Round up of our favourite Ramazan romantic comedies

Cousin romance, tomboyish girl, a ‘cool’ grandfather are amongst the many tropes defining the annual TV affair

KARACHI:

The holy month of Ramazan brings a shift in the air for Pakistani telly with its game shows, live transmissions, and light-hearted romantic comedies on our screens, ditching the dense family dramas during the tranquil hour after Iftar. There’s an emphasis on entertaining the audiences post their day of fasting and hence, these ingredients have, over the years, developed into recipes of sorts.

There’s something for everyone to consume– from the elderly in the house to children, there’s representation and content catered to all ages and genders, and it’s only expanding from here onwards with not one, but three dramedies on air right now. But is it enough? 

The trendsetters, Suno Chanda, Chupke Chupke, Taana Baana, and other drama serials that aired during the month of Ramazan in the previous years have all set the bar for a highly connected and loving family with quirky characters lifting the story with a punchline every now and then. A welcome respite from the hot summer, each character has their own distinct identity on what makes them humorous in the plot while the story centers on a couple that goes from a hate-to-love relationship. And the pair is often related to each other as cousins. 

With all due respect, and out of mere curiosity, do writers think cousins romancing on screen makes it a tad bit more halal for the audience? Thankfully, there was an attempt at discontinuing the cousin-marriage trope this year with the new releases focusing on multiple love stories in Hum Tum, Paristan, and Chaudhry & Sons. The storyline may be compromised at times, but the writers of these romantic comedies surely work hard on establishing the over-the-top characters to add all the extra oomph factors to its entertainment package. 

Chaudhry & Sons

Chaudhry & Sons takes the bait for the most laughs this season, and one wonders if it's because of its well-known cast. Revolving around a Punjabi household with a touch of Hyderabad Deccan in its accents and culture, the Imran Ashraf Awan starrer revolves around Chaudhry Dildaar’s family. Much like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the patriarch of the family here swears by their family values and principles and hence won’t allow any relations with their daughter, Sabahat, who married outside their caste. 

After a series of flashbacks at the beginning for context, the story introduces an innocent, carefree, extroverted Parisa, played by Ayeza Khan— a role we’ve seen her in before. After Sabahat’s death, Parisa is left with her outlandish grandmother Malika Begum (Irsa Ghazal) who somehow finds her locks entangled with the Chaudhry family. 

 

 

 

 

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Unaware of their late daughter’s kid, they shower Parisa with all kinds of love. Billu Chauhdry (Imran) ends up falling for Parisa, and that starts the story of a family revolt and melodrama when the elders find out about Parisa’s reality. 

While the characters are adorable, the storyline for a poignant family reunion after a drastic separation due to family values is predictable from its first episode, and that kills half the fun.

Hum Tum

Breaking away from the cousin marriages trope, the Ahad Raza Mir and Ramsha Khan starrer stands out for stepping away from one too many stereotypes. However, it only ends up enforcing more cliches while trying to do so. A tomboy girl doesn't have to use masculine pronouns while talking without caring about anything girly, and similarly, an intelligent school-smart girl does not have to be dumb at house chores. 

The drama shows Junaid Khan and Ahad are brothers to a reckless dad who couldn’t care less for his sons, let alone take care of them. They eventually end up finding a father figure in their neighbour’s family who is also a  family friend. The sweet beginning would hook you to the show instantly.

Despite its shortcomings, it's good to see how each character has a strong personality of its own. The characters seem well-researched and grounded in contemporary times and that’s a rare case in Pakistani dramas. 

Paristan

A cast of relatively new actors who are famous for their other talents, Paristan stands out for its refreshing narrative depicting a land of dreams with clashing reality checks. A drama purely based on love and dreams, as the name suggests, revolves around the fantastical dreamy land of Pari aka Pernia, played by Aymen Saleem. 

Cashing on Aymen and YouTuber Arsalan Naseer’s striking chemistry in last year’s Chupke Chupke, the show explores their love story right from the beginning and you know they’ll get married sooner rather than later in the show. Arsam (Arsalan) is an egoistic prude who lives in a huge house with his family, but of course, after Pari’s love, he starts to soften.

The play, however, again falls short on its cousins’ marriage side plots. Starring Mira Sethi, Mooroo, Junaid Jamshed Niazi, and Merub Ali, the play tries too hard to accommodate the laughs while showcasing a love story, so much so that it feels forced at times. 

It’s almost as if you know what will come around every year now, even with different characters, the storyline is never new. Here’s hoping Pakistani telly adds more substance to its shows than depending on individually curated over-the-top characters carrying on the show for a few laughs and TRPs.