We have had some talented and some not so talented actors making their debut this year. A few of them grabbed the spotlight immediately. while others have a long way to go. Let’s have a look at the newcomers of our drama industry in the year 2014. Adnan Malik: Being a producer and director already, Adnan made his debut with Sadqay Tumharay on Hum TV. The phrase “aate hi chha gaye” would be suitable for him, since Khalil (his character in the play) became a household name and Adnan was praised not only for his chocolaty hero looks but for his acting skills too. We are expecting some quality projects from him in the future. Gohar Rasheed: Gohar had bagged a few nominations for his work in the feature film Lamha (Seedlings), when he stepped into the drama industry with Shikwa. He is a part of recent dramas, namely Digest Writer, Khuda Na Karay and Goya. Gohar has nailed all the roles and hopefully, will do the same in future. He knows how to give the right expressions and make the audience praise him and he has selected different roles to do that.
The different characters peformed by him
Maryam Ansari: Maryam hails from Karachi. She worked as RJ and a model. She was part of Chaadar on Urdu-1 (2013), but her role in Shanakht on Hum TV, was more recognizable as the start of her career in the drama industry. After Shanakht, two more of her dramas, Susral Mera and Agar Tum Na Hotay aired on Hum TV. As an actress, Maryam has yet to impress. She needs to work on her dialogue delivery. Aleezay Tahir: Aleezay Tahir is another Karachiite who made her debut with Shikwa. She has a cute and pretty face but she really needs to work on her dialogue delivery and expressions. Aleezay Rasool: Aleezay Rasool worked as a model and in a few commercials before the start of her career as an actor in Bikhra Mera Naseeb on Geo TV. Presently, both BMN and her second drama Sultanat-e-Dil are being telecast on Geo Entertainment. Aleezay Rasool gives the right expressions but needs to work on the dialogues. Some of her clicks as Ujala in BMN: Zarnish Khan: Zarnish started her career with Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi on Hum TV. Her second drama, Susral Mera, aired on the same channel while her third drama, Khuda Na Karay, is airing on ARY Digital. Zarnish has a cute face but needs to improve her dialogue delivery to suit different situations. Zahid Ahmed: Making his debut with Mehram on Hum TV, the good looking Zahid Ahmed has not impressed much with his acting. While he speaks confidently and knows what expressions to give, he needs to choose better roles which give him an opportunity to show his talent. Janita Zafar: She has performed side roles in the past, but her recognizable debut would be Ishq Mein on Express Entertainment. Janita is a pretty face but a good actress as well. She gives suitable expressions and speaks confidently. Some of her clicks as Samra in Ishq Mein:Iqra Aziz: You must have seen her in the really long Hilal Kake ad, alongside Na Maloom Afraad famed Mohsin Abbas Haider. Iqra is a talented young actress who also made her debut with Kisay Apna Kahein and then starred in Ishq Mein on Express Entertainment. She could improve her way of speaking a bit, since she gets a bit loud at times, but other than that, her acting is good. Sundas Khan: Sundas started her career with Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi. She did not make much of an impression with her acting skills and needs to work on them. Hina Altaf: Hina is a VJ, and a good one at that, but not a good actor, for her work in ARY Digital’s Maryam Kese Jiye was nothing out of the ordinary. She needs to improve her acting skills for her next project. Feroze Khan: Feroze Khan stepped into the showbiz industry with Bikhra Mera Naseeb. His second drama is Chup Raho on ARY Digital. Feroze Khan is a good actor and his strength lies in intense scenes. So which one of these actors impressed you? Whom do you want to see again? Do tell us in the comments below. Areeba Mohsen
Oh my! It was such a slow episode that I struggled to keep my eyes open till the end. There was some progress in the story in this episode but things have been so slow that it’s getting hard to keep my interest intact in this drama.
I did like the confrontation between Jamshed & Bhatti. That was one powerful scene of this episode. After they had a spat, Jamshed tried to imply that he has not gotten involved with Michelle because he wants to get a green card & even if that’s true, it makes me wonder why Jamshed fell for Michelle. They should’ve shown some grounds as to what Jamshed saw in Michelle to fall in love with her? I feel that the writer & director have invested a lot of time on unnecessary things but they skipped to show the detailing where it was required. The question still remains that why Michelle & Jamshed fell in love with each other, that too so abruptly?
Michelle is taking care of her boyfriend & she knows he wouldn’t appreciate it but still every single time she somehow manages to convince him to accept her help. I liked the fact that Jamshed is egoistic enough that he didn’t just accept everything that Michelle offered right away but tried resisting at least & this makes me wonder again, how come Michelle had such good friends that she was ready to ask them for a favor that too for the sake of Jamshed? All this while we’ve known that she has shied away from every single friend of hers & it was only Rizwan all these years whom she was comfortable with, so it looks very unlike Michelle that she would burden herself with someone’s favor to help Jamshed out but oh, she has been doing all such things lately that she wouldn’t have, so no surprises there.
The second & the last scene that I liked in this episode was Imaan & Sikandar’s confrontation. At least she has the guts to speak the truth on his face & show him the mirror, so hats off to Imaan for having more brains than a 30+ y/o Salma, but then again, Tai Jee took it as another opportunity to blame it all on her DIL. Looks like Sikandar has it all planned & he knew he could use Imaan as a trump card that would stop Salma from leaving him & luckily for him, it worked because after that Salma; being stupid that she is, started having second thoughts which makes me think that how come she doesn’t know that if she decides to get the police involved, they would obviously check Sikandar’s previous criminal record too & they would never let Imaan stay with him because anyone would know that a child that too a girl is not safe with a felon? Plus wouldn’t they ask Imaan as to who she wants to be with? Sikandar knows too well that Salma is not only gullible but she is weak, which is why he gets the confidence to do what he feels like because he knows that his family & home are being taken care of by Salma & she is never going to leave him. It’s so frustrating that even after he openly threatens her, she still tries to cover him up.
Becharay Bhatti Sahab, lagta hai unke din buray chal rahay hain. It’s ridiculous that instead of showing some concern for her husband, Cathy, who is incapable of being nice, started bombarding him with annoying questions again. Looks like she doesn’t know how to be considerate which then makes me wonder why is she so annoyed & disturbed if Bhatti has befriended Salma? Does she really think that she can treat him like a doormat & he wouldn’t retaliate? All this while Cathy was always indifferent to Bhatti, so she should continue to stay in her own anti-desi bubble happily & is it just me or Bhatti’s bhai bhabhi’s parasite-ness is getting repetitive & old? Share your thoughts or rather new assumptions & guesses please!
“Wo mari hui Shano bhi Khalil ko nahi day gi!!” …. From the first scene of this episode to the last one with Rasheeda in it we saw a very desperate Rasheeda trying everything in her power and more to ensure that Khalil stays away from Shano. For a split second I thought that Rasheeda might be looking out for her daughter, it could be that she does not want Shano to end up doing something she regrets later. The way she feels about Khalil and why she doesn’t want Shano and Khalil to get married is not a secret any more. Rasheeda’s meeting with the pir was very interesting. Even this man who knows nothing about her found it difficult to relate to her problems. He obviously thought that it was Rasheeda who needed help and not Shano or Khalil. On the one hand Khalil is getting closer to God in order to get what he wants because he is convinced that the love he feels for Shano is a gift of God and He is the one who gave him the power to fight Fayyaz and his friends. On the other hand Rasheeda’s faith in God is nil, she actually thinks that extreme measures like black magic will give her a way out. This is turning out to be a fight between good and evil, it is a battle between love and hatred. On one side there is Shano and Khalil’s love and on the other side there is nothing but hatred which Rasheeda feels in her heart for her sister and almost everyone who does not do things the way she wants them to.
The flashback scene was definitely something which many of us have been wanting to see. Hearing people talk about something can never be as relatable as watching it unravel on screen. I would have really liked it if we could have been shown how Abdur Rehman found out about Rasheeda’s relations with her brother in law. Inayat looked very resigned to her fate and dejected in the flashback scene, it was almost as if she knew that there was no point in blaming anyone. Even right now she does not come across as a person who would take revenge or ruin her sister’s life in any way. I am guessing that Rasheeda was lying about Inayat not being her sister!
Khalil finally decided to ask Shano how she would feel about a court marriage, he is quite sure that she will refuse and he does not want to do anything like that either. The most powerful scene of tonight’s episode had to be the one in which Rasheeda tells Khalil off; his reaction and Samiya Mumtaz’s expressions were spot on. Only Khalil would hand over the money for the crockery he broke in rage – yeh hamare hero ka style hai!! The meeting between Shano and Khalil once again was overloaded with romance which I am glad is a permanent part of every episode of Sadqay Tumhare. The song sequence could have been cut short. I am waiting to find out what turn the story will take from here, aur kitni jangay lrni pare gi Khalil ko?? We will get to see some new characters a new twist in the story in the next episode.
I cannot praise the acting by all the actors enough, all of them manage to impress you in every single episode. The actors in the flashback scene as well were chosen very wisely; all of them were faces we haven’t seen in dramas before, they looked like the younger version of the characters they were playing and the acting was commendable as well. Khalil-ur-Rehman’s powerful dialogues are definitely very impressive. After watching this serial I am sure that Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar is one of those very few writers who write when they actually feel like they have a story to share and not because a production house requested them to write on certain lines.
Which was your favorite scene from tonight’s episode? Any predictions about where the story will go from here? Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.
P.S Good news for all those viewers who are watching Firaaq:)
SeD is the latest offering by Geo TV,produced by A & B Productions and directed by Syed Ali Raza Osama.
We have Riyasat Shahpurand a family of nawabs, headed by Mehtab Bano/ Begum Nawab, who has two sons, the elder one Farhan Shah (Abdullah Ejaz) and the younger one Wajdan Shah (Sami Khan). Yeh mulk 68 saal purana hai magar yeh riyasat 300 saal purani….. Begum Nawab has two sides to herself, on one hand she is a dictatorial and pitiless person who believes in punishing her enemies the worst way possible. On the other hand she is a mother who wants her sons to discuss their problems with her and trust her.Unfortunately her sons have seen her first side only.
