Every season, there is at least one, if not more, drama which creates a stir and causes an uproar on social media. This season, it is Jalan, with its twisted and very problematic storyline.

For those who have been oblivious to the drama and PEMRA’s short-lived ban on it, Jalan is about two sisters Nisha (Minal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib) who are after the same guy. While Misha is the sweet and obedient sister, Nisha is a spoiled brat and wants to be better than her sister, so she sets her sights on her brother-in-law Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani) because he’s rich and good-looking. Ignoring the fact that her sister is married to Asfandyar (Asfi) and pregnant with his child, Nisha openly flirts with him and urges him to divorce his wife. Nisha eventually gets her way and Asfi not only divorces his wife but also pushes her as a result of which she falls to the floor and ends up delivering their baby prematurely. Nisha’s parents throw her out of the house and she seeks refuge with Asfi pushing him to marry her as soon as possible. As Nisha and Asfi get married, Meenu, who cannot bear the heartbreak and humiliation sets herself on fire and eventually dies leaving behind her infant child.

Asfi and Nisha’s marital bliss doesn’t last long and the cracks become wider when Nisha’s ex-fiance Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh), makes a dramatic re-entry into her life richer and better-dressed. Nisha then sets her sights on him, straight-up asking him to marry her the second time they meet after their breakup.

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If the entire situation wasn’t bizarre enough, it’s execution is even more mind-boggling. The script is weak and the characters terribly developed. It’s as if the writer after every scene forgot what she had written in the previous scene and started the new chapter afresh – there is no flow in scenes. Even though Nisha is the protagonist, her character and callous actions are incomprehensible and beyond basic understanding. The drama’s writer Sidra Sehar Imran, in a recent interview, said that the drama is a true story but I’m finding that a little hard to believe. In the past (I’m looking at you Meray Paas Tum Ho), several writers have used the ‘true story’ trope as a marketing gimmick in an attempt to hype up their dramas and push up ratings. This time round I am not definitely not buying it.

If we thought Nisha was messed up, Asfi is even worse. He barely has any dialogues and mostly just moves around with either a sullen expression on his face or screaming his head off. While Irfani does a decent job with the role, Asfi’s one-dimensional personality is irritating, to say the least.

I am unable to fathom what the makers of the drama are trying to show with this plot and storyline. A few words simply cannot sum up the disaster this drama is. It is quite clear that ARY just wanted to create a stir with this and they have gotten exactly that. Substance and content do not matter. It appears that with Jalan, we’ve hit a new low.

Jalan is one of those dramas which are so bad that they don’t even qualify as a guilty pleasure. Every time you tune into it, you are bound to get your blood pressure high.