdul Aala rejects Husn E Jahaan outright.
While he is a kind soul devoted to his Creator, Abdul Aala is consumed with
judgement for Husn E Jahaan, because not only does he believe she’s in an unacceptable
profession, but also because he is so hurt that his son has been so badly distracted
from religion. He is furious that in his
family lineage of calligraphers, Taaha is the first to have ever painted the
portrait of a dancing woman and he believes that shaitaan is dragging Taaha
away from Allah. Abdul Aala’s rejection
of Husn E Jahaan causes Taaha to leave home and the two begin their life together
without Abdul Aala’s blessings.
This rejection of his father’s causes Taaha severe emotional
turmoil. While the two lovebirds are
devoted to each other and go on to have a son, their relationship does suffer
due to their individual suffering. While
Taaha mourns the loss of his father, he also finds that without his father’s
blessings, he can no longer paint and do calligraphy with the perfection he
once did. His paintings now seem “ordinary”
and he struggles to find buyers – which means he is unable to earn money. He cries and curses himself, feeling as
though Allah is punishing him. Watching
Taaha in pain also causes Husn E Jahaan pain on a different level. She feels angry that Abdul Aala did not
accept her and has pushed the couple into this position. She also feels rejection, on a level, from
Taaha and feels guilt for doing this to him.
Amidst it all, the two have their son, Qalb E Momin, and they are a
close-knit family until one day, Husn E Jahaan and Taaha have a fight and Taaha
is never seen again.
******
Switching to present day, Qalb E Momin is the most popular
film director in Pakistan. An arrogant
man, Qalb E Momin knows that anything he touches turns to gold. He is called the hit-maker and actors and actresses
know that if they work in one of his films, even in a side role, they will have
a solid career ahead of them in films and television. Momin is known for objectifying women in his
films and the world knows his films run on item numbers and revealing clothing
on his actresses. He does not respect
women in this industry. Set to make his
fourth film, “Sanam,” he begins casting.
His does have a girlfriend, Neha, who works as a costume designer in his
films and proposes to her. The couple initially
seems very happy, but such is the nature of Momin that he cannot forgive, and
Neha makes a critical error. Abdul Aala
visits Momin in the middle of a party and is taken aback by Momin’s
lifestyle. While Momin does not hide it
from him, Momin has always felt embarrassed to have Abdul Aala see this side of
his. Each year on Momin’s birthday,
Abdul Aala gives Momin a piece of his calligraphy which he makes specifically
for Momin in an attempt to keep him on the right path. The two men have very different ideas on right
and wrong, Momin feeling Abdul Aala judges his profession and Abdul Aala only
wishing to bring his grandson back to religion.
Abdul Aala meets Neha who excitedly begins telling him about Momin’s films
and success, which only makes Momin feel worse.
Abdul Aala and Momin have an argument over religion, a common occurrence
between the two and Abdul Aala leaves for Turkey shortly afterwards.
Neha begins pushing Momin to cast her “best friend,” Zulfi
(???), a model who Momin has never met.
Neha’s keen interest in Zulfi turns Momin off and he begins to get
upset. As time goes on, Neha continues
to push Momin to cast Zulfi in the lead role and the situation gets intense
enough where Neha, certain of her place in Momin’s life, threatens him: “Hire Zulfi as your lead or you will lose me.”
This angers Momin and he cuts off from
Neha. On the announcement launch of his
film, he has Zulfi and Neha personally invited and Neha, unaware of Momin’s
anger, is elated. She thinks “I knew he
loved me enough to do this for me.”
Unfortunately, she is in for a rude shock when Momin has them both
seated in the front row and then not only announces a different male actor
(Abbas) for his film, but also has Neha replaced as the costume designer, casting
her mortal enemy in her place. Neha realizes
that her relationship with Momin is over and she visits his apartment, throwing
his ring back at him and vows to ruin his career.
Momina Sultan Is a small-time drama actress. She works in side roles, usually playing the friend
of the lead actress. Despite being
highly talented, Momina does not have a strong body of work behind her and is
usually overlooked by casting directors for bigger roles. Her friends Aqsa and Dawood have successful
behind-the-scenes positions in the industry and work to help her find roles to
keep her household afloat. Momina’s
father, Sultan, worked as a makeup artist and told tales of superstar Husn E
Jahaan all day long, devoted to his favorite actress. “What happened to Husn E Jahaan?” Momina would
ask. “She committed suicide,” Sultan
would answer. Suraiyya, Momina’s mother,
worked as a small time singer in the industry.
