Haye, so where do I start? Last week, a reader commented on how much misery there is in this drama, how one tragic event after the other occurs and while I did not deny the fact, I still thought Bhai was working for me. But these four episodes left me feeling almost physically sick with the depths of misery and despair being portrayed here!

Hammad’s death, in my opinion should have been the pinnacle of tragic events. It was shocking enough, the death itself and the way it came about. Ashraf too was shocked out of his madness and that should have been enough. But, no. I gaped at the introduction of this Shibli character (Shafqat Cheema). What in the world is Shafqat Cheema doing here? And then it clicked what had been niggling me all along – Bhai should have been a film, a movie – not a drama serial. When I saw him in his banyan dragging I -don’t- know- what heavy stuff along I thought Mamma Mia! Now what! I have never watched any of his films, ever! And after seeing him in Bhai and the ugliness of his role – I am glad.

So, it seems Shibli has a bone to pick with Ashraf. Shibli used to work for Ashraf’s father and when he fell ill, Shibli tried to take over his business and assets. He is however bullied into stepping back by Ashraf who was also redeemed in his father’s eyes and how he became in charge of the family business. Shibli finds with Ashraf locked up, this is the perfect opportunity to settle the score with him.

The whole Ifrah-Shibli scene was so awful and distasteful I could barely make my listen to whatever he was saying to her as I moved my earphones away. I could barely bring myself to watch it – let alone listen to the screams and what they were yelling about. Was it really necessary for Ifrah to be shown to go through all that? When he kicked her, I really felt physically sick. So Ifrah has lost the baby now too and Shibli has run away and can not be found anywhere.

Hammad’s death has left me confused now. The constant ‘ Ashraf nay dhakka nahin diya’ and ‘Hammad ka paoon phisla tha’ has left me confused too. Were the two not linked together? Ashraf did not push with the intent to push down the roof but well he did push, did he not? And the push did throw Hammad off balance so yes he slipped but are the two not linked together – without laying the blame on Ashraf or Hammad. Anyways, seems like Professor Sb was as confused as I am and dropped charges against Ashraf and he is released from jail.

Writer nay tau Professor Sb ko bhi nahin chora. Ifrah and her mother are truly truly alone in the world and in danger as Shibli is still on the loose. Bas, to establish this the writer threw in the awful Shibli character and scene and wrote off Professor Sb. I get Ifrah’s grief and also how people react in grief and I was relating to it but her confrontation with Ashraf seemed so bizarre the way Maha Warsi was shrieking. Grief makes you do crazy things but Ifrah is an educated girl – seeing her yelling ‘tu’ and shrieking hoarsely and then when she pushes Ashraf it seemed like she was going to collapse in his arms when he was holding her hands and I thought what the hell?!

I do not know what to make of Ashraf’s feelings for Ifrah. Even in jail he was recalling the moments when he first met her. I can not blame him for his feelings for if I am being fair he did fall in love with Ifrah before Hammad came in on the scene. So it is not as if he developed feelings for his ‘bhabhi’ – rather his lady lurrrve ended up being his bhabhi. But after Hammad’s death, hhis concern for Ifrah is not in the light of a bhabhi. He acknowledges her grief and how wronged she feels, he mourns the death of Hammad but his feelings and concern for Ifrah are purely his own.

Ashraf’s mother has channeled her grief into hatred towards Ifrah. Well, maybe not hatred but she believes Ifrah has cursed the family and has only brought misery ever since she came into their lives. However, I find this change came about after Ifrah loses her baby. I could totally relate to her relief over having Ashraf back home and Ashraf has returned a subdued Ashraf making it even easier for his mother to reach out to him and take care of her first born who she almost lost too. His parents seem to believe Ashraf is not responsible at all for his brother’s death whereas his sisters feel differently. His mother’s behaviour while sad, is not new. Now that the final link with Ifrah has also been taken away, she wants nothing to do with her.

So really what is left now? Ashraf trying to win over everyone’s hearts. Although to be honest, he has shown no concern for his sisters since his return. His only concern is Ifrah and finding Shibli. Does he really intend to kill Shibli when he can lay his hands on him? How would that help? He would end up in jail again – but hey, he would have avenged Ifrah’s ‘honor’. Uff – I hope this is not the way this drama is progressing now.

