During college or university days, there is a generally a set social order of dating. In Western films and shows, they call it the league. Friends of the hero or heroine inform the one in love (or effectuation) that theirs is a lost battle; the person is out of their league. Societal standards assign these superficial points.

If we view Pyar Ke Sadqay from that point of view, Shanzay (Yashma Gill) is a perfect 10. Abdullah, well, he is not that much of a catch due to varying reasons.

She is an intelligent girl who is slaying it in life. The kind of girl boys would be lining up to befriend. She has the perfect style sense, and you see her wearing one fantastic outfit after another. It also helps that Shanzay is stunningly beautiful. (Well that one is on Yashma and her perfect genes tbh).

You could imagine her repeating that famous Poo’s line “Kon hai ye jisne dobara mur kar mujhy nahe dekha, who is he” (Kareena Kapoor in K3G).

But she won’t.

The fact is Shanzay, unlike Poo, is quite lovely. Having attention and always hearing how drop-dead gorgeous you are can make people a little bit rude. But Shanzay is perfectly polite. In her own words, Abdullah (Bilal Abbas Khan) is torturing her. His obsession is becoming a headache for her. Yet, she is kind enough to try and explain her feelings to him.

Perhaps, this is because she is empathic towards him, or possibly she is just confused about how to deal with him. The usual society taught attitude keeps those in the lower numbers from approaching the 10s. You kind off tell yourself that this isn’t happening. So with a heavy and wistful heart, you move on.

This is a complicated role to play, Yashma Gill has to maintain a balance between being courteous and yet not give Abdullah any ideas. There are moments where we feel that she will lose it and vent out. But soon enough, she is back to her calm and thoughtful self.

Showing restraint on screen is a difficult job, even for experienced actors. If you overdo it, it ventures into outright anger. If you underplay it, audiences might overlook it. This is where Yashma Gill’s doing a fantastic job. Despite limited screen time, she is making a massive impact on Pyar Ke Sadkay. The writer and director also definitely deserve credit on focusing the whole cast and not just the lead duo.

They say that are just seven types of stories in the world. So such nuances in storytelling, direction, and performances are the hallmark of creative content creation. As for Abdullah, time will tell if Shanzay is really out of his league or not. So far, so persistent.

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