Farhan and Wajdan are totally different from their mother. Farhan is a forgiving person who wants the people of his riyasat, whether friends or foes, to be treated with kindness. Ham ne apne mukhalfeen ko hamesha aman ka pegham diya hai…..He is married to Rania (Aleezay Rasool) and they are about to have a child, the waaris of Riyasat Shahpur.
Wajdan Shah is in love. He has no interest in the affairs if the state. His love interest Anoushey (Sarah Khan) and him are faced with a problem. The problem being the girl’s dad, who wants to marry her off to the man of his choice. Wajdan knows that their families won’t agree to their wedding and that’s why he’s helpless. We are yet to know what enmity both the families have.
After the go-dd bharai of his wife, Farhan Shah receives news that one of his factories has been burnt down but the culprits have been caught. He immediately drives to the factory, where he gives a heartfelt speech on how the people who have been caught are merely stooges, the person who sent them is the real culprit and that he would love to shake hands with him. In the end he lets them go.One likes his character straightaway and especially since Abdullah Ejaz has acted well.
Farhan agrees to go to Anoushey’s house for a rishta and Wajdan is the happiest person on earth. However, he first has to go to London for 3 days . The night before his flight, his mother hands over a file to him. Tumharay abba ke khuwab hain iss mein…..(Really want to know what’s in the file ASAP!) And the next day On his way to the airport , the writer does to him what the writers do to all the likeable characters, kill him! That too with a huge truck!
After Farhan’s death, Begum Nawab, who has herself felt the pain and helplessness of being a widow in the past, decides that in order to protect Rania and her child, Wajdan must marry Rania. Ofcourse, Wajdan is taken aback. He tries to protest, but Begum Nawab refuses to hear anything from his side. Mere faisle se ikhtilaaf karne ki himmat aienda kabhi mat karna….tumhara bachpana chala gaya…..woh chala gaya jo tumharay nakhrey uthata thha….
Rania has the same reaction. She can not even think of marrying Wajdan, who is just like a brother to her.
Anoushey has come across as a person who cares just about herself, but is smart for her own good. Just after Farhan’s death, she started bugging Wajdan to send a rishta to her house. She knows that waiting right now might cause problems later.
Begum Nawab is even more pitiless now. She is sure that Farhan was murdered, and now she is not ready to trust anyone. Dushmanon se haath milana chahta thha…jan haar gaya…. If Wajdan refuses to obey her, she might throw him out of her life too. I found it weird that Asma Abbas’s makeup and colourful clothes came back just one scene after Farhan’s death.
Poor Wajdan tries not only to convince his mother but Anoushey’s father (Mazhar Hayat) too. I don’t think his opinion would have differed if Begum Nawab had not dhamki-fied him. But I really understand his point that this marriage will cause problems for both Anoushey and Wajdan. Where will they live after marriage? And how will he supply for her? Wajdan’s purple attire in that scene was really distracting.
So Wajdan is stuck pretty bad in this situation. Pleasing his mother would mean leaving the love of his life and marrying the love of his life would mean leaving the entire state forever. How many times do our heroes face this problem?
Jitni bhi dafa ho, I had fun watching these two episodes. The actors have done a good job, but Aleezay Rasool needs to improve her dialogue delivery. The main couple is fresh and easy on the eyes. Although I haven’t started rooting for them yet, let’s see if they can impress me in the future episodes. I really wish they had chosen another house for the setting. A new setting would have probably had that riyasat-wala-effect on me.
SeD is a good option on Thursdays. Are you watching it? If you are, let me know your thoughts.
In Sanam Jung’s morning show, the legendary actor Tallat Hussain said some really meaningful words. He explained that Islam doesn’t only mean having a beard, it is the name of changing your inner self. Islam never teaches to kill anybody then why do these Taliban killed innocent children in the name religion. This is how they are spoiling the image of our religion. Watch the video it will leave you in tears.
Watch the video and see what Amir Liaquat says about our government and the decisions taken by the government. He openly criticized the Indian Prime Minister. The statements and tone was very harsh. He clearly called Taliban as “Kaafir”. He said they should be hanged in front of everybody.
I won’t be exaggerating when I say that all of us, in one way or another, are manipulated by advertisements. This is because we are surrounded by them in every possible way. You switch on the television and you are welcomed by advertisements, you fetch a newspaper/magazine and there they are again, and now even while you are reading this article, there are a couple of advertisements on the right side of your screen. So no matter how hard you try evading them, you simply can’t and there is no denying that they play an instrumental role in shaping our opinions and perspectives. Therefore, I believe it’s necessary for advertisers to think through the content of what they intend to deliver because once it’s out; it goes to influence huge masses beyond measure.
There is a positive and negative side to our advertisements. I am going to highlight the negatives first, not because I am a pessimist, but just because I want to end my article on a positive note! So here you go: You can’t sell a product without dancing to your heart’s content, period.
Please, enlighten me, why do people change into OTT dresses and start dancing like mad the moment they get hold of the ultimate des ka biscuit? I have been eating them since years but what the enthusiasm is all about? I am still wondering!
There is this internet connection advert featuring actors who are on cloud nine (seriously!) because seems like their internet is working wayyyyy better than they had expected. Now this calls for a party so they arrange one where everyone is welcome to rejoice and dance with them because obviously, this is a huge deal. Okay, we get it, sound internet signals are a blessing, but how many of us hop and skip and go, ‘Ballay Ballay’ when the internet starts to work like lightning?
And oh, out of sheer curiosity, I even googled the benefits or you should say, after-effects of chaye. Yes, it contains antioxidants and increases your metabolism rate but nowhere does it say that it triggers the release of hormones which compel you to dance and gyrate like that! When the advert finally ends, it takes quite a few seconds for me to come into terms with the fact that a bunch of the country’s most popular film stars dressed in nauseously colourful clothes went through great pains to perform such complex dance moves just because they wanted to sell some chaye ki patti. Insane!
Exaggeration, weasel words and even false claims at least make sense when they are being used to ‘convince’ the target audience. But I for one can’t seem to figure out what these bizarre dance moves have to do with the success rate of a product.
Pakistani young generation: why so farigh?
I happen to be a part of the young generation but surprisingly, there is a lot I didn’t know about my own breed. I extend my utmost gratitude to all the mobile networks out there for letting me know: we don’t read, we don’t write, we don’t work and apparently, we don’t even sleep! According to mobile networks, love has hit us hard and thus we chat and converse with each other all night long! Are you kidding me? Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? ”Aap jayen jidhar, theher jaye nazar’’
A woman is ‘successful’ only when she gets noticed by people for being the ‘fairest of them all’. Devastatingly, the main girls’ colleges/universities of Karachi are surrounded by billboards, stabbing the self-esteem of all the young girls out there with the same, belittling message: Fair is Beautiful!
Talking about appearances, having flawless hair also has a lot to do with the success of a woman. More ridiculous is the fact that little girls are also expected to have straight, silky hair or else no one would want to talk to them. A piece of advice: if your friends don’t talk to you just because you don’t have perfect hair, no need to get yourself another shampoo, just do yourself a favour and get rid of these ‘friends’. Also, who comes to school with their hair flowing all the way down to their waist?
More like expecting them to be Snow White and Rapunzel at the same time!
Logic? 404 Error: File not found
I know it may sound absurd, but I don’t like the way Bablu gets mocked for washing his hands for one whole minute. Whatever soap you use, washing your hands for ten seconds is nowhere near hygienic but the little kid gets ridiculed just because he has healthy habits. All jokes aside, I actually feel for him, you know?
Okay, so now for the positives; Positive messages/role models ‘’Tou phir ho jao good kay liye crazy’’
^See, that’s the sort of taglines our advertisers should come up with more often! Remember that Coca Cola Ad in which a bunch of people set out to do random acts of kindness? It was innovative and inspirational at the same time. Also, Alamgir’s ‘Albela Rahi’ in the background added just the sweet little touch that was needed to complete the advert. I watched this perfect advert a zillion times with a constant smile on my face. :D
And yes, Tang’s advertisement was also cute and moving, where a child becomes his dad’s superhero by helping out the people around him, conveying one simple message: Anybody can make a difference. And he did it during the month of Ramadan, thus rekindling the spirit of the holy month.
My purpose to cite these examples is to remind you all that we are NOT running out of creative minds, it is just that creative minds aren’t getting a proper platform.
Humour
Humour has always been an integral part of the toolkit of our advertisers and my my, has it not done wonders! It’s safe to say that many of our adverts actually make us chuckle after a long, dreary day. Ufone ads are always humorous and therefore, they stay with us for long. Remember, ‘teri awaz ka jadu’? ;)
Catchy jingles
Hands down, we have always been ahead of the game in coming up with catchy jingles and touching background songs. Ding Dong’s cute jingle, Pepsi’s unbeatable ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’, Nestle Everyday’s heart-touching ‘Tum Mai Hai Kuch Khaas’ anddd the list goes on!!
And yes, one simply can’t forget Supreme’s amazing series which included phenomenal songs with beautiful videos like Ishq Nachaya (starring Shamil Khan) and Bas Ishq Muhabbat Apnapan (starring Iman Ali and Rasheed Naz). For a Sufi lover like me, it was heaven! Shoaib Mansoor was the man behind the camera, so what else do you expect?
We have got tons of potential. I wish our advertisers just step out of their mindless dance routines and try experimenting with innovative ideas that succeed in leaving a mark. Maryam Mehdi
Farah Hussain cried in her morning show on the Peshawar incident. She said that it is very difficult to control tears for a mother because they see their own children in the place of the innocent lives that were taken in APS Peshawar. She added that this day and the lives lost will always be remembered. We may get busy in our lives but we will always have this grief in our hearts.
This video shows the courage of a boy after the Peshawar attack. It was such a big tragedy that the whole country was shocked and tense but the boy was still courageous enough to face the media and then talk about the motivation he had in him. He is not scared of casino online the terrorists or their inhumane activities and he is also ready to face them with all the bravery he has.
