HUM TV’s latest drama to go on air ‘Parizaad’ has been making the headlines since the release of its trailers, while it may have received both good and bad publicity, the play is two episodes down and while the first episode may have been a little slow for our liking, the story seems to be catching on with the second episode released this week. Produced by Momina Duraid and based on the novel and screenplay penned down by Hashim Nadeem, Parizaad is the story of a hero who doesn’t fit into the appearance standards set by the society. Ahmed Ali Akbar plays the leading role of Parizaad and this is one story we’re intrigued to follow on screen.

The Plot

The drama follows the story of a humble, hardworking and genuinely good man Parizaad, who has been shunned by the world around him his entire life due to the tanned colour of his skin, the cherry on top being his name which is a stark contrast to the way he looks. Born to a labourer, Parizaad is different from his family and loves to read and write poetry, the only person that cares about him is his older sister.

Parizaad is known as the ‘harmless’ boy in the neighbourhood whom people often take advantage of, as a favour he writes a love letter for the loafer, ‘Shoki bhai’ little did Parizaad know the letter was for Naheed (Ushna Shah), his student and ultimate crush. Shoki gets startled and drops the letter which is then found by Mirza Sahab (Syed Mohammed Ahmed) he instantly recognises the handwriting and accumulates the entire neighbourhood outside Parizaad’s house. He is humiliated, slapped and further beaten up by his brothers for attempting this disrespectful act. Parizaad blames himself for all that Naheed had to go through however, Shoki tells him she has been covering up her own secret, Parizaad decides to follow her after college and discovers her on a date with Majid - the pious ‘good’ boy that everyone loves and respects in the locality. Naheed then admits to have used Parizaad for her own cause in order to hide her affair with Majid as they plan on marrying each other soon. Her line saying, “Noone would believe I would be involved with a boy like you” shattered Parizaad’s already diminished confidence. He came face to face with the ugliness that plagues the society and had his heart-broken, the first of many it seems!

The Good - Phenomenal Perfomances Make Parizaad a Must Watch!

Ahmed Ali Akbar has been a treat to watch in and as Parizaad, he has nailed his performance to a T, from his expressions, dialogue delivery to his body language, the way he walks and talks embodying a person shunned and made fun of by society to perfection, Kudos to him for pulling it off so effortlessly! The rest of the cast, Ushna Shah, Syed Mohammed Ahmed, Tipu Shah and the the supporting cast have acted equally well to make this drama worth the watch.

The Bad - Controversies Surround the Drama

Parizaad is based on a man who does not fit into what the society deems ‘beautiful’ however, the show has been criticised for the irony of choosing to cast a light-skinned actor to play the role after artificially darkening his skin colour. Questions about the choice of actor have been asked across social media, the show-runners have been criticised for not opting to cast any other actor that would have been fit for the role of Parizad instead of darkening Ahmed Ali Akbar's skin to fit the character’s description.

What’s Next?

Parizad’s second episode leaves the heart-broken Pari remembering Naheed’s hurtful comments and he finds himself at the railway station face to face with an oncoming train, is he going to leave his family and old life behind and try to find himself in a new place? Watch Parizad on HUM TV.

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