Alif drama ki pehli episode dekh li finally

Boasting of an incredible star cast that includes Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sajal Aly, Kubra Khan, Ahsan Khan and Manzar Sehbai in lead roles, Alif was a hotly anticipated Pakistani drama. Believe it or not, this is Hamza Ali Abbasi’s first drama after Mann Mayal, back in 2016. So let’s dive into what the first episode unveiled.

Alif drama opens with a young boy writing a letter to Allah, requesting for the return of his father

Pehlaj, son of Iqrar-ul-Hassan, playing young Hamza Ali Abbasi is that boy. He wakes up in the middle of the night to write a letter to beloved Allah Miyan. In the letter, he requests Allah Miyan to return his father.

In the morning, young Momin posts the letter in a letterbox installed in the middle of nowhere. When the teacher asks him why he was late for school, he lies that he forgot the directions. By the looks of it, it appears that Momin’s childhood was spent in Turkey.

Fast forward to now, the boy is all grown up. Hamza Ali Abbasi plays the adult Qalab-e-Momin

Momin is a cinematic god and a super-hit film director. He is proud and arrogant. ‘Momin apni films mein heroine repeat nahi kerta’, he states while talking to one of the actresses for his movies. If the young Momin scenes were anything to go by, one can honestly already predict what the drama has in store for us tbh but it’s Hamza Ali Abbasi after all so we’re excited for more.

Sajal Aly is spectacular, as usual, in Alif, with her character Momina Sultan

She’s from a starkly different background to Momin so that’s a definite way to predict that they will fall in love. Add to this the fact that they’re called Momin and Momina, one can’t help but cringe at the obviousness. Nevertheless we persist. It is Sajal and Hamza, after all. Her opening shot reveals as if someone is bothering her by grabbing her dupatta from behind. But wait no! It’s Momina aka Sajal rehearsing for her audition. What a method actor! She is getting ready for her audition in Momin’s film.

Before leaving, Momina visits her brother, Jehangir, who is a kidney-patient and we witness a sweet sibling relationship. Momina constantly reminds herself why she is acting in the first place, to have a significant amount of money for Jehangir’s kidney transplant. This scene felt like the show makers wanted remind us that this shareef girl is stepping into the behaya world of acting for noble causes.

Then before she leaves Momina’s father does makeup on her to prepare her for the big audition. Placing his vanity box in front, he delicately uses makeup products on her daughter’s face.

He might have been a makeup artist from the old film industry days. Doing her makeup he goes on to commemorate Husan-e-Jehan. While the character of Husan-e-Jahan is not unveiled yet, we know this character will hold significance in the story, already.

Qalab-e-Momin and Momina Sultan finally meet during the film’s audition

In the audition, Momin is rather unimpressed by Momina’s shareef looks. He orders Momina to remove her dupatta, to which she becomes uncomfortable. Unwillingly, she does it anyway, just to get the role for Jehangir’s treatment. The show makers didn’t forget to remind us that people in the acting business are behaya, thus perpetuating the stereotype.

Upon being asked to wear “revealing” clothes for the movie, Momina refuses. Momin bashes her for not understanding the ‘big-screen demands’. She walks out disappointedly but forgets Jehangir’s medical file inside. On returning to get it, Momin thinks she’s hovering around him to plead for the role so he ridicules her for it. Here’s when the show gets really obvious.

“MEIN YAHAN KAAM LENE AYI HUN. IZZAT BECHNAY NAHI”, yells Momina.

Meanwhile we go back to young Momin’s life where Kubra Khan, playing his mother, informs him that Allah Miyan has finally answered his letters and his baba is returning. Both of them are immensely rejoiced. They shop and cook and impatiently wait for the guest to arrive.

Back to adult Momin, Sadaf Kanwal is also in this show, as Momin’s sweetheart. In one scene, Momin proposes her to which she delightedly agrees to.

“Bilkul Husan-e-Jahan jesi lag rahi ho”, Momin compliments her. This just reinforced that Husan-e-Jahan is definitely a big factor in the story for both, Momin and Momina. Who is Husan-e-Jahan? From the pre-show tidbits and all, one assumes it is Kubra Khan’s character. How this relates to the story is what one’s most excited for, though.

Meanwhile, on Momina’s end, everybody in her family is grieving as she didn’t get the role she prepared so hard for. Momina states the grave facts to her mother that nudity is preferred over acting skills nowadays. Reminding us yet again that we should definitely keep on perpetuating the pathetic stereotype that film industry is nothing but sleazy directors and behaya tawaifein. Anyway.

The first episode of Alif drama ended with Momina painting beautiful calligraphy that read, Allah

Sajal Aly as Momina is shown as strong and fierce. She is not ready to compromise her standards even in the face of misery. Even though the story is very stereotypical regarding what a shareef girl really means but for what it’s worth and whatever material she was given to work with, take a bow, Sajal. We could not have imagined a better Momina Sultan.

Alif says it’s not your everyday ‘saas-bahu‘ serial. It’s the struggle of a side actor and the haughtiness of a successful filmmaker. It is not just another recycled version, but a spiritual journey for so many characters. Let’s see if it holds true to its claims.

You can watch the first episode of Alif drama here:

So what are your thoughts on the first episode of Alif? Let us know in the comments.

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Cover image via Motion Content Group & Epic Entertainment