Ohkay so, this episode of Alif Allah Aur Insaan was pretty good & pretty straight forward. It came with a lot of developments in almost all the tracks & the best ones got the most coverage which was the best part about it. I like the fact how the director has balanced out the screen-time between all the characters & makes sure to keep the focus on all of their stories.
So, Raani became Reena Begum. Even though the flower vendor warned her about the pit she was going to step into but Raani being Raani didn’t bother listening to him as she was ecstatic for the new opportunity that she thought was awaiting her. I am sure if Raani had the slightest of idea about what she was going to get into, she would’ve thought things through, but I guess this turn was needed because otherwise she wouldn’t have learned about the intricacies of life. I feel Raani will now get to experience a very different life which will definitely shape up her perspective & priorities.
So, finally Shammo became Shammi & it was such an amazing moment. I loved that after Jamal, Shammo finally met another good human being who accepted Shammo for who he was & told him to explore new territories. I think the writer here deserves full points in showing how people can help others in their walks of life & how one suggestion is enough to change someone’s entire journey.
Even though for now Nigaar & Raani aren’t at the same page but I kind of liked this disconnect between the two. Raani thinks Nigaar has scored everything whereas when it comes to Nigaar, she is suffocated with the life that she is living. Nigaar has so much of emptiness inside her which Raani is unable to understand or relate to because in her perspective, just because Nigar has money, she has everything. I am definitely interested to see how Raani will start understanding Nigaar’s thought process & what she will deduce from it because it was kind of amusing how absorbed Raani was in her own philosophies while Nigaar was sharing her burdens with her.
So, Nazneen has moved to her hostel & as expected, she made quite an impression on her roommate. It was interesting how Sarwat told Nazneen to have some respect for those who love her but Nazneen wouldn’t understand since she is so self-absorbed & doesn’t take her relationship with Shahzeb seriously. Even though Shahzeb’s connection with Baba Jee is something special & a delight to watch but seeing the similar kind of conversations happening on the same lines in the preview of the next episode made me feel that it will lose the charm if they will keep repeating the same ‘falsafa’ over & over again because this is what usually happens with philosophies, they can force you to snap out of them pretty quickly. However, in this episode, Baba Jee’s perspective about Love for Almighty was conveyed nicely, also it was good to see how Shahzeb also was on the same track as him where he didn’t seem clueless, but in stead had a clear cut idea of what Baba Jee was trying to teach him. I feel Shahzeb’s heart-break will bring him closer to his Creator, may be that’s going to be the crux of the love that he has for Nazneen.
Oh well, Shammi & his transformation. It was so good to see him as a successful makeup artist & hair stylist that was in demand. I loved seeing this new Shammi who was confident & free from all the baggage that he was carrying before. I think Salma deserves credit for this because he allowed Shammi to explore things, to experiment & to find himself. Salma’s connection with Nigaar definitely forced me to think that this is exactly how Shammi will come across Raani now, where he will replace Salma as Nigaar’s makeup artist & will get to see Raani in the brothel.
I must say it was interesting to see how Raani got bored of taking care of Nigaar, like this shows that she is someone who won’t settle for something similar for a long time. Raani wanted to get into Nigaar’s realm & now when she got into it, she wanted to touch new boundaries. The note at which this episode ended was interesting like it took Raani from being happy & inquisitive to scared & confused because she got introduced to the dark side of the picture which she had never imagined, but since Raani is a fighter & she is someone who believes in making her own ways, she will find a way out of this too if Nigaar & her dictatorship will become overbearing for her.
Overall, this episode was interesting & offered a lot of new things. I loved watching the transformation of Shammi especially & then Raani even though life has become a bit stagnant for Raani but she will surely do something good for herself in the future. I must say Saife Hassan & Nargis Rasheed deserve a special mention for adding so much of life & charm in their very limited scenes. It was good to see Raani’s mother supporting her daughter & telling her husband that he was responsible for pushing Raani to the limit, not many mothers do that in our dramas where they stand by their daughters. Nargis Rasheed’s expressions when Saife Hassan threw the slipper towards her were priceless. Imran Ashraf was the star of the show tonight, he made Shammo’s transition into Shammi a treat to watch. Also, can we just take a moment to praise what an artist Hassan Noman is, like we have seen him as Ilyas Kashmiri (Preet Na Kariyo Koi) then Bulbul Khan (Sang e Marmar) & now Salma, like is there any role that he can’t play that too with perfection? I thoroughly enjoyed his bits too & hope his character stays in the story for long a time. Sana Fakhar has done a great job in conveying Nigaar’s burdens & void clearly & so has Ushna in conveying Raani’s inquisitive nature. Mikaal & Kubra seem to be least impressive so far but I am hoping something better in their tracks in the future. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Alif Allah Aur Insaan.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.