By Maliha Rehman
The first episode of Hey Fam doesn’t have you stressfully wringing your hands. It only barely gives you a glimpse of the story arcs ahead. It doesn’t point out the love interest and the villain or initiate an emotional rollercoaster ride. Instead, lightheartedly, it introduces the audience to the world of Seerat, the drama’s female lead who, as we know from the teasers, is soon going to rise to the lofty heights of being a social media sensation.
Another thing that we already knew from the drama’s promotions is that this a story about Gen-Z, that young demographic categorized as having their own issues and priorities, distinctively different from that of the older generations. Mixed in with a plot dominated by phones, followers and influencers, one can expect Hey Fam to offer something different from the usual drama fare. This may or may not work in the drama’s favor – it all depends on how the story unfolds in the coming few weeks.
What does work for Hey Fam in its first episode: youthful, engaging and feel-good. We are led into Seerat’s world and her happy, chaotic family life: cheeky but supportive sisters, a mother who frets too much and a father who dotes on his family and always has their back. Interwoven into the dialogues are issues that are current and relatable. Most significantly, Pakistan’s predominant rishta culture is tackled; where it is considered normal for a girl to meet strangers who come to her house, scrutinize and question her and then take their time deciding on whether she would be a suitable wife for their son.
Seerat’s elder sister has gone through this rigamarole, although she doesn’t recall it fondly. Seerat does not want to do so – and her father supports her decision. This decision leads us into yet another social commentary, where a mother worries about what people will say if her daughter meets a boy alone, deciding on whether the two should marry. The log kya kahenge discussion is dismissed by the father – again, very relatable and also, progressive.
Very briefly, we are introduced to the other two main players in the drama: Zarrar Khan as Ayyan, a social media influencer, and Zaviyar Nauman Ejaz as Faizan Mustaqeem, a young journalist. In a fleeting few seconds, we see Ayyan busy, putting together a fun reel for social media. Faizan, on the other hand, is debating with his boss, wanting to announce his research on a harmful drug being distributed in the market – a news story that we know, from the trailer, is going to land him into trouble.
The cast is refreshing. The two male leads, Zarrar and Zaviyar, have past acting projects to their credit and Nauman Masood and Nadia Afgan add the veteran weight. The story, however, pivots around Seerat, played by Duaa Zahra, in her first role as a female lead in a TV drama.
Perhaps it is this young actress’ past experience as a Tiktok Star and an Instagram influencer; perhaps Hey Fam’s director and production team have worked on ensuring that her performance is believable but, in any case, Duaa has acted very well. Most newbie actors have issues with dialogue delivery or body language, but this young actress’ confidence doesn’t make Seerat seem to be her first major role at all. Easily excitable, a bit bratty, and certainly over-the-top, she’s a young heroine who makes you smile.
But this was merely the first episode. It remains to be seen how convincingly Seerat navigates social media stardom, when from being anonymous she will suddenly become famous and then will go on to combat psychological struggles when the fame stops being fun. What will happen when her life collides with Faizan’s world of journalism? And with Ayyan’s social media world? It is not a revolutionary story – nor, one feels, that it wants to be – but it is a contemporary one and an interesting one, proposing to explore the strange machinery of Internet fame.
Accompanying Seerat are her two sisters; played by Mashal Karim and Haleema Ali, again young actors who put out smooth, likeable performances. The incorporation of young new actors in the cast – Dua, Mashal and Haleema – who actually look like Gen-Z in a drama about Gen-Z, offers a breath of fresh air. Even the director, Zeshan Ali, is relatively new, possibly helping in giving the story a youthful energy. Writer Awais Ahmed Joyia’s dialogues are peppered with light comedy and intelligence.
But the drama has only just started. It remains to be seen whether audiences will gravitate towards a story that is markedly different from the usual melodramatic templates. A lot depends on how well-paced the narrative proves to be, moving through various twists and turns without unnecessary drags. The romantic angle is also bound to play a major role in driving the drama’s popularity. Audiences love romance and if sparks end up flying between Seerat and the two leading men in her life, the chemistry will have people tuning in, scene after scene, episode after episode.
It also remains to be seen whether the script, taking on the onus of exploring social media fame and its consequences, manage to do so in a believable way, delving into the details rather than merely decorating the drama with references to reels and followers.
The first episode of Hey Fam has been promising but will it, like Seerat, become viral? We can’t be sure.
What do you think?