My sister went to watch the film'Khubsoorat' in PVR and returned moony eyed. Yes, you've guessed it right. Its Fawad Khan all the way. "Sonam can't act even at gunpoint, " She declared. "And Fawad Khan is such an eyeful." She added in the same breath. I am sure she didn't care two hoots for Sonam and must have ogled at Fawad unashamedly, the dark interiors of the PVR providing the perfect setting for her undisguised admiration for a man who can just kill any woman by his crooked half smile and glinting gaze. My colleague says he reminds her of Rajesh Khanna, in his hey days, the way he used to look at Sharmilla Tagore. I sometimes wonder how can a married man look into the eyes of his heroine with such unbridled passion even if it is for the sake of enacting a role. It is all the more bewildering that such thought does not cross my mind when I watch Amir or SRK doing the same with a Katrina or a Kajol. The point is we all nurture a huge crush for FK. Some admit it openly, others love to keep it secret.
The brownie point in favour of FK is that besides his drop-dead good looks and devilish charm on-screen, he can act too. You get ample proof of his histrionic abilities in the tele-serial Humsafar , aired on Channel Zindagi Monday to Sunday prime time. And what with Mahira Khan, the dignified damsel complimenting the debonair FK, in measured exactitude, its a level playing field through and through.
Humsafar, like all other Pakistani tele-dramas, raises moot questions pivoting around the success and failure of marriage - Should love not be backed by loyalty? Should trust be not the bedrock of an ideal union? And above all the biggest spoiler in any relationship - doubt - and the rationale behind its cancerous intrusion in man-woman relationship? After all, can there be any reasonability at all in support of such an annihilating force? And why is it the woman always be put under the scanner when it comes to assessing the purity of feelings? These are universal queries which have been raised time and again. We know the answers lie within us, within the system called society that has been created by us, within the mesh of obsolete norms infected by age-old patriarchy, which we cannot let go.
While it is easy to break, it is far more difficult to retain and repair. It is only with compassion that we can bridge the distances of the hearts. Does not our loved ones deserve a fair chance to speak their piece in defense of their esteem and self respect? What is love then if we lose faith so quickly? This is what Khirad pleas. Will Ashar halt and listen to her?
"Suspicion and insecurity are killers", says my 03.00 am friend, "I too check my husband's mobile
off and on if there are repeated messages from a singular destination" she whispers hastily. I shall be stressing a point too hard if I tell her she has already fallen into the trap. It is human failing that we disbelieve the ones whom we and who love us with all heart and soul? Perhaps God has engineered the game plan for Adam and Eve in a way that they always remain wary of each other. Its like the Earth revolving round the Sun in complete awareness that its scorching heat may someday singe its body while the Sun smiles down everyday on his beloved Earth with a trepid heart lest its warmth burns her down to ashes. Its an attraction too strong which detracts them from coming too close to each other. And that is how days are born and nights linger on.
Humsafar has too many strong points to be missed - a tightly knotted script, high-voltage drama, restrained performances, refined dialogues which reek of tehzeeb and elegantly designed sets and costumes.
For an actor who has repeatedly claimed he doesn't like to repeat himself that deja-vu set-up sounds a bit iffy, more so since Fawad plays royalty in both Khubsoorat and Bittora.
Reasons Fawad, "That may be so. But just the royal blood doesn't make the characters identical. Besides Anilji, Rhea, Sonam and I have only talked about The Battle For Bittora. Nothing has been finalized. Until I sign on the dotted line nothing is for sure. In Bollywood there's many a slip between the cup and the lip."
Currently the ladies of Hindustan are collectively swooning over Fawad in the soap Humsafar. "That was done nearly five years ago. I looked different and felt differently. Maybe if I were to do it now it would be a entirely different interpretation. Would you believe, I almost didn't do Humsafar! The serial's makers were persistent. But I wasn't convinced for a long time. Finally, I am glad I did that serial. I feel Humsafar worked because of its progressive take on the man-woman relationship. There are a whole lot shades, some of them dark and grey, to my character. For me it's very important to constantly explore my personality through my characters."
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