Written by: Izzah Abdullah
Posted on: February 11, 2021 | 
Dil Na Umeed Tou Nahi (Don
The heart truly has the habit of not giving up, even in the direst of circumstances. And that is the main message of TVOne’s latest drama, ‘Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi’ (Don’t Lose Hope) or DNUTN. DNUTN highlights the dreams, hopes and hardships of women who are forcibly taken from their homes, and robbed of their identities and agency.
Directed by Kashif Nisar and written by Amna Mufti, the drama has been produced by the Kashf Foundation, a non-profit microfinance institution with the mission to create an enabling environment for women micro-entrepreneurs. Since 2013, the foundation has been working with show runners to highlight the issues of women in Pakistan, creating dramas like ‘Udaari’, ‘Rehai’ and ‘Akhri Station’. This television drama, however, touches on hard-hitting topics such as child abuse and human sex trafficking in Pakistan, but does it in a manner that is quite palatable and realistic.
The story revolves around Sumbul (Yumna Zaidi), Zulfi (Omair Rana), Savera (Yasra Rizvi) and Jamshed (Wahaj Ali). While the storyline is set in the present, two parallel tracks show Sumbul’s backstory as well as the story of another girl whose present identity is unknown. What we do know is that this girl’s parents are played by Noorul Hassan and Samiya Mumtaz. Although Nouman Ijaz is part of the cast, he is yet to make an appearance on the show. Kashif Mehmood however, has also made quite a comeback in his villainous role.
Noorul Hassan and Samiya Mumtaz
Sumbul and Savera are call girls and residents of a ‘kothi’ run by Aunty (Naveed Shehzad). While 30-something Savera fears her survival as an aging woman, Sumbul still rebels against the system, causing much trouble for Aunty and her cronies. Zulfi, a man devoted to Aunty, has feelings for Savera but hides them under his poorly masked affection for Sumbul. During flashbacks, the audience finds out that Sumbul used to live in a village and was named ‘Allah Rakhi’. Her family made clay utensils to earn a living, and had procured a loan from a wealthy landlady to provide Rakhi’s sister with a dowry. Unfortunately, Rakhi was abducted and sold, taken away from her family.
Yumna Zaidi and Wahaj Ali
In four episodes, the story has progressed quite smoothly and at a steady pace. Each episode has enough happening in it to keep one’s interest throughout. While there are multiple storylines in the play, the coherent screenplay prevents the timelines from overlapping.
Naveed Shehzad as Aunty
When it comes to direction, Nisar is no novice. With popular drama credits under his belt like, “Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila’ and ‘Raqeeb Se, he knows how to tell difficult stories of hardship in a way that is moving and realistic. The sense of foreboding at the kothi is carefully crafted and ever-present. At the beginning, Aunty seems to be doting on the girls living there, but the direction and the music drives home the idea that something sinister is afoot. However, in terms of production quality, the drama could have been more consistent. While the village set was well made, a little more attention to detail and the set during the city scene, could have helped better created the world that these women were living in.
Yumna Zaidi as Sumbul and Omair Rana as Zulfi
When it comes to acting, there is very little room to find fault. Adnan Shah Tipu as Aunty’s right-hand man, is downright sinister and his presence is enough to make the audience squirm. Similarly, Zaidi’s mix of innocence and wisdom which she brings to the role, has allowed her to showcase a new side of her acting, of which audience members may not be aware. Rizvi is always a chameleon, completely embodying the roles and making them unique with her nuanced movement, accent, dress and gait. Additionally, it is the child actors of the drama who truly deserve recognition for believably playing the role of the younger versions of the main characters. It is an unfortunate practice that younger actors’ names are not featured in the credits, and therefore cannot be named individually.
The Child Actors in the Village
Overall, the drama has managed to hold the audience’s interest, and if it remains consistent in its storytelling, will become one of the most memorable dramas of 2021. The Kashf Foundation may be onto another hit, with its well-written plot and unique theme which deals with a very real social issue that plagues our society. The drama will also be aired on other television channels like Pakistan Television (PTV) in order to ensure that wider conversation be generated about the serious issue of human trafficking, and the human cost of it.
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