While I could relate to Ifrah’s grief earlier but Maha Warsi’s constant screaming and wailing is beginning to give me anxiety now. Thankfully there was very little of Saboor Ali in these few episodes. I actually missed Noman Ijaz in the earlier two episodes and it only reinforced my belief that this drama’s saving grace really is Noman Ijaz. The subtle changes in his character and how the harshness has slipped from his personality for now is totally believable.

Suspense, murder, mystery, thrillers – I have no lain dain with them. I prefer light, easy on the mind and romantic stuff. Bhai is getting so dark now. The twists and turns were still watchable because the pace was fast and I felt adventurous watching something different but I felt like I literally had to shrug off all this misery from myself after I watched these episodes! I wish the director and writer had turned this into a movie instead of a drama – God knows it has all the masala with gundda bhai, beatings and shouting in the family, brothers falling for one woman and then one brother dying because of the woman and then uggh, Shafqat Cheema!!!! I hope this drama gets wrapped up in a few more episodes now and please I will not and can not digest an Ifrah-Ashraf union. I hope it does not happen. My apologies, Ashraf!

On a lighter note – what’s with these baby named gunndas in our dramas?! There’s Dabbu in Mera Yaar Miladay and then when you hear the name Shibli you think this:

But you get to see this:

Not nice!

Is anyone still watching this drama? Please share your thoughts!

Kunwal Javid

I think I might be on to something here. Seriously. A career in psychiatry. If the psychiatrists and diagnoses in our dramas are anything to go by – I think I may do a better job than most of the ‘top’ psychiatrists in the city! Unsunni, Sangat, Kisay Chahoon and now Tum Yaad Aye. Zainy is getting therapy done and apparently she is depressed! Depressed, ha! Spoilt and ‘na shukri’ as Mamoo correctly puts it is what she is! Ab apni diagnosis ka bill kis ko bhaijoon?!

Anyways, my career can wait a while. Back to Zainy & Co. Mehtaab shaken by Zainy’s suicide attempt vows to give Zainy whatever she wants – in this case, Ahmer. She goes to her old house and speaks to Tayyi who very clearly tells her that she and Ahmer have no such intentions of taking Zainy into their fold. Poor Mehtaab, it was clearly very difficult for her to go back to that house and additionally to ask for the rishta of her own daughter but she felt she needed to do that for Zainy’s sake. However, she does not share with Zainy what really transpired at Ahmer’s house. I thought we may finally learn Mehtaab’s ‘story’ but all we get to know is that the house in which Ahmer lives is really Zainy’s biological father’s house.

Zainy seems to think all is well with her and Ahmer but is given a rude awakening when she sees him and Beena on tv. Her screaming on the phone was cringe worthy but I am fast learning it was definitely in line with her character. Okay, I may understand feeling cheated in love and upset but why lash out at her mother now? Especially since they have given in and given their blessings for this match, grudgingly but given nonetheless. Ab Ahmer is a fellow brat like Zainy then how are Mehtaab, abba and Sherry to blame?!

Sherry’s comment to Zainy about her being like a bander hanging out the car window made me laugh. That scene was very odd I thought and I noticed the same again when Zainy is coming back from her phuppo’s house. The impression is given of a moving car but it seems more like a boat sailing and the background playing separately especially as there was that moment when Sherry was driving and a lorry was coming at him from the window and he swerved the wheel directly in the direction of the lorry which would definitely have resulted in a crash! No, I do not normally notice such minute details but the whole effect was so poor that having established Zainy as a bander hanging out the window my attention was then diverted to the background instead and that was when I noticed the lorry.

Now that Zainy knows what Ahmer really is, he can not care less and does not put up any show. Zainy is wallowing away in self pity, correction depression and I wondered at the whole typing scenario Abba put Zainy up to. However, when he catches her trying to pop pills again I really liked his conversation with her. I liked how he explained to her that things happen in life and he felt he has raised her to be a strong individual. Now that is a separate debate whether he really had raised her that way for he and Sherry had pampered her a lot and kept her quite hidden from the outside world. That does not clear Zainy of the blame of being immature and ungrateful though. I do not get this constant ‘why is everyone so bad to me’ whine. She even said it to Abba in that conversation. He tries to make her see there is more to life than letting one event drown you and encourages her to focus her thoughts and energy elsewhere and she takes on running and sports.

