My God! I am all praises for today’s episode. I must say this play has stood out primarily because of it’s natural (not to forget unpredictable) twists and turns. The incredible thing about this play is the fact that the main developments will be nowhere near your expectations. And I think this is exactly where the writer succeeds :)

Needless to say, the highlight of the episode for me was Mehar and Sidra’s emotional confrontation. Mehar’s character has to be one of the MOST natural characters of the season. And the writer,in particular, has etched it out perfectly.

Initially, it was sad to see Mehar preferring a guy like Yasir (for whom she had nothing but strong contempt) for her very own sister. Since our heroine is conscientious, deep down, she knew that what she is doing is by all means wrong and unjustifiable. But there were a couple of things that literally led to Mehar’s change of mind. Firstly, that conversation with Saqib proved to be an eye-opener, because it was then that Saqib talked sense into her and rightly pointed it out that it’s her jealousy that’s compelling her to see her own sister go through the same bitter circumstances that she went through. And then, of course, the scene where Sidra poured her feelings. Mehar then realised how her envy had concealed all the love and affection she had for her sister. Seeing Sidra helpless and teary, Mehar realised that if she couldn’t have a life partner of her choice, at least seeing Sidra with the guy she wants to be with would serve as redemption. Watching that particular scene, I couldn’t help pushing this thought out of my mind: Kaash Sidra ka role koi aur actress play kar rahi hoti!! Hayee- me and my wishful thinking :'(

One good thing was to finally see Mehar’s mother standing up for her daughter. She wasn’t that strong-headed when it came to Mehar but at least she mustered the courage to support Sidra in front of her extremely manipulative relatives. I thought ‘blood was thicker than water’, but now I am thinking of  challenging these proverbs :P

I think now is the right time to end this play.This was the 18th episode and I am expecting it to end within a week or two. The viewers are enjoying it, the charm hasn’t faded and we are getting a strong underlying message, so what’s the point of dragging it now? We don’t want it to suffer the dreaded fate of ‘Shukk’, do we?

I am eager to see what you guys think of the latest episode. So please share your thoughts!

Maryam Mehdi

This first episode was very engaging; it kept me glued to my TV screen right from the get-go. Drama serial Firaaq has been written by Mustafa Afridi, directed by Aabis Raza and produced by MD Productions. The first episode introduced the viewers to all the main characters in the drama and their backgrounds. The main protagonist of the play Payman (Sanam Saeed) is a Pakistani American who may have been living in America for a long time but her controlling and conservative mother (Uzma Gillani) does not allow her to adopt anything that is American. Not only that, Payman has grown up in a very strict environment, she is constantly judged and criticized. Payman is not happy with her life because of her situation. Her mother has a very desi set-up in which she is the boss of the house. Her second husband plays a second fiddle to her because she runs a restaurant and runs the house therefore she has no respect or regard for him either (anyone remember Bilquees Kaur?). Yes, Uzma Gillani’s character reminded me of Bilquess Kaur because Bilquees’ husband and children used to get the same treatment from her too. Bilquees was also loud and bossy and she had a very desi set-up in her house. The only big difference is that Payman’s mother is not playing the lead in the drama and she is probably not going to be around for long either but her character definitely seemed to be inspired from Bilquees Kaur’s character. Payman’s step-father (Syed Mazhar Ali) on the other hand is a very soft-spoken and easy going person. It was great to see Syed Mazhar Ali on screen after a long time.

Payman’s brother Shams (Junaid Khan) left his mother’s house when she remarried after her husband’s death. Sham’s wife Sara (Cybil Chaudhry) wants to have kids but Shams made it very clear to her before they got married that he did not want any children. Sara meets a family friend (Noor Hassan) and shares her worries with him and he suggests that she should see a counselor. The counselor (Mohib Mirza) suggests that Sara’s troubles will only be over if she can reunite Shams with his mother. Personally, I did not agree with the advice at all because anyone with such an authoritative, suspicious and unreasonable mother would not want to have kids because they would not be sure if they will be able to give that child the kind of life which every child deserves. I felt like Shams is too afraid that he may not be able to be a good father that is why he does not want kids. Anyway, Sara decides to meet Shams’ mother and what an interesting meeting that was! Shams’ mother may regret losing her son but she is not very eager to win him back either!

