There is something about this play that when you sit down to watch it, you do not feel any scene is being dragged and each episode keeps the viewers’ interest alive. The storyline, although nothing extraordinary yet is different and the acting of the main leads and the supporting characters alike draws you in.

Zainy’s dramatic departure from the house she grew up left everyone dealing with different emotions. Abba disappointed and angry, Nigar Apa outraged, Sherry broken hearted and Mehtaab devastated. Whereas in Zainy’s susraal, Phuppo is disapproving of how events played out and we see later Ahmer also blaming Zainy for her rash behaviour. It does not take long for Zainy to start missing her family and realizing life is not a bed of roses. Taayi has become the typical evil saas trying to cause trouble and Ahmer is his usual greedy immature self. I spent the past four episodes and well even the episodes before that really trying to gauge what Ahmer and Co feel for Zainy and I am still confused but will touch upon that later in this review.

We see Zainy struggling to adapt to changes in Ahmer’s personality and making ends meet. She realizes she has hurt her family’s feelings but Yusuf Kamdar seems to want nothing to do with her. She seems to be torn between feeling righteous to have left behind her father’s ‘murderers’ and also missing her mother for when Mehtaab has her books delivered to her and later the provident fund cheque sent her reaction upon checking the envelope to see if there is a letter inside or a glimpse of her mother as she drives away made me feel for her. However, before Mehtaab sends the cheque Ahmer starts feeling that he should begin to make amends with Zainy’s family so that they welcome her and extend financial support which basically means financial support for Ahmer. I know Ahmer is jobless, greedy and immature but I am left wondering is that why he married her then – eyeing Yusuf Kamdar’s wealth?! I would not be surprised if that were the case.

Anyways, Novera – the ever loyal,constantly- in -Zainy’s- face -and -house friend, who could not tell Zainy enough how lucky she was, has managed to wrap the formidable Nigar Apa round her little finger. I have to say – I really do not like Novera’s character. Novera seems to be sitting on her high horse judging Zainy from behind her hijab and holier than thou attitude and while I could be alright with that for Zainy truly has pulled quite a crazy act and Novera apparently was the sensible, obedient daughter – but her little antic of gloating over the wedding card in front of Zainy and telling her that her family despises her now seems to be in bad taste. I am never sure what these girls aim to achieve when they desperately want to get married to a man who is very clearly deeply in love with another woman. Nevertheless, Novera is Mrs Sherry now and Nigar Apa feeling she has done the right thing for her brother heads back to Canada.

I am glad Yusuf does not blame Mehtaab for Zainy’s behaviour. Our dramas do the whole ‘tumhari aulaad ki harkaatein’ and ‘tumhari tarbiyat’ to death and it was really nice to see Yusuf not go down that road. He is angry at Zainy but I feel his anger is justified for he has really treated her as his own and she basically spat in his face and walked out. I kept thinking Mehtaab was a bit silly to try the Sherry-Zainy idea out knowing very well how this could impact the whole household if it went wrong which it did in the end. But then I suppose she knew, or well thought she knew Zainy and Sherry very well and believed it would be the perfect match. I felt for Mehtaab now and Sania Saeed’s portrayal of a broken, depressed woman is so spot on. Especially during the scenes when Nigar minces no words in her ‘I told you so’ rants and Mehtaab says nothing in her own defense.

Turns out Mehtaab has cancer – and it has now reached its final stages. In the earlier episodes when Mehtaab approached Sherry about Zainy and with the animosity of sorts between her and Nigar, I had thought that while Mehtaab did not have anything against Sherry or Nigar she also did not have any emotional attachment with either. But I found I was wrong during the scenes between Sherry and Mehtaab after Zainy’s ‘love story’ with Ahmer begins and my thoughts were further confirmed now also when Sherry takes care of Mehtaab, coaxing her to eat and not be depressed and how she calls him baitaay. Even though he calls her baji she was a mother figure to him and the scene when Sherry confronts Mehtaab about her illness was done so emotionally it made me cry. Agha Ali acted so well, his tears seemed like those of a child realizing he is about to lose his mother.