Which lands her at Ahmer’s house with that racket. That whole scene was a little overly dramatic but I still thought alright at least she has perked up and will hopefully begin to rid herself of Ahmer and any feelings she has for him. Alas. Zainy walks out triumphant with the house documents (which we later learn Mehtaab returns – what a fuss over nothing!). When Ahmer runs after her and she spits out how she hates him I thought how unconvincing she sounded but I suppose that is what we were meant to feel for even Ahmer says to her that he can still see she loves him.

So Zainy knows Sherry loves her. And brat that she is, she made a spectacle of him by using him to make Ahmer jealous. How does this girl’s mind work? I thought after the eye opening conversation with Abba and the racket scene she was ready to move ahead. But she has sunk to ‘I will show him I can get married first’ and dragging Sherry into the whole mess. I like how Sherry tells her off and puts her in her place at times but maybe they all need a much more firm hand with her. Pyar, reasoning, everything seems to fail with this girl! I really felt for her parents and Sherry because they really are trying to help her out in every way they can but to no avail. I even gasped when Mehtaab grabbed her arm and glared at her when she discovered the pills. Behind the ‘aap baitay’ , seems like even Mehtaab is beginning to lose patience now.

Zainy agrees to get married but on the condition that is engaged next week. It is quite obvious that she wants the engagement so that Ahmer can know she is engaged. Is she thinking that will make him want to come back to her? Phuppo and Mina apparently are not evil as I thought they may be. They were however aware of Ahmer’s nature and Beena’s existence and although Mina did warn Ahmer to stay away from Zainy, how much could they really do?

Next week’s preview shows Ahmer back in Zainy’s life. Is it just me or does anyone else think that he may try to get close to Zainy to get back at her for that racket she smacked on his face – or have I been watching too many dramas? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Kunwal Javid

Well, well, well. All’s well that ends well. Ameer ko mil gayee Mehru and Hamza ko mil gayee Mareena – no, let me rephrase that. Mareena ko mil gaya Hamza. The past few episodes had me wanting to see this drama end and not be dragged out unnecessarily so I was relieved to learn the last episode would air on Thursday. Armed with that knowledge though when I sat to watch both episodes, I was reminded why I liked this drama in the first place and except for a few yawn Mareena-Dad-Hamza moments I did quite like the last episode.

Can I also please take credit for having guessed that Maryam was putting on an act? Up until these episodes I really liked Maryam’s character and she seemed so sensible so this sudden desire to marry Ameer knowing he loved Mehru was really odd and awkward. However, her expressions at times suggested she really was happy to marry Ameer so I was slightly confused. Slightly.

Mehru’s pained expressions, tears hovering at the brink of her eyes all made it quite obvious how she was feeling. But then her mother rightly said when her phuppo pointed out that Mehru looked worried keh agar woh pareshan hoti tau yeh naubat he na aati. Even though it was obvious she wants to be with Ameer I do wish we were shown a scene where she realizes that she can not ‘live’ without him as she says to him in the final scene. I know there were thoughts running through her mind when she signed the divorce papers but I don’t know, I wanted a bit more.

Mareena. She finally goes to see a psychiatrist who starts dishing out advice to her and I sat listening with an open albeit wary mind and thought okay not bad when he says to her that she should learn to control her anger. And then he throws in the trump card – have a baby! Professional psychiatrist hain yeh ya phir koi saas?! I am not sure what our drama writers think psychiatrists really are and what research goes into their ‘diagnoses’ and conversations when these dramas are penned. The psychiatrists in a few recent dramas such as Sangat, Unsunni and now this one failed to impress me.

Anyways, Mareena finally admits defeat but not before a final confrontation with Mehru. The scene between Mehru and Mareena was so awkward – poor Mareena truly did look psychotic. Meow! Mehru manages to convince Hamza that Mareena really does love him and he ‘forgives’ Mareena although I snorted out loud when he says to her please do not change the way you love me and aisay he pyar karti rehna. I thought okay, bring out the guns. Literally!

Hamza’s return to Mareena seemed much less believable than Mehru and Ameer’s reunion. But nothing really makes sense about Hamza and Mareena so I suppose this was a fitting end to their story. Finit. The look of incredulity on Ameer’s face was spot on when Mehru asks him not to leave her but Soniya Hussain’s brimming eyes and on the edge asthma were very distracting. I felt her scene was overly intense to the point that it did not seem genuine and although their scene together was sweet it did not have as much an impact on me as I thought it would. Or maybe I am being over critical.

