Earlier Hum Tv’s series ‘Udaari’ set awareness to child sexual abuse within the rural areas of the country. The drama was appreciated everywhere across the world by Urdu drama viewers.
Not only Cheekh, but dozens of Pakistani dramas feature domestic issues like child molestation, rape and other such social violent cases.
It is of course a positive and encouraging job of the drama industry to address such condemnable social problems our oppressed social members face across the country.
Udaari threw light on the hidden noxious evils of our society and tormenting female oppression.
Big Bang Entertainment who has produced multiple blockbuster dramas like “Aesi Hai Tanhaye”, now produced this master-piece ‘Cheekh’, Zanjabeel Asim scripted and Badar Mahmood has directed the drama.
With a powerful performance and intense roles, Saba Qamar and Bilal Abbas are doing brilliant on-screen job sharing with the versatile actor Aijaz Aslam and young sensation Ushna Shah.
Saba Qamar, as Mannat setting example of women raising voice for justice, against their own family.
Saba Qamar has always taken up challenges heads on. She knows well how to troll in the eyes, Saba Qamar has never backed down in the face of a challenge.
Though Ushna Shah has very short appearance in the drama. She, acting as Nayab, unexpectedly, falls off the terrace and is critically wounded. Doctors find that she was raped and then thrown off of the balcony. Nevertheless, the whole play is followed by Nayab’s sudden death after rape.
Here, after Nayab’s rape and murder, the play goes beyond suspense and intensity. A joint venture of Fahad Mustafa and Dr. Ali Kazmi, ‘Cheekh’ revolves around two families: Yawar’s (Aijaz Aslam) and Nayab’s (Ushna Shah).
Nayab’s short but strong role takes off the whole drama, while she has father (Noor-ul-Hassan) and step-mother in her small and poor family. She has close friendship with Yawar’s rich family’s women Mannat (Saba Qamar) married to Yawar’s brother and Haya (Azkeh Deniel) Yawar’s younger sister.
Both Nayab and Yawar’s youngest brother Wajih (Bilal Abbas) fall in love with each other but never let each other know. They do not express their love.
Nayab’s step-mother has a key role in creating problems in her friendship with Yawar’s rich family. She succeeds to convince Nayab’s father to get her married to an aged person and get a lot of money of him. Nayab keeps silent despite she is not willing. The step-mother’s greed creates a lot of hate in Yawar’s family.
In the 3rd episode, after Nayab’s death, Yawar is trying to save his family honour asking Nayab’s father to take the issue out of police files and resolve it outside the courts.
“Humari izat aap ke hath main hai, usay na uchhalain”
Yawar asking Nayab’s poor father to withdraw the police case for the sake of Yawar’s rich family honour.
Nayab’s step-mother character is a little bit extra and unnecessarily over the top. She always make bigger scenes and tries indirectly to get paid for the loss of Nayab.
The last words of Nayab just before her last breath “Raja is animal” (Raja Bheria hai) creates more confusion to know who is Raja, particularly whom Nayab used the ‘Raja’ name for.
Both Wajih (Bilal Abbas) and his friends have the same nick name ‘Raja’. First the police inspector Amir Khan (Nayyar Ejaz) who is in charge of the investigation, fails to bribe Yawar. So he believes that Wajih is the Raja Nayab speaks of and starts working on a case against him.
Only four episodes of the drama have been aired yet, the ARY Digital airs one episode weekly, since January 5, 2019.
The mystery of Nayab’s killing will take on the whole play and create suspense who is the real killer and rapist. The case will go around Yawar and Wajih. As expected in every drama, the criminal is exposed in final episode, Nayab’s rapist will also meet his end in Cheekh’s final episodes.
With the unique pairing of heartthrob Bilal Abbas Khan and challenging Saba Qamar, sharing screen for the first time, they promise some electrifying performances .
In the up-coming episodes Mannat believes Wajih to be responsible for Nayab’s killing.
“Aaj se meri aor aap ki jang shuro,” Wajih warns Mannat of mutual clash between them, “Ab tu ye dekhna keh ye jang jeetega koun?,” Mannat accepts Wajih’s challenge.
The drama focuses on choosing between family and justice. Yawar being eldest of the family bends on saving his family honour particularly his younger brother Wajih. Yawar and Wajih’s “bhabhi” Mannat is on mission to get justice for Nayab and her poor family.
Cheekh features a strong-headed and outspoken girl and believes in speaking the truth at all times.
Though the drama will be covering up Nayab’s rape as a base-case, Mannat’s individual role is also attracting more viewers. She is a bold women who fights for her rights and always trolls into men’s eyes whenever someone tries to hurt her. Besides seeking justice for Nayab, she become stronger fighting alone.
The series will surround families and domestic differences between rich and poor, but more focused on an innocent girl is victimised in our society and why she could never get justice if she has no person like Mannat in Cheekh behind her.
Elders and elite class family members like Yawar always try to suppress such cases just for the sake of so-called honour and their family beloved ones, whereas they encourage, indirectly, the rapists and killers.