The shooting for 4 new dramas is being done, while it has been completed for one. The upcoming projects star some familiar faces like Sumbhul Iqbal, Agha Ali, Furqan Qureshi, Sanam Chauhdry and others. The projects include:
1. Nikkah:
Nikkah is an upcoming Hum TV drama. It is produced by Wajahat Rauf and directed by Ahmed Bhatti. The cast includes Sonya Hussain, Junaid Khan and Sanam Chauhdry.
The promos are already out:
2. Ishq Parast:
This is a Big Bang Entertainment production, which will air on ARY. The cast includes Jibran Syed, Areej Fatyma, Armeena Rana Khan and Ahmed Ali. The direction has been done by Badar Mehmood. Here are some BTS and photoshoot pictures.
3. Paiwand:
Paiwand is another upcoming project produced by Big Bang Entertainment but this time the director is Mohsen Mirza. The cast includes Sajid Hassan, Sana Javed, Gohar Rasheed, Ahmed Ali and Sadia Faisal. Here are some BTS photos:
4. Maamta:
This is a production of Larachi Entertainment. The direction has been done by Syed Atif Hussain. The cast includes Agha Ali, Sonya Hassan and Natasha Ali. The shooting is being done in Lahore.
5. Hasratein:
It is directed by Roomi Insha and will air on Hum TV.
6. Dil-e-Nadan:
The names of the producer, director and channel haven’t been revealed yet. The cast includes Affan Waheed, Sumbul Iqbal, Feroze Khan and Rabab Hashmi.
7. A soap serial:
Starring Furqan Qureshi, Sanam Chauhdry and Zara Tareen, the soap will air on Hum TV soon.
8. No name yet:
The drama has no name yet nor do we know anything about the channel. The cast includes Yumna Zaidi, Sami Khan, Tahira Imam and Sudus Tariq.
Upcoming dramas include Dayar-e-Dil and Istikhara as well but we have already shared BTS photos of both of them. Some other shows include Virasat (Directed by Fahim Burney) and Miss You Kabhi Kabhi (Directed by Misbah Khalid) which stars Ayesha Omar and Azfar in main roles.
Let me start by confessing that I wasn’t really looking forward to ‘Main Bushra’ because the promos had ‘been there, seen that’ written all over them. A strong-headed girl proving her worth to her father, a selfish mother and a saat betiyon ka bezaar baap- hmm, Thakan and Zindage Gulzar Hai, anyone? Moreover, the actors playing these roles are known for their convincing portrayal of such characters. Rona dhona comes naturally to Mawra Hussain, Saba Hameed knows all too well how to pull off a troubled, selfish mother’s role and Waseem Abbas has perfected the role of an overburdened and disgruntled father. But contrary to my expectations, as the episodes progressed, the play proved to be a lot more promising. The sound direction and simple execution, coupled with powerful dialogues, give the viewers something to look forward to every Thursday. However, there’s something you should know: if you are the sort of person who doesn’t like things too close to reality, cringes at the mention of stereotypical characters and cannot handle some very serious (read ultra-depressing+mazloomiat overloaded) tracks without a glint of humour, or if you are through with stories revolving around misfortune-stricken daughters and insensitive parents, then I fear ‘Main Bushra’ might not exactly be your cup of tea. I am sorry for such a longgg review but I had to discuss fifteen episodes, so couldn’t cut it short, my apologies!
‘Main Bushra’ tells the story of a young, educated and confident woman, Bushra Warsi (Mawra Hussain), daughter of Nasir and Sofia. Brought up in a household where she was constantly looked down upon by her very own father, Bushra has this, ‘Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there’ approach towards life and wants to prove to her father that daughters are equally, if not more, capable than sons. Aisa rishta jis mei apni muhabbat ko sabit kia jaye, who rishta hi kaisa, Bushra? Amid all these harsh conditions, Bushra’s best friend, Aaliya proves to be a voice of reason.While watching this play, you will come across many heart-wrenching scenes but the one that affected me the most was Aaliya’s suicide. Aaliya’s husband was a gambler and she was suffering in every possible way. And that’s when she lost her will to go on with life and committed suicide. Her suicide note was touching and even though Aaliya’s role was short, it not only had a lot to deliver but also had a great impact on Bushra’s personality. It’s ironic how she herself gave up on life but never allowed Bushra to lose hope.
The name ‘Bushra’ here holds significance because the meaning of Bushra is ‘happy news/glad tidings/good omen’ and when Nasir and Sofia were blessed with their third daughter, people suggested if they name this daughter, ‘Bushra’, the child born after her will be a boy for sure! It sounds absurd and lame, I know, but the sad part is that there are people in our society who still associate names with matters that solely depend on Allah and His Will. Following Bushra’s birth, four more daughters were born and this is more of a reason why Bushra is seen as a lesser human being by her father. But Nasir’s contempt only serves to strengthen Bushra’s conviction. She supports her family in every way possible- financially and emotionally, without uttering a word of disdain. I think all the struggling women out there who feel their capabilities and talents are being under-estimated by the male-dominated society can find a direct reflection of themselves in Bushra’s eyes.
Episodes 1 to 7 focus more on the accusations Bushra has to deal with after stepping out of her house, her struggling years at work and the usual problems shown in our plays concerning the honour of the family name. For me the most unconvincing part was when Bushra’s younger sister, Zeenia decided to elope with a mohallay ka larka, Kamran (Ahmed Zaib) and the whole situation was twisted in a very unrealistic manner, mind you, just to make it look as if Bushra was the one running away with the guy. I mean, it was evident from their confrontation that Bushra was the one trying to stop Zeenia from taking this step, the bag was in Zeenia’s hand and you didn’t have to be a psychic to guess that it was Zeenia all set for leaving the house for good. But Nasir lacks commonsense and sensitivity at the same time so he didn’t pay heed to Bushra at all and forced her out of his house. Khair, I don’t want this to turn into a summary so I would just say that after a lot of rona dhona and dramayi scenes, Zeenia was proven guilty pheew! But I would mention here that this incident was nicely used to bring the sisters closer together.
Bushra’s life takes a turn when she joins Musa Sahab(Sheheryar Zaidi)’s office. For the first time, her confidence, intelligence and sharp skills do not go unacknowledged. Also, Bushra finds a fatherly figure in the form of her boss, who genuinely cares about her future. I liked their conversations and like Aaliya, Musa Sahab too tried to make her realize: Kabhi kabhar insaan ko selfish bhi hojana chahye. From episode 7 onwards, I think the story took a darker turn because that’s when Aaliya committed suicide and despite Bushra’s selflessness and immense contribution, we all saw Nasir and Sofia stooping unimaginably low. By the way, Nasir’s pet phrases are:
i) Yeh hai tumhari tarbiyat, Sofia?! ii) Behooda aur badtameez! iii) Beta bannay mei aur beta honay mein bohat farq hota hai!
Then, three more characters mark their entry: Moosa Sahab’s late cousin’s wife, Sabiha (Saba Faisal), her son, Faraz (Faisal Qureshi) and nephew, Shayan (Affan Waheed). After his parents’ death, Shayan has always been more like a son to Sabiha. Moosa Sahab also shares a strong bond with Sabeeha and her sons. The moment Shayan sets his eyes on Bushra he develops a liking for her. But when Sabiha sees Bushra, she deems her perfect for Faraz. Sabiha is responsible for kicking Faraz’s lover out of his life. Driven by her guilty conscience, Sabiha is desperateX1000 to see Faraz turning over a new leaf and therefore, she is ready to do absolutely anything within her grasp to see Faraz tie the knot with Bushra. Since Nasir and Sofia are too selfish to let go of their bread-winner, they agree to Faraz’s proposal in exchange for one thing that is without a doubt, the root of all evil- MONEY! This was one thing I did not expect from Nasir because since day one he was like, ‘meri izzat, meri khuddari’. Whatever happened to ‘hum izzatdaar loag hain’?! Mein umeed karta hun tum humaray faislay ko aur iss faislay kay peechay chupi maa baap ki majbooriyon aur khuda ki maslehat ko samjho gi. Hands down, there is no ‘majboori’ that can justify such a sickening decision.
Okay so Faraz turns out to be a complete psycho because when his dream girl left, she took a few of his brain screws with her. And the three-timer talaaq announcement is what Bushra gets on her wedding night-taking mazloomiat to a whole new level. He divorces Bushra because he believes that by doing so; he will be able to take revenge from his mother. We are living in a society where everybody keeps a track of everybody but despite that, no one seems to make a big deal out of Faraz’s sudden disappearance (except for Bushra’s sisters). Moreover, Bushra’s face has ‘I am depressed, suppressed, oppressed!’ written all over it but not many people have questioned her about it and it doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that things are NOT normal but Bushra’s parents are throwing dawatain for Sabiha as if things are pretty normal! The selfless protagonist is crying a rivulet of tears since the play began and I for one haven’t come across a flicker of positivity. Perhaps the only positive thing in this play right now is Sabiha’s understanding and co-operative nature. Obviously, she considers herself responsible for the mess in Bushra’s life. At this point, Sabiha has asked Shayan to marry Bushra. Shayan stands out for being the most misunderstood guy of the play and has been rewarded with two thappars in one episode and if he is wondering what crime did he commit, I must say he is not alone ‘cuz I am wondering the same thing.
One ‘good’ thing that resulted from this divorce thing was the much-needed change in Bushra’s personality. She is no longer the old, passive Bushra who couldn’t raise her voice in front of her father. Bewaqoof nahe, khudgharz hain aap. I loved Bushra’s outburst. She took her time to realize that her parents weren’t worth it.
So guys, this is what Main Bushra is all about. I must say, the supporting roles in the play have a lot to deliver. I like Musa Sahab’s genuine concern for Bushra. He has always been there for Bushra and the fact that he fought for the custody of Aaliya’s daughter, Anushey is also pretty inspirational. Bushra’s sisters also have a lot to add to. Her eldest sister i.e. Fizzah’s character has a lot of potential but I guess the actress playing her role has got some issues. I wish she had been a bit more natural.
About Mawra’s performance, yes, she has come a long way but I do feel there is a slight problem with her dialogue delivery and she doesn’t always seem very comfortable with her dialogues. She is doing a great job but something is missing.
How many of you are following Main Bushra? What do you think will happen next? Share your thoughts, please!
Mahira Khan was already very famous in Pakistan, her role as Khirad in the hit drama serial Hamsafar won the hearts of many in India too. The people in India are awe struck by Mahira Khan’s beauty and talent. The director of the upcoming film Raees Rahul Dholakia which stars Shah Rukh Khan in the lead shared that Mahira Khan’s popularity was not the main reason for him to choose her to play the heroine in his film.
“Mahira’s popularity is just an added bonus for us. We signed her because the film is set in a Muslim ghetto of Gujrat and the character needs to posses a particular look that we found in her. We were lucky to come across Mahira,” said the director of Raees. Let’s not forget that this is not the first Bollywood film that has been offered to Mahira. She rejected all the previous offers.
People in India already love the pair of Shahrukh and Mahira because it is fresh and they look good together. When asked if the Pakistani diva will have any visa issues the director said, “There are no problems with American actors coming here. Why should there be a problem with a neighboring country? Having said that, let me add that her presence is the producers’ issue. My job is to shoot the film. And this time I’ve terrific producers.”
Mahira Khan will be playing Shah Rukh Khan’s wife in the film. Shah Rukh Khan will be playing the role of a gangster in the film.
Opening the television after a hectic day, what I’d expect to find is something that will make me smile. It should cheer me up. But what I find is a couple of women fighting over a man, a damsel in distress (who’s “distress” is that the guy she loves, loves someone else) and a lot (read truck load) of spine-less men. Sometimes all of them are in the same drama. This article will sound like a rant, but this is the time for this rant. Abhi nahi tou kabhi nahi!
People love to cry for dramas. I don’t get the logic behind it but they just love to love the fictional characters so much that they cry for them. I admit, even I cried for Pyaray Afzal‘s death but the fact is that his character was a treat to watch, and before making us all cry, he made us smile a thousand times. That’s the way a character should be written.
This world is cruel. It is filled with people who have suffered. More or less. But what was the TV invented for? Was it invented to make the people of this world depressed and disgusted? Or to provide them entertainment? By the way, what is entertainment?
The oxford dictionary defines entertainment as, ” The action of providing or being provided with amusement or enjoyment.” Tou bhui directors aap kya de rahe hain hame? Drama makers aim at creating the most depressing dramas. Whether they become totally unrealistic. Whether they make the audience cringe. It’s sickening to think how the channels come up with those stories and how they have the audacity to ruin every living person’s mood with them. Even those people who have actually suffered problems in life. Would a victim of domestic violence watch the same thing on his/her TV screen? Is being ridiculed by the most important people in their life not enough that they’d want to go through with it all over again?
Ok fine, lessons should be there. But let’s not forget the main purpose of dramas, E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N-M-E-N-T. So the lesson based dramas should have a limit. Where is the suspense? The thrill and action? The horror? (Oh wait, the horror is there, just not in the right way).Are the drama makers saving their money and energy by giving us one cheap drama after the other?
The point is, that we want proper dramas, with proper stories, that belong to proper genres. We don’t want domestic violence, rape and shadi issues to be used as entertainment. We refuse to use a raped, abused girl’s story as our source of enjoyment. We would prefer if her story was dealt with sensitivity and professionalism and used to give us all a lesson. Not modified to entertain us with cheap thrills. Talking about cheap thrills, anyone remember the promo of Ek tamanna la-hasil si?
I am not asking the directors to stop creating awareness. I am asking them to limit the abusive scenes. Do we need detailed scenes of a husband hitting his wife? A mother-in-law torturing her daughter-in-law? A man molesting a girl? No! Those scenes are traumatizing. They should limit their amount and spend more time on how the abused person develops confidence to stand up for his/her (mostly her) rights.
Other than that, as I have previously mentioned, even the victims of such things would never want to watch them and be traumatized all over again. Depressed or not, people watch TV to be entertained.
Drama makers want to close us in a shell and tell us that there is no way we can lead a happy life. Something has to go wrong. I would like them not to spread hopelessness in this society and give happiness to the people.
Ohkay so, Zidd; writing of Bee Gul, direction of Adnan Wai Qureshi & production of Momina Duraid has hit our TV screens tonight. To be honest, by the end of the very first episode, I wouldn’t say that I am thrilled to see this drama but I would definitely say that I am keen to find out how things are going to work & how the story will unfold, so for this, I am definitely giving the team of Zidd a benefit of doubt because it’s just a start & right now, they may have not given us much to discuss but I am sure the story will get interesting because a lot of characters have yet to make their appearance in the drama. The very first episode doesn’t give you much apart from an insight into Maya Ali’s character but I am sure as the story will progress, we’ll get to see more shades of her.
So, the story began at the note where Akbar (Kanwar Arsalan) & Saman (Maya Ali) are engaged to be married in 15 days but have serious compatiblility issues. They both are brusque, headstrong, opinionated & most of all short-tempered in nature. Akbar obviously loves his fiancée but that can’t be said about Saman who is as a very practical person & makes decisions after thinking things through. Saman doesn’t believe in compromises because of which she dreads getting committed in a long term marital relation because she knows, this relation will demand compromises from her & she isn’t mentally ready to do that for Akbar at least. Saman, at first might come across as a hasty decision maker but she is much more farsighted than she might seem to be. Saman can clearly see that they both won’t have a smooth relation because they both don’t share a mental wavelength & are not compatible at all. Akbar on the other hand might be short tempered but he certainly is flexible & likes to make Saman happy because of which even after she throws a hissy fit of postponing the wedding followed by calling off the engagement, he still finds a way to convince her by agreeing to her demand.
Hell breaks loose in Saman & Akbar’s homes when they find out about the new decision that Saman has made & expects everyone to agree to it. Akbar clearly wasn’t the one who chose Saman for himself but he got engaged to her after his parents selected her for him & later he fell in love with her. The reactions of both their parents seemed realistic where one couple was furious & the other was worried due to the unexpected turn of events. Saman clearly feels that no one really understands her & knows what she wants. She feels that she doesn’t get the support she expects from her family but it’s only her father (Manzoor Qureshi) who knows how to tackle her but after a certain extent, he seems helpless in front of his daughter too because of her stubbornness.
In the whole fiasco the guy who seems relaxed or rather indifferent is Saman’s brother Raza (Humayun Ashraf) because he knows that it was one of those days where his sister is out of control but the very next day she would understand what she did was wrong & everything will get back to normal. Raza is happily engaged to Sonia (Hina Javed) whom he loves to bits & they both share a very cordial relation in comparison to Saman & Akbar, who are still having doubts about marrying each other 2 weeks before their wedding is scheduled.
Saman’s Aunt Appu (Sultana Zafar) shows up expecting to see a lot of happening in the shadi wala ghar but what she encounters is something she never expected. Somehow Saman does agree to get married to Akbar half-heartedly but still the way she participates in the preps shows she still doesn’t want this marriage to happen. It takes one more argument for Saman to decide inevitably that she can’t get married to Akbar as they will face nothing but problems if they both get married & this time around Akbar gives in too because he seems tired of having the same argument over & over again.
So, this is what the first episode of Zidd was all about. I feel the pace of the episode could’ve been a bit better but seems like they will take some time in revealing everything so for that, it’s acceptable. Direction was good & so was the screenplay & I also felt that the characters have been written in detail because you instantly get an insight into their nature. It goes without saying that HUM’s production value has always been great & visually the drama was appeasing to see. I also like the title song sung by Hadiqa Kiyani (if I ain’t mistaken). All the actors did their job well but I am interested to find out more about Saman’s character. I am sure there will come a time & such a person in her life for whom she will be ready to do everything including what she loathes the most & that is; compromise. Share your thoughts about the first episode of Zidd please.
The story finally moved to the next level in tonight’s episode, after screaming her heart and mind out all at the same time Rameen begged Manal to let her stay for one more night in her house before Numair finally kicked her out of the house! I found it very difficult to relate to Manal’s sympathy for Rameen, Rameen’s short-lived confidence and the group of ‘sympathizers’ Rameen met on the street. Rameen had no clue where she was going to go the next morning because while speaking to her “sympathizers” on the street she told them she had nowhere to go to and if she went to her Taya’s house he would definitely send her back to Manal’s house yet she was so sure she did not want to live in that house another day. I am still surprised that someone like Rameen who is educated enough to read newspapers and well off enough to afford a television does not have a clue that there are shelters for women like her and she has no clue what happens in most of the girls’ hostels. I am waiting to see why someone would be willing to let her stay in a private hostel any way!
People who watch this drama like a thriller must have enjoyed this episode but those who expected something completely different from it must not be looking forward to the way things are moving forward. Rameen’s troubles are anything but over, a whole new chapter of even more trials and tribulations is going to ensue from now on. This drama is a perfect opportunity to show people that a rape survivor can “survive” in this world with their heads held high. I hope that Rameen’s character is going to be a good example of a rape survivor who can eventually use her bitter experiences to help other people.
The story is moving in the direction which everyone predicted it will lead to in the very beginning. Naila’s character in the play and the way Numair is attached to her clearly showed that something dreadful is going to happen to her and that is the only way that Numair will learn his lesson. I agree that nothing can hurt Numair more and many people will disagree with me when I say that I really did not want to see things going this way. The female characters in this play have been abused to the maximum already, I do not want to see another female victim in the play especially when it is a young helpless child.
Tonight’s episode was filled with dialogues we have heard before but the fact that everything is going to change in Rameen’s life from now on definitely helps. The play has been stretched to the limit, we will hopefully be spared the trouble of watching Rameen suffer for another six episodes or so! We have already talked in detail about the unnecessary focus on the abuse and the perpetrator of the crime. The past few weeks of watching Rameen suffer have been a test of nerves, I hope from now on the drama picks up pace, stays focused and the story ends in a logical manner. I am sure that many more viewers will be watching the drama now since it is headed towards its conclusion, I just hope that does not give ARY the incentive to stretch it even further.
How many of you want the drama to reach a logical conclusion ASAP? What are your predictions about Rameen’s future?
We informed our readers about Maheen Rizvi’s engagement few weeks back. Now the good news is that Maheen Rizvi got married yesterday with Rehman Ray Saiyed. We wish Maheen and her husband all the best.
The doors of Bollywood have opened for many Pakistani actors till date. The next actor from Pakistan to star in a Bollywood movie is a youngster who started his career from modelling and is now an actor and a model. Shehroz Sabzwari will be seen in Bengali director Riingo Banerjee’s upcoming film titled Luv Story. Shehroz Sabzwari talked to Dawn News about his Bollywood debut, talking about it he said, “Producer Shamik Basu scouted me after coming across my Hum TV Awards performance as well as a few pictures. He said he wanted to launch me into Bollywood which was obviously great news to me……….There are so many superstars going to Bollywood and it is such a monumental opportunity.”
Shehroz Sabzwari admits that he doesn’t think of himself as a superstar but “Nonetheless, it was nice to know someone was willing to put that kind of faith in me.”
“Basu and I looked at a couple of scripts but nothing clicked, nothing was strong enough for a debut until the script for Luv Story came along.”
The actor is looking forward to work with the Bollywood directors and actors “I’m also really excited to work with Riingo as he will be making his debut in Bollywood as well. He is essentially a Bengali director and I have immense respect for that industry, as it is full of highly-educated individuals and has produced brilliant filmmakers.” Giving the details about he got selected for the film Sheroz said, “Riingo liked my look and thought I suited the character. However, I wasn’t instantly cast. They were looking at other options and about a month after I sent over audition tapes from Pakistan that [my wife] Syra (Yousef) helped me record did I learn that I had been selected for the role. It’s truly an honour because the project will be commercial entertainment without losing the essence of the art of filmmaking.”
The other actors who will be seen in the film are Riya Sen, Zarina Wahab, Aryann, Bidita Beg and Mukesh Tiwari among others. Shehroz Sabwari will be going to India in January, we wish him all the best.
Ummm…….someone please tell me, this was supposed to be a university based drama right? Or did I expect too much? Is Aik Pal another university based love story among many others?
Episode 3 was all about Noor Fatima (read Noor Fatima ka annoying cousin). Remember the cousin whom I said I wanted to see less of? Well, he got an entire episode all to himself. Despite the fact that Ali Safina is performing well, I can’t understand why directors make sure that the annoying characters get the most screen time. Noor Fatima was forced to accept him as her fiance, as this was the price she had to pay in order to get an admission at her favourite university. Unfair right?
I admit, Sumbhul has been chosen by the casting directors time and again to play this kind of role, but I like her this time. Her and Affan both are giving performances which they have already given, but their characters are new. Noor Fatima and Mushaf are people who are not only kind and caring, but have a deep desire to complete their education despite the hurdles and that is what I love about them.
On the other hand, Bareera and Omair are not so pleasant to watch. Bareera is extremely OTT. Does Areej Fatima really need that much make-up? No! So why does Bareera end up looking like this? She is educated and old enough ke makeup karna tou aata hi hoga. Omair is simply farigh. He can have any girl he wants but Bareera is “special”. And the reason, you ask? Because she ignored him!!! I have heard this dialogue in countless dramas and movies and it always gives me a good laugh. Saari dunya ki larkiyan chorr kar wohi larki pasand ayi hai jo ignore kare :PHis rishta bhej-ing and Bareera’s father’s inkaar wasted all of episode 5. The only scene worth watching was when Ali Safina told his friend “Shehr mein Noor Fatima ki wajah se thori aata hun, shehr aane ki wajah tou koi aur hi hai…..” I really hope that his father finds out about this wajah and beats him up.
Now now guys, did you think I wasn’t going to praise Danish Taimoor and Areej Fatima? These two have nailed it, especially Danish Taimoor. He has even changed his way of talking to suit the role of Omair. Only if Omair’s character had a little more depth. Areej is giving a good performance as well, but only if her character was a little less OTT.
So between the two un-interesting episodes, the fourth episode of this drama stood high. It was not only interesting, but it had what I wanted, the four youngsters, studying in the same room of the university. From the scene when Mushaf shut up Omair and fataa fat se told the definition which his teacher asked for, to the scene when Noor Fatima walked into the room, introduced herself, walked slowly towards the empty seat behind Bareera and sat down on it, I loved every moment.
There was just one little problem though. The results of a test in a university are never announced this way. They are put up on a soft board for everyone to read.
I love how Mushaf shoots down Numair whenever he tries to pick up a fight. I like the way he never minds when someone teases him about his beard or his shalwar kameez, but what I don’t understand is how he fell for Bareera. She is incredibly badtameez and rude. Was it the kabhi kabhar ka pyar se baat karna which made our Mushaf beqaraar? I do think that Mushaf is the one who can keep Bareera happy, but it depends on whether or not she wants to be with him. Maybe in the future when she changes herself, then she’ll realize that accepting Mushaf’s proposal would have brought her a lot of happiness, but for now Bareera has fallen for Omair.
I think that they could’ve shown us in a much better way why Bareera fell for Omair. The RS.50,000 check should’ve had no importance for a girl like Bareera. Magar woh tou aise impress huin ke bas……..Despite all the warnings, she has agreed to marry Omair, who will most probably ruin her life.
Aik Pal has characters which I love and characters which I don’t. But it would all have been covered up if there were some student like interactions between them. They are getting involved in a love triangle and I really didn’t want one in this drama. I wanted some students who behave like students and are shown participating in class activities, projects, extra-curricular activities etc. Some sort of friendship between them would have been appreciated. The story would still be interesting, infact more gripping without a love triangle.
Abdullah The Final Witness, is a film announced some two years ago and now its 2:15 minutes long official trailer is released. There were few clippings of this film already available on various video sharing websites.
Abdullah is written, produced and directed by Hashim Nadeem. Sajid Hassan, Hameed Sheikh, Imran Abbas and Saadia Khan are in the lead roles. Hashim Nadeem is a famous fiction writer and his drama Khudda Aur Muhabbat also featuring Saadia Khan and Imran Abbas was quite famous.
Hashim Nadeem hails from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan and the film is also based on the incident of 17 May 2011 happened in Quetta. The incident is known as Kharotabad incident in which five Russian and Tajik citizen (men and women) were killed by Frontier Constabulary (FC) claimed to be as terrorist at the check post of Kharotabad. The incident was filmed by a journalist and later media aired same videos claiming all the killed ones were innocent citizen. Then Chief Justice of Pakistan took sou motto notice of this incident, and a commission was asked to prepare the Kharotabad Inquiry Report. The findings of the inquire were never made public and the case is still unresolved. A key witness of this incident was murdered in Quetta in December 2011.
Nauman Ijaz is one of the most loved and versatile actors in our television industry. Nauman Ijaz stepped into the television world with the desire to become a newscaster but the director Nusrat Thakur saw much more potential in him and that is how he got his first break. Nauman Ijaz usually avoids giving interviews but recently he was interviewed by the Express Tribune. While giving the interview Nauman Ijaz talked about things which we don’t see him talking about very often. “When I work, I work like anything; there are days and nights solely meant for shoots. By day, I am in Karachi and by evening in Lahore, working on various other plays, simultaneously,” said the veteran actor.
Nauman Ijaz also attributes his success to all those actors who were senior than him because they helped him learn. “There have been times I was scolded on set on numerous occasions for not delivering my lines well. But today’s youngsters, they don’t wish to learn from veteran actors”.Nauman Ijaz has a law degree which means that he could pursue a career in that field but he says, “I always knew that going to libraries for references and to offices for litigation wasn’t my thing. I worship acting. I am too honest with it. Sadly, people in this field are often not. They have made a joke out of it. Thekaydaari nizam hai.”
Nauman Ijaz thinks that there is a big difference between the way newcomers at his time used to work and the way newcomers nowadays work. “We have left behind our norms. We were not taught at an academy but got flourished under the guidance of the notable names and we knew how to respect our elders. Young actors today want to be respected instead! With such an attitude how can they expect us to love them back?”
Nowadays Nauman Ijaz is hosting the show Mazaq Raat, he says, “I have paid respect to every individual who has come to my show without any prejudice. On national television, nobody gives respect to the other. The fault lies with us. Have you seen the morning shows lately? The way to conduct a proper show is lost on us! There is no consistency and neither any improvement. That’s the sad state of the affairs these days.”
And how does he feel about Pakistani dramas being aired in India? “Indians are currently enjoying are dramas, but I wonder for how long. Pakistani women on screen are being humiliated. It’s high time we show the issues of women empowerment on the TV.”
Nauman Ijaz believes that a lot needs to be changed before the Pakistani cinema can truly flourish, “Why we lag behind is the fact that the son of those people who once made studios, took all the money and did nothing to upgrade the industry. Hence, we are to be blamed for ruining this industry by our own hands.”
Hum TV is recently airing promos of an upcoming project where various artists are responding about a person named Shamim, including Sanam Saeed, Saboor Ali, Angeline Malik.
25 December is the date of birth of founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Hum TV will air a special drama Umeed-e-Nau, at 9:10 pm on thursday 25 December 2014. Sara Khan and Agha Ali are in the lead roles.
After watching Mera Yakeen, Bari Apa, Hamnasheen and Shukk I thought I had seen it all but I guess I was very wrong! While watching this episode my husband’s curiosity got the best of him and he asked me who the first wife was … normally this should be an easy question to answer but in this case it isn’t! Firaaq was a good play but now everything about this play is just plain substandard. The dialogues have absolutely no depth any more in fact they can be really weird sometimes and Hareem’s character is the worst addition to the show. The fact that Imroze lied about his health was bad enough, there was absolutely no need to show that he got married again too. Watching this play is proving to be a nerve-racking experience, nothing about the story makes sense any more and you feel absolutely nothing for any of the characters. The fact that we are being shown two episodes in a go is even more testing.
Apparently, we are expected to forget about all of Imroze’s symptoms, his visits to the doctor and the crazy thought pattern and just be content with the “explanation” that Imroze lied about his disease so that Paymaan could get married to Roomi! But guess what? He forgot to divorce her! Kyunke biwi ko talaq di ja sakti hai mohabbat ko nahi! The writer might have forgotten it but I am sure many viewers must remember that Imroze showed Roomi some kind of a “death warrant” to prove that he wasn’t lying about the cancer. This latest “twist” in the story isn’t shocking but it is just plain unbelievable.
Paymaan went back to live with Imroze with a new will to get answers to all her questions but after hearing the answers she decided she did not want to leave just yet. Hareem’s mood swings are definitely not helping in any way. One minute she can’t do without Imroze and the next minute she has the divorce papers ready! Are we supposed to feel for Imroze by any chance? I have a feeling that the writer is trying very hard to convince us that whatever Imroze did was a result of whatever happened to him in the past and he only married Hareem out of sympathy – Paymaan is his true love, how lame is that!
Hareem’s dialogues like “mere du shohar, mere maa baap meri soch nahi badal sake tum kya badlo gi” are really very weird! Is she proud of the fact that she got married twice and never listened to her parents? Firaaq is a major train wreck. What was the writer thinking? I am finding it very hard to believe that this “Season 2” has been written by the same writer who wrote the beginning few episodes. The story has come down to a typical “two wives” scenario which will take all kind of bizarre turns before it finally ends. I hate to see Sanam Saeed wasting her talent playing such useless roles, Paymaan reminded me of Saniya so many times today!
Do share your thoughts about tonight’s nerve-racking episode of Firaaq! Is anyone out there feeling for Imroze? Does anyone understand what was going on in the writer’s mind when he added these strange, meaningless and groundless twists to the story?
HSY invited two celebrities from the golden era of Pakistani cinema tonight- Javed Sheikh & Resham. As pretty as her outfit was, she was a little too overdressed for a talk show. Again, who is responsible for the styling and make-up? Masla kya hai? Is it too much to expect a designer of HSY’s stature to have a say in the outfits worn by the guests on his show?
Getting back to the show, Javed Sahab recounted his journey that has spanned over 40 years. He spoke about the highs and lows, the achievements and the failures and has decided to write an autobiography titled Journey of Passion. His story begins in Rawalpindi where he was passionate about becoming a hero so much so that he stole money from his father and decided to run away to Lahore. Fortunately for him, his father caught him in time and seeing his drive, took him to Karachi where he not only completed his studies, he also got his foot in the door in the industry. Today, he is considered as one of the most accomplished actors of the industry who has also worked alongside Bollywood bigwigs like Shahrukh Khan yet he remains as humble as ever. Not only is he widely known and loved by his many fans across Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, his family has ventured into the industry and made a name for themselves. The Sheikhs are a family dynasty if HSY is to be believed! Although as far as I know, both Momal Sheikh and Shehzad sheikh have yet to make an impact.
Resham was the second guest tonight and she began by graciously thanking HSY for his choice of words while introducing her and also credited HSY as having taught her how to walk the ramp. Resham spoke about her career, her relationships with her co-actors and how competition drives people to work harder. She stated that politicians have taken over and seem heavily inspired by Maula Jatt. She accepted her temper as being one of her flaws yet made it a point to state that humans aren’t perfect and will experience moments of rage every now and then. HSY’s comment over actresses being blessed with perpetual youth was a rather bold knock but Resham stated that the audience isn’t foolish and know better than to believe such statements. She mentioned she has fallen in love twice and life goes on even if one were to be unsuccessful at attaining love- Ishq nakaam sahi zindagi nakaam nahin…
The contests started with Love or Don’t Love and this time HSY didn’t pry into the answers. Ajnabee Kaun Ho Tum had Babloo calling in for Resham and Behroze Sabzwari calling in for Javed Sheikh. Finally, in the last round, Javed Sahab was in the lead with all correct answers and Resham had an opportunity to mimic not just one but two actresses- Meera and Reema. As a parting note, Resham mentioned that the new entrants in the industry need to learn to respect their seniors and Javed Sheikh added that they should also work on their professionalism instead of throwing around attitude. What did you think about this latest episode?
Aap ki di hui har cheez yahan chor gaya hai- siwaye apni zidd! Omar is more like his father than he realizes. Imagine if there was a magic mirror here- Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, Who’s The Ziddiest of Them All? I’d place my money on Omar for now… While Rahat continues masterminding his son’s eventual return by asking Ali’s father to toss him out of his Clifton home, Asma and Mohini are planning the inevitable wedding. Asma knew if it came down to choosing between her career and her daughter’s happiness, she’d give up the former in a jiffy but not without reminding Sr. Hashmi of his aukaat– Aap ke khaandaan ne siwaye paisey banane key koi aisa kaam nahin kiya jis se aap fakhar se sar ooncha kar sakein… Rahat always assumed he could continue to control people through their majburis but Asma is not one to be overpowered by her boss. She happily celebrates her jashn-e-azaadi although I wonder how long it’ll be before she starts questioning her decisions.
There was a moment of reflection when Rahat asked Mrs. Imtiyaaz about Omar. Toot jaye ga– probably for the first time, he sounded like he genuinely cared about his son. Is Rahat afraid to have Omar experience the hardships he may have had along his journey? Or is he driven by his need to control? Or a bit of both? Ali tries to help in the only way he can- by finding Omar a place to crash until he is able to afford a rental. So Omar ends up with Adnan taking him in. Remember Adnan? The junkie from the beach? Yeah, him. He’s the rich brat who’s always on a high and wants to share some of it. Before you know it, Omar gives in to peer pressure and has a few puffs himself. Sensing something like this was bound to happen, Mohini goes over to try and knock some sense into him. Adnan tries to help out in his own way- by trying to arrange an interview for Omar. This was exactly the sort of thing Rahat didn’t want Omar to be doing with his life. If only he had used a midway approach instead!
I get that Asma wants Mohini to be happy but is rushing her into marrying Omar the best for both of them? Agreed, Omar has made his intentions very clear but he has a long way to go before he can handle the responsibility of a marriage. Omar is entirely dependent on Mohini and while he needs to know that she’ll stand by him, she can’t baby him forever. In time, she will grow tired of making all the decisions for him, telling him what he should and shouldn’t do and similarly, Omar will start to feel suffocated all over again. Episode 6 ended with dholki preps and the baraatis getting ready to party. On a side note, is Mrs. Hashmi related to the house-help? I thought I was seeing doubles.
Filmfare is a leading film magazine of India and its Editor Jitesh Pillaai has wrote an article on Fawwad Khan.
Editor Jitesh Pillaai heaps praise on the latest heartthrob
Let me confess that after watching Fawad Khan in the Khoobsurat remake, my first thoughts were that he was yet another one of those good-looking guys who definitely made the girls go gaga.
But all this was before I fell ill. For the first time, perhaps, I was glad of being bedridden with a bad back. Because it was during this period that I discovered Fawad Khan, the actor. While flipping channels, I chanced upon one of his tele-serials on the Zindagi channel. In five minutes, I was hooked. After half-an-hour, I started calling my contacts for copies of his serials. And for the first time in my life, I became a devout serial watcher.
Watching him underplay his characters, in serials like Zindagi Gulzar Hai is a treat to watch. There is a thehraav in the way he handles his scenes. He knows the art of speaking with his eyes. His silences speak volumes. No other actor (and I’m talking purely in terms of acting here) made me come out in goosebumps as he does.
If only prospective filmmakers took time out to watch his serials, he would surely land better films. A little bird told me that Karan Johar’s mother Hiroo Yash Johar is a huge fan of his. Hiroo aunty has witnessed generations of stars come and go and her instincts can’t be wrong.
Watching all those Pakistani soaps set me thinking as to why our TV content remains the way it is. Their serials genuinely attempt to tell a story. They are wrapped up in maximum 20-24 episodes and don’t drag on for years together. They are shot beautifully and the actors act with a nuance that is found lacking in our soaps as well as our films. The senior actors too aren’t shortchanged and are given author-backed roles. Most belong to a theatre background and their command over scenes; over language makes you feel you’re watching some forgotten Kamal Amrohi or K Asif film.
They say art blooms in the midst of unrest and maybe the volatile socio-political climate of their country breeds better poets, better writers and better actors. Or maybe they are a little more professional, a little more concerned about their craft than our artistes. Borders shouldn’t become the graveyard for talent. Let’s hope the tension between our two countries evaporates and better cultural opportunities prevail. Insha’Allah! – Filmfare
“Fasla Rakhen” is an upcoming thesis movie by Anas M Khan from Department of Visual studies, University of Karachi of genre Dark Comedy. Starring Nazar ul hassan,Shakeel Hussain,Shahjee Hassan,Ali Asgher nal wala,Asia alam,Ali Abbas naqvi,Kamal hussain,Kamran siddiqui, it is directed and written by Anas Muhammad Khan. It is not a commercial film.
Here is the trailer of this film which is released few days ago
Ohkay, I know it will come as a shock to a lot of readers but I am so disappointing with Fareeda this time. What she did to herself was absolutely wrong. After watching this episode, I now find both Sherhryaar & Fareeda at fault. Shehryaar; because he never really tried to get to know who Rushk-e-Hina was & Fareeda because she didn’t give benefit of doubt to Shehryaar at all. Yes, he was always very vocal about what he was looking for in his life partner but Fareeda kept on giving him wrong impression too without making an effort to tell him to truth. If she was so conscious in the first place, why did she allow Shehryaar to get interested in her & more so, why did she do this to herself as well?
I find Fareeda wrong this time because even if she decided to meet Shehryaar to reveal her reality, why did she back out? I now feel both of them allowed the assumptions to get the best of them because of which, they kept on making irrational decisions. Shehryaar was obviously at fault because he kept on burdening her with his criterions without ever giving her a chance to speak up but Fareeda followed the course blindly as well. Now when all of a sudden the reality struck her & left her bewildered, she at least should have explained everything to Shehryaar after meeting him & so that they both could’ve taken a mutual decision because no matter how self-centred or immature Shehryaar must be, he doesn’t deserve to be blindsided like this & Fareeda does owe an explanation to him. I feel if Fareeda wanted to back out because she didn’t find herself at par with him, she should’ve done it properly because it’s unfair that in a relation, only one person gets to make a decision & the other is left in a state of oblivion for the rest of his life.
I found Shaukat’s proposal very sincere. I like him for who he is but still, I don’t think he matches the calibre of Fareeda at all. He now promised her that he would change himself & would do everything that she likes but Shaukat needs to understand that it won’t be easy because no matter how much he’d try, how far would be he able to push himself to match her level? How much effort would he make to change himself completely? He might be a good person on his own but in comparison to Fareeda, he’s a lot less worthy.
Another disappointment that I faced was when Fareeda agreed to Shaukat’s proposal, not because she agreed but because she wasn’t happy about it. If Fareeda knows deep down that she can’t tolerate Shaukat’s presence & she won’t ever be able to bring herself to like him, then why did she jump into the pitfall consciously & willingly? No matter how incompatible Shaukat must be to her, he surely doesn’t deserve a wife who won’t be able to respect or love him. Shaukat might have his own issues but he has always been very sincere to her, so if she can’t reciprocate the exact same feelings, then she shouldn’t have agreed to this marriage as well.
The way Anwar dealt with Fareeda showed that Appa’s taunt struck a chord this time & it was enough for Anwar to lose his cool. I think if Appa wouldn’t have pressurized Anwar, Fareeda must’ve gotten a wee bit time to think more about what she wanted to do with her relationship with Shehryaar but just because she was being compelled, she took a wrong & hasty decision. I thought Appa actually meant all those promises that she made with Zareena & Fareeda but too bad, she is going to become a typical ‘saas’. I really thought it was only Najma who had issues with Fareeda but Appa’s display of happiness & sincerity was too good to be true as well.
Looks like Rida & Sikandar are facing a downfall in their careers with a recent flop drama & Ayaan Junaid is going to enjoy the benefit of depending on Rushk-e-Hina which means that he will now rely more on her & this will bring her a good name in the industry but too bad, going by the preview of next episode, looks like Fareeda will have to deal with a lot in her new home, which might put a kibosh on her writing career temporarily. It actually came as a shock that Shaukat changed with a blink of an eye. I actually feel bad for Fareeda because she doesn’t deserve what she will go through. Looks like she will lead the rest of her life in regret; regret of not being able to tell the truth to Shehryar, regret of rejecting him & regret of getting married to Shaukat. I hope her life shapes up well & from now on she takes sensible decisions even if it means getting divorced from Shaukat, which I can foresee because we’re through 12 episodes only, phew!
The episode was good like always but I really felt bad seeing how Fareeda slowly destroyed her life with her own hands. Zareena’s concern for Fareeda was so heart-warming because deep down she knows this pretty well that Fareeda might get a hard time in Shaukat’s home but she chose to keep it unsaid as she respected her husband’s decision more. Jameela looked really pretty & her new overdo is enough to show that she’s leading a good life after getting married. :) Share your thoughts please.
He may have done his first film role in a family project, Khulay Aasman Ke Neechay (directed by his uncle Javed Sheikh, and starring as the younger self of the character of his other uncle, Saleem Sheikh), but the young TV actor Shehroz Subzwari is taking the big leap to Bollywood strictly on his own terms.
Instead of hankering after a mainstream Bollywood role alongside A-list stars, Shehroz is making his B-town debut with the lead role in noted Bengali director Riingo Banerjee’s debut Hindi film, Luv’s Story. “It may not be a run-of-the-mill masala movie, but it ticks all the boxes for me as an actor,” said Shehroz, while talking to Instep.
About landing the role, he shared that the producer Shamik Basu scouted him. “To be honest, I don’t have a brilliant body of work to show, and obviously I’m no Fawad Khan,” he said modestly, “But Shamik Basu felt that I could do something in Bollywood. Nothing worked out for a while, and then I received the script for Luv’s Story. Riingo Banerjee is a brilliant director from Bengal and is very particular about his actors. He liked my look, but I still had to send audition tapes. So Syra and I shot a few scenes and sent the tapes over, and thankfully he approved.”
A romantic thriller, Luv’s Story will see Shehroz play the role of the titular character, a young boy with subnormal intelligence. He stars alongside Bengali actors, Bidita Bag and Aryaan (picture in the first look above). According to Times of India, the film is based on three best friends who grow up together in an orphanage in Kalimpong, a hill station in West Bengal. While Shehroz’s character Luv isn’t the brightest on the block, his friend MC is sharp as a knife, and on the lookout for ways to get rich quick. Together, they form a love triangle with Kushali, who has eyes on Luv and is adored by MC. After a murder takes place, the film takes a turn as Luv becomes the prime suspect.
“I’m very happy that I’ve gotten in touch with the right people; Bengalis are known to be highly educated people, and it’s an honour to be selected by them. I want to make Pakistan and my family proud,” he added. Shehroz will be flying across in the end of January to begin shooting for Luv’s Story in Calcutta and Kalimpong.
Nigehbaan is drama on PTV Home on Saturday. The play is about insurgency in Balochistan. Zeba Bakhtyar, Abid Ali, Irum Akhtar, Hannan Sameed , Syed Mukhtar are in lead roles. The play is directed by Abid Ali and produced by Gold Bridge Media.
Here is the OST of this drama in the voice of Sahir Ali Bagga who is also the composer.
Chalain jee shuker hai, finally the drama is picking up the pace & the episodes are coming across as a lot better than the previous ones. Even though, I still have an issue with how things are unfolding between Jamshed & Michelle, rest of the tracks are doing just fine.
It really surprised me that it only took a few days for Michelle to come out of her shell that she was used to for so many years. It only took a few sweet-talks from Jamshed & Michelle forgot all about those boundaries that she set around her? I have no issues with their relationship & even their age difference doesn’t matter but what matters is the missing depth from her story. I think it would’ve been a lot better if they had shown what her ex-husband did to make her so bitter & what she faced all these years that made her so isolative? If they had shown some sort of transformation in her emotions like what allowed the flamboyant stranger to sweep her off her feet; I think that would’ve made a lot more sense. One day they weren’t talking & the next day; they’re holding hands & strolling in a romantic park; all this makes it look like the scenarios have been flipped & there was neither any flow in the scenes nor any growth in her feelings, in fact there weren’t any feelings to begin with & they’ve been forced point-blank to fall for each other & have no other option.
I didn’t see the necessity of Nadir’s call to Jamshed as well. Why was he acting like he was guilty or something because Nadir & Asma took that decision without worrying about Jamshed for a second, so they should just stick to it now. Why did Nadir feel that he owed some sort of an explanation to Jamshed, whereas he on his own was pretty sure that Jamshed wasn’t his friend anymore? Jamshed’s blunt & honest reply to Nadir for the first time revealed that he has been hurt a lot more than he expresses & maybe that’s why he has stopped thinking from his heart & has now adopted practicality in life.
Another shock that I got in this episode was the way Cathy behaved after she saw Bhatti & Salma sharing a conversation over a cup of coffee. Why is it that all of a sudden Cathy’s acting like an over-possessive ‘wife’ because otherwise, she has been very practical. has always been indifferent to her husband & it’s more like she has pretty much grown out of this relationship. Once again, they never showed what Bhatti did to tick her off. They never really showed Bhatti & Cathy spending a good time together or having a normal relation like any other married couple, which is why Cathy’s reaction didn’t really seem justified. Cathy’s on a trip of her own where now she has started to dread that if Bhatti gets the citizenship, he will walk out on her. Does this mean that she never really bothered to care about him just because he was an illegal resident & she knew he had no escape & now that when there’s a chance that he might become an American national, suddenly she has started to have some sort of a realization that she needs to work on her marriage? I don’t think there was a need of showing Cathy as so shallow that her husband’s immigration status affected the way she treated him.
Finally, Salma managed to salvage herself from further loss & this way, she saved our eye-brows from rising too. Just in the nick of time, she overheard what Sikandar was saying to Kashif & understood where he was getting with the whole ‘zewar check karwa lo’ act. For a change, it was good to see her standing up against Sikandar because it’s about time he reaps what he sowed & more than that, it’s about time that Salma realizes how she’s being played upon. Sikandar is despicable, there’s no questioning in that but the way Tai Jee shows her deep concern for both Sikandar & Kashif, knowing their dirty moves is also detestable. Sorry to say but Tai Jee is just a hypocrite who doesn’t leave an opportunity to belittle Salma & Imaan but has always been overprotective of her son despite knowing how he always falls short on morality. Yes, there was a moment where Salma once again tried to convince herself in denial that she might be misunderstanding Sikandar but thankfully, Aliya saved the day.
Just when we thought that their paths might never cross, I see something of that sort happening in the next episode where Sikandar & Kashif will try to rob Bhatti & then I feel somehow Salma will get involved too. Seems like the drama has hit the right track & pace, so hanging in there to watch what happens next. Share your thoughts as well.
Directed by Anjum Shahzad, written by Samina Ijaz, produced by Big Bang (best known for creativity, recent venture: Koi Nahe Apna) and starring Fahad Mustafa, Hareem Farooq and Maha Warsi, ARY’s ‘fakhria paishkush’ involves lots of twirling- the ladies twirl around in delight to show off their dresses and the guy twirls around his donon biwian with a self-congratulatory smile to tell the world,’Dekho, mein nay do shadian kar kay kia teer mara hai’. If you have seen the promos and the OST, you definitely know what I’m talking about. I am sure had they put in half as much effort, time and money in the script of the play as they put into the good-for-nothing lehengas, mathapattian and chooriyan of the begmaat, something more constructive would’ve surfaced. Our writers are obsessed with the idea of ‘dusri shadi’ and entertainment channels have been churning out one play after another based on this done-to-death topic. ‘Dusri Biwi’ is no different and this time around too, the story is baseless: Only God knows what’s gotten into the bewafa shauhar who was leading a picture-perfect marital life but then he woke up with this sudden whim to become involved in someone else and cheat on his pehli biwi. I mean I had anticipated how stupid the twists and turns would be but this one, in particular, left me bewildered. Well, one doesn’t have to be a genius to guess the story. The name says it all!
Alright, so there you have it: a tooooo good to be true, typical wife, oh sorry, pehli biwi, Aisha (Hareem Farooq) who is pretty, docile, submissive, khidmatguzaar and totally depends on her husband, Hassan for everything, like, the gal can’t shop for herself because her husband does that for her. Ha! Then what completes the family frame is their daughter, Saman. Perfect family, no?
Aandd the award for ‘The Most Complicated + Confused +Poorly developed Character’ goes to Hassan (Fahad Mustafa). On one hand, he loves Aisha to death, he sings her to sleep (seriously!) and performs household chores for her but the next instant, the entry of a female colleague, Farah, changes everything. Maha Warsi receives the ‘honour’ of playing the titular character of the play: *drumrolls* Dusri Biwi! Farah works at Hassan’s office and is engaged to an immature and demanding guy, Amir. Farah isn’t very fond of him as he is short-tempered and overly-possessive. Hassan develops a liking for Farah and continually peeks his nose into her personal matters. Eventually, both Farah and Hassan fall in love with each other. And at this stage of the story, Farah has confessed her love for Hassan and is breaking off her engagement. The only question I can put forth is: is Karachi devoid of all eligible bachelors that young girls are obsessing over married men? I know this is definitely not the case in actual life but I wonder why this trend is strengthening its grip in our plays.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what Dusri Biwi is all about! Masterpiece, right? And to match this masterpiece, they decided to choose its shayaan-e-shaan OST (which is perhaps the only area where ARY is excelling these days; recent examples include Dil Nahe Manta, another epic comedy). Ahmed Jahanzaib has offered his vocals and the song is filmy and its video has too much-twirling going on! Also, the lighting is pathetic. I mean, Hassan and Aisha’s house is literally screaming out aloud: Why so gloomy?!
I seriously don’t know what the hype was all about. Hareem Farooq looks stunning and the make-up artist has done justice to her attractive face (no choona pheww) but her acting doesn’t really strike a chord. According to some sources, with this play, Fahad Mustafa puts an end to his silver-screen career. I really wish he had been more sensible in making this choice, considering this was his LAST play. I am actually glad he is taking a break because his expressions are monotonous than ever.
Did you watch Dusri Biwi? I would love to know what you guys think of it. And oh yes, (see below)
“Jahan dalil khatam hoti hai wahan se mohabbat shru hoti hai us ki.” The highlight of this episode for me was Maqsood’s concern for Khalil and Shano and the way he put Khalil’s feelings for Shano into words. Khalil-ur-Rehman nailed it yet again with those beautiful and to the point dialogues. Maqsood’s character is one of those very few supporting characters that truly leave their mark. He is positive, wise but definitely not holier-than-thou. His practical approach coupled with his relationship with Khalil makes him a very important and likeable character in the play. Khalil and Shano think that they can live their lives loving each other without getting married but Mansoor knows that Shano’s parents will definitely get her married at some point therefore the only solution is a court marriage. Abdur Rehman’s reaction came as a pleasant surprise as well, he is a good natured man but he is anything but a coward. Khalil may not be his son but he loves him like his own. The difference in the approach of Shano’s parents and in the way Khalil’s parents look at things is worlds apart. On the one hand Shano’s mother is bent on using her daughter to take revenge from her sister and ex-fiancé, she does not think that her daughter’s feeling even count in the matter but on the other hand Khalil’s mother wants to see her son happy. It feels good to see a normal family on television who have an ugly past but a very positive present. All the members in Khalil’s family look out for each other’s happiness whereas in Shano’s house it is the children versus the mother mainly because of Shano’s mother intimidating personality. Rasheeda is clearly insecure and she derives pleasure out of controlling people even if these people are her own children.
I absolutely love the faith that Shano has in Khalil ” vo baghaye ga hi nahi…bus mohabbat hai us ki nazar mei khot nahi”…. she has not known Khalil for long but she knows that he will never do anything that will effect her in a negative way. Khalil’s reaction to Bakhtiar’s “proposal” showed that he cannot think of doing something like that. The love that Shano and Khalil have for each other is something that they feel they are entitled to because it is beyond their control. They have a spiritual bond which does not allow them to think with their mind but they think with their hearts only! Shano loved Khalil even before she met him because she always believed that he was her soul-mate.
Khalil’s conversation with the Maulvi sahab was very sweet. The way he paid heed to Maulvi sahab’s advice went to show that Khalil is willing to do anything to have Shano in his life. Khalil’s confession about the frequency with which he prayed was honest and cute. Khalil is not perfect in any way but what makes him perfect for Shano is his love for her. He respects her more than he loves her, that is something that is being repeated in the drama over and over again and I have a feeling that there is a reason why we repeatedly get to hear dialogues and are shown scenes which show just how much Khalil respects Shano.
I felt like there was no need to show Shano singing a whole song but then I must also confess that I really liked the lyrics of the song in particular and it was beautifully shot. The song also points to the pakeeza mohabbat that these two people have for each other. I wonder if the second song which Shano sang for her friend was sung by the same person too because it did not really go with Shano’s personality or her voice. Shano’s conversation with her mother was heart-touching, she obviously wants her mother to be her friend…is that too much to ask for? And although she always smiles when her mother mocks her but it does hurt her.
The preview of the next episode suggested that someone new will enter Shano’s life. Since Shano’s Taya has already refused to marry his son with Shano, this new guy may be the one who will stir things up in Shano and Khalil’s life. Khalil will be visiting Shano again in the next episode, this is the same person who used to say Maqsood was a pakki gaun ki sawari and he would never go there!
Apart from the loveable characters, what I like the most about this play is that Sadqay Tumhare does not bank on thrilling twists and turns to keep the viewers engaged. It is a sweet love story which is being told one chapter at a time. Watching every episode is like reading few pages of a beautifully written novel; it is tranquil yet engaging. I would give full marks to the entire team for giving us something different, sweet and unhurried to watch on Friday nights. A big thank you to whoever is responsible for the casting for breaking the stereotypes and experimenting with the cast; our hero is a newcomer but he is a charmer, our heroine could not have been better and the supporting cast is flawless.
Am I the only one who really missed Amin tonight? Do share your thoughts:)
Zidd is replacing Shanakht on Hum Tv. The play will start from 23 Dec 2014 at 8 PM.
Starring Ahsan Khan, Maya Ali, Rabab Hashim, Kunwar Arsalan, Humayun Ashraf, Manzoor Qureshi, Sultana Zafar, Mehmood Akhter, Huma Nawab, Nousheen Shah, Angileen Malik, Ismat Zaidi and others, the play is written by Bee Gull, directed by Adnan Wai Qureshi and produced by Momina Duraid/Mehroz Karim.
Gohar Rasheed: Gohar had bagged a few nominations for his work in the feature film Lamha (Seedlings), when he stepped into the drama industry with Shikwa. He is a part of recent dramas, namely Digest Writer, Khuda Na Karay and Goya. Gohar has nailed all the roles and hopefully, will do the same in future. 
He knows how to give the right expressions and make the audience praise him and he has selected different roles to do that.
Aleezay Tahir: Aleezay Tahir is another Karachiite who made her debut with Shikwa. She has a cute and pretty face but she really needs to work on her dialogue delivery and expressions. 
Aleezay Rasool: Aleezay Rasool worked as a model and in a few commercials before the start of her career as an actor in Bikhra Mera Naseeb on Geo TV. Presently, both BMN and her second drama Sultanat-e-Dil are being telecast on Geo Entertainment. Aleezay Rasool gives the right expressions but needs to work on the dialogues. 
Some of her clicks as Ujala in BMN: 
Zarnish Khan: Zarnish started her career with Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi on Hum TV. Her second drama, Susral Mera, aired on the same channel while her third drama, Khuda Na Karay, is airing on ARY Digital. Zarnish has a cute face but needs to improve her dialogue delivery to suit different situations. 
Zahid Ahmed: Making his debut with Mehram on Hum TV, the good looking Zahid Ahmed has not impressed much with his acting. While he speaks confidently and knows what expressions to give, he needs to choose better roles which give him an opportunity to show his talent. 
Janita Zafar: She has performed side roles in the past, but her recognizable debut would be Ishq Mein on Express Entertainment. Janita is a pretty face but a good actress as well. She gives suitable expressions and speaks confidently. 
Some of her clicks as Samra in Ishq Mein: 
Iqra Aziz: You must have seen her in the really long Hilal Kake ad, alongside Na Maloom Afraad famed Mohsin Abbas Haider. Iqra is a talented young actress who also made her debut with Kisay Apna Kahein and then starred in Ishq Mein on Express Entertainment. She could improve her way of speaking a bit, since she gets a bit loud at times, but other than that, her acting is good. 
Sundas Khan: Sundas started her career with Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi. She did not make much of an impression with her acting skills and needs to work on them. 
Hina Altaf: Hina is a VJ, and a good one at that, but not a good actor, for her work in ARY Digital’s Maryam Kese Jiye was nothing out of the ordinary. She needs to improve her acting skills for her next project. 
Feroze Khan: Feroze Khan stepped into the showbiz industry with Bikhra Mera Naseeb. His second drama is Chup Raho on ARY Digital. Feroze Khan is a good actor and his strength lies in intense scenes. 
So which one of these actors impressed you? Whom do you want to see again? Do tell us in the comments below. Areeba Mohsen
