Aun Zara Episode 01 – A Treat!

Ohkay, so this is what we call ‘setting a bar high’. The first episode was a treat to watch with a bit more of an insight into every character & for giving us a taste of what we’d be watching ahead. I absolutely enjoyed the beginning & I loved the Punjabi touch added to this, which made it more humorous to watch.

Aun is a pampered baby because he’s the only male child, grandchild & nephew of the whole family. I loved how he had to deal with all the pampering but gets frustrated too. He may want to run away from the routine of his life but all the time he does want to lean on his family whenever he thinks he can not handle the situation. Zara, on the other hand, belongs to an Army background where her whole life is disciplined because of her father. Her father is a person who likes things systematic but Zara does get bored with how her life is.

All the dialogues were written perfectly but a few really made me laugh. I loved how Aun had to spit just because his Daadi thought he had uttered something bad. & all other such incidents added more to it, the morning scene, morning drive, the office scene, the wedding scene & Aun’s call to his mother, the scene where everyone is waiting for him because he was riding a motorbike, the egg – these were the scenes which were done perfectly & were too amusing.

During all this hassle of his life, Aun does have a friend on whom he relies but sadly Aun is so innocent that he just follows the lead of his friend. Aun’s friend has done a great job because he really wants to do good to Aun but just because Aun has always been so pampered & could not make decisions for himself all his life, he blindly follows what his friends says. All the conversations between Aun & his friend were done really well & the best one was when they came to an agreement on how many kids they should have. Aun, all of a sudden plans to get married for the sole reason of getting away with the utmost attention & therefore, wants his family to think about it. After a bit of failed attempts his family does start thinking on this matter as well.

I loved how they have showed the mind-sets of people with different backgrounds, like Aun’s mother being an Urdu-speaker has different expectations & Daadi being a Punjabi wants something else for Aun. They have very subtly touched the matter but definitely not in a bad sense & people can very well relate to it.

The drama may be funny but it does have an emotional baggage to offer. We don’t know why Aun’s Pupho got divorced & where his father is. His mother is too busy in taking care of Aun & pampering him but does have some sadness with her. I just can not wait to see how the drama unfolds because for now & for sure I loved the starting of the drama.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Fatima Awan

Fatima Awan has been a part of reviewit right from its inception. She feels very passionately about Pakistani dramas and loves discussing them in detail. An enthusiastic writer, thinker, and political scientist, constantly trying to look beyond the obvious. Full-time mom.

25 comments

  • I am glad you decided to review this play Zahra. This first episode was like a breath of fresh air – so good to see something light on screen. OKB is brilliant as Aun and really like Nasreen Qureshi, Hina Bayat and Sabreen Hisbani too. I will definitely be following this one:) I

    • Thank you Fatima & for letting me know about this play. I watched it's ad while I was in Pakistan & found it funny but for a second I thought it was a sequel of Ek Nayi Cinderalla because of the same cast hehehe. I know & I like Osman Khalid Butt better in this one because in ENC he was really stiff & looked like he actually was putting a lot effort in being a Prince & wasn't comfortable in his role. He has nailed this one & the girl is too confident. I love it so far.

  • Thanks for the wonderful review.
    I am in LOVE with this show! It cracked me up so bad!
    Osman Khalid Butt and Maya Ali were fab!

    • Thank you so much Mariam. :) I know a few parts were way too funny. :) Osman Khalid is going to carry the burden on him gracefully this time for sure.

  • I definitely agree. Aun Zara is a nice change after watching serious plays on the weekdays.. Evert character has its own story and its uniqueness. The atmosphere of a typical household has been perfectly household. And i absolutely loves the egg scene and "12 bachun ki qasm"! Lol!!

    Eagerly looking forward to the next episode.

  • Nice review as ever.
    I watched first episode without any knowledge about its story or cast. AND I was pleasantly surprised. Thoroughly enjoyed all characters and their dynamics, all so natural and unassuming.
    We have had enough lectures and sermons under the guise of entertainment. Hence it was refreshing to see a truly entertaining episode.
    Looking forward to next episode.

