‘Gunah’ review: A rushed end to a thrilling murder mystery

The Adnan Sarwar directorial questions which forbidden love is a bigger sin

KARACHI:

“The first sacrifice in love is that of honour,” says Malik Hayat Khan (Sarmad Khoosat), the protagonist, in his first scene in Adnan Sarwar’s crime thriller drama Gunah. Little did we know that his sacrifices were criminal and made purely out of lust. However, although an accomplice, he’s not the man behind the sin but is merely manipulated by his now-dead wife’s evil sister.

The real sin, it turns out, was the show’s rushed climax.

The plot of Gunah revolves around the disappearance of two people; a young Ahmad, who’s a tuition teacher for Malik's kids, and Malik's wife, Gul Noor (Juggun Kazim). The untouchable businessman finds himself in a chokehold when the area SHO changes and the fierce Sabiha (Rabia Butt) takes charge.

Sabiha slowly uncovers the loopholes in the disappearance case. Unlike the whole village, the cop refuses to believe that Gul Noor ran away with a tuition teacher. She also finds it hard to believe that a powerful man like Malik would keep mum about the deception of this scale.

Gunah loses its audience in the finale as quickly as it gained it in the first episode. For a show that started off with steady developments, intense performances, and fully-sketched scenes, it ended in a bleak hurry. The buildup of an intense murder mystery fails when they show the “main crime” so dully, for lack of a better word. Although well thought out, the events unfolding in the climax aren’t given enough time to convince us that Malik and Gul Meher are finally behind bars.

The ‘Gunah’ is revealed in the first episode only when Malik agrees to marry his wife's younger sister Gul Meher. Little does she know she's not the only one engaging in a forbidden act. You know from the start that they’re criminals; you’re just waiting for their truth to come out, and it sure is disappointing when the truth is played out in a less interesting way than the crime itself.

Malik and Gul Meher's love for each other makes them murderers. Gul Noor’s love for his now-orphaned son, and fear of society, make her dead. The show talks about a young kid's infatuation with a teacher of the same gender, of parents killing their daughters in the name of honour without giving them a chance, and how envy can turn you into a monster. All the crimes were “sacrifices” made in the name of love and honour, and yet they were all so different. Gul Noor did not love Ahmad, but someone else did, and so she had two choices; get buried alive or have the same happen to her kid. The disturbing part, however, was the kids watching the adults bury their mother alive.

Fear of love can take you to dark places, and Gunah visits plenty of dark corners for you to seek candlelight along the way. Gunah featured a brilliant cast, and a thrilling story that touched upon sensitive subjects, but you couldn’t contain a yawn in the last two episodes. Everything just fell into place too easily; the murder, the suspect, the real reveal, the digging, the burial – so simplistic, it became boring. If we’re being honest, the last episode killed all the “thrilling” aspects and made the crime drama a messy murder mystery, a mad love story and a regular revenge drama; all in an hour.

Sarmad and Saba - even as villains - have an unmatched presence on screen that makes you want to see them together even after knowing their heinous criminal plans. Their chemistry is palpable and electric; it almost feels like it's okay to be in that twisted of a love. You grow to despise Saba's character, and yet she has a pull on you for the master manipulator that she is. She manages to curate an evil aura around her throughout the series, and when the madness catches up with her, she stays in character to break it down in front of everyone.

Rabia, with her makeup somehow always on point even in humid weather wearing a khaki uniform, is as good as it gets. With her exceptional dialogue delivery and body language, she nailed the lady Singham look. She’s powerful, confident and rowdy. However, her constant smile while addressing criminals, even during the investigation, was a little distracting. Even if it was intentional to signify that she’s aware of the discomfort her power brings upon people, the smile didn’t sit right in some places – especially not when she finds the dead bodies.

One thing that worked without fail was the art direction by Amir Mughal and the music by Mohsin Ali Ditta. They managed to work in symphony to create an eerie dark vibe throughout the series with a haunting suspenseful soundscape and shades of red and grey taking over our screen.

To conclude, Gunah had all elements of a good murder mystery; a diabolical villain, a flawed but likable protagonist, high stakes, a ticking clock and a shocking twist. It had a stellar cast, Mohsin Ali’s writing, and Adnan’s direction, yet the makers somehow failed to wrap it up properly. Now that we’re getting our content and acting right, perhaps it's time our drama industry learns to give time to climaxes.

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