By Maliha Rehman
You never know where the story is going.
That’s the beauty of Gumn, directed by Sarmad Khoosat and currently on air on Green Entertainment. The story skitters between different time zones and various scenarios, introducing different characters along the way and letting you connect the dots and figure out the sequence of events. And you get lost a bit or ‘gumn’ – as the drama’s name implies – which is part of the fun.
Tooba Siddiqui plays Maya Malik, a forthright, fearless lawyer renowned for her prowess at winning high-profile cases. Her car accidentally hits Rayaan, enacted by Feroz Kadri, who seems to be running away from somewhere or someone. She rushes Rayaan to the hospital and he eventually regains his consciousness but seems to have had lost his memory. Maya visits Rayaan frequently in the hospital, paying for his medical treatments and trying to ensure that no harm comes upon him by leaving a trusted work associate – Shahid, played by Furqan Qureshi – to watch over him. At one point, a mysterious man enters Rayaan’s room, evidently trying to harm him physically but also, perhaps, in search of a mysterious object. A policeman with a personal agenda of his own – Sohail Sameer – tries to convince Rayaan to blame Maya for his injuries.
Simultaneously, the scenes often jump back to the past – a New Year’s eve party from some years ago where Rayaan had persuaded Maya not to commit suicide because she had been upset that her boyfriend was cheating on her. Rayaan had subsequently gotten smitten with her, although he did not know who she was. And then, the time when Maya gets engaged to her longtime sweetheart, played by Ali Abbas. Also, Maya’s work associate Sameer – played by Agha Mustafa Hassan – is about to propose to her when he discovers that she has just gotten engaged.
Rayaan’s happy home often comes in focus, where he dotes on his younger sister and father but also is worried as they try to make ends meet. He’s a diligent medical student and a hard worker but it is evident that – coming back to present day – he has run into plenty of trouble leading to a point where he is running desperately when Maya’s car hits him.
Revealing more about the storyline in this review would be spoiling the viewing experience. The web, spun by director Hurmat Majid, continues to get more and more convoluted. Hidden agendas get unveiled, secrets get revealed, the mystery thickens before it will ultimately unravel and you really just sit back and enjoy the ride. The series marks Sarmad Khoosat’s return to TV as a director and he narrates expertly, precisely, refusing to let scenes drag and smoothly steering the complex plot. He has also chosen his cast very well – Tooba Siddiqui is very believable (and also looks gorgeous) as the no-nonsense lawyer and fledgling actor Feroze Qadri shows promise as the befuddled Rayaan. The rest of the cast – Furqan Qureshi and Sohail Sameer in particular – also put out fine performances. Pakistani entertainment boasts a slew of very talented actors who often get stuck in cookie-cutter roles and scripts and Gumn comes as a breath of fresh air not just for the audience but also, possibly, for them.
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It’s certainly a different kind of drama and yet, the script is still a commercially viable one. There is suspense, strange twists and turns and once you start watching, you stay hooked. That’s the beauty of the story. The drama is also evidently shorter than many of its peers, extending to only 13 episodes. It makes sense. A mystery can’t be dragged on for too long lest its end becomes predictable.
The unpredictability of the plot, particularly, coupled with skilled storytelling, makes Gumn a must-watch.
What do you think?