Chupke Chupke- Hum TV Drama
Drama Review by Shoby
Felicia Day said, "I love sitcoms, and I grew up on sitcoms. That's my tasty junk food." At one place, sit-coms are considered as a junk food of showbiz, whereas on the other hand, they are taken as some real serious business, more challenging to design and even more to execute.
Pakistani drama industry has seen some really celebrated comedy shows in the past. Trend changed in mid 1990s and early 2000s, when shows like Shashlick, 3 Bata 3, Sab Set Hai, College Genes etc made their way into the small screen. Unfortunately, with the advent of private sector TV production, one thing that was badly & sadly compromised was Quality. Off late, we have not seen any extraordinary sit-com and if we talk about a show revolving around a family, we don't have a handful of offerings.
Our drama industry has a very sweet tradition of launching Ramzan and Eid special shows. Last few years, dramas like Kis Din Mera Viyah Howey Ga and Suno Chanda made their presence felt. But the best on the cards was still pending to be televised. So, here comes the light rom-com Chupke Chupke, produced by Momina Duraid and Directed by Danish Nawaz. It featured quite a celebrated cast and the writing was helmed by one of the most critically acclaimed & commercially successful novel/ script writer Saima Akram Choudary.
So what are the basic ingredients for the perfect recipe of a sit-com. In my list, all the factors are secondary and the most pertinent component is the solid strong script. Writing is the ultimate hero, if you are to produce a gem of a drama and fortunately, Chupke Chupke was lucky enough to have loads and loads of it. Lets talk about the writing in a bit later phase of the review and lets discuss other factors first.
Acting department flourishes beautifully here. Full marks for the casting director as all the artists played their roles with utmost authenticity. From Osman Khalid But to Aiza Khan, from Asma Abbas to Uzma Baig, from Ali Safeena to Areesha Sultan, all of them were so smoothly absorbed into their characters that it looked liked they were always meant to play these roles. To me, the debutants Arslan Naseer (CBA) & Ayeman Saleem were the showstopper. We know that lead actors Osman and Ayeza have literally immortalized the characters of Faazi & Meenu but Arsalan & Ayeman were the real find. Arsalan's spontaneous reactions & slap stick humour is a treat to watch.
Overall story depicts the very desi culture of a big joint Pakistani family. The arch rivalry of two co-wives was so natural. Amna Abbas & Uzma Baig's on-screen negative chemistry was perhaps the most positive thing of the drama, as far as the fun quotient is concerned. Danish & Momina are veterans now, in their domains and they know how to manage the stuff. They have done their jobs flawlessly.
Talking about the narrative part, Saima Akram Choudary has nailed it in every sequence and every scene. From the teenage stupidity wrapped in the ultimate innocence amalgamated with super sweet avatar, Meenu's character will be remembered for ages. Apart from the dialogues, Saima introduced some so relatable Catch Words for few characters. From Meenu Tu Larki Bari Cool Hai to Gul ki Dua Lagey Na Lagey, from Farhan Ali Agha's stingy & ungenerous talks to Areesha's ALLAH ka Pakka wadah, all of them became a household talk.
Best thing about the writing here is that it doesn't contain cheezy forced humour. In fact, the whole fun element is depicted through the crazy moments & as expected in a sit-com, the comedy of error is exhibited through situations & dialogues. While watching the drama, I was thinking about the versatility of Saima Akram's writing. The writer who is a master stroke maker when it comes to pen some serious emotional stuff in the likes of Siyah Hashiya, it is indeed a treat to get slapstick humour in the form of Chupke Chupke.
Post production and esp Editing are always very important. Crisp editing, in this case, has enhanced the overall feel and value of the drama. OST of Chupke Chupke is also a winner and it goes amazingly well with the proceedings s it represents the true soul of premises beautifully. Sung by Ali Zafar, the tune stays on the heart & lips for long.
On the whole, I feel Chupke Chupke is a very intelligently crafted piece of digital write up. Although fans are asking about its follow up season, I believe, makers should not get in a hurry. In fact, they should come up with the second installment only if they think, they can surpass (or at least match) the quality & class of its predecessor.