The preview of the next episode promised another happening episode therefore I am definitely looking forward to it. Sara’s plan to get the mother and son back together is going to backfire in the worst way possible. Sanam Saeed looked really cute in those glasses and she owned her character. I could feel all the pent up anger and frustration in her expressions, body language and voice. When I first heard Cybil Chaudry talk I thought her voice was dubbed but by the end of the episode I liked her character and acting. Junaid Khan is not among my favorite actors but he is definitely well-suited for this role. I am waiting to see more of Mohib Mirza and Noor Hassan.

Overall, this was a very promising beginning. All the scenes were short and to-the-point , the characters are interesting, the story has potential and the episode was very well-directed. It was refreshing to see so many talented young actors on-screen. I wish people who are responsible for writing the plots of dramas online would not have access to more information than the viewers would like to know. I read the plot summary online and now I know exactly what is going to happen next! I highly recommend this first episode to anyone who has not watched it yet.

Fatima Awan

For the first time in this entire show, I felt bad for Sajeela ; Not because of the fact that she was rejected by Haider Masood but because of her ex-husband for whom Sajeela was merely a jackpot and he used her just as an ATM machine for earning muft ka revenue,as much possible as he can. She came back to Pakistan with a hope that Haider spent those years by thinking about her only but she was proved wrong. Haider kept on avoiding Sajeela for so long but this time what Sajeela did was something beyond his level of patience – She insulted rather accused Aiman and that was unbearable for him.

Just after Haider broke the ice, her credulity vanished with in a moment and that was nothing but a slap on Sajeela’s face. Bibi was right, after spending those carefree years with her ex-husband , as soon as she got to know his reality , she reverted back to Haider. Neither was Haider an absolute scum nor was he so desperate that he will accept and welcome Sajeela whenever she feel like coming back to him.I mean how could she even think of returning back to him after leaving him the way no one expected her to leave ?

I am so glad that Taufeeq paid heed to what Aiman asked and got convinced after knowing what was in her mind. Afterall, he learnt this lesson from his own life – marrying Zainab and then living his life without his daughter was the hardest fact he ever faced and now that his daughter is standing at the similar spot, he didnot want her to face the same situation that he did. And to add icing on the cake was Saahir’s vote in favor of his father.. chup karwa dya donu ne Almaas ko..

Keeping everything in his mind that happened lately, Haider decided to get married. He didnot want any questions on his and Aiman’s relation and as soon as he felt that situation is getting out of his hands, he went to Dubai to propose Fatima. Bibi was shocked to hear the news because all this while , she was thinking that Haider will marry Aiman and now that he announced his wedding, she was unable to figure out that what exactly is cooking in Haider’s head.

Poor Aiman felt as if she was in the middle of nowhere ; For her, Haider was the reason because of whom she smiles and now that he himself is ready to snatch the smile away from her, how would she be able to remain quiet and to not confess her love for him. She pledged Haider and asked him again and again to marry her but Haider resisted to confess his feelings for her – he was doing this for his own self because he knew that he was way elder than her, he was doing that for her because he didnt want anyone to see Aiman with suspicious eyes and more than that, he was doing this for them kyu k Haider sab kuch bardaasht kar sakta hai magar ye bardasht nahi kar sakta k usay koi ye kahay k uss ne Aiman ke masoomyat, uss ke kam umeri ka faida uthanay ke koshish ke hai.. but he knew that none of them will live a happy life with his very step.

Next episode will be the last one and I am so going to miss this show. But I am glad too and that is because they are winding it up at right time so that the charm of the show remains with us for long. Preview of next episode looks interesting and after a long time, we will finally see one happy ending..

