Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi continues throwing out that wow factor, it has us engaged beautifully – every story speaks to us, unravelling a past and present that pulls us in deeper with every episode. Sumbul, Naseem Zehra & Jamshed, you have our attention!
DNUTN is surely a drama for the books. The different story lines are masterfully depicted and connected. Performances are on point and we are able to feel for each character. The teaming up of writer Amna Mufti & director Kashif Nisar & Kashf Foundation has hit it out of the park with a story that is compelling beyond the ordinary, yet, it is the ordinary that is related – genius story telling there!
The switch from past to present with time stamps & locations to mark the date is slipped in so effortlessly that it does not take away from the narrative, in fact, adds to it. Some of the credit must go to the child stars who have stood up to the talent of the likes of Yumna Zaidi, Yasra Rizvi and Omair Rana – so complete is their character depiction onscreen that we feel as compelled to watch it as the bigger, well known players.
What does Sumbul want & is her plan to use Nizami Sahib as an escape strategy really wise?
We missed Allah Rakhi, but Sumbul impressed us with her game plan – she’s using her brains to get what she wants rather than crying it out.
Sumbul has crossed a journey of a million miles – from the slight, innocent Allah Rakhi to the defiant, and now worldly wise Sumbul – every shade gave us a character whom we loved – more power to Yumna Zaidi and child actor playing Allah Rakhi for walking it through – absolutely super performances!
Confusion, confusion
Zulfee Sahib, you have us confused? Are you the good guy? Is it Sawera or Sumbul that you care for? The nuances of Zulfee are portrayed in the subtlest of expressions; a wince there, a smile here, a transient escape from reality is Zulfee and Omair Rana shows us villains have a heart too. Where will he lean eventually, is anybody’s guess, but his character makes us delve deeper into our own souls, is there a little bit of Zulfee in all of us? He seems to have sold his soul to the devil, but then, has he, really? The mystery unravels.
Naseem Zehra wins our hearts
Naseem Zehra’s story is both upbeat & hopeful – a true pleasure to watch. At the start, we were a bit skeptical whether the girls would join her crusade or not.
It was heartwarming to see Naseem Zehra’s mother (played endearingly by Samiya Mumtaz), pitch in to champion her daughters’ enthusiasm. The messages of women supporting women, that girls can play outdoors as well as with a doll’s house were so well placed – we hope many parents and educationists are listening.
Facing harsh realities
Finally, a drama raises the issue of how children survive in jail life, showing what really happens inside – a topic we might not have given much thought to, had we not seen it here. Child actor Sadoon as Jamshed is delivering a notable performance, from the young boy who left home, to the encounter with the beggary ring and now, as the student who wants to make something of his broken past.
Jamshed mimics the dreams of so many young boys amidst us – his story shines bright as a ray of hope in much that needs to be fixed in our society.
Adding diversity to the story by bringing in Sir Michael elevated the plot a notch for sure. It is imperative that we recognize the contribution of all communities in our society – being inclusive is sometimes not our thing, unfortunately – hoping to see more depictions in future content aired on local channels.
Next week’s promo has us counting days as we see the most awaited entry of Nauman Ijaz!
Catch up on Dunk before this week’s thriller episode!
