Dhoop Ki Deewar, starring Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir, is a web-series mired in controversy from the day its first teaser was released. Be it because it is affiliated with an Indian platform Zee5, or the cross-border story it aims to narrate, the show has been receiving hate from a vast majority of Pakistani netizens, who have not watched a single episode, but are rooting for a ban on the series. Little did they know that Zee5 is already not accessible to Pakistanis, at least to the best of my knowledge.
However, in an attempt to find out what ‘grave sin’ writer Umera Ahmed and director Haseeb Hasan have allegedly committed by working on this web show, I resorted to watch Dhoop Ki Deewar through pirated links, despite that the show is available for free viewing in Pakistan; welcome to Banistan.
Read: Dhoop Ki Deewar will be available for free streaming in Pakistan
Zee5 released two episodes titled India V/S Pakistan… Kaun Jeeta? and Shahaadat Ke Baad at its premiere on 25th June, and will subsequently release two episodes every week till the weekend of the Independence Day. The first two episodes set the mood to unravel the emotional story of two families. The Ali family residing in Lahore, Pakistan and the Malhotra’s living in Amritsar, India are keen to watch their respective nations win an ‘India vs Pakistan’ ICC World T20 match. The eagerness, excitement, prayers, anticipation and cultural references are all so rooted in reality that any viewer, irrespective from which side of the border, will instantly connect to the scene. This is the drawing card of Dhoop Ki Deewar; it draws from the ‘real’ life. It features no melodramatic and preachy lessons on brotherhood and patriotism; it is just raw.
Sara Sher Ali, played by Sajal Aly, is trying to learn Anushka Sharma’s dance moves and her grandmother, Safia Nasir Ali, played by Samina Ahmed, loves watching Naagin — an Indian supernatural show — after her daily recitation of the Holy Quran. Vishal Malhotra, played by Ahad Raza Mir, loves Atif Aslam and sings Aadat when his grandmom is praying. Sunanda Malhotra, played by Samiya Mumtaz, loves Pakistani dramas and declares that Indian dramas can never match their level. Are these outlandish conversations to us? Not at all; this is what Pakistanis do all the time.
However, this time, these two are military families with their respective sons posted in Kashmir. Sara is the daughter of a Pakistani Army officer, Colonel Sher Ali (Adnan Jaffar) and Vishal is the son of an Indian Army officer, Colonel Vijay Malhotra (Aly Khan). Does it change the dynamics of their admiration for anything Indian or Pakistani? Not unless it is a cricket match!
However, though one team wins the cricket match, grief awaits both the sides as the two families receive the news of the demise of their sons in Kashmir. And thus begin the complexities around the void that war leaves behind for the martyrs’ families. We witness that not only the mundane little joys of our lives are alike, but the struggles are strikingly similar on both sides of the border. Both families face merciless media trials, the incessant need to prove their patriotism, the mistreatment of a martyr’s family for ratings, cross border debates, opportunistic relatives, and in the end, an uncertain future.
While the elders are silently grappling with the loss of their loved ones, the proud army kids Sara and Vishal, resort to social media and become keyboard warriors, trying to belittle the other person’s grief. It is a sight to see how two sane voices are manipulated in a sea of trolling and hate speech. Here the mothers, played by Savera Nadeem and Samiya Mumtaz, hold their ground and discipline their children, albeit being in pain. In one memorable scene, Sunanda says to her friend in the media: “humein dukh nahin baichna [we do not want to sell grief]”.
There isn’t much to object in terms of execution and dialogue, however, a few places needed more attention to detail. The Malhotras don’t appear Punjabi enough to be living in Amritsar. The funeral sequences were performed well, however, the presence of a green screen in some shots was disturbing to the eye. All the actors have performed remarkably, especially the scenes after the martyrdom, as we witness their silent gazes, restlessness, loss of sleep and appetite.
Special mention to Paras Masroor, who plays Anurag, the son-in-law of the Malhotras. His nonchalant abandon and disrespect to the family’s pain reminds us of many in our surroundings. The background score — Judaiyan Kyun — by Bilal Saeed and Meher Tahir also complements the story.
Contrary to popular opinion, Pak-India war, ideologies and Kashmir are not the theme of this story. The series humanize all complex relationships that we have confined into boxes of language, religion, culture, tradition, colour of the flag, side of the border and so much more, leaving a vacuum for human emotions. After all, love, loss and pain are all the same on both sides of the border.
Produced by Motion Content Group and Hamdan Films, Dhoop Ki Deewar is available on Zee5. Watch the first two episodes if it is accessible in your region.