I would love to read your feedback on second last episode of this show.

Rabia Basharat.

Mausam has been a very slow play till now but all of a sudden things are moving forward rather quickly. Hashir’s father finally decided to call him today, he listened to him and confronted his mother but there was nothing new about what Hashir said to his mother because he has always believed that his mother was responsible for the separation between his parents. When Hashir finds out the next morning that his mother has gone to the doctor he decides to go after her but when he finds out that his mother has already left and spots Saman’s mother there, he conveniently forgets all about his mother but is more concerned about setting things straight in Saman’s life. I am glad that we were not shown the details of what went on between Faisal and Saman after he saw her in Hashir’s office. Even after going through so much Saman’s sole concern is saving her marriage.

Shazia on the other hand thinks she has hit a jackpot, she is finally going to get the man she always wanted….so basically mission accomplished! I am waiting to find out how she is going to convince Faisal to accept this marriage since she is the one who has been telling Faisal that Hashir is interested in Saman. I am anxiously waiting to see how Faisal reacts to the news of Shazia and Hashir’s marriage because I can foresee Karma taking care of Shazia’s future from now on (or it could be my wishful thinking!) Surely someone like Shazia cannot get away with everything that she did; she will eventually have to pay for all that she put Saman and Hashir through.

Saman surprised me yet again with the change in her personality when she is around Hashir. It is strange and ironic that all of Saman’s lectures and words of wisdom are for Hashir’s ears only. Also, her common sense works only when it comes to Hashir. She took seconds to put two and two together when it came to figuring out Luqman’s connection with Hashir. She must be one of those people who will do anything for family, even if that family is a back-stabbing cousin or Khala or an abusive husband, but she will never trust someone who is not part of the family. Hashir is definitely not a stranger to Saman but the way she told him off was actually very surprising; I had no idea that she knew that Mehreen was interested in Hashir too since even Hashir found out that Mehreen had feelings for him only recently. And when did Saman find out that Hashir likes her? Saman is definitely not the sort of person who can just figure something like that out.

Shazia’s conversation with her mother highlighted her mother’s double standards even more. It looked like she knew exactly what her daughter had been upto all these years. She did not want Saman to be there when Hashir’s mother came and she was very sure that Faisal could create problems – now what does that say about her? Looks like Saman’s mother is going to keep the big secret all to herself, she is the only one who knows exactly what Shazia has been doing to her daughter for all these years but for some odd reason she feels absolutely no need to confront her even – not that it is going to do any good.

The preview of the next episode showed that Faisal threatens to divorce Saman, yet again and Hashir plays “the savior” with flying colors! I am glad that the story is finally moving forward and at this point I am looking forward to Shazia paying for whatever she did to Saman more than anything else.

Fatima Awan

“Aap ko happy ending pasand hai na? Mujhe bhi!” Because happy endings don’t always mean that a couple with the most dysfunctional marriage resolves all their differences magically in the last episode. Sometimes happy endings can be convincing too. Laila preferred Saadi’s friendship even though Mansoor did his best to convince her that she was lost without him. Tonight I felt like Mansoor really was desperate to get Laila back not only because he wanted to control her but he wanted her back in his life. People like Mansoor do not change of course and I am glad that Laila knew that only too well, which is why she refused to take him back. Mansoor realized that he had lost someone very precious and there was no way to win Laila back now, regret and remorse was all he was left with. It was good to see Mansoor’s real self coming out when Laila told him that the marriage was over because otherwise the change in his personality would have been unpersuasive.

Laila’s mother’s ego did not allow her to accept her daughter for what she was now wholeheartedly but the way things were moving forward there was definitely hope for the future. Mrs. Khan consoled herself with lies like always; yes some things never change and I am glad that Mrs. Khan’s track was wrapped up like this because people’s lives and personalities don’t change overnight. Kukoo and Khurram ended up being good friends; Kukoo’s letter to Khurram at the end was elaborate and pretty much summed up everyone’s life.