I did find one thing a bit odd. Hamza and Mehru both do not declare they are in love with their spouses. Fair enough, Hamza was hell bent on marrying Mehru till the last minute. And Mehru does say she does not know how to live without Ameer anymore. But Hamza says to Mareena that he needs her to keep loving him the way she does and Mehru also says to Ameer that I do not know where I would ever find anyone who can love me as much as you do. Ameer and Mareena’s love seemed to draw both Hamza and Mehru back to their respective spouses – I suppose it would take time for them to fall in love themselves too.

Ali Abbas has been the star of this drama. Kisay Chahoon itself was a very ordinary story but it made for a pleasant watch especially the first 10 episodes or so with Ameer’s comic moments. But when Ameer became a heartbroken bechara, the drama began to lose its charm which is why I am glad that it was not dragged out further and ended leaving me with the feeling that it was a decent drama. Iqra Aziz and Noor Hasan seem to be paired in a lot of dramas and frankly I do not want to watch any other drama which has these two in it. Soniya Hussain is a good actress but like I have mentioned before – her crying puts me off. Firdous Jamal and Pari Hashmi fit really well into their roles too.

This is the first drama I have been reviewing from the first episode to the last yayy. I would like to thank all the readers who took time out to comment and appreciate my reviews and shared their thoughts here. One thing is for sure – I will definitely not miss Ameer’s white kurta (how many did he have anyway?!) nor Mareena’s white clogs (I think it was the same pair throughout!!).

How many of you liked how the drama ended? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

P.S. Any ideas which drama is replacing this one?

Each of the previous four episodes had me wiping tears and sighing. Now whether I am getting senti in my old age (ooops, did I say old?!) or whether this drama really does tug at your heartstrings – I think I would opt for the latter. And not because I do not want to be called ‘old’. Haha. I was on the fence about this drama initially. It was interesting but just about. Cast good, production values good, OST great – but it did not lure you in. Yet out of curiousity to learn Hassan’s secret and how the characters were in turn related made me watch – until the 9th episode. Then, pure interest took over.

Gaiti’s (Saima) death totally took me by surprise. I had sort of written off the serial to be about the relation between the two widows and their children hence Gaiti’s death and therefore disappearance from the drama was surprising. Mehr has always been shown to be a compassionate woman. After her initial outrage over learning of Hassan’s other wife, her anger begins to dissipate as she uncovers the actual facts that led to the marriage and the nature of the marriage itself. She sees Gaiti and her children are not the gold diggers she may have at one moment imagined them to be or as Haider believes them to be. When Junaid informs her of Gaiti’s death, she does not waste a minute and flies to Lahore to meet Zaryan and Zaina.

Zaryan is awed to meet Mehr but Zaina has always been bitter about Hassan and his other family and wants nothing to do with Mehr. Mehr feels Zaryan and Zaina are the victims in all this and should be given their rightful inheritance which Hasan left them. Also, she feels upset that Gaiti had reached out to her before her death for her childrens’ sake. She wants to help them but Zaryan politely refuses any offers of help and manages to get a job which does not pay well and eventually loses both job and the rented house they lived in.

Zaina has grown closer to Hamza and he proposes to her which she accepts. Hamza has told Haider about his lady lurrrve but he has not seen or met her yet. Haider, Alia and the crickets are up to no good as usual. Haider’s character while selfish is not uncommon where he feels he and Hamza are the only rightful heirs to his father’s wealth. At the times he expresses to Alia he may have been a bit rude to his mother etc, she makes sure to erase any nigglings of doubt in his mind. Sigh. In the latest episode, Hamza who had been kept in the dark about his father’s second marriage also learns the truth and his stance and thoughts are the same as Haider’s until Minahil speaks to him and makes him see everything from Mehr’s point of view.

Not an extraordinary story? Doesn’t have you jumping to catch up on the episodes or decide to watch it next week? I agree. While the story is still different because it focuses on a woman’s quest to do right by her husband’s ‘children’ or ‘responsibilities’ it is the way the whole situation has been dealt with and Samina Peerzada and Imran Aslam’s acting above everyone else’s that makes this drama so interesting. The two wives, saas-bahu plots, two brothers’ ka one love – have all been done to death and this drama throws in its two cents’ worth of the evil bahu and interfering in laws etc too but it offers so much more.

