Monsoon

Released Oct 1998
Starring: Khayyam Sarhadi, Huma Mir, Sadia Hussain, Faisal, Mishi Khan, Yasir Akthar, Ali Tahir, Shahista Jabeen, Seemi Raheel, Shariqa Fatima, and others
Written by: Asghar Nadeem Syed
Directed by: Tajdar Adil
Khayyam Sarhadi plays the role of a pathan feudal who has leftmenu sons- Shahab (Yasir Akhtar) and Arbab (Faisal). Elder one Shahab is a doctor and works for a NGO in Swat. There he falls in love with a local doctor Maha (Shariqa Fatima) and wants to marry her. Also he gets involved in the affairs of a village girl Gulley (Zeb Chaudhry) whose parents want her to get married to a middle aged smuggler Samandar Khan only because he is rich. Shahab tries to convince them to stop this marriage and feels really helpless when they do not listen to him.
The younger son Arbab is studying in Russia and falls for a local girl Mariah (Mishi Khan) even though he is engaged in Pakistan to Kulsoom (Huma Mir) who works in a puppet theatre. Arbab gets married to Mariah though and she starts to support him when his allowance is cut off so that he can complete his education. This annoys her sister Natasha (Seemi Raheel) who too has married a Pakistani (Mateen). Mateen has a daughter Bahar (Wajiha Tahir) from a previous marraige who is haunted by her real mother Shaista Jabeen who had left her in childhood and now wants to return. Meanwhile a collegue of Kulsoom, Ali Tahir is going to Russia and she asks him to meet Arbab.
Meanwhile Arbab returns home and takes as his second wife, Kulsoom. Shahab while coming for the wedding bumps into Gulley who is running away to commit suicide on her wedding day. He saves her life and takes her with him but is seen by Samandar Khan's men. While Arbab has to juggle between leftmenu wives, Shahab and Gulley are on the run for their lives as he refuses to return Gulley to a sure shot death. Will they be caught or saved was the question which kept the viewers glued to the screen.
Too many characters spoilt the play. The one story worth waiting for was the Yasir Akthar-Shariqa Fatima-Zeb Chaudhry triangle and these three were really good. Ali Tahir and Sadia Hussain seemed ill suited. Faisal-Huma Mir-Mishi Khan triangle got monotonous by the time the play ended (have seen too many of those lately in plays). It seems as if Asghar Nadeem Syed is losing his touch. -by Gina