By Maliha Rehman
A boy called Chand and a girl called Tara.
Chand Tara on the Hum TV Network boasts a slew of names that are associated with many past Ramzan hits: Danish Nawaz, who has directed some of the most memorable Ramzan dramas in TV history, writer Saima Akram Chahdhry who can be considered a Ramzan drama stalwart, Ayeza Khan, veritably one of the most loved Ramzan drama leading ladies and Adnan Jafar, another favorite. The cast also includes Danish Taimoor as the male lead, Madiha iftikhar, Saba Faisal, Maha Hassan, Ashir Wajahat, Rehan Sheikh, Behroze Sabzwari and director Danish Nawaz.
This heavy duty lineup of illustrious names is Chand Tara’s biggest asset – but also, a liability. Had the drama’s credits not included such long-time favorites, perhaps lower expectations would have had been attached to it.
In many ways, Chand Tara delivers well on entertainment. Chand, played by Danish Nawaz, belongs to an unruly, extensive joint family. Tara, aka Ayeza Khan, lives alone with her mother who got estranged from her husband many years ago because she had not been able to cope with the demands of his joint family. Tara and her mother, played extremely well by Saba Faisal, are both doctors. Her mother is serious, career-oriented and no-nonsense. Tara, on the other hand, craves a boisterous home bustling with people. Not only is she in love with Chand, she is also smitten by the idea of one day marrying him and living in his madcap household. Her mother, on the other hand, wants a different kind of life for her daughter.
Over successive episodes, a series of obstacles land in the way to the couple’s happily ever after ending. They are both from completely disparate households and it remains to be seen whether Tara will be able to adjust in Chand’s sometimes hilarious, sometimes annoying home. A series of side plots make the drama more interesting: Chand’s sister wants to pursue a career in sports while her family wants her to get married and dress in more feminine ways and a cousin is pursuing a career as an avid Tiktoker and thrives on creating social media headlines.
It’s all quintessential Saima Akram Chaudhry: the emphasis on family values, the dynamics prevalent in a Pakistani extended family, the flippant outspoken heroine and the good-hearted hero. This time, though, there are times when the veteran writer seems to be trying too hard. The naughty children in this particular drama are more obnoxious than endearing. Their pranks seem forced, surfacing into the story in disjointed ways. Chand’s family may consist of a motley crew of strange characters but even they tend to be less eccentric and more annoying. The script somehow fails to make their banter seem natural. A lot of times, they seem to be caricatures of past Saima Akram Chaudhry scripts rather than all-new characters.
There are also flaws in the story, the most glaring one being in one of the initial episodes, where Tara steals her hospital’s ambulance in order to go for a birthday lunch with Chand. With the siren wailing, she drives into Chand’s street. At one point she even says that driving an ambulance makes things easy for her because everyone quickly gets out of her way.
An ambulance is meant to save people and a doctor, however flippant, can’t be shown misusing it as a prank. In later scenes, Tara is chided for having stolen the ambulance but the upbeat music accompanying the scenes indicates that what she did is actually supposed to be considered funny, even cute. It’s strange that an accomplished writer like Saima Akram Chaudhry could have had made such a mistake.
The drama has its high points. Danish Taimoor and Ayeza Khan have a very sweet chemistry. There are funny moments in the script. The pace of the drama is upbeat and engaging. Perhaps if this was Danish Nawaz’s first directorial venture in the Ramzan drama genre or Ayeza Khan’s first ever role as a Ramzan drama leading lady or Saima Akram Chaudhry’s first ever script for Ramzan, Chand Tara’s flaws would have had been easier to overlook.
The drama, however, is trending, hauling in millions of views on YouTube. It does have its high points. They should have spiraled higher.
What do you think?