I have never been in awe of an actress as much as I am of Samina Peerzada. She was always an amazing actress but for me she stood out in Durr e Shewar probably because that was around the time I started watching dramas on a more regular basis. But here, I liked her in the initial episodes because it was so nice to see her as a graceful, compassionate woman and then how she reaches out to Zaryan and Zaina after Gaiti’s death. One may wonder does this really happen in real life? Does a woman really care about the children her dead husband chose to take under his protection? But when you look at the whole situation from Mehr’s point of view you see how she has a big heart and accepts that Hassan although was wrong to hide this from her, he did it with good intentions and scrap that, these children are guilty of absolutely nothing. They did not feed off Hassan’s wealth except to meet their needs and education and now with their mother gone and no financial assistance anymore they are truly alone in the world.

 
Zaryan and Mehr’s conversations were so heartfelt. I really like Zaryan’s character and I love how Imran Aslam has portrayed it. He has just the right amount of pride, gracious to accept Mehr wants to help but wanting to be self sufficient. Yet when the landlord throws them out, I was relieved when he left with Mehr and did not say something silly like ‘we will manage’ when clearly they could not! Zaina comes across as bit of a brat with Mehr but I like how Zaryan chides her each time and we realize that she is like this because she is bitter for she felt Hassan was her father although an absent father and well as long as she does not become an ultra brat or malicious – I can digest her character for now.

Samina Peerzada’s expressions, her mothering instinct, how she would touch Zaryan’s hand or arm and treat him like he were really her own son were so natural and so spot on, I can not praise her enough. It is safe to say that Samina Peerzada and Imran Aslam are the stars of this show and had someone else tried to portray their characters I doubt they would have done justice the way these two have and neither would have Judai seem so interesting to me to watch. Faryal Mahmood as Minahil is surprisingly not annoying in this drama which is such a relief. I am quite fed up with Affan Waheed’s quivering voice in his emotional scenes and although Neelum Munir’s scenes with Imran Aslam are at times touching, she and Affan Waheed together almost put me to sleep. Even the seemingly romantic moment when Hamza proposes to Zaina did not have any impact on me. Thankfully the focus of this drama is not their story nor Haider and his wife rather of Mehr and how she tries to do right by Zaryan and Zaina while at the same time risking being criticized and facing opposition from her own sons.

I hope I am not meant to regret my words later as the drama progresses but at this moment I feel Judai is one of the underrated dramas on air. If the drama continues the pace at which it is now and does not drag out any unnecessary tracks, I am definitely interested to see what happens when Zaryan and Zaina come to Karachi with Mehr – if they do, that is. Haider hates the thought of them and I do not expect him to welcome them with open arms but how will Zaryan’s pride take Haider and Alia’s insults and jibes? How will Mehr manage to do right by all four of them.

Has anyone else been watching Judai and find it as good as I do especially after Gaiti’s death? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

For all Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s crooning kissi daaaaaaa yaar na bichrayyyyyyy through 25 episodes was worth – I am not sure whether kissi da yaar actually did bichar in the end! Who was really who’s yaar and did one particular yaar actually survive in the end? Produced by Six Sigma Plus, directed by Ovais Khan and written by Sanam Mehdi, Guzarish aired it’s last episode on ARY Digital last night. I have been following the drama from the start and if I felt at any point that the drama was dragging – I can not seem to recall that feeling now. A story with nothing extraordinary to offer yet somehow different, Guzarish made a pleasant watch due to the natural acting of its cast, decent storyline and direction.

Guzarish is the story of two young people, Zain (Ahmed Ali) and Zara (Yumna Zaidi) who are in love and engaged to be married. Zain’s older brother Jaffar (Ali Khan) is also engaged to be married to Zara’s sister Sara (Sara Ashraf), although theirs is an arranged match. The girls live with their father Aalam (Javed Sheikh) and although their widowed Phuppo (Saba Hameed) lives separately, she and her son Saad (Affan Waheed) are often at Aalam’s house. Phuppo apparently was never fond of her bhabhi and neither is she particularly fond of her nieces. Saad is in love with Zara but accepts she and Zain are in love and meant to be together and his mother is very adamant too that her son must never marry either of her nieces.

