Opening Thoughts – Decent Episode But Nothing New:

Ohkay so, this episode of Jo Tu Chahay was decent. I think a lot of time has been dedicated to the family politics, the equation & the dynamics that the clan of Appa Jee shares with each other. So far, they have successfully established the fact that Mashal is the oppressed one & she is mistreated at the hands of her aunts, so I feel they should move the story forward & focus more on Mashal’s character development. Let’s see when will that happen.

Mashal’s Dismay Seems Unconvincing:

Appa Jee took it on her & proposed Armaan’s marriage to Areesha. She did not make it obvious what her reasons were & that it was Armaan who decided to get married to Areesha instead of Mashal now. Appa Jee knew that if she’ll go on discussing the nitty gritty, it will call an undue attention on Mashal & that way, everyone will hold her responsible for this chaos. That is why based on her wisdom & maturity, Appa Jee made it seem like she was the one who had come up with this idea. Even Armaan made it seem like it was Appa Jee’s idea & he was just obliging but he knows that Appa Jee as well as Mashal are well aware of the truth. Armaan kind of eased his way out of this & didn’t take the ownership of his decision in front of his mother but when it came to Appa Jee, he clearly let her know that he only got married to Areesha because she & Mashal wanted him to.

Shama & Faseeha were obviously not happy but Areesha got what she wanted. Armaan is pretty happy that everything happened just so seamlessly & most of the family members were on his side, supporting this decision. Appa Jee feels she has done the right thing by making Areesha’s dream come true & this way she feels, she’ll be able to keep both the families connected but she has no idea what is brewing in Shama & Faseesha’s minds. I once again find it a pretty black & white picture that has been painted by the writer here where all the men are the positive ones & the ladies of the house are negative nancies.

Mashal just became a spectator with a bucket full of grudges, complains & tears under her belt. I still fail to see the reason behind Mashal’s disappointment & her dismay at the thought of Armaan getting married to someone else & not her. I feel if they had shown that she had an immense amount of respect for Armaan even before he made an entry in the drama, her feelings would’ve seemed a bit justified but not sure why she is sporting a forlorn face when she herself has admitted that she didn’t ‘love’ Armaan? Some background I feel would’ve made these feelings & emotions seem a bit convincing but right now, it just looks out of the blue & is making Mashal look a little desperate, a little less than Areesha but definitely desperate. Yes, Mashal has always yearned for love & attention, but why is it that she thought her marriage to Armaan will provide her all of that, considering she immediately thought of the fact that Shama & Bisma have always been mean to her? For any other girl, she’d have been a little burdened with the fact that she’ll have to deal with the likes of Shama & Bisma after her marriage to Armaan but oh boy, Mashal ne to ye baat dil se hi laga li hai!

I know this story is about a girl who is discovering herself & her reliance on Allah, but I wish they now shift the story actually on her growth because I feel a lot of time has been invested in the supporting characters & their lives. I also want to see the focus shifting on Hashir’s character because right now he is looking like a supporting character too, not sure if he is even the lead or what? To be honest, as much as I enjoy watching this drama, I feel it is not a review-material because the situations are just so plain & there’s nothing detailed or complex about it. I also would love to see Mashal finding a purpose & not wasting her time thinking about ‘why’ no one loves her? I mean she should’ve been immune to it by now but no, she is stuck in a rut I feel. No doubt all the things that Appa Jee says to Mashal are insightful & hold a lot of meaning but to see no mental or emotional growth in Mashal makes it a little frustrating because it then looks like everything that Appa Jee says is going to waste!

I have mentioned this before that these surrounding circumstances are used to define the kind of mindset Mashal has & what she goes through but I feel due to so much of focus on these side characters, the purpose of Mashal’s journey is being lost somewhere. I will still say that this drama is worth a watch but yes, when it comes to discussing it, there’s nothing special in any episode to be honest, which I hope changes.

Closing Thoughts – Hoping For It To Wow Me:

Overall, this episode of Jo Tu Chahay was average & there wasn’t anything special that wowed me. I did however enjoy Nargis Rasheed’s performance like I always do. All the situations & scenarios are realistically portrayed but I feel everything has been-there-seen-that kind of feel to it that it has stopped appealing to me, which I hope changes. I have also noticed the new trend, that they rightly censor the unwanted physical contact between the characters/actors, I saw that happen in this week’s episode of Surkh Chandni & even in this episode they edited out the hug between Armaan & Areesha, so when they know that they can not show such stuff, then isn’t it better to not shoot it at all? It is obviously unwanted & doesn’t help the situation at all. Anyhow, please share your thoughts about this episode of Jo Tu Chahay.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.