You are led deep into the bustling and chaotic streets of Karachi. Director Mazhar Moin’s camera zooms in on fruit stalls, parathas being tossed on heated griddles, fresh qeema [minced meat] being prepared and then, finally, you see the lofty clock tower that is the hallmark of the city’s Victorian-era Empress Market.
This is the first scene of Bombay Tailors (BT), which has just started to air on Hum TV, and it works well in building expectations and setting the scene. At a time when sprawling mansions and rich, suited heroes flanked by bodyguards often dominate the local drama-scape, BT opts for nostalgia and old-world charm — crowded lanes, stall owners calling out to passers-by as they try to sell them their wares and rustic chai dhaabas [roadside tea stalls].
The titular tailoring shop is nestled in one of these streets. It is a longstanding relic with a board outside that proudly proclaims that it has been in business since 1942. The shop’s name has been written in the Hindi script, further emphasising its pre-Partition origins. The shop’s floor has a black-and-white parquet-style pattern, the walls are lined with weathered shelves crammed with fabric, and the doorway is pillared and aged.