I am glad that Pehchan ended tonight because even a die-hard fan like me was feeling that the conversations were getting repetitive. The ending was gratifying in every way, I could not have asked for more. I think Pehchan was the best play of the season because it excelled in all the departments in which a drama can stand out. Bee Gul and Khalid Ahmed gave a brand new treatment to an age-old story and added the zing which a good drama needs. It may have been too slow and unconventional for many viewers therefore it did not the kind of attention that commercial plays get but I hope that will not stop the producers, writer and the director from continuing experimenting.

I feel like I owe Bee Gul in particular a big thanks for not banking on the more easy (which don’t require a lot of thinking) and conventional ways to get attention from the viewers. Her dramas have not been getting the appreciation which they truly deserve but she continues writing artistic scripts and does not rely on run-of-the-mill-stories. All of her characters are multi-layered and definitely not black and white, with the exception of Laila’s mother. Her characters are so real that you can’t help but connect with them, feel for them and understand them even when it is a character as negative as that of Mansoor. I also love the way these characters are revealed to the viewers gradually; the way Laila and Kukoo’s journey of self-discovery was penned down and executed was perfect. I would really like to see a male character as the main protagonist in one of Bee Gul’s upcoming plays because until now she has been focusing on women leads.

Khalid Ahmed brings out the best in Bee Gul’s scripts because he understands the depth of the characters and the narrative. Not just that he made Pehchan a masterpiece by making it esthetically pleasing. Khalid Ahmed’s direction proved that he believes that his viewers are just as intelligent as he is unlike most Pakistani directors who think that the viewers will not understand the underlying messages in the story unless they spoon-feed it to them. There were quite a few scenes in every episode that conveyed the feelings and situations of the characters beautifully even when there were no dialogues involved. I personally feel that Pehchan was a labour of love; Bee Gul assisted Khalid Ahmed herself which must have made a huge difference too and which goes to show how seriously she took this drama. The Director Of Photography Naveed Malik deserves special appreciation for a job well done. A big shout-out to the producers Seema and Razi-ud-din Ahmed for giving the Pakistani viewers a reason to believe that there are still people out there who care about more than just the TRPs. We definitely need more people like them in the drama industry.

I really want to thank the person/s responsible for choosing the cast. It was an absolute pleasure watching Alishba Yusef play the character of Laila. Laila’s feelings and personality underwent a major transformation within two years of her marriage and Alishba Yusef portrayed different shades of Laila’s personality impeccably. Sohail Sameer outdid himself as Mansoor. He played the bad guy without going overboard, it is amazing how a good script and direction can bring out the best in an actor. I don’t have enough words to praise Iffat Omer; everything about her was perfect from the acting to her make-up and hairdos. Parveen Malik played Laila’s mother’s role very well and her character which was very different from the roles she has played till now. We may not have liked her character for obvious reasons but she was definitely in her comfort zone. Qazi Wajid and his character both were adorable; the chemistry that Qazi Wajid and Alishba Yusef shared on screen brought the father-daughter relationship to life. Anita Camphor did complete justice to her character, she is a very gifted actress.  Sumbul Shahid played the role of the proud mother of a son perfectly. Fawad Khan unfortunately brought out the worst in Khurram’s character, he has a long way to go! Faris Khalid and Saad gradually grew on me in the last few episodes but in the beginning he was sticking out like a sore thumb. I think the reason for that could be that Faris Khalid wasn’t very comfortable with Urdu language. The OST of the play was beautiful, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry coupled with Arshad Mahmud’s composition and Erum Nafees’ beautiful voice gave the viewers a song which they can listen to over and over again.

Watching Pehchan and reviewing it every week has been a delightful and insightful experience. A big shout-out to all those readers who read the reviews regularly and shared their thoughts here.

Did you like the ending? Do share your thoughts.

Fatima Awan