Jahangir was a successful child star and the apple of their parents
eyes. Everyone expected Jahangir to go
on to be a film superstar, but before that dream could come true, he fell ill. Momina was in art school and was a very
dedicated student with a lot of talent.
She was involved with Faisal and the two had plans of getting
married. However, everything changed
once Jahangir got sick. Critically ill,
Jahangir needs a kidney transplant. This
forced Momina to quit school and become a “son” for her family. Faisal went on to get engaged to someone else
while Momina moved into the entertainment industry, picking up roles to keep her
family going and her brother alive. The
industry was never the goal for Momina, as she was deeply conservative at heart
and felt the pull towards God. In her
head, she always felt as though she was doing something wrong. She does not respect the industry she is in and
feels as though her life is a burden. In
order to keep her creative side and her love for Allah alive, she visits Master
Ibrahim during her free time and helps him fix Qurans in his shop. She treats Master Ibrahim as her teacher,
following his teachings and learning about religion from him while
working. He often tells Momina stories
about his pious, kind-hearted wife, Husna, who changed his life for the better. Momina’s family lives in a small neighborhood
as tenants and finances are tight. However,
Jahangir keeps the family’s spirits up with his light-hearted humor and loving
nature. Jahangir desperately needs a
kidney transplant and Momina owes many people money, so she is encouraged by
Dawood to audition for Qalb E Momin’s latest film, “Sanam.” Momina is optimistic that she can get a small
role in the film, which will pay much more than the small roles in dramas she
has been doing. She gets to the audition
and begins looking over a file of bills, quietly making calculations. A girl next to her commends her on her
dedication on learning her lines and Momina realizes that’s what she’s supposed
to be doing. She also realizes she’s the
only girl In shalwar kameez at the audition and becomes self-conscious, but
continues rehearsing. Once in the
audition room, she meets Momin and the two exchange pleasantries before Momina
starts her audition. During the
audition, Momina is nervous and plays with her dupatta – which Momin
notices. He angrily instructs her to
throw off her dupatta, to which Momina tells him she will not and she will stop
touching it. Momin pushes further,
telling her that women in his films do not wear dupattas anyway, so why can’t
she take it off now? The two end up in a
heated fight and Momin verbally thrashes Dawood for recommending her and tells
his guards to throw her out. Momina angrily
leaves on her own and says she will never hate anyone as much as she hates Qalb
E Momin.
Aqsa and Dawood find out about a Hollywood film casting call
taking place in Lahore and cover her travel expenses to get her there. The role was initially supposed to be played
by Vidya Balan, but due to visa issues, she was unable to take the role and it
was now going to be filled by a Pakistani actress. Momina’s first experience with travel, she is
uncomfortable but manages her way there.
Once in Lahore, she feels disconnected with the entire process and
sleepwalks her way through the audition.
She is shuffled from one section to another, asked to perform several times
before finally being told that she got the part. Given the signing amount, Momina cannot
believe her eyes and begins crying with happiness, relieved that she will be
able to pay for Jahangir’s kidney transplant with this money.
Elated, Momina arrives at the airport to be greeted by a
somber Aqsa and Dawood. They take her
straight to the mortuary, where he is told that Jahangir passed away. Just like that, the floor falls beneath her
and she feels as though it all was for nothing.
The family is informed that they will not release Jahangir’s body until
the payment has been fulfilled. Momina
spends the next night in turmoil, compiling a list of everyone she knows in the
industry and outside of it, borrowing small amounts from everyone. Letting go of her ego, she visits Momin and asks
for forgiveness, hoping he would take her in his film or at least loan her an
amount of money. He rudely asks her to get
out and treats her with disdain. Momina
is filled with rage in her heart towards Momin, but does not have time to feel
humiliation, only wanting to collect money to release her brother’s body. At daybreak, Aqsa and Dawood help the family count
the money and are relieved when they have enough to cover the bills. Momina collapses from exhaustion, tired from
the night of groveling for money. Days
pass, Jaangir buried, but Momina feels a lack of will to do anything. Aqsa gently reminds her that she still has to
work on the Hollywood film. Momina pays
a visit to Master Ibrahim who is shocked to hear about Jahangir. Momina cries her sorrows out to him, crying
for the first time, as he consoles her. He
tells her that Allah belongs to everyone as Momina angrily declares that Allah belongs
to everyone, but Momina doesn’t belong to him.
