Verna 2017

Verna follows Sara Mahira Khan, a joyful partner to Aami Haroon Shahid, a man living with a disability, as they share a seemingly perfect life. Their days are brightened by the presence of Mahgul Naimal Khawar, Aami’s sister, and the small, quiet rituals that make their bond feel unbreakable. The mood shifts in a single, jarring moment at the park when a black SUV pulls up and men attempt to seize Mahgul, forcing Sara to step in and shield her loved ones. What begins as a terrifying intrusion into their happiness quickly reveals how fragile safety can be in a world where power and fear collide.

Three tense days pass before the assailants drop Sara back at her doorstep. She gathers her courage to tell her family she was raped and pleads with them to go to the police. But the family silence that follows weighs heavy, and Sara realizes that silence rarely translates into justice. The rapist keeps creeping back into Sara’s life, sending gifts and pressuring her to abandon Aami and marry him. The strain of this pressure tests the couple in intimate, painful ways, threatening to erode the trust and safety they once shared.

As Sara fights to keep her voice heard, she turns to allies beyond her home. She reaches out to a friend who works as a lawyer, Iram Rehman, and together they begin to piece together a path toward accountability. The investigation uncovers a chilling connection: the man behind the attack is Sultan, the son of a Governor who would soon be a major political figure. In a tense moment that reframes the case, the rapist is introduced as Zarrar Khan, who plays Sultan, a figure whose public power mirrors the private leverage used to silence victims.

This is unfair how you are blocking the roads. We aren’t your servants.

The fight to secure justice is complicated by political meddling and threats. Sultan’s family and political allies wield influence to destroy evidence, and Sara’s family faces pressure to leave for Dubai or face escalating harm. Yet she and her loved ones refuse to bow out of the fight, choosing to stay and push forward with the case, even as personal cost mounts.

Tragedy strikes within Sara’s own home when her father takes his life in the basement, leaving a remorseful imprint on the family and driving Sara’s mother to flee to America. The upheaval tests every member of the household, but it also paves the way for a new understanding between Sara and Aami. He begins to grasp what a rape survivor endures, and the couple reconciles with a renewed commitment to seek justice on Sara’s terms. The two of them, supported by Mahgul, work with the lawyer to continue pursuing the truth, and they refuse to let fear dictate their fate.

A final, dramatic confrontation unfolds as Sara, Aami, and Mahgul breach Sultan’s fortress-like residence. Aami dives into the water, striking Sultan with a bat, and the assault is carried out with a fierce determination that sends Sultan into unconsciousness. He is dragged ashore and imprisoned, his fate sealed as Sara takes control of the situation and ensures he cannot escape, locking him away in a casket beside her father. The evidence of his guilt—etched in messages he once sent in embarrassment—gives Sara a sense of closure as Sultan is left with no recourse. The justice she seeks becomes a hard-won reality, even as the cost is painfully high for those who stood by her side.

In the end, Verna closes with a hard-won sense of peace for Sara and Aami. They step forward into a quieter future, choosing to heal in each other’s company and to reclaim their happiness after a brutal, systemic struggle. The film leaves them hopeful, turning a lens toward resilience and the possibility of renewal after trauma, with Sara and Aami finding a shared path toward recovery and a life together.