Jo Bichar Gaye once again met our expectations with an eloquently narrated storyline. With opposing views being narrated and two schools of thought represented, it enables the audience to draw their own conclusion and allows them to live the lives of Rumi, Captain Farrukh and, Sonia from their own perspectives.
Haissam Hussain creates magic onscreen that aptly captures the political mood of the time, contributing hugely to viewer anticipation and also adding a hint of romance and humour that is not too ‘in your face’.
The Story
The episode begins with Rumi’s interaction with Mujib-ur-Rehman on the much debated six point plan. Rumi harbours separatist sentiments, representing young blood, not willing to retreat or negotiate on a single point, urging Mujib-ur-Rehman to fight for Bengali rights and identity. Rumi makes it clear that he and the student body will not back out unless and until their demands are met and if the need arises, they will organize themselves to start a protest. The episode unfolds further as the dead bodies of the three missing students are found, apparently decapitated – the brutality of war truth begins to sink in.
It is imperative to note, that without showing any letting of blood, gruesome violence or bloody scenes, Jo Bichar Gaye manages to convey the bloodiness of war, rebellion and revolt as a reigning backdrop to the narrative.
We see Sonia take on the role of a leader – more vocal than she has been in any of the previous episodes. Maya has certainly shed all the layers from her previous characters where she took on damsel in distress roles, and has successfully taken on a new avatar in Jo Bichar Gaye. Her address to the students at the Dhaka University after it was found out that the three students have been killed, and her one-on-one interaction with Rumi was commendable.
Both Wahaj and Maya delivered an intense interaction, not taking away from narratives that pushed both sides – and each, equally invested in their own.
It must be noted that Rumi harbours exceptional shades of grey and both the writer and Wahaj Ali must be applauded for depicting a character that, though extreme, shows us the crossover from a young, ideological, emotional student to one who begins fighting relentlessly for a cause. Rumi’s horror at realizing young Kashif’s innocent life lost and flinching from joining the extremist ranks added miles to the character (as we will grow to understand it later), when he delivers his fiery speeches to a fired up pro Bangladeshi freedom activist student body.
On the other hand, Sonia and Captain Farukh’s scenes are certainly a breath of fresh air for the viewers and a relief for the audience from an otherwise intense storyline. Captain Farrukh faking a cold and his successive interrogation was an amusing moment for viewers. Talha Chahour is doing a powerful job at striking a balance between providing comic relief and the very serious business of military intelligence.
Nadia Jamil as Sonia’s opinionated, opportunist mother reminds us yet again of what a fine actor she is! Her presence adds miles to the narrative.
The Characters
Rumi played by Wahaj was excellent as always. His facial expressions were on point and he was able to portray all of Rumi’s expressions; from distress, to anger and concern. His concern for Sonia and efforts to shield her from any danger, him becoming teary-eyed more than once after hearing about the student murders and yet, protesting against the injustice to his community, all show a human side of Rumi and delayer the sensitive human that hides beneath the charismatic (and determined) leadership journey he will soon embark on.
In the end, it was interesting to note the learning of Urdu amongst East Pakistanis and also how the language was considered (apparently) superior to the native Bengali that marks the language of East Pakistan. The narrative is definitely picking up on subtle instances in everyday life that might have added to the sentiment and mood of the times.
With three episodes already on air, the audience has been able to connect with the characters and the story line. Some are watching it for pure entertainment, while others are dusting history books to extract the most out of an intensely thrilling narrative. Whichever it is, viewers are enjoying the show immensely and love, not only the entertainment value it is providing, but also the ability to while teleport us to a time period that holds love, revolt, history, triumph, and yes, defeat.
Tell us what you loved most about the episode.
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