'Love, jealousy and posessiveness': Decoding the Gulbahar teaser with Mehreen Jabbar

Mehreen Jabbar's upcoming drama Gulbahar asks an uncomfortable question: is love between more than two people possible? The Sanam Saeed-Emmad Irfani starrer is one of this year's most anticipated television shows. After the two actors won the hearts of fans with their portrayal of a dysfunctional couple in last year's Kafeel , expectations from Gulbahar are running high. With the second trailer out Wednesday, here's what it leaves us wondering: will Saeed and Irfani play a happy couple this time? Which one of them will play the antagonist? Is there a third person in the equation? In an exclusive interview with Images, Jabbar revealed details about Gulbahar's plot and characters that haven't been shared publicly before — without giving away too much information, of course. 'It is a thorough examination of love, jealousy and possessiveness. What does it mean to love someone and what is unconditional love? If you love someone, should you set them free? If you love someone, should you be selfless or possessive? Those were the different questions and themes that interested me when I took the serial,' she said. Gulbahar explores whether love is possible between more than two people, she added, and deconstructs and examines that. This intensity carries through to the trailers themselves, both of which deliver a heavy sense of dread and intrigue, intertwined with domesticity. The first teaser shows Saeed and Irfani's characters as a couple, reflecting on their years-long relationship and getting upset about something that goes wrong. In the latest promo, we now have some idea as to what that something — or rather, someone — might be. The new trailer starts off with Irfani holding hands, this time around, with a different character, played by Komal Meer. Judging by the trailer, this third person seems set to disrupt the lead couple's life — in one scene, Irfani's character appears to assure his evidently distressed wife that he loves her. Doctor Bahu , Jabbar's last — hugely successful — project explored the theme of patriarchal control in joint families. Gulbahar, on the other hand, is a more focused approach towards relationships. 'Doctor Bahu is a different kind of serial with far more characters as well as themes. Gulbahar is much more contained. Sure, we've seen these stories. But our challenge was how to give that a new eye — to look at it from a different point of view and explore these four to five characters, instead of treating them with a superficial lens.' In addition to Saeed, Irfani and Meer, there's also Bakhtawar Mazhar, who is playing 'not-a-very-nice phuppo (paternal aunt),' Jabbar pointed out, unlike the role she played in Doctor Bahu. 'There's Shahood Alvi, Sabahat Bukhari and there are some completely new faces as well,' she added. Source: Mehreen Jabbar (Instagram) We also learned about the origin of the title Gulbahar. 'Primarily, as I said, it [the plot] is centered around these couple of houses; one house, specifically, which is called Gulbahar — and that's where the name comes from,' she said. Jabbar hopes her drama resonates with audiences. 'I think if they give it that time and that openness to let the story unfold and see the nuances and layers of it, they might be surprised. I would just have audiences expect that it is a very character-driven story. For people who like interpersonal relationships and characters with nuance, hopefully they will find something to like about this,' she said. A project of Momina Duraid Productions and written by Aliya Bukhari, Gulbahar premieres September 16, airing every Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on HUM TV.