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Is historical TV drama Mor Mahal Pakistan's answer to Game of Thrones?

Is historical TV drama Mor Mahal Pakistan's answer to Game of Thrones?

The first episode sees a hanging, some scheming, three wives and more
Updated 26 Apr, 2016

From the very first scene of the mega serial Mor Mahal, we are ushered into a historical time that is as cruel as it is glamourous: there's a brutal hanging overseen by Nawab Asif Jahan (Umair Jaswal) in his military escapade, and it's so matter of fact and mundane, the dullness the Nawab's eyes is so apparent, that it's clear he's done this many times before.

Read more: How Ali Xeeshan's grand costumes bring Mughal TV drama Mor Mahal to life

With the urgency of war and matters of the state settled, we're shown that Nawab Asif Jahan begins his journey back home to Mor Mahal. The Mahal itself is a buzz with the anticipation of his arrival. News travels fast within the harem — servants, maids, ladies-in-waiting and guards who are often eunuchs form an extensive network of news and gossip, where information is currency. We are introduced to multiple characters, their motivations as well as the masters they serve in an organic manner.

Badshah Begum (Hina Bayat), the Nawab’s mother, hopes the Nawab will consummate his marriage of state with MeherBano (Sonia Nazir) after his long absence. This marriage of convenience was arranged under duress by Badshah Begum, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by either the Nawab or his newest wife.

Hina Bayat as Badshah Begum, mother of the Nawab
Hina Bayat as Badshah Begum, mother of the Nawab

Meherbano, still reeling from the shock of being coerced into this marriage is unwilling to forgo her earlier love. She refuses all and any overtures to play the blushing bride and plots her escape, leaving her unwilling yet relenting kaneez, Banki (Kinza Hashmi) in her stead.

Meanwhile the Nawab’s other two wives await his arrival as well. His first wife, Wazir Begum Farroukh Zad (Meesha Shafi) is the Nawab’s beloved and she wastes no time in preparing for his imminent arrival dressed in a splendor of jewels, brocades and ornate headgear. His heavily pregnant second wife Surraya (Fizza Ali) in her insecurity has taken to taweez and dum ka paani in the hopes of gaining favour with the Nawab.


This is what we know so far: the Nawab (Umair Jaswal) has three wives. He loves first wife Wazir Begum Farroukh Zad (Meesha Shafi) best, second wife Surraya (Fizza Ali) is currently pregnant and his third marriage to MeherBano (Sonia Nazir) is a marriage of convenience.


As far as first episodes go, this one does a great job of introducing all the characters as well the multiple hierarchies within the harem. Writer Sarmad Sehbai has added a poetic touch to the literary dialogues. While this form of idiomatic Urdu hasn’t been heard on our TV screens in a long time, it serves to set the drama in a historical context and feels very much of that era.

The rhyming rhythms of the eunuch’s speak, the ingratiating tones of the kaneezes, the imperiousness of Badshah Begum and the lush flourishes of Nawab Jahan’s conversation with MeherBano are all steeped in a rich literary tradition.

Beautifully shot and exquisitely styled, the drama is a step back in time to a world of riches, glamour as well as the machinations of power. Ostensibly a fantasy-drama, it still draws extensively from Mughal influences with touches of Egyptian, Greece and Turkish influences. The judicious yet novel use of song and dance also gave cultural flavor to the drama and looks like we are in for at least 25 other thumris in this drama!


Umair Jaswal’s TV debut as Nawab Asif Jahan is remarkable. He imbibes his looks and speech with authority, which reflects his stature as king. Meesha Shafi too, impresses with her confidence and poise.


For now, everything is flush with a touch of royalty, though one has to wonder if some of the clothes and designs were too costume-y.

Director Sarmad Khoosat (Humsafar, Seher-e-Zaat) has a knack for telling stories with great emotional depth. Here too, you can see that he uses visuals to tell the story. For instance, Wazir Begum’s ornateness directly contrasts with the simplicity of Banki’s beauty. The thematic use of the colour red throughout the episode too - in the blood, the flag of the Sultanate, the urusi dupatta, and the production design melds nicely with the narrative. He doesn’t overdo the symbolism nor does he veer towards melodrama, at least not yet.

Fiza Ali as the second wife of the Nawab
Fiza Ali as the second wife of the Nawab

Khoosat also manages to get remarkable performances even from first-time actors. This is Umair Jaswal’s TV debut as Nawab Asif Jahan and his body language and enunciation is remarkable. He imbibes his looks and speech with authority, which reflects his stature as king. Meesha Shafi too, impressed with her confidence and poise. She also stood tall in clothes that looked like they would swallow her whole.