Anyhow, a misunderstanding on the night of the nikkah causes Jaffar to break the engagement with Sara and despite Zara’s pleas to not create a scene nor cause problems in her relationship with Zain, he makes a huge fuss and makes his mother and Zain leave without having any ceremony done. Aalam is outraged too over Jaffar’s insults. Zain’s mother (Saba Faisal) has an accident and while she is in the hospital hovering between life and death, Zara tries to reach out to Zain. Upon Aalam’s insistence (read hukkum) and with Zain unresponsive due to worry over his mother’s condition and Jaffar’s unmoving stance, Zara is married to Saad, much to Phuppo’s despair.

What follows, is disappointingly a typical evil saas all out to make sure her son turns against the bahu and has her thrown out of the house. Despite Saad’s love for Zara, but with Zain’s constant presence somehow or the other in their lives, Saad succumbs to jealousy and suspicions and turns on Zara who finally has had enough and walks out of the house. She collapses and ends up at the hospital where Jaffar sees her and takes her home and Saad believing that Zara has gone back to Zain, wants nothing to do with her. All seems to have worked out how Phuppo envisioned except that Saad is then diagnosed with a brain tumor and by now he has learnt how his mother has played him and seems like the brain tumor has truly affected his brain because he feels the most fitting punishment for his mother would be to deprive her of the one person she loves the most – him. He refuses all treatment and shuts her out and Phuppo realizing how wrong she had been seeks out Zara for forgiveness and to bring her back to convince Saad to fight for his life.

A few other tracks play simultaneously in the drama and add to the story. However, thankfully their tracks did not take the focus away from the main leads which was a relief. Hina (Maha Warsi) is Zain’s khala ki beti and comes to Karachi for Zain’s wedding. She and her mother stay on when Zain’s mother is ill and then she begins to develop feelings for Zain which she openly expresses to him. I am often quite curious about this kind of love where you know the person you love madly loves another yet you claim your love is so deep you feel fulfilled just to know you can be with that person. Anyways, Hina and Zain are engaged and then not engaged and then umm, I lost track.

Jaffar apparently has been in love with a woman abroad for many years who falls for the charms of a younger man, Khurram. Khurram marries her as she is rich and he has financial troubles back home but he does not love her. Khurram however hides this part of his life and marries Sara. Khurram and Sabina have a son who ends up with Jaffar who has made it his purpose in life to protect this child.

What appealed to me the most about this drama was the refreshingly normal attitude of Zara. She was in love with Zain, true. But once she was married to Saad, she accepted the turn her life had taken and made an effort to make her marriage work. Normally the girl in this kind of situation in our dramas becomes a robotic person who erupts from time to time at the understanding new miyan, declaring her love for her old flame. Or, when the understanding miyan vows to deliver her to the love of her life, she realizes her understanding miyan was her true love. Yawwwwn! And Gaggg! I liked Zara’s positive attitude, how she did not whimper and weep over each of Phuppo’s insults and tried to bond with Saad. Also, in the scene when she leaves the house I liked how it did not become a meri baat tau sunain and at one point Zara took control and walked out herself. The fact that she collapses right after is a separate story uggh!

Zain however finds it harder to give up on Zara and I found myself relating to his character and his confusion too. He made a few silly decisions especially jumping into Zara’s life time and again when she made it clear that would only ruin things but given how he was in love with her I could see how he was not ready to give up even though she was married now. However, his immature actions did only end up making life difficult for Zara.

I rarely watch a drama which has Yumna Zaidi in the cast. Something about the way she talks and acts just does not sit well with me. But I will admit she has performed really well in this play. I felt for Zara. However her dialogues at times were a bit too preachy and made me cringe but overall I could not fault her acting. Ali Ahmed, Affan Waheed and Maha Warsi fit their roles perfectly but did not stand out. My favorite however had to be phuppo. Saba Hameed is an actress who fits into her characters so well you believe you are watching the character and not Saba Hameed. Her skeptical and scornful expressions and then her desperation as a mother were so spot on. When she reaches out to Zara I did not find it unreal or artificial and could totally relate to her personality change.

I also liked how although the ending is a happy one (I think), it took a few episodes to come to the point rather than dragging out the drama and then doing an about turn and turning everyone’s lives and personalities upside down within the last 40 minutes and lo and behold, all is well again. The viewers were kept wondering till the very last episode though who Zara will end up with eventually – Saad or Zain. Although not a masterpiece, Guzarish was a decent watch for me.