Mehtaab’s death was an unexpected twist in the story. I am glad though that Zainy was able to go see her mother. Her last words to her daughter seem to prove her innocence when she says ‘jab aap ko mera sach pata chalay tau khud par kaabu rakhyay ga’.  I really want to know now what Mehtaab’s true story is. The flashbacks Phuppo has and the conversations Phuppo and Taayi have shown a negative side to Mehtaab but Mehtaabs character itself and her last words beg to paint a different picture. Also Naani’s conversation and then handing Mehtaab’s diary to Zainy will probably finally tell us what the truth is. I could not believe Ahmer was not allowing Zainy to go see her dead mother’s face one last time. Taayi has been mostly a negative character, yet she too seemed moved by Zainy’s despair and implored Ahmer to let her go.

Zainy seems to be drifting from home to college to umm, even Hyderabad. Although her attitude seems less than sensible I can almost relate to how she is feeling lost now. She is determined to know her mother’s true story now and is trying to find answers from any place possible. The highlight of this latest episode for me had to be how Yusuf Kamdar told off Mehtaab’s brother and said he would come bring his daughter home. This man has truly proven (so far at least) that he had always believed Zainy to be his own. Like he would get angry with Nigar, he was angry with Zainy as would any father have been but when he realized she needed help and especially with Mehtaab gone and her last words haunting him, Abba steps up and goes to Hyderabad to bring back Zainy.

Sherry’s axing the tree seemed a bit extreme but then I suppose that is his personality. An introverted, emotional but not openly so kind of person, he does not know how to deal with or express his grief and anger and is taking it out on a (poor) tree. There is one thing I keep noticing – Zainy wants to reach out to Sherry but she keeps referring to him as bhai and I feel for her that she has always loved and known him as a brother, the one person who shared the same ‘parents’ and love and security that she had known and she wants to be able to share her grief with him. Sherry torn between his own grief and anger seemingly wants nothing to do with Zainy.

I have come to the conclusion so far that Ahmer and Co are greedy and must have some underlying agenda of their own especially Ahmer and Taayi such as Yusuf’s wealth but I do not believe they hate Zainy or wish anything bad on her. They seemed visibly shaken by Mehtaab’s death and there was no gloating or mean comments over her death as you often see with the evil in laws in dramas. Ahmer seems to care for Zainy in his own twisted way but I am still unsure whether he would feel the same if Zainy did not also seem to be a sonay ka anda. Zainy feels she has suffered enough for her doings and should be forgiven by all and while I agree she has been ungrateful, reckless and brought all this upon herself, a part of me hopes that she realizes how rash and thoughtless she has been and is able to break free of Ahmer and focus on making a life for herself again with Yusuf’s support – if only for Mehtaab’s sake.

I would assume that Yusuf will now take Zainy under his wing and give her some security again but will she leave Ahmer? For till now he has not done anything which is reason enough for her to stop loving him and leave him. Or will he show a different side to his character which will make her leave him. Novera seems to have only one mission in life and in her bubble of piety and self righteousness she believes she is justified and that is to keep Zainy away from the house she grew up in so she may not get close to Sherry again. Even if Sherry does not end up with Zainy, I really do not want to see with him Novera.

I know 23 episodes have gone by but I am still enjoying this drama. I do believe however that it should be wrapped up within the next few episodes once Mehtaab’s story has been disclosed. I can not say I will miss Mehtaab’s character immensely for although Sania Saeed has done a good job as Mehtaab, her character did not have that much of an impact. I thoroughly enjoyed Nadeem’s acting as the man stepping up to take care of Zainy and to honor his dead wife’s last wish. Agha Ali, Seher Afzal and Munib Butt have all portrayed their characters perfectly and I love the chemistry between these three especially in the graveyard scene when not a word was uttered but yet so much was said. I am curious to see how the writer intends to end this drama – whether Zainy will be forgiven when she repents and will end up with Sherry or she will carry on along the road to self destruction although I do find that unlikely since Yusuf Kamdar has so determinedly stepped in to rescue her.

Have you all enjoyed these episodes as much as I have? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Kunwal Javid

Firstly, sorry for the late review of this novel.Secondly,would try my best to cover everything which speedily happened in these episodes…

The title of the 23rd episode of Naml was “Morchaal” meaning “House of Ants” so this pin points at the very basic theme of the episode which will be more of Yusuf’s family.

Woww..just woww.. what an introductory poetry!

وہ ایک فقرہ خود کو سنانے کے لیے ڈھونڈو
پھر اس لاین کو مضبوطی سے تھام لو
اور پھر اس کی مدد سے خود کو تاریک اندھیروں سے باہر کھینچ نکالو

Nemrah Ahmed beautifully managed to portray the struggle of Haneen. Mainly it is related to Haneen but somehow everyone in this novel is deeply engulfed in darkness.

Faris is such a secret keeper, the sweet trifle between Haneen and Faris illustrated their love and harmony as a family.The episode has remarkable treasures and some mysteries were unfolded in an apt way and that’s the style of our beloved writer.

Going inside the Morchaal ..let’s get in their house and feel the fear, agony despair and hope in our Ants ?

• Saadi wants justice through court and Yusuf’s are not satisfied with thi, yet they support Saadi.Its not a piece of cake when you have Hashim as your opponent.

• Haneen if truth be told is gradually collecting her broken pieces and redeeming herself that could be effortlessly seen in conversation with Zumar. “ Aap srf shadeed halaath main roti hain, main shadeed halaath main aage ka sochti hun” thumbs up for hanna.

• The reason behind Naushervan’s attempt to kill Saadi was jealousy and the phone call with Zumar categorized this disease in three steps and definitely Naushervan was in the final stage where harming the person physically satisfies this disease.It was true wisdom.

• Colonel Khawar was back with a bang but hopefully Faris turned out to be different than a mere killer and Zumar was the one to rescue our Mamun , Welldone Zumar ??

• Spouses are one other’s mirror and how you start complimenting and appreciating the good things in your partner they will do it more for you. Another great message by giving a glimpse of the cute life of Faris and Zartaasha.

• Ha..Ha…Ha…Here comes Hashim proposing Aabi no actually ordering her to marry him ..how can such a person who destroyed many people’s life can even think of his own happiness….phew!! Good for him because he will be crushed when he would know that Aabi is head over heels in love with Faris.

The Turning Point of The Episode:

The conversation between Faris and Hashim and the hidden meanings which were unfolded afterwards were mind boggling.
At first I thought Hashim is guilty and he is ready to face the consequences of his dreadful evilest acts but No..No..No …Once a devil is always a devil..
No hope for you Hashim Kardaar and I was shocked to know what their real conversation meant when he was practicing Judo Karate on Naushervan.
Faris and Hashim they know each-other well and what their hidden agendas are! And waqayi Hashim acha aadmi nahi hai par wo azeem aadmi hai..:/

Pace

The pace of the episode was nearly perfect.It covered everything and it was a pretty fast episode with only Saadi’s track missing.

Tootay Taaray Jaisa Dil

Haaye!!! Once again a mesmerizing poetry, the Ba-zauq shayeri initially diverting our attention from Sun to the moon and then to the stars…Very deep! They have added good piece of literature.
So the title suggested that it would be Saadi’s heart but the episode depicted Faris’s heart as well and it could be Aabi and Zumar.. Mainly it was Saadi and Faris..I guess

Anyway, In this episode many new tracks were introduced as both the families are now in the verge of gathering people for their support, using each others dark secrets to cover themselves …how cunningly smart they are!
To know about the happenings and the comments about them let’s see what this episode offered..

• Tye Tye fish…for Hashim Kardaar he couldn’t find anything regarding Haneen’s blackmailing of O.S.P as a prop to use against Saadi.Somehow while reading this there was something fishy about Ahmer and that surprise blasted afterwards.

• The passport delieverd to Hashim was just a mere mystery and I thought if its not Khawar and Alicia it must be Saadi himself because he is not that masoom anymore and how could he do such a irresponsible act after planning everything out.By the end of this astonishing episode the writer tried to convince that it was Dr.Aiman.

• OMG…was the first impression I got when Faris (Mr.Sherlock Holmes) caught Aabdaar’s drama but by the end of the scene I really felt for Aabi, she is immature and is just hurting herself. It was intense.

• Saadi sneaking the house and was caught by Zumar …This lady is genuinely very wise she by her words convinced Saadi to stay home and heal himself within its beloved family….It was Cute “ kuch loug is qaabil hote hain kay unkay liye pighla jaaye”

• Faris Zumar Nok jhoank kay beghair kya maza haina? ….It was super adorable or I must say I laughed and then thought it could be renamed as Awwwing moment.. they way Zumar asked as if he had gone to pray taraweeh was hillarious and his reply “kyun meri ibadatoan ko nazar lgaati ho” and teesri biwi kay paas tha ? Sach main dau number insan…Haha
Zumar-Faris track always leaves impact whether it be intense emotional upheavals or funny and sweet tantrums.

