Unpopular opinion: What can we expect from 'Meray Paas Tum Ho' finale?

With the last episode of the serial airing tomorrow, one can only hope the ending lives up to all the hype

KARACHI: It would be an understatement to say that Mere Pass Tum Ho has captivated the entire nation since it started airing in August last year. But for a show with such a sizeable fan base and an all-star cast, the serial seems to have relied heavily on social media speculation to maintain its relevance.

Although the Pakistani showbiz industry is doing a decent enough job when it comes to TV, in terms of both viewership and prolific-ness, rarely do local serials become as much of a point of contention over social media as Mere Paas Tum Ho has. The show not only became one of the biggest topics on Pakistani social media – particularly the local meme scene – but it also managed to do so for six whole months. That’s close to a decade in meme time!

Last week, we discussed what the audience ought to expect from the three-hour finale set to air across the world tomorrow night. It’s only fair now to discuss the implications for social media particularly our national meme bank.



A look back

When it comes to online chatter, the debates around writer Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar and his views on women arose but recently. Before things took a serious turn, they were much more fun. Humayun Saeed’s portrayal of the down on his luck Danish Mere Paas Tum Ho’s initial episodes allowed the actor to become our very own version of the ‘Forever Alone’ meme.



Then we saw how Shehwar, played by Adnan Siddiqui, inspired a plethora of home-wrecker jokes on the internet. Even after the character took a back seat in the series, Shehwar is still being touted as ‘Mr Steal Your Girl’. The most recent example of this was when a picture of Siddiqui with cricket commentator Zainab Abbas surfaced on social media a few days ago and people began joking about how he would ‘steal’ her too.

How can we forget all the “do takkay ki larki” jokes, which have carried on for the most part of the show. While the line itself stirred controversy, with some fans saying it normalised misogyny, the lighthearted memes based on it weren’t half as bad.



The tale of two slaps was also a field day for memesters. Both Danish's slap to Shehwar and Maham's (Savera Nadeem) to Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) broke the internet. The only shortfall of these was that the memes didn't stay there for too long.

But perhaps the most entertaining set of memes came after Danish went from rags to riches. The best thing about it was when an episode wherein Danish purchases Rs7.8 million worth of shares coincided with an actual surge in the real-life stock market. Perhaps it even developed an average person's interest in financial markets? Public forums have been riddled with inquiries about how to invest like Danish since then…

Where do we go from here?

Well, hopefully, after the finale, we'll see less of Qamar and more of the characters from Mere Paas Tum Ho. That is, of course, assuming Qamar sahab never speaks again.  Given that instead of being aired on TV as would have been the norm, the finale will be screened at cinemas nationwide, the internet will surely not remain silent on that. We can safely expect people to call out Pakistanis for having their priorities so right and quirky memes on the ideal way to spend the last weekend of January 2020.

As far as the culmination of the plot goes, the most mundane outcome would be Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) dying. With her dead, there is essentially nothing to go on about. Her actions have been the driving force of the whole serial and as such, the memes. Although death itself is morbid, hers would essentially end all conflict which, in a weird way, would end Mere Paas Tum Ho on a happily note.

 



But if Danish dies, things might be more interesting. Expect a plethora of diljala posts and even TikTok videos around heartbreak. Shehwar at this point is irrelevant. The only way he can gain prominence back both in the show and on the internet if the character somehow manages to strike a romance with Hania in tonight’s finale. That would actually be gold!

Speaking of Hania, if she were to pass away in the show, social media would somehow pin it on Mehwish. The “dau takkay ki larki” jokes stand to make a return in that case.

But deep down, we all know what is going to happen. However Mere Paas Tum Ho ends, rest assured that before we all get closure, Qamar sahab will have gone on another talk show and made us face-palm ourselves again.

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