By Maliha Rehman
Teasers of dramas don’t usually trend on social media, becoming the subject of conversations on Twitter (or X) for days, with fans posting screenshots by the hour.
Then again, teasers aren’t usually so grand.
Producers Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi of 7th Sky Entertainment are yet to release the trailer of their upcoming drama Sunn Mere Dil but the teasers have been more enough to get the audience buzzing. The visuals are spectacular, the music sweeps you away, the romantic dialogues are intriguing and the cast looks gorgeous.
The drama, directed by Haseeb Hassan, had been much awaited ever since it was announced 10 odd months ago and it looks like it may just have been worth the wait.
Taking centerstage is Wahaj Ali in a character that is evidently so lovestruck that he reminds you of the actor’s insanely popular Murtasim from last year’s Tere Bin. Wahaj’s Bilal Abdullah is hopelessly in love with Sadaf, enacted by Maya Ali. He stares at her, wide-eyed, while she sits surrounded by flowers, dressed as a bride. He twirls her around on a stage set with fairy lights, both of them wearing white. He gazes at her as they stand drenched on a dark rainy night. He brushes a rose bud across her cheek and smiles at her from across a bonfire.
But this isn’t going to be a straightforward love story.
Bilal declares, in a series of emotional monologues penned by the drama’s writer, Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar: ‘Mein maanta hoon keh woh mujh se mohabbat nahin karti’ and ‘Khuda ko maan letay hain toh phir kya kartay hain aap, phir kisi ko nahin maantay … mohabbat mein bhi aisay hee maan letay hain, keh koi aur hai iss ke ilawah koi nahin hai’.
In one glimpse, Sadaf tells him that she doesn’t hate him, adding, ‘Lekin mujhay aap say mohabbat bhi nahin hai.’
Evidently, Wahaj aka Bilal is going to be embroiled in a painful case of unrequited love. In various scenes that hint at the plot, he is seen teary-eyed, drowning his sorrows in alcohol, solemnly playing the piano, roaming around in a silk dressing gown and a night-suit, with a swimming pool glinting in the background – Bilal’s a rich man, obviously.
A few snippets reveal others in the drama’s cast: Usama Khan, Hira Mani, Saba Hameed, Shahveer Kadwani. One also knows that Amar Khan is part of the ensemble.
Wahaj Ali, veritably one of Pakistan’s most favorite romantic heroes, seems to be in his element and Maya Ali, as the girl he is in love with, looks lovely. Much of the magic of Sunn Mere Dil, of course, will lie in seeing Wahaj play the theatrical, lovestruck hero again, much like the besotted Murtasim. Also, fans of the exceptional Jo Bichar Gaye – the 2021 drama starring Wahaj and Maya – will be happy to see the actors together on screen again.
Moreover, one has faith in Haseeb Hassan’s style of storytelling, which tends to be very detailed, finely-tuned intuitively building upon characters’ emotions and their journeys. Writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar is renowned for his romantic scripts and the few dialogues seen in the teasers are testament to the expert wordplay in Sunn Mere Dil. One hopes though that his dialogues don’t go on and on as they sometimes tend to do. One well-placed poetic dialogue is so much more powerful than a trillion more and one hopes that the script, like the visuals, is an impactful one.
Having said this, stories of unrequited love are frequently seen in TV dramas and one may be able to predict certain twists and turns to the story. In this case, what might ultimately set Sunn Mere Dil apart is its packaging. And Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi are, of course, well-versed in the art of packaging. The producers are well-known for having a Midas touch when it comes to knowing what will click with their audience, applying extensive efforts, attention to details and their particular vision to their signature projects.
Sunn Mere Dil’s teasers hint at a drama that’s going to be very high-end: the settings are glamorous, the cast looks gorgeous, the title track sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is magical. It’s like an escapist romance, right off a Mills & Boon paperback.
If the teasers have been so special, imagine what the trailer – when it releases – will be like. And then, imagine what the drama will be like. Social media’s abuzz – people are imagining already!
What do you think?