Pakistani television is flooded with stories of women being mistreated, mishandled and overall being made miserable by the men in their lives. There are too many stories of betrayal, loss, love triangles, abuse and trauma, most of it imposed upon women by men. So it was refreshing to watch these three drama serials – two of which have ended – and enjoy for once, characters who make men look good and restore our faith in love and loyalty.
Sarmad Khoosat in Teri Raza
There isn’t a woman in Pakistan who watched the Teri Raza finale on Thursday and must not have wished for the kind of love and loyalty that Imtiaz most sincerely harboured since episode one. Suhana made each and every mistake that she could possibly have, and yet Imtiaz obstinately remained loyal to her. A dream man, fortified by our love for Sarmad Khoosat and his impeccable acting skills.
Osman Khalid Butt in Baaghi
Baaghi also ended on Thursday and while we were exposed to one type of man in Kanwal’s brother, who murders her, we were also shown the other side of humanity with Sheheryar. He’s someone who doted on her despite her lifestyle and personality, which frankly clashed with his intense and sophisticated demeanor. Sheheryar, generous and expressive in his love for her, was quite the ideal man and Osman Khalid Butt, in his portrayal, really did ace it. This performance, especially his moment of grief when hears the news of her murder, was executed so well that it should go down as Obi’s best performance to date.
Bilal Abbas Khan in O Rungreza
O Rungreza, another drama serial that we’re watching, has its shares of mean men (Wajhi is a nightmare despite being so good in his role) but it’s Qasim who gives us hope that men like him even exist. He’s doted on Sassi all his life, he marries Meena to save the haveli from being auctioned, but he’s so morality-bound that he vows to be loyal to his lovely wife, even if his heart still belongs to his childhood love. And it does. Bilal Abbas Khan has portrayed Qasim so well that it’s now near impossible to imagine him in any other role. It’s no wonder that Sassi is going mad upon losing him.
These are three men that we’d love to see a transition from reel to real. Can you think of any others?
PS. I know many of you want to see Dr Asfi/Asfandyar in Yakeen Ka Safar here but that serial ended a while ago, therefore he’s not. Waisay toh even Ahad’s character in Sammi was quite selfless.
