Telefilm: Three`s a crowd

Published July 18, 2010

Oscar Wilde, the English writer and creator of acerbic aphorisms, once said about marriage Men marry because they are bored, women marry because they are curious. Both are disappointed. This train of thought was cursorily picked up by Ahmed Ali Butt, writer, director, singer and the protagonist of Aaj Kuch Na Kaho, the fifth of the ongoing Hum Telefilm Festival 2010, aired on July 3.

Sameer (Butt) is a happy-go-lucky guy (a stereotype sadly meant to be played by every large person on screen) whose day job is directing commercials and music videos. He is chums with his manager Shireen (Juggun Kazim) who one night forces him to attend a party where he is impressed by the crooning skills of Esha (Fatima Ahmed). Sameer convinces a reluctant Esha to give a shot at professional singing and offers his help in producing her debut music album.

Esha's hesitancy stems from the fact that she is trapped in a loveless marriage with Rehan (Fawad Khan of Khuda Kay Liye fame) even though they were college sweethearts. Esha, looking for an escape from her sham marriage, accepts Sameer's offer and starts frequenting his studio. Rehan, her husband, is the archetypal middle-class, conservative, suspicious, workaholic, urban man who is oblivious to his wife's suffering. Esha attempts several times to get her husband's attention but instead he reciprocates by angry glares and outbursts. Rehan, who senses that Esha is spending way too much time with Sameer, asks her to invite him and Shireen over for dinner at their house. Rehan instead of being the perfect host ends up insulting Sameer, who abruptly departs with Shireen. Esha has a huge fight with Rehan over this incident and leaves the house in her car and has an accident. At this point the director realises that his time is running out and he needs to quickly end this convoluted telefilm. He shows Rehan visiting Esha and apologising profusely for his mistakes, and Esha in typical naik parveen fashion accepts it.

The hasty ending highlighted the fact that Butt had too much on his plate and thus wasn't able to concentrate in any of the departments that he was involved in. Aaj Kuch Na Kaho also had crammed in three forgettable songs that didn't take the story forward. Kazim's role was pointless and this talented actress' skills were largely wasted. However, Ahmed certainly needs a vocal coach to work on her diction for even though it seemed that she was giving her best shot in some heavy duty scenes it was her speech that was hindering her performance. The only redeeming factor in this was Khan who was superbly convincing in his role of a sourpuss of a husband.

Opinion

Editorial

Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....
Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...