Written by Syed Nabeel, Chemistry focuses on relationships, how the slightest change in the chemicals can lead to a dangerous result. In this case, it's the brain chemicals that are placed under consideration. The four characters whose lives intermingle are Ramis (Danish Taimor), Raina (Sanam Baloch), Professor Waqar (Faisal) and his wife Maryam (Iffat Omar).
The play begins with a meanie gang at a college targeting the new boy in class. While the gang headed by Raina tries its best to unnerve Ramis, things backfire due to the latter's patience. Eventfully Raina and Ramis begin a romance. On the other side, Waqar and Maryam's marriage hits an all-time low with both parties accusing the other for the breakdown. Thinking about his empty marriage, Waqar also falls for Raina; talk about the perfect mid-life crisis.
Meanwhile, Rania elopes with Ramis and marries him against the wishes of her parents. Hiding his feelings for Rania, Waqar provides shelter to the newlyweds. Maryam suspects that Waqar has designs on Raina (in a way righty so) and eventually walks out of the marriage. Some twists and turns later, Waqar is able to break Ramis and Raina's relationship and ends up marrying her. From there on, unhappiness descends in the life of all the characters due to the selfishness of one person.
Riding high on the success of the recently concluded Daam, Sanam plays the spunky and vivacious Raina with aplomb. From being a bubbly girl to the change her personality undergoes after her marriage and subsequent divorce, is remarkable. Another performer to watch out for is Danish with his boy-next-door looks. Although initially he seems like 'eye candy' but as the play progresses, he delivers an emotional performance that encompasses conflicting emotions that his character undergoes.
For comic relief, there is Miss Zahar aka Aunty Dosheeza (Hina Dilpazeer), a professor who indulges in the finer arts related to literature and poetry. Her ada and andaaz have all the ageing professors holding on to dear life as she sashays around the campus.
On the other hand, Iffat disappoints once again. Already having played the role of a cheated housewife in Thori Si Wafa Chahiye, in Chemistry she is again in a similar role though this time her character walks away. However, the similarity is once again wooden faced and fails to do act.
However, the one performance that is outstanding from the beginning of the play is that of Faisal. Playing the proverbial charismatic professor, dressed in dapper suits and flashing his dimpled grin, he is able to hide his dark side but not for long. “The man refuses to age and as Professor Waqar, he is Pakistan's answer to Kasauti Zindagi Ki's Mr Bajaj,” commented one viewer.
Shot in the pretty locales of Abbotabad, with the Comsats campus serving as the backdrop, the cinematography is awesome. The wide-angle shots give the place a feel of Gurukul (from Mohabatein) and do justice to the serene and sleepy beauty of the area.
While the production qualities are pretty nice, the weak link is the direction by Ahmed Kamran. Given that Sanam and Faisal are excellent performers and the play hinges on their acting, the director over looked quite a few details be it the assertion of Maryam's inability to have a child or the stupid scene where Raina shoots Ramis and then walks away scot free.
The difference between a floozy soap and a decent serial is this while watching a soap your brain stops functioning, as for a decent TV serial, one is happy as long as there is a little bit of fantasy crossed with reality. The director needs to realise that a woman is not a baby-making machine and also that the Pakistani police don't let anyone off that easily.
Overlooking minor glitches, Chemistry is a good play to spend a weekend watching given the cutesy performances by Sanam, Faisal, Danish and Hina.
