Antul Hayat is an upcoming drama series written by Athar Ansari, directed by Haseeb Ali and produced by Momina Duraid. Featuring Beenish Chohan, Rabia Naureen, Minsa Malik, Michelle Mumtaz, Farha Nadir and Shameen Khan, the trailer unveils fresh, new faces in main characters.

Two very short trailers have been released so far. The two have a very different tone from each other. In the first trailer, viewers are introduced to three couples who appear to be in love with one another, referring to their significant others as what can be translated to the ‘essence of life’. Proclamations of “you are my life” are made. Minsa Malik appears to be the main protagonist of the series. With the softly tinted lighting and breezy background music, the first trailer sets an easy going, romantic mood. All the characters appear happy and content.

While the lack of acting prowess for the younger characters can be attributed to inexperience, it makes no sense for the older cast members to not give a better account of their abilities

The circumstances change in the second trailer, which is a lot more serious. Beenish Chohan’s character seems to be the older sister in the scene. She accosts her father for not finding a match for her younger sister Samia, played by Minsa Malik. She asks, “How long will you keep her employed before it is too late?” This results in her mother exclaiming that he would not have let her go either as he is supposedly very attached to all three of his daughters. There is a sudden shift in atmosphere, which feels a bit too jarring, as the mother says that Samia is thirty and it will be hard for her to find a match. She lists factors like divorce, children and ‘bad’ families as obstacles to potential matches. Beenish’s character attempts to assuage her mother’s fears by telling her that she will take responsibility for finding a suitable match for her younger sister.

Based on the pacing of the trailers, Antul Hayat seems like a run of the mill show about rishta issues and marital woes. While the lack of acting prowess for the younger characters can be attributed to inexperience, it makes no sense for the older cast members to not give a better account of their abilities. The recommendation for this drama remains tentative. Maybe the acting will improve once the show actually launches.

The author is a fashion   graduate.