Geo Entertainment’s latest weekend offering “Jhoom” is a story that touches on the subject of age difference in love and its complications. Writer Hashim Nadeem has a reputation for showcasing complex characters woven around well-written narratives. Fresh from the success of “Mere Humnasheen” director Ali Faizan walks in to helm the project with GEO’s signature style in terms of opulence and top-notch production design. The youth sensation Haroon Kadwani is paired opposite seasoned actor Zara Noor Abbas.
In a nutshell, “Jhoom” has all the ingredients to attract viewers. So did the first two episodes manage to achieve its goal? Let’s find out…
‘Jhoom’ The Premise
The first episode of “Jhoom” introduces (Aryaan) Haroon Kadwani, a young guy who is kind-hearted towards others. He cannot tolerate injustice and is ready to help strangers. He is shot-tempered, as her mother left him during his childhood and married another person. His father Professor Tauqeer (Usman Peerzada) is a well-known psychiatrist and council’s students on anger management. Aryaan has a bitter corner for his father as he feels that his rude behavior was the reason why her mother left the marriage.
Aryan is buddy with his close friend with whom he is often roaming around. The narrative takes a turn when his friend Tina (Reham Rafiq) mistakenly gets shot in a dispute. She is rushed to the hospital where Aryaan loses his cool over the hospital management. Enter Dr. Maryam (Zara Noor Abbas) who gives him a warning to behave himself and let the management do their duty. The situation further gets worse when Dr. Maryam files an official complaint against Aryaan’s hostile behavior, resultantly the latter is put behind bars.
Viewers get to know that the guy who shot Tina is Dr. Maryam’s young brother Sherry (Haris Waheed). Prof. Tauqeer arrives at the hospital to convince Dr. Maryam to withdraw her case to which she refuses. Although she changes her decision when she gets fully aware of Prof. Tauqeer. As the story further unfolds Aryaan develops a soft corner for Dr. Maryam.
Does ‘Jhoom’ Standout? Not Really…
First episodes are not a great predictor of the entire enterprise. So far, “Jhoom” doesn’t offer something out of the box. The narrative is kind of ‘been there done that’. Everything is too pristine, too polished, even the chai corner is so immaculate. We wonder will GEO TV ever take a break from getting inspired by the Indian style of drama-making. For instance, the introduction scene of Haroon Kadwani was so starplus-ishh. Ditto for Zara Noor Abbas who wears her gown like a supermodel and does a catwalk with her colleagues to visit her patients. The sequence of Aryaan and his friends were plain ordinary and did not contribute in taking the narrative forward. Besides, the scene where Tina is rushed to the hospital seems to be shot in a rush and didn’t gave the required impact. Also, do we have such incompetent and absent-minded doctors like Dr. Mahlab (Noreen Gulwani)?
‘Jhoom’ The Performances
“Jhoom” is specifically designed keeping Haroon Kadwani in mind. He gets the maximum screen time and so far his performance is below average. He struggles to emote, his wooden face and expressions at times test the patience of the viewers. Apart from spending lavishly on the production, Abdullah Kadwani should have spent more time polishing Haroon’s acting skills. Zara Noor Abbas as Dr. Maryam looks the part and delivers a nuanced performance. It’s a refreshing change to see Usman Peerzada playing the father. He is a veteran and aces his part. Haris Waheed is strictly okay. Raham Rafiq doesn’t get much scope.
Verdict So Far
“Jhoom” takes a lackluster start, the maker’s bank heavily on the high production value, 4k camera shots and grandiosity to attract viewers. However, episode two ends on a promising note with the chemistry being built up between Aryaan and Dr. Maryam. So far, “Jhoom” is a visual treat, more gloss, less substance.
Jhoom airs every Friday and Saturday on Geo TV.
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