Jo Bichar Gaye (Urdu: جو بچھڑ گئے, lit. 'Those Who Got Split') is a Pakistani period drama series based on the book "Bichar Gaye" by Col. Z. I. Farrukh. The series is directed and produced by Haissam Hussain under his banner H2 Films, Mehreen Alam as co-writer for screenplay and written by Ali Moeen. It features Wahaj Ali, Maya Ali and Talha Chahour in leading roles. Set in 1970 and 1971, Jo Bichar Gaye is based on real events from the Bangladesh Liberation War, including the fall of Dhaka.[1][2] It premiered on Geo Entertainment on 12 December 2021 and airs weekly.[3][4]

Jo Bichar Gaye
Urdu	جو بچھڑ گئے
Genre	Period drama
Based on	Bichar Gaye by Col. Z.I.Farrukh
Written by	Ali Moeen
Screenplay by	Haissam Hussain Mehreen Alam
Directed by	Haissam Hussain
Starring	Wahaj Ali Maya Ali Talha Chahour Nadia Jamil Adnan Jaffar Sajid Shah
Composer	Sibte Hassan
Country of origin	Pakistan
Original languages	Urdu Bengali
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	14
Production
Executive producer	Haissam Hussain
Production location	Lahore
Editors	Liaqat Baltee Ghayoor Hussain
Running time	36 - 38 minutes
Production company	H2 Films Productions
Distributor	Geo Network
Release
Original network	Geo Entertainment
Picture format	PAL (576i) HDTV 1080i
Audio format	Stereophonic sound
Original release	12 December 2021 (2021-12-12) – 13 March 2022 (2022-03-13)

Plot

The plot revolves around the political conflict between West Pakistan and East Pakistan at the time Liberation of Bangladesh and deals with true events from 1970 to 1971.

Cast

• Wahaj Ali as Shafi Imam Rumi
• Maya Ali as Sonia Anwar
• Talha Chahour as Capt.Z.I Farrukh
• Adnan Jaffar as Col A.Fakhruddin
• Nadia Jamil as Shabnam Anwar
• Sajid Shah as Anwarul Haq
• Fazal Hussain as Haroon Anwar
• Rana Majid as Capt. Salahuddin Baig
• Aurangzaib Mirza as Col Aurangzeb
• Ahmed Abbas as Capt. Kabeer Alam
• Umer Darr as Capt. Siddiqui
• Omar Cheema as Shil
• Shizza Khan as Koko Aftab
• Zaheer Taj as Maj. Ghayas ud Din
• Usman Zia as Professor Ajeet
• Fahad Hashmi as Union Leader
• Usama Rehan as Tameez ud Fin
• Shahrule Ali As Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
• Fahad Sokhta as Professor
• Arsalan Dultana as Politician
• Major Omer Shabbir as Maj. Omer
• Ghulam Hussain as Mohammad Ruhul Amin
• Muneeb Qadir as Jawaharlal Nehru

Episodes

Production

Casting and development

Wahaj revealed in an interview about his upcoming project with Maya.[1] Talha Chahour, a theatre actor makes his television debut with this serial. The serial marks comeback of Nadia Jamil after her cancer recovery.

Location

Shooting locations: Clockwise from upper left: Government College, Lahore (upper two), Governor's house and Chamba House

The shooting of the series took place within Lahore at several locations, mainly Government College University, Punjab University Old Campus, National College of Arts (NCA) and Chamba House, Lahore. A few scenes were filmed in Governor's House, Lahore too.

Language preferences

For this drama Wahaj Ali has learnt Bengali language and accents from his fan Nishat Salsabil Rahman who is originally from Dhaka, Bangladesh; has completed the Master of Pharmacy and professionally a Pharmacist. Her grand father was an Aircraft Engineer of Pakistan International Airlines and posted in West Pakistan from 1948 to 1971.

Release

The first and second teasers were released on 8 December 2021. The series premiered on 12 December 2021.

Reception

The series received acclaim due to its execution and script.[5][6]

In a review for Dawn the reviewer praised its unbiased approach comparing it with Hussain's previous historical-period drama stating, "Like Haissam Hussain’s previous work Dastan, which centred on Partition, Jo Bichar Gaye does not indulge in triumphalist patriotism or demonisation."[7] A review for The Express Tribune noted Wahaj Ali's performance as Rumi.[8] However, the show did not succeed in television ratings or digital ratings but proclaimed a good number of appreciation from the people.

Soundtrack

References