By Maliha Rehman
A rugged terrain, water churning fiercely down a riverbed, expansive havelis, gunshots, bomb blasts and talk of family feuds and revenge – welcome to the world of Duniyapur.
The drama – set to begin airing on Green Entertainment this September 25th – has been preceded by a lineup of teasers that are veritably cinematic. Coined as a mystery suspense thriller, this certainly isn’t the usual romantic, family-oriented story that one sees on TV. There are no saas-bahus glaring at each other in the teasers, no philandering husband hiding an extra-marital affair and no evil ex-boyfriend blackmailing a helpless heroine. Duniyapur belongs to a larger-than-life, visually stunning world of its own.
There has long been talk of Duniyapur being one of the most – if not the most – expensive projects to ever have been planned in the history of Pakistani TV. The teasers are testament to this. The high-definition cameras pan out over multiple locations; among them, the outskirts of Islamabad, Kot Momin Sargodha, Wazirabad, Rohtas Fort and more. There is plenty of action; images of bloodthirsty men with guns playing with bullets and fire. The sets are varied; it is known that the drama’s cast and crew has long been traveling for extensive periods to build a story that has the potential of being spectacular. The actors also all wear costumes that have been specially designed to add authenticity.
The motley crew of fierce, vengeful characters aid the visuals. Ramsha Khan is Ana Dilawaiz; beautiful, dangerous, brandishing swords and guns and hell-bent on taking revenge for the death of her brothers and her murder. She names her nemesis as Nauroz Adam.
In another teaser, Nauroz Adam is introduced. Enacted by Naumaan Ijaz, he is dangerous and proud of his reign of terror over Duniyapur. “Yeh Duniyapur hai, yahan ghalat aur sahih mein te karta hoon,” he is heard saying in the teaser, “yahan kisi mein itni himmat ya jurrat nahin hai keh meray saath ghalat karay.” And yet, not everyone in the region fears this steely-eyed, murderous man. He has a formidable enemy in Nawab Dilawaiz, the other powerful family patriarch in the region. In one scene, Adam is seen glaring at Nawab and in another, Nawab looms upon Adam him with a chainsaw while men hold him down.
Adam’s two sons are played out by Ali Raza as the elder and Khushhal Khan as Shahmir Adam, the younger son. Shahmir, the teasers indicate, will be paving a ruthless path of his own where he will be willing to kill or be killed in order to achieve his purpose.
But will Shahmeer fall in love with Ana, his enemy’s daughter? Or will they both be formidable rivals, ready to go to any length to defeat each other?
Another significant piece in the Duniyapur puzzle is being played out by Sami Khan as Mir Hassan, a police officer who steps into the region and realizes that it is being run by the law of the jungle. He likens the people living there to animals, dying the way insects do. Fearlessly, he is seen cornering Adam, having a heated debate with him. He is also seen pointing a gun at Dilawaiz, who immediately draws her own gun at him. Guns and killing are quite the order of the day in this world.
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It’s very intense, very intriguing and if one hadn’t known that this was a drama, one would have assumed these teasers to have been of a movie. The few dialogues that have been incorporated into the teasers have been calculated to make impact. Ana Dilawaiz, after crying over the loss of her brothers in one glimpse, expresses her determination for revenge by declaring, “Plate mein sajj kar zindagi kisi ko nahin milti, apni plate khud banani parti hai”.
Green Entertainment, still in its fledgling stage in the TV landscape, has been setting itself apart with a range of dramas that have been unique. Duniyapur could be the latest feather in the channel’s cap and is indicative of the leadership of CEO Fasih ur Rehman. Leading the channel at merely the age of 27, he stands out as one of the youngest channel heads in Pakistan, with a vision that is dynamic and forward thinking.
However, aside from the pathbreaking visuals, will the drama’s story itself also pack in the punches? Duniyapur’s cast boasts an ensemble of renowned veterans and hugely popular young actors and will they deliver powerful performances that are at par with the visuals? The drama has been produced by Multiverse Entertainment, directed by Shahid Shafaat and the script has been written by Radain Shah.
One has high hopes.
What do you think?