Written by Farhat Ishtiaq and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri, Zanjeerein is a Pakistani drama set deep within the heart of Pakistan’s tribal mountains. Filled with multiple plot twists, a visually stunning backdrop, stellar performances and characters you can root for, this show has become one of the most viral trending moments online this past week.
The Plot (some spoilers ahead):
Multiple storylines collide in Zanjeerein, a plot device that is often used by Ishtiaq. Previously used in Yaqeen Ka Safar as well, Zanjeerein also has two different personalities, living two different worlds that come together in tragedy and pain. Biya (Sajal Ali), a modest café owner in the deep mountains is harassed by Torsam (Usman Javed) regularly. Sarbuland (Danyal Zafar) is all set to go study abroad before his tribal head but brother Sherdil (Ahsan Khan) is murdered and Sarbuland’s life’s trajectory changes. Biya marries Mudassir (Ameer Gilani) who happens to be Sarbuland’s childhood friend, as Mudassir falls head over heels with Biya.
Mudassir and Biya are living an idyllic life and Sarbuland is given the tribal crown. Sarbuland is also all set to marry his childhood betrothed, Bano (Sahar Hashmi) but Sherdil’s untimely death has thrown everything for a loop. Torsam finds out that Biya is married to Mudassir. Torsam murders Mudassir, is on the lam. Biya, hiding away in the water tank of their home, is found by Sarbuland. She suffers severe trauma, hypothermia but is taken into Sarbuland’s protection as he brings her to his own home.
We’re halfway there but the internet is already in a collective meltdown.
Why It Works:
There is something profoundly attractive about life giving you hope in the face of tragedy. That’s the dream, isn’t it? That when circumstances are throwing you out to the wolves, someone realizes your pain and your fear and your grief and the threats you face and becomes your peace and saves you. Farhat Ishtiaq hones into that carnal need with surgical precision and builds it up like the exemplary storyteller she is. She builds from the essential human needs of safety, survival and the ever-universal need of being cared for and turns them into personal, character-based stories. Sarbuland embodies the ‘heavy is the head who wears the crown’ whereas Biya is the embodiment of ‘this is grief that has nowhere to go’. In a world where she has no home, no safety, it is Sarbuland who epitomizes kindness and the audiences see it.
The story ultimately becomes a combination of hope, safety and growth. Audiences are hooked to how this story will move forward because all angles in the story are equally convincing: the existing bond between Sarbuland and Bano, the forever trauma of losing Mudassir for Biya, Biya managing to escape Torsam for good and Sarbuland’s quest for getting justice for his brother.
The Performances:
Sajal Ali’s performance as Rabiya/Biya stands out remarkably. Her empty gazes as she stares at Sarbuland’s concerned looks as she wakes up in the hospital. Her sudden shudders and breakdowns that showcase her internal fights between grief and survival: Sajal Ali delivers one masterclass after another. She delves completely into the character, becomes Biya and forgets anything of her past vestiges. Dressed in one black shawl, no makeup and there are times she hardly has any dialog, Sajal proves why she is a ‘once in a lifetime’ of an actor. Sajal makes you cry with Biya every time, she makes you feel her grief like it’s your own. Like somewhere in your life you have felt exactly how she has, only the reasons were different.
Danyal Zafar as Sarbuland carries the episode on his shoulders and wins hearts with his kindness and empathy. There’s something wholesome and thoroughly wonderful about Danyal’s Sarbuland that makes him relatable as well as aspirational at the same time: no mean feat for an actor that young and green. As he rescues Biya from the water tank where she was almost about to die, as he takes her to the graveyard and tries to calm her between meltdowns, Sarbuland is not only a quintessential Farhat Ishtiaq hero he is also a good, kind, real man that we know in real life. Someone who does the right thing and protects those who need protection, while also being kind and empathetic. Danyal Zafar keeps his tone in control, he’s a hero without overdoing it, which showcases his significant talent and prowess over understanding the human psyche.
Usman Javed, Sahar Hashmi also deserve notable applause for performing their roles beautifully. Usman as the dastardly villain and Sahar as the conflicted, complexed Bano all add layers to an already powerful story.
The verdict and the hope:
With what we’ve seen in the past two days, the collective chokehold Zanjeerein has on the audience is going to only get better, one hopes, when Sajal Ali and Danyal Zafar share more screen space together. It isn’t just about murder and revenge, at the core of it, this is a love story of two broken and traumatized souls. And if Farhat Ishtiaq and Shehzad Kashmiri’s magic combination continues to sprinkle more magic onto the beauty that is Sajal and Danyal’s pairing, one can safely say we’re on for one heck of a ride.
