Ep1: ‘Jo Bichar Gaye’ dives deep into the separation of East Pakistan

Historical narratives and patriotic plots seem to be the latest trend on television these days. Haissam Hussain’s latest drama, airing on GEO Entertainment, is from the same genre. Titled Jo Bichar Gaye, it features Maya Ali and Wahaj Ali as the lead couple, along with Talha Chahour and soon after the first episode aired, Wahaj started trending on Twitter.

Jo Bichar Gaye talks about revolt, riot and rebellion, and is based on real events from 1971 Indo-Pak War, including the Fall of Dhaka. Episode 1 “The Oath” begins with a series of old photos introducing all the armed force officers who are a part of our history with an oath in the background and then it highlights major events, cyclone, flood, election and much more, that occurred before 1971 that led to an unrest.

The story is taken from author Col Z. I. Farrukh’s novel and he is shown as the protagonist in this episode who is a newly appointed Captain in Dhaka and he is taken aback by the drastic situation in the eastern wing of Pakistan. He was posted in the intelligence unit and what follows is the version of events that he saw during his time. The story of Jo Bichar Gaye has multiple layers and it is nearly impossible to concisely put it in words after one episode. It is dissecting many chapters of our history but it is refreshing that the drama is showing more than one perspective, biased or not is yet to be seen.

Wahaj as Roomi and Maya as Sonia

Read: Maya Ali and Wahaj Ali to star in upcoming drama ‘Jo Bichar Gaye’

Maya Ali plays Sonia, a girl from Dhaka University, who has little to no accent while everyone around her has distinctive dialect. Wahaj plays Roomi, a member of Awaami League who talks about democracy and wants people of East Pakistan to get the rights they deserve, while Sonia believes that Pakistan is a newly formed country and the problems are inevitable.

Wahaj Ali has given an impressive performance and Maya’s firm stance, as Sonia, complemented his character. The chemistry between the lead pair is very magical. There is tension, clash of opinions, and care, all contributing to make the scenes more real.  This is the first time Maya and Wahaj have come together for a project and fans are excited to see the magic the two create.

Adnan Jaffar also stands out as a military officer with his authoritative demeanour. However, as a debutant who hasn’t done much mainstream work, Talha Chahour as Captain Z. I. Farrukh has left quite an impression with his acting skills. The direction and production is also top-notch; the colour grading, language, wardrobe and paraphernalia have contributed in establishing that this drama is depicting the 70s.

Talha Chahour as Captain Z. I. Farrukh

The cast also includes Nadia Jameel, Adnan Jaffar, Sajid Shah, Fazal Hussain, Rana Majid, Aurangzaib Mirza, Omar Darr, Ahmed Abbas, Shireen Zahid, Usman Zia, Omar Cheema, Zaheer Taj and  Fahad Hashmi among others. The drama is written by Ali Moeen as an adaptation of Col ZI Farrukh’s memoirs and directed by Haissam Hussain for H2 Films. It will air on GEO TV every Sunday at 8pm.

Watch the first episode here: