Not many are aware of the fact that before venturing into dramas as a director, Musaddiq Malek worked as an assistant with blockbuster director Nadeem Baig. Resultantly we saw oodles of maturity and sincerity in his craft when he made his directorial debut with ‘Habs’. The play was a super hit left, right and center. So naturally we were excited as to what Malek will bring next to the table. To our surprise, he chose a subject that is beaten to death at the prime time i.e. the sass-bahu saga.
‘Noor Jahan’ stars veteran actor Saba Hameed as the protagonist. Her motive in life is to control her sons Hunair (Noor Hassan), Safeer (Ali Rehman) and Murad (Ali Raza). Her dominating nature has a past. She aims to seek revenge on his brother-in-law in law Bakhtiar Shah (Yousuf Bashir Qureshi) due to family rivalry. She cleverly makes Murad fall for Shah’s daughter played by Kubra Khan. She doesn’t let Safeer take a sigh of relief as he marries against her wish. As the narrative progresses, the latter turns the tables on Noor Jahan.
Malek proves that effective direction is the key, to give depth and credibility to the enterprise. The script stands out with relatable characters paired with excellent execution. Saba Hameed’s act is engaging, subtle yet chilling; allowing viewers to taste the sugar-coated bitterness of her character. Ali Raza and Kubra Khan surprisingly make a good pair. ‘Noor Jahan’ isn’t your regular saas-bahu saga and entertains with ‘full masala’. Malek’s refreshing twist to the tried and tested genre is the big catch.
