Bilal Ashraf&Ehteshamuddin’s ‘Khaab Toot Jaatay Hai’ makes a promising start
The historical drama is Pakistan’s first mini- series by Beehive Transmedia, airing on Hum TV. A joint production of Bilal Ashraf and Ehteshamuddin, Khaab Toot Jaatay Hai has us impressed withits riveting narrative and some bone-chilling scenes that tell us the next episodes are going to be nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster ride
The Plot
The mini-series is set in the year 1971, Dhaka. The time of the great divide between Pakistan and East Pakistan which then went on to become Bangladesh. We are introduced to Professor Dr Syed Sajjad Hussain who was the Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University at the time is narrating the story from the confines of the Dhaka Central Jail. The historic saga gives us an insight into the major events that took place before the separation. The first episode of Khaab toot Jaatayhai highlights the beginning of the great war that divided the country into two. What began as hushed murmurs behind closed doors found its way to the main streets which then resulted in the countless loss of lives, bloodshed and complete chaos.
The Journey From Rajshahi University to Dhaka University
We follow the Professor’s journey from a university in Rajshahi to Dhaka, already aware of the situation in Dhaka, he chose to abide by his duty after persuasion by the Education Secretary General played by veteran actor Nadeem Baig. He was warned by friends and family against the move. Upon reaching Dhaka he realised the situation was extremely dire, much more than he had anticipated. Being a man of principles he chose to stand by his grounds of supporting a joint Pakistan and argued with the rest of the faculty who supported the Bengali’s right to freedom.The professor is met with anger and resentment from the activists led by Professor Anand(Muhammad Noor-ul- Hassan) who want the students to leave studies aside and begin fighting for freedom.
We see seasoned actor Muhammad Noor ul Hassan playing a Bengali Professor Anand who is frustrated over the injustices his people are facing after achieving independence from the British. All they wanted was their rights and not to be treated as second class citizens He plays a major role in hyping up and changing the minds of the students, convincing them to fight for freedom from Pakistan.
Checkout the Instagram clip of the series.
A Scene that gave us the Goosebumps!
The ground-breaking scene from the premier episode has to be the one where Saad Fareedi and Sunil Shankar, two young Mukti bahini separatists get into a brawl with another student that hails from West Pakistan. The fight started over the taking down of Quaid e Azam and Iqbal’s framed pictures from the communion hall. The scene was superbly enacted by Sunil Shankar and Saad Fareedi who were the goons in this case, they not only bullied the other student who asked them not to preach the divide and spoke about equality but also ran after him and beat him to a pulp. Him running for his life with Allama Iqbal’s photograph in his hand and then laying injured besides the same broken frame was a sign as to what was coming next, enough to send a chill down your spine. If this was just the first episode, we are intrigued as to what the rest of the series holds for us.
Kudos to the Team Behind Khaab Toot Jatay Hai
A story that many will relate to, Khaab Toot Jaatayhai has a strong plot and an engaging narrative that sheds light on a part of history that has been swept under the rug for many decades. A project of Bilal Ashraf’s production house, Beehive Transmedia, the drama has kicked off to a great start and looks promising enough to keep the audiences hooked throughout the mini-series. Kudos to maestro Ehteshamuddin who plays the role of the Professor Sajjad Hussain and has also directed the series. The rest of the cast including Nadeem Baig, Noor ul Hassan, Sunil Shankar, Saleem Mairaj and Kulsoom Aftab have nailed their performances to a T, from their expressions to their Bengali accents, they have us impressed!
