Mushk continues to impress in its eighth week, with things back to the fast-paced mode of the earlier episodes. Not only does Imran Ashraf’s dialogue writing impresses the audience, the way most of these dialogues were delivered was also commendable. However, the episode belonged to the heartthrob of yesteryears Manzoor Qureshi who made his presence felt as the patriarch of the family, who decides to put an end to the controversy regarding her granddaughters by getting them married, in what can be termed as a sensible, but a hurried decision.

The Plot

Dada Jaan (Manzoor Qureshi) asks Adam (Imran Ashraf) to marry Mehek (Momal Sheikh), who is already married to Shayan (Osama Tahir) and they have a kid, a fact that is known only to Mehek, Adam, and Guddi (Urwa Hocane). Bearing that in mind, Adam asks Dada Jaan for some time to think, but as soon as exits his room, Mehek asks him to find Shayan, without knowing what had happened inside the room. When she does find out, she convinces Adam that ‘marrying’ her is the only way to save Dada Jaan’s life, to which he agrees.

Shayan, on the other hand has other ideas; he agrees to marry his baby cousin so that he could be released, but doesn’t realize that he is still a prisoner in his uncle’s haveli, until he goes through with the Nikaah. The curious case of Roshni (Seher Khan), her mother (Zara Tareen), and Guddi adds more to healthy confusion; the mother is lying to her sister that her lover Saqib (Raza Talish) has ditched her, Guddi is explaining to the kid that her mother is lying with Roshni unable to decide who to believe.

The Good

In a country where the power-packed lines are written for the protagonist, the deliciously devilish for the antagonist, the sobbing ones for the female lead and the average ones for the character actors, the latest episode of Mushk was a breath of fresh air. Not only did the entire episode revolve around the Dada Jaan, but the way veteran actor Manzoor Qureshi also captivated the audience was magical. Director Aehsun Talish and writer Imran Ashraf are to be credited for giving Manzoor Qureshi the margin to perform and show a skill that has sort of gone extinct. From the first scene till the last, his character was at present (even if not visible), with others doing their bits in between. He is angry at Momal Sheikh’s character hence doesn’t look at her when he is talking to her; he wants something from Adam and that’s why maintains eye contact, things only a superb actor would do.

And then there was Imran Ashraf, who continues from where he left in the last episode; he is happy that he is getting married to Mehek but is shocked because he knows she is already married to Shayan. He is unable to decide whether to say yes or no, because a yes will be a crime, and no might push Dada Jaan towards his grave. The lengthy dialogues he had written remind the viewers of the 1980s when whatever was spoken by the characters meant something to the story. Unlike the earlier episodes where he had a lesser presence, this episode had others in that category, with Urwa Hocane, Zara Tareen, Momal Sheikh, and Seher Khan providing support in comparison to Adam who keeps the story moving.

The Bad

Not all was great in the world of Mushk this week; there was a scene where Shayan and his fellow prisoner Sajjad (Sohail Sameer) had their hair cut. We all know how bad their wig was so wouldn’t it have been better had the scene been taken out to give space to some loveable dialogues? Also, the death scene of one of the characters was too lengthy for TV viewers, it could have been trimmed and edited in such a way to make it look relatable. The scene featuring Natasha Ali and his daughter looked pale despite being written intelligently, because of the death sequence. And why didn’t the actress playing Adam’s sister knock before entering the elder brother’s room, especially when he had a guest with him? There was hardly any development on the Taaya (Hasan Ahmed), Dr. Rana (Raja Haider), and other characters’ front and the audience wants them to return so that their past, present and the future can also be explored.

The Verdict – Mushk makes Saturday it's own with a fabulous episode!

On the whole, Mushk got back its speed this week thanks to the well-written dialogues and well-executed scenes. A lot is going on in the drama at the moment and it would be interesting to see which route the story takes. If anyone had any doubt over Imran Ashraf’s acting, then this episode would have made them change their stance as he was amazing as the confused and happy individual, both at the same time. Now that Manzoor Qureshi has done his part well, it’s time the story takes place outside the haveli among other characters who have been part of the plot but not central to it, as yet. Aehsun Talish deserves special mention for his cruel performance as the actor, and cool as a director, bringing a serial that has already achieved cult status amongst the fans.