Drama serial Inkaar, featuring Yumna Zaidi, Sami Khan and Imran Ashraf in key roles, began yesterday with what appeared to be (yet) another story of a young girl struggling with love and emotions and ultimately marriage. The opening shot, of Hajra (Yumna) in bed, weeping and procrastinating over the baggage love brings with it was a low point to open with.
It was a somewhat tedious beginning to a drama serial that could swing 180 degrees if the points of interest – and there were a few – turn into twists and become the core of the story.
I am curious to know why Hajra is heartbroken to the extent that she – an ace student – dropped out of university to study at home. I do like the first impression of her parents, her father especially, who is a halwai but has dreams and expectations from his daughter and not his son. Hajra is shown to be working at a local school as a teacher and is evidently disturbed by any kind of bullying on her watch.
So, has she been harassed or bullied? She is an awkward girl, who doesn’t want to get married and tells her college mate Shayan’s father – when he uncomfortably visits them with Shayan’s proposal and asks why she dropped out of Uni – that she should ask his son, as if he has something to do with it. Then she says he doesn’t. She doesn’t even remember interacting with him in Uni though he is obviously besotted enough to convince his privileged parents to take his proposal to her. Is he a stalker? He does look like one.
The cast, from Yumna to Sami Khan and even Rehan Sheikh is very strong. I am eager to know what role Imran Ashraf will have because he is one big reason people are watching Inkaar. The poster, incidentally, has been compared to the Netflix thriller You but would it be too much too hope for a similarity beyond the poster? I did get an eerie feeling when Hajra was texting her friend; it seemed like there was no one at the other end. She does appear to be a girl who has no friends. But are we just reading too much into it?
Will Inkaar rise to expectations or drag its feet through the usual love and marriage, like every second drama serial?