Momina’s dilemma is felt here, caught now in a profession that she never
wanted for herself and only took on for the sake of her brother.
Sultan and Suraiyya are on the same page as well and Momina
arrives home one day to find Faisal at the house. Suraiyya happily entertains him as Momina looks
on in confusion and discomfort. Does her
life have room for love anymore? Does
she want Faisal? After briefly offering
his condolences and talking to Momina, Faisal tells Suraiyya that he will come
with his mother next time. Suraiyya
tells Momina that Faisal’s engagement has broken off and Faisal wants to marry
her. Momina protests, talking about her
work and Suraiyya says she was only doing it for Jahangir and when Jahangir is no
longer around, she should get married and live a happy life. When Faisal arrives with his mother,
everything feels like a dream to Momina.
While Faisal’s mother seems less than pleased about Momina’s background
and stint in films, she seems all too happy to marry Faisal off to the girl of
his choice – even if it’s Momina. Sultan
and Suraiyya happily begin making plans for Momina’s marriage. Days later, Faisal takes Momina out for lunch
where they have a very heavy conversation.
Faisal begins talking about their life after marriage and Momina
delicately treads on the subject of her Hollywood film – Faisal seems surprised
and seriously informs Momina that Sultan and Suraiyya told him that she was
leaving films. Momina, surprised,
presses for more information. Faisal
makes it clear that his family is not on board with film families and frown upon
anyone working in the industry. He
informs her that Sultan and Suraiyya have promised to stop working in films as
well. Momina is horrified by this and
asks how her parents would make a living without their work? Faisal replies that they are his responsibility
and he will provide for them. Momina
continues to press on the subject of her work, stating that she needs to do the
Hollywood film to pay off her debts. Faisal
says he will pay them, but Momina argues that it’s her responsibility. Finally
Faisal agrees, but says she can continue working in dramas, but not films, as
films objectify women and he does not want his wife to be seen that way. Momina internally knows that this relationship
is over. Faisal is trying to whitewash
her family as though they are all dirty and need to be covered up. She feels ashamed of her profession and
herself and resents Faisal for making her feel this way. The two finish their lunch, talking about
happier subjects, but Momina knows it’s over.
Now in Hollywood, Momina is busy with her projects. While finishing up her first film, she is
signed on for a broadway play as well as another South Asian Hollywood
venture. Momina works hard, keeping
herself busy to keep her mind busy. She
is tired, but neither she nor her family long for money anymore. She’s now a star and a personality of pride back
in Pakistan. Shortly after her first
film releases, it flops – but Momina goes on to win an Oscar for her role.
*****
Abdul Aala continues to regret his behavior towards Husn E
Jahaan. His life burdened by the loss of
his beloved son Taaha, Abdul Aala blames himself for Taaha’s end as well as
Husn E Jahaan’s pain. Constantly wondering
why he couldn’t just accept Husn E Jahaan and soften his attitude towards
Tahaa, he imagines how life would be with him living with his son, daughter-in-law
and grandson all together – if only he had reacted differently. Abdul Aala continues to live his private life
in Turkey, visiting Pakistan to see Momin every so often. He deeply loves his grandson and wishes to
see him on the right path, but his experience with Taaha has changed him. He does not want to push Momin away and so,
he has always allowed Momin to do as he likes – whether it be boarding school,
film school, moving back to Pakistan, Abdul Aala has silently supported it
all.
Abdul Aala visits Momin in Pakistan. During his time in Pakistan, he always visits
two people. First is, of course, Momin
and the second being his friend Master Ibrahim.
Visiting him, he speaks of his grandson Momin and the two men share
stories about their families. Visiting
Master Ibrahim is an essential part of Abdul Aala’s visits to Pakistan. While
Abdul Aala’s trip goes well, he is praying in his room for Momin one night,
asking Allah to guide Momin onto the right path – Momin overhears this and
becomes upset. He asks his grandfather
why he believes his concept of religion is right? What is wrong with Momin’s life? Angry, Momin is unable to understand his
grandfather’s point of view and Abdul Aala is unable to explain himself in a
way for Momin to understand. Abdul Aala
leaves the next day quietly without informing Momin, leaving Momin upset and
thinking.
The next day, Momin arrives at his office with a new
idea. He wants to make a film on
spirituality – “roohaniyat.” Leaving his
office perplexed, Momin is armed with simply this idea and no direction. The press scoffs at him while his writers are
left confused. While working on “Sanam,”,
Momin continues to work on his film on spirituality. His actors have slowly started bowing out,
sponsors wanting to work on “Sanam,” but not this one and even the writers are
frustrated. Momin is in a bind and while
on the phone with Abdul Aala, his grandfather picks up on Momin’s
anxiousness. He gives Momin the number
of an art curator in Pakistan and tells him that if he needs money for his
film, he should contact this man. He
tells Momin that this man will buy the paintings Abdul Aala had made for Momin
over the years. Momin thanks his
grandfather and hangs up the phone smirking, wondering if Abdul Aala understands
the amount of money necessary to make a film.
What could he get for Abdul Aala’s calligraphy? Certainly not money of that kind.
Momin visits Turkey for work and stops in to spend time with
Abdul Aala. The two share a heart-to-heart
about Taaha and Husn E Jahaan. Abdul
Aala tells Momin that his mother was a pure, clearn-hearted soul and Momin
scoffs at this, saying his mother was an actress, a woman without honor. Abdul Aala chides him, telling him that her
heart belonged to Allah, telling him she was a good person and it was his
misfortune that he didn’t recognize her in time. Abdul Aala asks Momin if he ever knew what
the two were fighting about when Taaha left?
Momin answers no, though he has flashes of the scene – Husn E Jahaan
telling Momin to keep Sultan’s visit a secret.
Husn E Jahaan taking paintings off the wall (including the dancing one
Taaha had painted of her) saying they were getting old, Sultan visiting Husn E
Jahaan from Pakistan, Taaha arriving home and then…..leaving. Abdul Aala tells Momin that if he doesn’t
remember, it’s better to remember the good times.
Shortly afterwards, back in Pakistan, Momin receives terrible
news. Abdul Aala has passed away. Momin goes back to Turkey, leaving everything
on hold. He attends the funeral and is
in awe at Abdul Aala’s send-off. He has
a state funeral, honored by the government.
It is only then that Momin understands the level of Abdul Aala’s
success. He feels small. Momin stays in Turkey for some time…..
*****
Momina continues to work in international projects, not
compromising her integrity and dignity though, working on her own terms. A superstar, Momina is the flavor of the
season. Momina and her family move from
their small rented home into a nice, posh apartment. And while the lifestyle is an upgrade, Sultan
and Suraiyya seem bored, sad. They miss the
business of small neighborhood living, the day to day activities and the
neighbors. With Momina constantly out
and rarely home, Suraiyya feels lonely.
Momina asks Dawood to find a place in the old neighborhood, but he scoffs. “You can’t go back there!” and Momina
realizes she has arrived and there is no looking back. Momina spends time alone in her room during
her down-time, reading the Quran gifted to her by Master Ibrahim – a Quran with
the work of Abdul Aala, a famous calligrapher from Turkey. Momina quickly became a fan of his art and
began googling images of his work.
Shelley has backed out of Alif as the lead actress. Momin has been missing for some time and she
has to give dates to someone else. Tina
and Dawood kick up their socks in the office, everything gathering dust and not
having been paid in months. Tina discusses
looking for work elsewhere when suddenly a disheveled figure walks in – Qalb E
Momin. Walking to Dawood, he throws a
script on his desk. “Alif – A story by
Qalb E Momin” it reads. Read this, Momin
says. “Is this what you’ve been doing in
Turkey?” Yes, Momin replies. He tells Dawood and Tina to read the script
and there will be a meeting over it tomorrow.
Tina tells Dawood to read it and fill her in tomorrow. The next morning, when she walks in, Dawood
looks bloodshot and forces Tina to read the script. The two of them are blown away by this
incredible story of an actress lured away by love. In the meeting the next day, Dawood and Tina
gently suggest to Momin that Momina Sultan would be perfect for this role. Expecting Momin to react, they are surprised
when Momin quietly asks “But will she do it?”
Dawood happily takes the script over to Momina and encourages her to
read it. Momina declares that she will
never work with Qalb E Momin, but Dawood tells her to just read the
script.
Momina spends all night reading the script and is
floored. She quietly walks over to
Sultan and asks him to read the script.
After reading it, Sultan is shocked and immediately tells Momina not to
work on this film. “I’m the villain of
this story!” he exclaims. Momina asks
Sultan to tell her what happened, but when he refuses, she realizes Sultan is
the villain and it is her form of payback to do the role. She visits Momin for a narration and asks him
if the film is based on Husn E Jahaan?