• Haneen ….Yo girl way to heal yourself. It was good to see Faris trusted her and she regained herself. She provided the text messages to Saadi and that was the moment where Saadi was crashed, not because he just accused her of something and it didn’t turn out to be that but the most hurting thing was it was he himself being the main concern for his sister and he just couldn’t get over it.

• The first step taken by Saadi was to arrest Naushervan and using social media “Mera Naam Saadi hai” video to start paralyzing the Hashim Kardaar’s horrendous acts. It was refreshing to see Hashim being stressed out because Now the Yusuf’s are all ready.

• Haroon Obaid can stoop this low for her daughter or maybe he has some hidden benefits for himself as Zumar suspected.That nose pin was so dear to Zumar because there was an emotional connection with it.

• Surah Al Naml tafseer went on and it was so refreshing to read and know about the deeper meanings of the ayaat.No one is free, Freedom is a myth and how Zumar connected them to her life and decided that She will choose “Zumar”. Such a confident lady!

The Scene that was the turning point of this episode:

Well to everyone’s surprise it seems now that Ahmer Shafi is against Kardaar’s and is helping Yusuf’s family and the point which crossed the path of Ahmer and Khawar was their past and their families being sacrificed. How Hashim and Javahirat the two evil masterminds killed people for their own interest and blamed someone else to cover for them I mean such a corrupt family. Ahmer Shafi was a big surprise in this episode and the biggest surprise was his killing khawar.

Saadi finally said to Dr.Sarah to make a decision on the basis of the trust Saadi had on her? I think its time for Dr.Sarah to side with Yusuf’s and be brave.

Pace

This episode was also very happening and the pace is going good but this novel still has more tracks to uncover so its not going to end soon.

Overall, these episodes were captivating as the previous ones and there is not much to be criticized. The most admirable thing I found was Zumar’s behaviour she is the Queen of the ants and she is playing her part very well. Her words are just dripping with emotions, concern, and love for her family. You really enjoy everyone’s journey and Haneen is interested in interior designing …right? I assume might end up studying and finding her passion in designing.But its time now they should reach their destination and finish the game of Kardaars.

Any guesses?

Share your views about these episodes.

Asma Jamali

Ohkay so, the production of Big Bang Entertainment, the direction of Baber Mehmood & the writing of Faiza Iftikhar; App Ke Liye hit our screens tonight & I must say, it was quite a decent introductory episode of a highly anticipated drama. The first thing that grabbed my attention towards this project was the name of Faiza Iftikhar & then the pairing of Faysal Qureshi & Arij Fatima, so I am hoping that the writer & the main leads succeed in keeping our interest intact in the drama till it lasts, so let’s keep our hopes high.

The very first episode introduced us to the two families that consists of the main characters. The first family is of Shaheer (Faysal Qureshi), who lives with his sisters Nishat Apa (Sameera Peerzada) & Areesha (Ghana Ali). Looks like after the demise of their parents, Nishat along with her husband Imdaad Hussain (Waseem Abbas) shifted to Shaheer’s place because Areesha was quite young, so Nishat has been living with her siblings ever since. Shaheer lives a very robotic life & has worked hard to give his family a comfort of luxurious living. Shaheer is a man of principles & that is why, he has made it clear that the things that matter to him the most are his principles, values & rules. Nishat loves her brother & takes care of her younger sister but seems like Areesha doesn’t enjoy the restrictions that Shaheer has set for her.

The second family consists of Waheed (Saifi Hassan), his wife (Salma Hassan), their daughter Nimrah & Waheed’s sister Washma (Arij Fatima). Washma is an independent girl who is quite opinionated & has a strong personality but she is quite laid back & casual when it comes to her responsibilities. Washma is a talker more than a doer & just because she knows she is a good-talker, she thinks she can persuade her way out of her duties easily. Washma’s sister in law doesn’t hold a high opinion of her because she gets ticked off by her laid-back attitude, however, she has gotten Washma engaged to her one & only brother Asralan (Asad Siddique) 3 years ago, in a hope that she will finally be able to get a upper-hand at her husband Waheed & his sister Washma.