However, a niggling question remains. With so much emphasis on love triangles and love interests and jealousy and what not, is its historical setting the only thing that separates Mor Mahal from mainstream dramas?


The entire cast is a refreshing ensemble of amateurs, professionals, theatre and TV actors who are all making their marks in roles big or small. The other stand outs include Ali Saleem, Kinza Hashmi and Jana Malik.

This episode ended on an ominous note; there are hints that trickery and deceit will follow. As Banki noted, “Yahan jis kisi ne apne aap ko pehchan liya who is janat se likala gaya” (Whoever seeks to assert oneself is banished from this kingdom).

Still this is just the beginning of a 45-plus episode mega-serial and whether Mor Mahal can maintain its pacing and plot intrigue remains to be seen. The one niggling suspicion that I can’t seem to put to rest is this entire blame of the Nawab’s vulnerability lies on the shoulders of ‘scheming womenfolk in his harem’.

We've all seen the parade of saazishi saas's, manipulating wives and majboor shohars on our TV screens. Granted none of them toppled a kingdom, but is it only the setting then that differentiates Mor Mahal from the current crop of dramas?

Good Pakistani dramas excel at the examining the domestic sphere and human relations. They still however struggle to show a life outside of that sphere. Mor Mahal revolves around a kingdom so one hopes that future episodes will examine more fully the lives of rulers.

For now we can bask in the warm glow of candles casting both light and shadows. Stay tuned, it looks like it is going to be one heck of trip back in time.


Sadaf Siddique is a freelance writer, avid reader, film and drama enthusiast and sometime drama queen, not necessarily in that order.

