Jo Bichar Gaye

Jo Bichar Gaye is a Pakistani historical drama television 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 Bangladesh Liberation War, including the fall of Dhaka. It premiered on Geo Entertainment on 12 December 2021 and aired weekly. The show ended on 13 March 2022 with 14 episodes.

Plot
The plot revolves around the political conflict between West Pakistan and modern day, Bangladesh at the time of Liberation of Bangladesh, and deals with fictional events from 1970 to 1971.

Cast

 * Wahaj Ali as Romi. A character based on 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
 * Shah Fahad as Politician
 * Arsalan Dultana as Politician
 * Major Omer Shabbir as Maj. Omer
 * Ghulam Hussain as Mohammad Ruhul Amin
 * Muneeb Qadir as Jawaharlal Nehru

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

Filming
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.

Release
The series was originally produced to be release on Green Entertainment, however due to the delayed launch of the network it could not happen and consequently the series aired on Geo Entertainment. 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.

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." A review for The Express Tribune noted Wahaj Ali's performance as Rumi. However, the show did not succeed in television ratings or digital ratings but proclaimed a good number of appreciation from the people.