    • Thank you for your feedback Anwar Suhail. Yes, I appreciate & agree with everything you've said. That's why I kind of always enjoy light-hearted dramas because we do see a lot of real life dramas so it's better if our entertainment stays a bit easy. :)

  • Loved it ! However I do hope Haisam will avoid this in his next serial. He MUST have a new cast. Otherwise, it will spoil the thrill of a new serial by him.

    • Momi Aplus is relaunching the show – they think they need to promote it more before it goes on air. It should be back in a couple of weeks.

    • here is Aunn Zara's status update , "UPDATE: We know everyone has been disappointed at A-Plus not airing the second episode of Aunn Zara, but rest assured, the drama is going to come back with a bang! The channel has decided to relaunch Aunn Zara after heavier promotion and publicity because of their belief in the serial.. we will be updating the revamped timings very soon, so please stay tuned! In the meantime, get the word out there! We'll be uploading some more pictures and the official OST of Aunn Zara while we wait for the final countdown to the relaunch!"

  • Most (almost all) of our entertainment channels have based in karachi, only Aplus is the main entertainment channel that has base in Lahore. Now when some channel is based in lahore it cannot escape from the influence of filmi and theater persons which always has a historical presence in lahore. Aplus is also not an exception the channels main highlight and content has been dominated by theater and film artists in recent years like show of Nargis (Naughty Nargis), in which Nasim vicky was also present. Dont remember the name but there was one show of Khawar Riaz as well, then there is a reality show in which marriages of deserving girls is onaired weekly in a manner which is over the limit. The music show hosted by Begum Nawazish Ali, morning show by Fizzah Ali and now by (unbearable) Sahir Lodhi also have a lahori touch (slang paindoo touch). Also to mention highly philosophical and sermon type dramas of long scenes by Khalil ur rehman qamar like "mein mar gayee shaukat ali" and "landa bazaar".

    I am also from lahore, and i love to watch program like onaired on APlus and ATV but off course for an appropriate time. I am not criticising APlus and ATV (the sister terrestrial channel), but overdose of same type of content has created an image of this channel that it is only for a special class of audience. A channel must have variety of programs to address needs of all types of audience.

    Aoun Zara has been a breeze of fresh air from APlus, if they continue with the strategy to onair light entertainment programs like this (instead of always theater styled entertainment programs) they will grab attention of more audience.

    It does not mean they will take a U Turn but a balance in strategy a mix blend of programs will increase their viewership

    • Thank you for sharing your views. Actually, only have access to what's on the website Dramasonline, that's why I have a very selective material in which I can choose what to see & what not, so that's why I can not comment on with what do they fill their other time slots for the audience.

      But I am kind of put down by the use of word Paindoo in your comment for something which is a norm in Lahore. Their language & their way of speaking is what differentiates them from the rest of Pakistanis & same goes for the other cities too. So, just because someone has a typical Lahori accent does not make one a paindu. :) My thought on it.

      Anyhow, I did enjoy the Punjabi touch in this serial like I did in Akbari Asghari. So, I guess it's a good idea to be selective about what you choose to see so as to avoid getting bored with the monotony. But, I must add that during my short visit to Pakistan & the open access to the cable channels did annoy me. Because seems like if you lift a single stone, 10 channels are going to emerge. The rat race & especially how they ruin every single morning of yours with the typical naach gana, without a break is really disturbing.

  • loved it! Watched it once because I heard lots of good things about it under the comments of another drama serial, but I'm so glad I did! I then watched it once again with my sister to show her and I think I will watch it one more time because my dad came in the middle of it (egg scene) and really laughed at some of the scenes, I'm sure he'd like to watch it from the beginning and I know my mom will also enjoy it.

  • Thank you All – hope you will continue to follow Aunn Zara now that it is being aired on Thursday :) We had a great time shooting for it and I'm sure you will feel it too. Yes the cast comprises many actors from ENC but that's the challenge for us – to be so different that the characters are nothing like ENC! Good teams that work well together always bring forth good projects – you will see that in many examples in cinema and television. I am sure once u get going with Aunn Zara its characters won't even remotely remind u of ENC! Await your feedback – in the meantime – Happy viewing!