Comments

KB Apr 26, 2016 01:41pm
All the best.
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ali27 Apr 26, 2016 01:48pm
oh please ! its not an answer to anything. Just too boring.
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AZ Apr 26, 2016 02:00pm
Pakistani copy of Turkish Drama Harem Sultan
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SMirchID Apr 26, 2016 02:01pm
So much hype over literally nothing, the sets look mostly cheap with a few exceptions. Costumes are fine, nothing special, too much on Misha. Speaking of Misha, they could not find anyone better? Her song Jugni was good but she is too overhyped for a singer who had one hit song so many years ago. and this Umair Jaswal, screaming fool, why is he acting? They could not find a good actor? Overall very disappointed. Script is typical Pakistani drama script with more sexual references, it just so happens to be set in a different time period
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zaheer Apr 26, 2016 02:09pm
yaar please ... do not insult 'Game of thrones'.
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Karim Mombani Apr 26, 2016 02:23pm
Although the serial seems to be great and I personally believe its been inspired from the Turkish Serial "Sultan Suleman The Magnificent or Mera Sultan" which was and is a super duper hit taking us back to the rein of Sultanat-e-Osmani..... Best of luck to the crew.....
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Yousuf Apr 26, 2016 02:28pm
I would be glad if it is as good as one millionth of game of thrones. Currently way lower than that
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zooooba Apr 26, 2016 02:32pm
Valar morghulis, good thing is that looking at the quiz, we can tell Pakistanis are smart. They know it is like thinking Suzuki Mehran latest model is Pakistan's answer to Bugatti Veyron. (Although author may claim it)
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usman Apr 26, 2016 03:08pm
FACE PALM on the subject
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Hamza Apr 26, 2016 03:18pm
Don't think GoT is posing a question to anyone..let alone Pakistan.
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JIMMY Apr 26, 2016 03:21pm
Nothing to see here. Move along
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Zardari Apr 26, 2016 03:38pm
Girls in Game of Thrones are too HOT compared to these pakistani pendo chicks. The Budget of GOT is too high, its pathetic to compare these two Serials. The article is a april fool...
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Sleepless Apr 26, 2016 03:46pm
I tried watching the first episode... and it was boring. Game of thrones holds you by the neck and never lets you go. This barely passes by. I had a lot of expectations from this show, sadly i was disappointed.
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anun Apr 26, 2016 04:11pm
This is nothing like Game of Thrones, more like a copy of the turkish translated drama "Mera Sultan". ... a plethora of scheming wives and servants trying to gain favor of a monarch. GoT is about two things: Death and Human Nature, entwined in a world of high-fantasy. Everyone must eventually die: Valar Morghulis, be they good or bad, weak or powerful, smart or dumb, liked or disliked (by the audience). The world is cruel and unforgiving: bad things happen to bad people, worse things happen to good people, the bad people usually live slightly longer than good people, and those bad people who love too long start to become good, some good people turn bad and some dead people come back to life. Finally there are dragons, undead, shapeshifting assassins, spell-casting red priests and giants ... in just the right balance so they don't feel like over-the-top.
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Mehreen Apr 26, 2016 04:42pm
There is nothing comparable to game of thrones at the moment!
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SZ Apr 26, 2016 04:43pm
@anun Beautifully put :)
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Nawaz Apr 26, 2016 05:11pm
@Zardari Sir ab ki choice ..wah wah..
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XYZ Apr 26, 2016 05:30pm
Why copy Sultan! Why not come up with original idea!
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MrBuddyLuv Apr 26, 2016 06:04pm
Does copy right exist in pakistan.
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Awesome Lyrics Apr 26, 2016 06:16pm
They should have more of dragons, fights and love
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Imran Apr 26, 2016 06:17pm
That's the issue with us immediately try to compare with others, Indian had n number of historic dramas like that
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Farhan Apr 26, 2016 06:51pm
Really comparing GOT to this.
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Waseem Sarwar Apr 26, 2016 07:48pm
Nothing in this word comes close to GOT.
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Farooq Apr 26, 2016 08:49pm
no comparison to Game of Thrones GoT is a fantasy feature
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charu Apr 26, 2016 09:01pm
caught this on youtube...although the cistumes look nice...its too opulent to be real, looks like a wedding season fashion show...its like bhansali movies....visually stunning butvery little soul....my personal view... the very reason i like Pakistani dramas are realistic look and feel with nuanced acting...first episode of Mir Mahal lacked both
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Vivan Apr 26, 2016 09:11pm
And we have a lot of "better" mythological/historical shows in India too. But we never compare it with GoT. Because we're making them better, so that GoT will compare themselves to our ones. Take Siya Ka Ram for example.
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Vivek Apr 26, 2016 09:15pm
If this really is Pakistan's "GAME OF THRONES" than I'm EAGERLY waiting for Pak's version of Breaking Bad, Prison Break, Quantico etc....
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Aatif Apr 26, 2016 11:41pm
The self indulgence in some of the articles on this site is appalling. Nothing in Pakistan TV compares to American TV, let alone GOT.
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farhan Apr 26, 2016 11:56pm
i don't understand what kind of cameras geo production team are using? In 2016, instead of using 4k, 1080p or 720p signal format, geo tv is using 480p. shame on you geo news.
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Payal Queshi Apr 27, 2016 12:54am
@Vivan I agree with you completely......Indian mythological and historical epics has divine significance in it self unparalleled and incomparable to any shows around the world....our great epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata...where Lord Krishna educates Arjuna about the real -life theory of karmas, dedication and bhakti towards Lord Krishna...creator of the universe ..is more enchanting and divinely inspiring...none of the countries around the world has been able to put this as much as India as we are the true heir to our divine, spiritual and cultural heritage.....No mundane operas can beat this....I am proud of my INCREDIBLE INDIA!
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GA Apr 27, 2016 02:17am
The set, costume and the colors did not take me back in time. Shouldve been rustic. The paintings that hang on walls seem too contemporary and are 3 dimensional. Mughal Era art was 2 dimensional. Just some feedback. Not criticizing a good effort.
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weirdity Apr 27, 2016 06:58am
Its like the islamic version of game of thrones.
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Farhan Apr 27, 2016 08:41am
Pomp about the spoiled blue blood..Ayyashi and zoot!
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charu Apr 27, 2016 09:28am
too opulent and over the top...the USP of Pakistani dramas are that they keep it real and simple...mor mahal is neither for depiction of mughal eta i recommend serial called Siyasat...mch better than usual indian telly
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Ahmar Qureshi Apr 27, 2016 09:52am
I wish all the best to the team for the success! I don't know that why most of the comments are so very negative! Yes I agree that the caption "Answer to Game of Thrones" is quite provoking for fans of thrones. Let us be positive. Thank you!
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MAH Apr 28, 2016 09:19am
the writer is surely never heard of the Turkish mega serial Hareem Sultan otherwise she would have known where the inspiration came from. Regardless of that, it was so boring to keep watching insecure wives ...
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Trollslayer Apr 28, 2016 12:25pm
Cultural and historical appropriation just does not sell.
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Rafay shabbir Apr 30, 2016 01:29am
ZbarDst
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