Haseena Moin, a famous Pakistani playwright, happened to enter the drama industry in the ‘70s, and is still known for her popular drama serials such as Tanhaiyan, Ankahi, Dhoop Kinare etc. One of her drama serials, however, failed to be a top-notch like every other work of hers, and lost its way in some mist, like its very name, Kohar.
The drama serial was aired in 1991, comprising of seven episodes and having Marina Khan as the protagonist. Another surprising fact about the drama serial is that Marina Khan, who won the hearts of millions of people through her acting skills in Tanhaiyan and Dhoop Kinare, could not succeed in grabbing the viewers’ admiration through Kohar.
A reason might be that her role in Kohar is not of a silly, careless girl who makes people laugh but is that of a lonely, neglected girl with her mother being dead and her father being too busy to give her attention. Marina lives with her grandmother in a faraway yet a grand house.
The point where the story actually begins is when a guy, impressed by Marina Khan’s beauty at a wedding, follows her to her house and Marina, just for the sake of teasing him, lies that the girl at the wedding was not she herself, but her twin sister and makes up a fake story of her twin sister being a misanthrope interested in book fairs and art exhibitions. Marina keeps betraying the guy by playing two roles, of a philanthropist and a misanthrope, and fails to foresee the consequences. The guy, on the other hand, falls in love with the fake side of Marina, which in reality never existed.
The story gets interesting when the fear of the lie being disclosed starts overpowering Marina. However, she manages to take help from a friend of hers who, with Marina’s consent, tells the guy the truth. This turns out to be the climax, with the guy growing exasperated, and who after insulting and scolding Marina, leaves the country.
Marina’s father makes his appearance at the end of the play. The conversations between the father and the daughter too, are of great significance, since it is in front of her father that we see Marina’s catharsis, and get to know in her fight with her father that she was always an unwanted child, had always been ignored, and owing to the ignorance, became a liar and fell into such a predicament.
What makes the drama serial beautiful and attractive is its direction. It comprises of breathtaking scenes which are a reflection of its title, such as Marina Khan standing in front of a window, outside which fog can be seen, or the scenes in which she is found walking on dry autumn leaves, talking to herself.
These sad soliloquies, solitary scenes and an unromantic ending might have been the reasons for the failure of the drama serial, but for people who have an inclination towards melancholic yet charming stories, or for people who love the misty season and feel deeply the sadness it has to bring along, drama serial Kohar is a treat to watch.
The blogger is a studet of English Literature at Government College University, Lahore.