Washma works at Shaheer’s office as his personal secretary. Washma might have a totally different approach in her personal life but when it comes to her professional life, she takes her responsibilities seriously & that is why, she has left quite an impact on a rigid & stern businessman like Shaheer. Washma has an endearing personality & she doesn’t mind putting it to good use & when it comes to Shaheer, he is focused, driven & mature. They both have an opposite personality types but somehow, they both work well together & that is why, so far Washma hasn’t given Shaheer anything to complain about.

Things get difficult for Washma when Areesha shows up to meet Shaheer & just because Washma takes her job seriously, she doesn’t allow Areesha to proceed unaware of the fact that Areesha happens to be Shaheer’s younger sister. Imdaad tries to use the tiff between Washma & Areesha to convince her that only he could save her but Washma knows what she hasn’t done anything wrong, therefore she doesn’t care much about what Imdaad says. I liked the fact that even though Washma has a non-serious attitude in certain things, she does have an instinct to know that Imdaad tries to make advances at her & very wisely, she doesn’t let him succeed in his mission. Imdaad tries to bring Washma down by making a complain against her & sadly, Shaheer believes Imdaad’s version more than Washma’s because he assumes that she must’ve decided to go out with her fiancé despite not getting the permission to do so.

Arsalan doesn’t seem too thrilled with the idea of getting married to Washma this year as his sister suggested because he is interested in someone else. I guess just because Waheed is financing his education, Arsalan finds it hard to tell Washma the truth & may be that is why he will rely on Washma to do the talking in front of her brother & make it all about herself that she is the one who doesn’t want to get married to Arsalan, because he & his girlfriend spoke about getting a help from Washma as they know she is far more gutsy & straight forward. Even though I know that Washma will bounce back from this break-up but it seemed nice how she was at a happy place in this relation & like any other girl discussed her future plans with her fiancé, it made her character look genuine & realistic.

Shaheer is at a brink of getting divorced from his wife Abeera (Faryal Mehmood) & looks like their marriage only lasted for 3 months & after that it was Abeera who decided to call it quits & demanded divorce. Shaheer believes in punishing her by not giving her what she was demanding but after Nishat convinces him, he decides to divorce Abeera finally. Looks like Nishat has her brother wrapped around her finger & she makes the most of the fact that her brother trusts her blindly & respects her a tad bit too much, but may be Shaheer will find out that what Nishat does or says is mostly not in his best interest.

Overall, the first episode was pretty decent. All the actors did a great job especially Arij Fatima & Faysal Qureshi. When it comes to Faysal Qureshi, it is a done deal that he can pull off any sort of character but I must say, Arij Fatima took the crown in this episode. She is a natural actor & I loved how effortlessly she portrayed the character of Washma on-screen. I especially loved the cold-shoulder she extended towards the over-friendly Mr. Imdaad, it was like she could read his mind & knew exactly how to tackle him. I actually really liked how the character of Washma has been written, where at times she can be labeled as an immature girl but then she is quite smart for her own good as she can pull herself out from any trouble. As much as I am impressed with the main leads, I wish I could say that about Samina Peerzada & Ghana Ali, considering they’re also playing an important role in this drama. Honestly speaking, I actually forgot that Samina Peerzada was going to play a part in this drama so when I saw her on the title cover, I was actually excited to see what she’ll have to offer, only to find out that her character & the treatment that it got was quite OTT, OTT to an extent where she didn’t seem realistic & being an actor with such an experience, I wish she had toned down the overall personality of Nishat’s character a couple of notches because seriously, curls & diamonds, silver silk dress with black smokey eye & all that jazz on a breakfast table didn’t really sit well with me & most certainly didn’t make her character look realistic, also may I add that her dialogue delivery seemed a little too fake too. Ghana Ali was good in bits & bobs, like she picked up the right attitude of a spoiled young sister but at times even she took it a bit too far. I hope as the episodes progress, these two actresses regress in terms of acting & styling because that would look realistic. Salma Hassan was good but she didn’t offer anything new because as far as I remember, these are the only kind of roles that I have seen her play since I can’t even remember. Anyways, I am glad that the protagonists, their characters & their acting is enough of a motivation for me to tune to this play next week. Please share your thoughts about the very first episode of App Ke Liye. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.