Dastaan (drama)

Dastaan
A promotional newspaper advertisement
Directed by	Haissam Hussain
Starring	Sanam Baloch Fawad Khan Mehreen Raheel Babrik Shah Saba Qamar Ahsan Khan Saba Hameed
Theme music composer	Sohail Haider
Opening theme	"Aasmanon Se", performed by Sohail Haider
Country of origin	Pakistan
Language(s)	Urdu
No. of episodes	23, with one special episode
Production
Producer(s)	Momina Duraid
Running time	39 - 40 min. (approx.)
Broadcast
Original channel	Hum TV

Dastaan (Urdu: داستان) is a Pakistani drama serial dramatized by Samira Fazal, and based on the novel "Bano", by Razia Butt.^[1] It is based on the Partition of India (and the eventual creation of Pakistan), and takes place between 1947 and 1956. The drama depicts the story of Bano, a girl from a close knit Muslim family living in Ludhiana (located in the state of Punjab) in the pre-1947 era. The story follows Bano and her fianceè, Hassan, as they face the trials and tribulations caused by the 1947 partition.

Dastaan is the first project of its kind taken up by the Pakistani media. Director Haissam Hussain stated in an interview ^[2] that production for the drama began months in advance, and that the filming itself only took a little over 2 months. The show was broadcast on Hum TV.

Plot

Based on the novel "Bano", Dastaan begins with the wedding of Suraiya (Saba Qamar), Hassan's aunt and Bano's soon-to-be sister-in-law. She is engaged to Saleem (Ahsan Khan), Bano's eldest brother. Hassan (Fawad Khan) and Bano (Sanam Baloch) had not seen each other since they were children, and had no relationship whatsoever prior to Suraiya and Saleem's wedding. They slowly begin to develop feelings for each other, with Hassan visiting Ludhiana every now and then. Hassan is a final year engineering student at the Islamia College. He is an active supporter of the All-India Muslim League, and the leader of the Ludhiana Branch. He strongly believes in the establishment of Pakistan, and is an avid follower of Qaid-E-Azam, leader of the Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. Meanwhile, Bano's brother and Suraiya's husband, Saleem, is an active supporter of the Indian Congress, what with all his friends being Hindu, and believes that the establishment of Pakistan will not help, but rather lessen the position of Muslims in India. The political debate between Saleem and Hassan begins as friendly competition, but intensifies as conditions worsen throughout India for Muslims. Saleem, hot-tempered and rash, begins to bring political debates into family life, and eventually forbids Suraiya to visit Hassan or his mother Rasheeda, her only sister. But Hassan is not dissuaded. He continues to spread the message of Pakistan throughout Saleem's family, causing Saleem's anger to explode on many occasions.

Hassan and Bano eventually become engaged, and Saleem decides to leave behind his rivalry with Hassan for Bano's sake. Soon, Hassan gets a job in Rawalpindi and has to leave immediately. He and Rasheeda leave Ludhiana, with the promise that they will be back 5 months later for the wedding.

During this time tensions between Hindus and Muslims rise, violence outbreaks all throughout India. Hate crimes against Muslims become common, and the fighting spreads all across India states, getting threateningly closer to Ludhiana every day. As the fighting becomes more pronounced, Muslims retaliate, leaving nobody safe. A rift begins to form between Saleem and his friends, and soon the entire family has to be locked in their home, unable to go out into the dangerous streets for fear of being killed or, in the women's case, losing their virtue.

On a fateful night, a group of Sikhs and Hindus attack the family's home, and Saleem and all men of the family are brutally murdered in a terrible massacre. The men and elder women of the home are killed, and the younger ones are either murdered or are carried away, presumably to be raped before killed.