Momin looks at her in shock. How
does she know Husn E Jahaan? He denies
it, but Momina now knows the truth. During
the narration, they are interrupted by an art collector – the same art
collector Abdul Aala told Momin to contact for financing “Alif.” Momin excuses himself and meets with the collector. Momina overhears this conversation and is
taken aback. Not only is Qalb E Momin
the son of Husn E Jahaan, but Abdul Aala is his grandfather? How could this be? If that’s the case, Abdul Aala is the man who
turned Husn E Jahaan away? Momina
struggles to put the pieces of this story together. Momin is deep in thought over selling his
grandfather’s paintings when Momina declares that her price for the film will
be the 7 paintings Momin was trying to sell to the collector. Momin looks at her in shock, but ultimately
agrees.
Momin wakes up the next day certain that he no longer wants
to part with Abdul Aala’s paintings. The
entire world is fighting for these paintings, but they were made with Abdul Aala’s
love – love for Momin. How could he part
with it? He heads home, but is shocked
to see that Dawood already picked up the paintings and has delivered them to Momina.
Momina visits Master Ibrahim and gives him the 7
paintings. Master Ibrahim looks at them
and immediately states “Are these Momin’s?”. Momina is shocked and asks how he knew? Master Ibrahim tells her that Abdul Aala
often spoke of him – and that these paintings belonged to Momin and if she didn’t
give them back, they would find their way back to him anyway, because that is
God’s will. Momina listens to her
teacher and returns the paintings to Momin’s home through her driver.
Momin is shocked to see the paintings back in their place at
home and his heart sinks – did Momina leave the film? But he sees Momina at the shoot for the film
and is relieved. He thanks Momina for
her kindness and asks her how much she would like to be paid. She tells him a minimal amount and says she
will only take it after the completion of the film.
*****
Momina confronts Sultan and tells him to tell her the truth,
otherwise she will think he’s guilty.
Sultan tells her about his connection to Husn e Jahaan and how he loved
her. She was the center of his universe –
but she left him to be with Taaha. Sultan
always hated Taaha for this, but Husn E Jahaan always kept In touch with him,
knowing he would never abandon her.
Sultan wrote to her faithfully, no matter where he moved, always wanting
her to have his address.
One year, Husn E Jahaan wrote to Sultan, asking him to come
visit her in Turkey. Sultan went and showed
up at the door. Husn E Jahaan received
him warmly with a hug and then went to get paintings. Her son wanted for things and Taaha did not make
much money. They were not well-off and
she needed money to care for her son, but didn’t want to hurt her husband’s
ego. She gave Sultan all the pictures
Taaha had painted of her and told him to sell them in Pakistan and give her the
money. Taaha was not upset with Sultan visiting,
rather he was upset that Husn E Jahaan sold the memories of their love, the
artifacts that joined them together in their affection for each other, the
beginning of their marriage. He felt this
was akin to betrayal, though Husn E Jahaan only wanted to help her son.
Sultan went to Pakistan and tried to sell the paintings, but
no one would buy them, as Husn E Jahaan had been gone for a long time. Finally, Sultan sold his own home and sent
Husn E Jahaan the money, telling her it came from her paintings. Later, when she came back to Pakistan, Mumtaz
(her mother) tried to marry Husn E Jahaan off to an older man. Sultan concocted a story about Husn e Jahaan’s
suicide by drowning in order to help her escape to Turkey. “You see?”
Sultan told Momina. He explains
that he didn’t come between Taaha and Husn E Jahaan. He wasn’t the villain.
*****
Husn E Jahaan and Momin came back to Pakistan to live with
Husn E Jahaan’s family in her home. They
are immediately met with scorn and hatred, the family angry that Husn E Jahaan
left them without thinking about their fate.
Now older, Husn E Jahaan has no ability to earn as a lead actress. Still wanting the best for her son, Husn E Jahaan
has a big birthday party for Momin and he enjoys himself, loving spending time
with his mother and friends. However the
next day, he is shunned by his friends as their parents all realized his mother
is Husn E Jahaan, the actress, a woman not meant to be respected. A woman who sells her body and beauty for
money. Momin is shattered and begins to
hate his mother. Acting out, he tells her
he hates her and asks to move back and live with his grandfather. Husn E Jahaan sends Momin back to Turkey to
live with Abdul Aala and Abdul Aala feels terribly for her.
