Badzaat is an upcoming drama by 7th Sky Entertainment and GEO starring Urwa Hocane, Imran Ashraf and Ali Abbas. It is directed by Siraj-ul-Haque and written by Misbah Nosheen. The cast features Mehmood Aslam, Saba Faisal, Nida Mumtaz, Zainab Qayyum, Sidra Niazi, Zoya Nasir, Sajida Syed, Zohreh Amir, Danial Afzal, Ayesha Mirza, Hanif Muhammad and Anas Ali Imran.

Five teasers and a promotional trailer have been released on YouTube over the past few weeks to generate hype. These teasers provide valuable insight into the main characters’ lives, attitudes and the obstacles that they must overcome.

The audience is introduced to Wali (played by Imran Ashraf), who appears to have severe rage issues. Amidst the machismo setting of hunting trophies, guns, big cars and fist fights, lies an insecure little boy. It is revealed that Wali’s mother was a prostitute while his father was a man of means, which meant that she was forced to leave her son lest she stain his upbringing with her supposed immorality. In one of the scenes, Wali reveals that he was called badzaat for the smallest infractions as a child. This moniker has now become his identity as he can be seen being brash and unruly to anyone and everyone while engaging in reckless behaviour.

Amidst the machismo setting of hunting trophies, guns, big cars and fist fights, lies an insecure little boy. It is revealed that Wali’s mother was a prostitute while his father was a man of means, which meant that she was forced to leave her son lest she stain his upbringing with her supposed immorality.

However, despite his purposefully dangerous demeanour, he finds himself falling for Bia (played by Urwa Hocane) and her silly antics. Bia appears to be the ying to his yang. She is as cautious and fearful as he is reckless and bold. So far, her character appears to be meek and soft spoken, jumping at the slightest sounds and being afraid of the dark. In one of the scenes, Wali shoots a bottle close to her head, which startles her much to his amusement. It is obvious that Wali and Bia have been set up as each others’ love interest due to their juxtaposed personalities and on-screen chemistry.

Then, of course, we have Ali Abbas’s character, who is yet to be named. His appearance in the trailers is marked by mishap and negativity as he is set up to be the villain of the story. Throughout the course of the trailers, he is creating obstacles for Wali. Whether it involves stealing Wali’s love interest or encouraging Wali’s sister to follow her dream of becoming a model/ actress, which Wali sees as an attack on his izzat as he sees his mother in her, Abbas is there to cause controversy. No Pakistani drama would be complete without a love triangle where two out of the three people involved feel slighted, and Abbas’s character is an integral part of that as well.

Badzaat appears to be an intriguing offering so far. The actors have managed to create some buzz for its launch, which is scheduled to be on Geo very soon. Although the storyline does not appear to be anything new or revolutionary, it could still be gripping enough to garner a significant viewership.

The author is a staff member.