Just when we thought we couldn’t get enough of some of the exciting Eid feature plays on television; we came across ‘Wedding Virus’ on ARY Digital- probably one of the best and the most relevant of all stories in the time of the pandemic.

Directed by Furqan T. Siddiqui and featuring a talented cast of Muneeb Butt, Hiba Bukhari, Gul e Rana, Rubina Ashraf, and Wasim Abbas; the telefilm aptly described hilarious things all Pakistanis do while reacting to the COVID-19. However, most importantly it is a must-watch for those who are unscrupulously organizing and attending weddings in the era of social distancing.

Let’s do a quick review of what went down in Wedding Virus and why are we a total fan of this outstanding tale.

The Plot

Wedding Virus is a story of a dysfunctional household that is all set to organize a big-fat wedding during a COVID-19 lockdown.

We meet Salma (Rubina Ashraf), the mother of our hero Sherry (Muneeb Butt,) who is obsessed with sanitizing everything and everyone she comes across. Strongly believing in social distancing and SOPs, she often becomes a laughing stock at her home for being extra cautious. While she is smart and believes that COVID-19 is real, her mother-in-law ‘Amma’ and sister-in-law ‘Baby’ believe that the virus is nothing but a mere conspiracy of the west.

Her daughter-in-law and our heroine, Zaina (Hiba Bukhari) is equally inane. All set to be married to her cousin, Sherry she desires to have a grand wedding. Of course, she turns a blind eye to the fact that authorities are jailing the culprits for not following the rules and regulations, released by authorities during the lockdown.

As Sherry lands from London to Karachi for his wedding, everyone gets occupied to make his and Zaina’s marriage a talk of the town. A list of as many as 800 guests is prepared, against Salma’s constant warnings about people getting sick because of the virus.

Fortunately, the wedding halls shut down right before the wedding. Nevertheless, just to ensure the wedding isn’t postponed, the family concludes that it's best to arrange the nuptials in their own grand garden.

A twist in the tale happens when our groom Sherry gets summoned by the cops for violating SOPs and is taken to the police station on his wedding day. What is worse, he eventually catches the virus and is diagnosed with COVID-19 the very next day.

A fuss erupts in the home as the entire family begins their ‘totkas’ and ‘duas’ to get Sherry cured of COVID-19. No one excepts Salma understands that Sherry needs to be under strict quarantine. Zaina’s pulls the most hilarious stunt of all as she hails a ‘Corona Baba’ to work his voodoo on Sherry and get him free from COVID-19.

While our hero is outraged with his wife's absurdness and decides that she needs a reality check, Zaina herself tests positive in the end just in time Sherry tests negative and they were leaving for their honeymoon.

A comedy so apt in a pandemic world

The best thing about Wedding Virus is how relatable it has been in terms of the behavior displayed by Pakistanis when it comes to attending ‘shaadis' and other festivities.

It also addresses the offhand attitude and fallacies people have in their minds about COVID-19, including that it is an invention of the westerners and that it can be cured by pigeons or healers who vow to cure you of the imaginary disease.

Rubina Ashraf’s character describes all those Pakistanis who are taking COVID-19 seriously but are also losing their mind to make themselves safe. The rest of the household accurately depicts 60% of the Pakistanis who don’t believe in getting vaccinated or practicing SOPs.

With fine actors like Rubina Ashraf, Waseem Abbasi, and Gul e Rana, every second of the telefilm was a hilarious moment with their A-list performances. Muneeb Butt, as always, displayed his full energy as he laughed, danced, and bellowed in various scenes during the telefilm.

The cute ball, Hina Bukhari essayed the role of Zaina to her best, precisely exhibiting her ridiculous conduct and silly mindset.

Kudos to the writer Saba Hassan, who ensured she writes laughable dialogues especially that of Amma, and ensuring they display the slice-of-life of Pakistani households. All in all, Wedding Virus is a must-watch and whoever will watch it, will surely recommend it the rest to every sane person to view and enjoy!