*****
Momin and Momina continue to develop a soft spot for each
other, oddly falling for each other despite their differences. Momin apologizes
for his role in hurting her in the past and offers condolences for
Jahangir. Momin gives Momina two white
roses every time he sees Momina, something Taaha would do for Husn E Jahaan. In
a reading for the second half of the script, Momin begins prepping the actor
who will be playing Sultan’s role, the man “Aaliyah Jahaan” had the affair with. Momina questions why Husn E Jahaan would cheat
the family she loved so? Momin is taken
aback. Momina quietly tells him that
maybe she was selling something and that’s why she called Sultan over? Maybe some paintings? Momin stares at Momina in awe, wondering how
she could know about the paintings? He
thinks back to Husn E Jahaan pulling the paintings off the wall – “These
paintings have gotten old.” Confused,
Momin begins to think.
Later, Momin walks in on Dawood comforting Momina over some
family troubles and misunderstands the situation. He angrily accuses the two of having an
affair and claims to be disapproving of office affairs to which Momina slaps
him across the face. This is the first
time anyone has ever slapped Momin and he is shocked. Dawood fills him in, clarifying the situation
and Momin realizes how wrong he was – and how jealous.
He goes back to Momina’s house to apologize and is greeted
by Momina’s mother. The two bond when
Momina walks in. Her heart warms seeing
him with her mother. Momin apologizes to
Momina and she accepts. The two are
about to declare….something to each other, but are interrupted by Sultan
walking in. Momin erupts in anger, immediately
recognizing him. Sultan finally has the chance
to set things straight – he tells Momin everything, but most clearly, he tells
Momin that Sultan isn’t the villain of the story, rather Momin is the
villain. Momin is what came between
Taaha and Husn E Jahaan. The mother in
Husn E Jahaan overtook the wife. The
wife never would have sold those paintings, but the mother did it for her
child. Sultan also points out that if he
were a villain, he never would’ve sold his own house to care for Husn E Jahaan
and Momin.
Momin walks out and spends the night crying. He thinks about the misery he caused his
mother, how he doubted her, how he mistreated her. He is wrecked with guilt. Momin thinks back to when he wrote a letter
to Allah, asking for his mother to come back to him. She finally did, but when she did, Abdul Aala
told him not to go in front of her, because if she saw him, she wouldn’t be
able to leave with her new husband.
Momin’s heart broke and he decided then that he would ever write to
Allah ever again.
Sultan pulls out the letters Husn E Jahaan wrote to him over
the years and tells Momina to give them to Momin. Momina is embarrassed, but she takes the letters
to Momin. He confides in her, allowing
her to see him break down and she consoles him, telling him it’s not his fault. Momina asks Momin what happened to Husn E
Jahaan. Momin tells her that she got
married to a man named Ibrahim. Momina
thinks about the pictures, the dancing image of Husn E Jahaan and thinks back
to when she sold the images to Master Ibrahim when Jahangir was sick. He gave 1 lakh for those pictures – pictures that
were not worth as much. Momina suddenly
sits up and tells Momin to read the letters.
She leaves and heads to Master Ibrahim’s house and asks to hear about
his wife, Husna. Master Ibrahim looks at
her and says “Every secret has a time to be revealed.” He tells her about his wife, Husna, the woman
who was once Husn E Jahaan. He tells her
that he didn’t know she was Abdul Aala’s daughter in law nor did he know she
had a son. HE just knew he was married
to a wonderful, religious, kind, pious woman.
He found out much later about her truth and it didn’t make a
difference. Master Ibrahim discusses how
Abdul Aala always came to see him when he was in Pakistan and they would
discuss Momin. Momina later takes Momin
to meet Master Ibrahim, but when they arrive at his house, they are informed
that he has passed away. Momin is given
the keys to his house and finds memories of his mother there.
*****
Momin alters his script.
“Alif” becomes the story of an actress to a mother, a woman of strength
and dignity, a tribute to his mother.
The film is completed and released.
Momin and Momina anticipate the reception together. Momin declares that if the film is a hit, he
will stay, but if it flops, he will move back to Turkey and take over his
grandfather’s tradition of working as a calligrapher. The movie is a success, a superhit and is
hailed by all, but Momin still decides to leave. Momina’s heart stops in her throat and she
sadly tells him that she always wishes the best for him. He asks her to come with him. Momina tells him that she doesn’t want to
become another Husn E Jahaan. “Tum
manzil tak pauhanch gaaye ho. Main
raaste mein hoon” (You’ve already reached the destination, I’m still on my
way). Momin tells her that he will wait
for her and the two embrace.
