Ohkay so, to be honest even though the pace of this drama has slowed down considerably, I still have a good time watching it because it somehow matches the mood of the story & its characters. I like how detailed things are because even though there hasn’t been much background given to some of the characters, the slow pace helps us in understanding them a bit better. I like the fact that every episode of Alif Allah Aur Insaan brings something new with it, which makes it an interesting watch.
So, finally Rani got to share her concerns with Shammi, I loved how the roles have been reversed, when Rani was a beggar & Shammi was just aimlessly wasting his life, Rani had a lot of confidence & she had this clarity where she knew what she wanted from her life & back then Shammi was scared to face the world but now we can see how the tables have turned. Right now, Shammi has obtained this confidence which has given him a completely different perspective of life, he has this belief in himself that he can do whatever he wants & Rani is vulnerable, now she is scared, for the first time Rani is at such a point in her life where she is ambiguous & uncertain. That is the reason why Shammi’s entry in Rani’s life back has given her some sort of ease because at least there is someone who knows who she was & where she comes from. Rani was busy forming a new identity & in the middle of that, she lost herself but it was good to see Shammi reminding her who she was & what her beliefs were. I felt so bad for Rani when she desperately asked Shammi to inquire about her family, like she said, she didn’t value her family before & now that she has been told that there’s no turning back, they’re all she can think of. I loved how in this episode Rani’s desperation & depression was showcased, like in every single frame you could see the spark that was missing from her eyes & the fear that has imbibed her heart & soul as she is lost & has no idea if she’ll ever be able to get out of this prison around her that she chose for herself.
Even though I am not into Nazneen’s character & her & Basit’s track but for the first time I felt I actually understood her situation & reactions. Nazneen is only doing what is in sync with her nature & character, she is someone who can’t take no for an answer & she is someone who would make sure to get what she wants, that is why she is persistently bothering Basit, while completely ignoring his point of view & his hesitations. Nazneen was introduced to us exactly this way that she is a spoiled rich girl who only wants everyone to obey her orders, that is why even though her approach towards Basit is wrong, but it is in line with her character. Nazneen is someone who has never learned what it is like to give someone else a chance to explain their position or reasons, that is why even though Basit has told her a lot of times that she should be mindful of the difference between them, she chooses not to pay heed to it.
Looks like Basit has started taking interest in Nazneen too but it is good that at least he is conscious of the fact that she is engaged to be married to Shahzeb, who according to Basit is better than him in every respect. I found it kind of realistic when Basit accepted the Eid gift that Nazneen brought for him, like even though he knows that he has to reject & refuse everything that she says & expects from him, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her gift, which she bought for him after putting a lot of thought into it. I liked the scene where Basit while sitting in his home was being constantly reminded of the difference between him & Nazneen & also of the fact that she is engaged to the finest gentleman. What added more to his woes was his sister’s mention of the Sadqa that Shahzeb’s mother Zaitoon gave to her. I kind of liked seeing the battle that was going on between Basit’s mind & heart, where at one hand he gets pulled towards Nazneen & on the other, he is constantly reminded of their differences & the difficulties that he will have to face if he consciously falls in love with her!
So, Nigaar got introduced to the producer who offered her a role in a feature film. I think that track was added only to show that Shammi started frequenting Nigar’s place & he was getting more chances to see Rani. Even though Nigar can see that Rani is not feeling herself & she has lost the happiness that she had when she joined this work, but then the way Nigar is behaving is once again in line with her character, because it shows that Nigar wasn’t in need of Rani in the first place, it was Rani who herself offered her services to Nigar, that is the reason why Nigar doesn’t see her as someone so important who she should be treating courteously. It was heartrending how Nigar was constantly reminding Rani of her background & where she came from, that is Nigar’s way of showcasing her superiority over everyone who is a part of her small world.
I think in stead of sugarcoating things & in stead of putting a lid on the reality, Zaitoon should allow Shahzeb to wake up & smell the coffee because even before him, she was the one who felt something off about Nazneen’s behavior towards her son & their engagement, so there is no need to make him look away from the real picture. Shahzeb finally & rightly noticed that Nazneen is not happy with their betrothment but Zaitoon tried to change his perspective, yes it is understandable that she wants to save her son from a heartbreak as she knows what Nazneen means to him but then, being realistic wouldn’t harm him & in fact it would save Shahzeb from further getting hurt.
Overall, this episode was beautifully executed & presented, I enjoyed watching it. I must say Ushna Shah continues to surprise me with her phenomenal performance, like just by looking at Rani one could see that her heart & soul wasn’t happy & her longing to be in this place was deteriorating, which is something that was perfectly portrayed by Ushna Shah. She really has made Rani’s character & I don’t think any other actress could’ve done justice to this role. Imran Ashraf was equally amazing as Shammi in this episode as well. I loved watching Rani & Shammi’s interactions, like those were my favorite bits of this episode. I am actually enjoying Shehzad sheikh‘s acting too, he really has given Basit’s character a perfect treatment. I wish I could say that about both Kubra & Mikaal but they are just doing ok. Sana Fakhar is quite convincing as Nigar Begum so far. Definitely looking forward to the next episode. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Alif Allah Aur Insaan.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.