Bano survives this ordeal and travels throughout India on her quest to reach Pakistan. She comes across a Sikh man (Bilal Khan) who helps nurse her back to health after her first rape and the death of her mother. She also comes across Basant Singh (Babrik Shah), a Sikh man, and his mother (Sangeeta) who kidnap her from the train she is taking to Lahore, and keep her in their home for 5 years. At first, Bano refuses to even tell Basant Singh her name, saying instead that he "doesn't deserve to say" her name. Basanta names her Sundar Kaur, or "beautiful princess," in Punjabi. He tells Bano that he will take her to Pakistan one day. Bano, mentally exhausted and with no options left, believes him. Nearly a year later, Basanta has not lived up to his promise, claiming that the roadways are still blocked and that traveling to Pakistan is too dangerous of a venture. Bano soon learns of his plan to convert her to Sikhism and marry her, and attempts to run away again. This time though, when Basanta catches her, he doesn't treat her gently as with the first time. He tries whatever method he can to break her; beating her, raping her, forcing her to become a Sikhni (in vain), marrying her, and in the end, having her give birth to his child.

After many years, Bano manages to escape and finally make it to her beloved and Pakistan and back to Hassan, but her worries don't end here as she sees how radically different Pakistan is to the dreams she had seen about it.

Cast

Main Cast

• Sanam Baloch as Bano (Urdu: بانو)

• Fawad Khan as Hassan (Urdu: حسن)

• Mehreen Raheel as Rabia (Urdu: رابیا)

Other Cast and Characters

Main article: List of characters from Dastaan

• Saba Qamar as Suraiya

• Ahsan Khan as Saleem

• Babrik Shah as Basant Singh

• Saba Hameed as Rasheeda

• Qavi Khan as Naseeb Bhai

• Samina Peerzada as Saliha or "Bibi"

• Affan Waheed as Nadir

• Daniyal Raheel as Faheem

• Humaira Abbasi as Kaamini

• Seemi Raheel as Maami

• Anita Fatima Camphor as Jameela

Guest Stars

• Samina Ahmed

• Shazia Afgan

• Khayyam Sarhadi

• Bilal Khan

Locations

The serial takes place at a number of locations. It starts out at a neighborhood of Ludhiana, India, and changes locations every couple of episodes as the story corresponds. Other locations include Karachi, Pakistan, Lahore and Patiala, India. Notable locations include the Islamia College and the famous Badshahi Masjid in Lahore, as well as the Pakistan Railways Station.

Soundtrack

The Dastaan theme "Aasmanon Se" was composed and sung by Sohail Haider, who also composed the theme to fellow Hum TV production, Parsa (drama), and was written by Sahir Altaf. A frequent background music on the show, played during scenes asserting Pakistani independence or Pakistani pride is based after the tune of Aye Watan Pyare Watan by Ustad Amanat Ali Khan.^[3]

Reception

Dastaan was so widely appreciated that the producers were required to add a 3 hour special, entitled the "Best of Dastaan" to the series running.^[4] In a poll by Dawn News, Dastaan was rated as the 2nd best drama of 2010, after Dolly ki Ayegi Baraat, and Sanam Baloch was voted best actress for Dastaan, with Mehreen Raheel in 3rd place, while Samira Fazal was voted 3rd best writer, also for Dastaan. ^[5] Senior actresss Badar Khalil named Dastaan as her favorite drama for 2010.^[6]

Awards and Nominations

Award	Category/Recipient(s)	Result
2nd Annual Pakistan Media Awards	Best Drama	Won
	Haissam Hussain for Best Drama Director	Won
	Sanam Baloch for Best Actress	Won
	Fawad Khan for Best TV Actor	Won
	Saba Qamar for Best Supporting Actress	Won
	Ahsan Khan for Best Supporting Actor	Won
10th Annual Lux Style Awards	Best TV Serial (Satellite)	Nominated
	Fawad Khan for Best TV Actor (Satellite)	Nominated
	Sanam Baloch for Best TV Actress (Satellite)	Nominated
	Haissam Hussain for Best TV Director	Won

References

1. ^ Official Dastaan Facebook Page - Managed by Haissam Hussain
2. ^ Morning With Hum - Haissam Hussain and Momina Duraid discuss "Dastaan"/
3. ^ Dastaan Title Track
4. ^ Dastaan Special Episode
5. ^ Dawn News Opinion Poll: Who Ruled 2010?
6. ^ Dawn News: TV Tales