How many of you were watching Guzarish and rooting for Zara-Zain or Zara-Saad? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

Well…It’s a simple drama but yes it’s a big time” Drama” and maybe stretched far beyond our expectations. It is not loaded with big stars and is airing every Monday to Friday. I watch this drama and there are two reasons. First one “ I have free time and its a lot of free time…haha and second one is that it is interesting”. It started with celebration and the decoration was a typical pakistani shaadiyoan waala ghar I loved it. I just adored the friendship of Haya and Rijaa they were so sweet.

Obviously from the name of the drama it is obvious that the main lead “Haya” is the centre of this play…Uptill now Haya is shown as a brave girl who has the nerve to take a stand for herself as well as for her Best friend ‘ Rijaa’ a weirdo name though. Their bonding is so sweet and the character of Haya is quite loving and Samjhadaar beti wala… But I have to say that the girl playing the role of Haya her acting is not very impressive and sometimes it’s just hard to listen to her.. The way she pushed Shaan was a little off-board and was not needed but Yeah they want drama so they depicted Haya as an arrogant lady. Haya is a responsible daughter of the house and I liked the way she takes care of everyone but at times she seems quite overconfident but she is so caring too.

Babar Babar Babar…..I can imagine Mr. Gogo saying to Rijaa “ Ye babar babar kya hai ye babar babar”!!! hahah..Rijaa is shown as a desperate and Ishq ki maari lurki who has nothing to do in her life. She is miserable and is highly obsessed with Babar. Rijaa is sweet , kind hearted and loving friend but she is truly an ehmaq lurki who falls for a man who is a complete flirt and commits suicide on stupid advice of Mizna it was indirect actually but Mizna did give the idea of fake suicide. Rijaa disagrees and says to Haya “ Mera usse rooh ka taaluq hai” . I mean Acha par wo tou kch samajhta hi nahi tmhe…where is the respect? She couldn’t see Babar was actually using her to reach Haya and insulted her whenever he got a chance.I hate Babar, but there is something more to his character.

Babar has grown up in an elite family honestly, his family background was a bit boring but the main thing is that he has a mother and a dadi and they both are teaching Babar in their own way. Dadi has ill feelings towards Babar’s mother (Fazila Qazi) who runs an NGO and arranges marriages for the poor and needy but as she was not her choice so she still has not accepted her as her Bahu. I wonder dadi was right when she said “ Sab ki shaadiyaan karwarhi hai par apne betay ki parwah nahi” I mean Yeah dadi was right and she had my vote!! Why Babar is bigra hua lies in the negligence of his mother. Her mother’s priority was her career and she neglected his only son…Sigh!!!!!

Miznaaa …haaye this lady is insecure and arrogant from the very beginning of the utran dupatta issue uptill now not trusting her husband. She has been always jealous of someone and I believe if there won’t be anyone left she will still find something to be jealous of. Mizna could be only controlled by Arish’s elder brother Waarid because Arish has no personality whatsoever!! He just can’t say anything to Mizna because he knows she won’t listen. I don’t know how many times I have to see him explaining himself “ Mizna ghalat mat samjho … aosa kch nahi hai” Mizna is Ameer Maa Baap ki ikloati laadli aulaad in this case srf Baap ki and Behroze Sabzwaari has done a commendable job in portraying a very arrogant, stubborn and loving father but he has a big ego and wants her daughter to be treated like a Royal Queen as Haya’s parents are not very rich. Apna roab daalnay kay chakkar main beti ko mazeed bigar daingain. Her Mother is sensible and knows how to treat her daughter and she wisely advices her to take care of her sasural.

Anwari Appa….uff tauba aag lgana tou koi insay seekhay ….She is hard to digest but I enjoy the expression of Mizna’s Mother whenever Anwari Appa initiates her Aag ka business she seems to yell at her by saying please stop and don’t utter a single word !!!!

Layina bhabhi and Shaan’s track was introduced just to show that Haya is confident and mature enough to take her decisions but her character went downhill when they showed how Haya pushed Shaan and he got hurt. I think it was not needed.
Layina bhabhi is too simple that she was influenced by the negativity of Mizna bhabhi and developed ill feelings for Haya… All this part where she leaves for Maika and comes back and sazishi baatain of Mizna was so typical.

