Ohkay so, we’re done with the second episode of Shanakht & I can’t wait to see more. The way the story is unfolding, they have managed to stir the curiosity & for all the right reasons. I must say, I am totally impressed by the acting of all the characters (minus the over-actor playing the role of Hashim’s friend) because they all look so real & have given out the genuine feel to their characters. The direction has been great without any such evident loopholes that can’t be ignored. I am hooked to the show & can’t wait to find out what happens next.
This episode revolved around the ordeal Hashim felt when it came to the point of giving his & Annie’s relation a name. Subconsciously Hashim grasped all those notions that he might’ve come across regarding Annie’s choice of Hijab. Apparently, Hashim himself was the one who helped Annie convincing her family when she decided to go for Hijab but no matter how supportive he was of his cousin or best friend, he still can’t seem to come to terms with the fact that he wants to spend a life with a girl who shares a different mindset & has her own ideology. Hashim may respect & put Annie to a high regard, but he certainly doesn’t think she’s worth spending a life with. I must say, the opinion Hashim shared was quite unpredictable. Like Hashim’s mother Shireen said, she thought he’d jump with joy at the idea of his & Annie’s marriage, but what took her by surprise was an unexpected hesitation that he showed.
Annie on her own was struggling to maintain a balance between her mother & her endeared friend Ayesha. Ayesha has been the one who has tried to help Annie the best way possible but for Huma, Ayesha is just someone who has made Annie disrespectful & rigid. Annie for once didn’t understand the reason why Ayesha was keeping a distance but after finding out, Annie respected her friend’s confession & made sure she didn’t do anything that would upset her mother because her friend Ayesha helped her in understanding her mother’s point of view a bit better. Annie didn’t show any signs of disappointment but deep within she felt ashamed for the things her friend had to go through.
The focal point of this episode was the potential marriage of Hashim & Annie, where Annie deep within showed acceptance towards it because for her nothing more than her family’s happiness matters anymore. Even though Annie decided she should’nt think too much about it, she understood that even if it happens & the elders decide their marriage, she’d be pretty happy with it because Hashim has always been a supportive figure & a friend to her.
Hashim really was torn between his choice of a partner & his parent’s choice but he wanted to make up his mind & a visit to Ayesha’s home gave him a decisive push that he was looking for. Sadly for Hashim, a guy with a beard is no one but a terrorist. A simple household is nothing but an exhibition of backwardness & regression. Hashim was so blinded by his hatred that he forgot to see how cordially he was welcomed by a stranger in his house. How nicely he was treated but just because Hashim wanted to see & hear what he wanted to, he decided that he can’t put up with Annie’s choices too.
All the conversations were done beautifully & I really liked the conversations between Hashim & Annie. As much as he wanted her to convince him & even a little sign on the lines that he wanted to read would’ve been enough for Hashim but just because Annie decided to stick to the truthfulness without giving him any false hopes that she’d change herself for him, Hashim heartbrokenly decided the otherwise. Annie has decided something & she wants to stick to it no matter what & this gives her character an edge of a head-strong girl that we all wanted to see. I love Annie’s character for the fact that she’s determined & strong-headed yet very soft spoken, which puts her in a very positive light.
Annie’s parents are pretty happy about Hashim & Annie’s marriage but they really don’t know what’s yet to come. For a change it’s nice to see a good sisterly-like relation that Annie & Kashaf share. Not sure what might happen between them when Hashim’s parents will give a proposal for Kashaf instead of Annie but for now, their little conversations seem real & very genuine. Interestingly, a new family of Ahmad’s business partner was introduced & luckily they are searching for a prospect wife for their son Rohaan. I think we all can predict what will happen when they will get to meet Annie at Hashim’s birthday gathering.
So my verdict is it is so far so good. Can’t wait to see more. I think Maya Ali looks simple yet gorgeous & she has played her part as Annie way too well. I think the casting was done to perfection & everyone fits in their roles really really well. Share your say on this episode of Shanakht.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
