Dhoop Ki Deewar Trailer Drop – Was It The One For Me?

The fact that Dhoop Ki Deewar Trailer drop was going to go viral had, perhaps, nothing to do with the trailer itself. Ahem … do I have your attention?

Here’s the thing.

The trailer is, as expected, laying out the storyline that we will witness June 25th onwards. We knew the narrative is about war, cross border love – a drama brimming with India-Pakistan emotional turmoil. Throw in the love-hate relationship paradox shared by inhabitants on both sides of the Wagah border, and of course, the magic blend of Ahad Raza Mir & Sajal Aly – you have a sure winner right there!

What we also knew is that the blockbuster web series has big names like Umera Ahmed, Haseeb Hassan and Zee5 behind it. When creativity and star talent meet a hugely popular online digital platform, surprise surprise – there is not much that can go wrong. Hence, my premise, that the trailer HAD to be a success.

Would the content have received more criticism, or, shall I say, less viral status had it not had the privilege of monumental Zee5 marketing & the celeb tag attached? Are we softer on content that has big banners & big names behind it?

Am I mincing my words?

Perhaps. Did I expect more from the trailer. Perhaps.

What The Trailer Delivered

A story about two young people whose families have felt the effects of cross border fatalities in a very real way. Employing the backdrop of a cricket match to offset the horrors of war might have resonated within me, but somehow, the real feel was missing – both in the cricket match & the war. Not jazbaati enough, cried out my jazbaati self. This is India vs Pakistan, not Canada vs USA – it SHOULD be all about emotion (just like the teasers).

But, argued my rational self.

Let’s fast forward to two young people who are trying to overcome the hate with love. #Heartoverhate hashtag the makers for Dhoop Ki Deewar. Yes. I get it. But, somehow, I missed the raw emotion there as well, except for that one time when Sara looks up and utters – “It’s not fair papa!” Or, when patriots clap Vishal for his out spoken-ness against the ‘dushman’ mulk. I felt a strain of realness there, as you, I, all of us on both sides of the border, have witnessed the intense hatred some of us share for the other. Yeah, just give twitter a call, and you’ll be happily obliged.

The Inevitable Love Story

“Tera Aur Uska Kabhi Koi Rishta nahi Ban Sakta” Of course we will get the ye shaadi nahi ho sakti kahaani – but could we somehow have had it any other way? Dhoop Ki Deewar promises to be out-of-the-box content so I really hope the story goes beyond a remix version of Romeo Juliet. That’s just my 21st Century critical self Netflixing her way into a Covid-struck world – hope you understand – nothing personal there. But there’s just a lot of competition on the digital sphere, and you will have to grab my attention, pull it away, so to speak, from a world of online viewing pleasure, in order to justify why I should keep watching every episode like my life depends on it?

Hold on, says my rational self (again). Don’t be so critical. One trailer does not an entire web series make!

The issue was not the trailer, the issue for me, was the teasers. They were stellar. Sajal & Ahad were gold, as opposed to the trailer drop (that paled in comparison). They served as the glitzy wrapping paper that promised a terrific surprise inside. However, when we tore open the wrapping paper, we realized, that (surprise, surprise), the wrapping paper WAS the surprise!

I’m going to hang on to that thought now.

For me, nothing could surpass the teasers

The multitude of emotions evoked in a question thrown at audiences sitting in their living rooms, millions of miles away across a digital screen, that could make me tear up in an instant, is all I needed. I just wanted to watch the first episode now.

I was one of the few amongst the Sahad fan base who didn’t need a Dhoop Ki Deewar trailer to tell me to download Zee5 and anticipate June 25th. Were you?

Also, a thought to bear in mind. Directorially (and in support of the DKD Team), it is hard to pull out a rabbit from a hat every time. Or, pull a hattrick every time (if you feel cricket will work better here, keeping the India-Pakistan dynamics in mind) – so we already had 2 phenomenal teasers back to back – it is a tad unreal to expect the trailer to match up!

Having said that, the trailer has served the purpose of rolling out the narrative in simple, clear terms – what follows will be the story telling – and that is what counts!

A question to ask about the story telling, while we’re on the topic!

Is it really true that the youth crave peace but the older generation is the one not ready to surrender? Or is it rather the older generation that’s lost too much & wants to forget (& forgive) but young blood might not be ready? The narrative will eventually give us the big reveal but it got me thinking – is the story pointing us in the right direction?

So let’s not jump the gun folks. Dhoop Ki Deewar is coming at us, all cylinders fired – to watch is inevitable, but to praise is divine – will the web series reach divine status? Wait and watch, all will be revealed soon enough!

A shout out to the makers

It is no mean feat to come together as Pakistani & Indian content creators to give people both sides of the border, a web series that tackles an overtly sensitive topic. The Arts has, through the years, given us reasons to love, believe and choose heart over hate. The tragedy of the matter is that, this process will have to be repeated every few years, after every Kargil, or Siachen, or Pulwama … because, humans have short memories, and politicians, even shorter.

That is why we must watch – lest we forget.

Watch the trailer here!

When Pakistani Web Series Met Indian Platform

Oh Zee, Yet Again!