Highly underrated: Fans get emotional over 'Jo Bichar Gaye's' finale

Fourteen weeks of fear, terror, trauma, and betrayal, amongst other morbid sentiments, came to an end with the finale of Haissam Hussain’s directorial Jo Bichar Gaye, starring Wahaj Ali, Maya Ali and Talha Chahour in pivotal roles. The historical drama, based on Colonel Z I Farrukh’s autobiography Bichar Gaye, highlighted the loss of human lives and conflicting mindsets of people who had to turn against those they once cohabited with in East Pakistan. Eloquently reflecting the 1971 Indo-Pak war, including the Fall of Dhaka, Jo Bichar Gaye came to an end narrating the surrender of Pakistan.

Since it was first announced, netizens have compared Jo Bichar Gaye to Haissam’s 2010 historical drama Dastaan, which left a lasting impact on people’s minds due to its brilliant retelling of the cost of independence in 1947. From Ali Moeen’s writing to Haissam’s direction and the cast, viewers feel Jo Bichar Gaye was “highly underrated” despite its “fresh narrative.”

The episode began with a recap of how each character contributed to the feeling of hatred amongst locals in East Pakistan against those in the West of the country. Rumi (Wahaj) has a heated but cathartic conversation with Sonia (Maya) that makes him channel his guilt over fellow soldier Haroon’s (played by Fazal Hussain) death into an obsession over saving others from the ongoing slaughter.

“In their final moments, [Sonia] set [Rumi] free from the avalanche of guilt that he was trapped under. She gave him a sliver of light to live for one last time. She taught him to live like the person she always knew him to be. Absolutely brilliant acting by the two” read a tweet.

Captain Farrukh’s [Talha] last scenes echoed the helplessness that many soldiers like him faced while being forced to fight. During the final surrender, he’s caught up in a state of mental agony over whether to prioritise his family or his duty to the country.

The drama has often been praised for not glorifying the violence that comes part and parcel of war. At the end of the episode, the subtle depiction of Rumi’s death, Sonia’s untold end and Farrukh’s plight made a Twitter user comment on how the drama “successfully represented the human cost of war”. Invested in the journeys of these three characters, another user felt that they “got to witness the tragedies and losses people suffered during the war and in the aftermath.”

While some viewers expressed disappointment over the “anti-climatic” ending of the drama serial, a fan responded to the same, explaining that “not all stories have happy or sad endings. Some are best left for viewers' imagination. That's exactly what the makers were going for - and they succeeded brilliantly.”

The micro-blogging site has the drama trending on the fifth spot, with users piling praises upon the actors due to their compatibility and impressive emotional range. People cried with the characters, felt their trauma and fear and expressed a desire for more of such dramas on screen. Not only did fans praise the already-established acting prowess of Wahaj and Maya, but also highlighted how they were blown away by Talha’s depiction of Farrukh’s character.

From their powerful delivery of dialogues and poetic verses to the scenes where their expressions made fans get goosebumps and shed tears, here’s what people have to say about the finale and the performances of the actors throughout.

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