Recently, the end of the latest episode was interesting and I am waiting to see what will happen to Haya? The thappar was well deserved.Will Babar forcefully marry Haya instead …. Shocking …Ehhhhh …Maybe!!!

Share your views if you watch this play.

Asma Jamali

Ohkay so, it seems that they are going to take things slow & will expose the important aspects about all the characters gradually. I think we all should get used to the comparatively slow pace but I definitely don’t mind that as there’s so much more to explore & find out that it is unfolding like a puzzle that will be solved as the story will progress.

Banki has pledged her loyalty to Meher Bano, that is why she is ready to do everything that Meher Bano demands & orders. Meher Bano is definitely not ready to give up on Kabeer (Zahid Ahmed) just yet & she is hopeful that he will return & might as well rescue her from this hell hole. Meher Bano can not bring herself to a stage where she will become a wife of Asif Jahan & for that, she doesn’t even mind sacrificing Banki’s pride. Banki knows that there’s nothing that she will say will make Meher Bano give up on what she has decided for herself, therefore, the only option that she is left with is going by what Meher Bano is suggesting. I am sure when the time will arise, Meher Bano will never back Banki as much as Banki will back her because Meher Bano is quite manipulative & she will definitely make sure that she doesn’t fall in an awkward position at all & if that happens, she won’t even think for a second before putting all the blame on Banki easily.

So, Farrukh Zaad alias Wazeer Begum is the first cousin & first wife of Asif Jahan & she is a mother of Asif’s Jahan’s son & the heir of his throne Taimur as well. Farrukh Zaad seamlessly brought Asif Jahan to her & made him feel guilty for ignoring her. Farrukh Zaad definitely knows how to play with Asif Jahan’s Achilles heel, also, she knows that she is not like other wives of Asif Jahan who might be dependent on him. Farrukh Zaad owns half of what falls under the ownership of Asif Jahan & that is why she is well aware of the power she holds. The subtle threat that she threw at Asif Jahan explained that she is one of those who do not like to be defeated & will never settle for anything less than a victory. Farrukh Zaad couldn’t tolerate the idea of Asif Jahan spending some time with Meher Bano & more than that, she had a score to settle with Badshah Begum, that is why she played her cards well & succeeded effortlessly in her mission.

Badshah Begum really thought that she had everything under control & Asif Jahan abided by her orders but she was disappointed to find out that nothing went according to her plan & Farrukh Zaad earned a point this time around. Badshah Begum is well aware of the deception Farrukh Zaad is capable of, therefore she was disappointed in Asif Jahan that he couldn’t comprehend his wife’s intentions properly.

I must say I am not sure if Shola Jaan & Dilbar’s scenes are added to evoke a comic relief because I felt there was a little too much coverage given to them than required. Also, both of them look more like caricatures that is why it is hard to take them seriously thinking they have a substantial role to play in the future because till now they are only seen gossiping about the events taking place in Mor Mahal. Shahista is true to her position & Farrukh Zaad definitely has earned herself a very loyal servant who is ears to all her problems & is a wall confining all her secrets. Not sure if Shahista does it out of her duty or she is loyal because she actually feels for Farrukh Zaad. I think out of all the servants, her character has stood out the most & I am looking forward to the contribution she’ll make to the story. It was interesting that before anyone else, Akhtari could see that Badshah Begum’s wish wasn’t materialized by Asif Jahan & she was defeated by Wazeer Begum this time around. Looks like Asif Jahan will be out of Mor Mahal for a while once again & he won’t be aware of the things that will transpire behind his back in his palace.

Overall, this episode was slow paced but was definitely interesting. However, I must say that there was a lot of focus & a lot of conversations dedicated to ‘shab-e-uroosi’ as if the only motive of Asif Jahan’s being was that. I really hope that Badshah Begum is faced with some other challenges that her focus (read fixation) from Asif Jahan’s ‘shab-e-uroosi’ is deviated. I really think that more than anyone else, Jana Malik has really stood out & has done justice to her character. Even though she is playing a supporting character & I really can’t explain what makes me say that about her character but she really has done an amazing job. Umair Jaswal was convincing as Asif Jahan once again & I am glad that in such a women-centric drama, they hired such a strong male to play the lead role as his presence is definitely not going to get overshadowed by so many females around him. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Mor Mahal.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.