Episode 5 and 6 of Mai Manto Nahi Hoon will either make you wonder when the show will pick up pace, if ever, or you will watch it in the background. Initially, the beautiful cinematography and actors really made it seem like this was the blockbuster of the year but now, the dull dialogues and extremely slow storyline, which only keeps adding further threads of controversy rather than keeping to the plot itself, is pulling the whole thing down.

 

 

In Episode 5 and 6, we see there is more to Manto that meets the eye, although shockingly Humayun Saeed’s acting isn’t really delivering. With such a mega superstar at the helm, you start to wonder if the problem is his acting or you - the monotone way Manto reacts, his completely absurd reactions to being hit by Farhad (Azaan Sami Khan) and being offered a million dollars, the lack of emotions he exhibits seems deliberate and confusing and one begins to wonder if its going to keep on going and we really won’t understand Manto. 

 

 

While there are already references to his NOT being like Manto, the prolific writer, it is still the strangeness of his reaction that keeps the viewer confused. He’s definitely a deeply wounded, scared individual but is that all there is to him? If yes, perhaps Humayun Saeed was the wrong choice for Manto because you expect so much more, and it isn’t being delivered - likely by design. 

 

 

That being said, Sajal Aly is a dream as Mehmal. Her character is always evolving and we see a new side to her every time she's on screen, which is such a joy to watch. If the point of the show is to show the evolution of Mehmal as the don kingmaker, she’s definitely going to do it justice. When she slaps Farhad at the party, that’s when you look up from whatever it was you were doing to finally give the drama attention. A new layer is unveiled in Mehmal and we are here for it. 

 

Coming to Khalilur Rehman Qamar’s writing, the sexist remarks in episode 5 were clearly there but are we even surprised? The teacher-student romance seems like its definitely on the cards but now the principal also has to pass comments on the beauty of female students. It's disturbing and a real put-off and we're still shaking our head as to why such senior actors would agree to say such disturbing dialogues.

 

 

I spoke to a senior actor about her views on Qamar, having been in his drama in the past. She told me that Qamar thrived on controversy and initially creates a big one and in turn, pulls people into the drama. His scripts then unfold the big blockbuster moment - which I then told her we were still waiting for. She also said that Qamar was tedious in his dialogues and yes, even the "fruit wala" needed to be a poet - something that is becoming more and more difficult to digest in Mai Manto Nahi Hoon - everyone has a say and it must be said very, very, deeply. 

 

 

As the drama develops many intertwining stories, its the possibility of a relationship between Farhad and Mehmal that one can imagine would be interesting - and Manto himself will fade into the background as a really tedious bore.