Ohkay so this was another episode of Marasim. Even though they have been showing a lot of flashbacks from the past but still the story is moving forward. I am not disappointed by the direction & feel things are moving on normally. Definitely, I am not going gaga over this drama but it ain’t that bad either.

As expected, the news of Abdullah’s wedding reached Gaitiara & Deeba. Deeba was shattered because she was forced to fall in love with her cousin as they were supposedly engaged. Daood assured his sister of finding her a better partner but she chose to refuse his offer & not only that but now she has started to have an issue with Momenah too. This is definitely a story of vindictive people who have been involved in years family politics & hatred.

Even though a lot of years have passed but Gaitiara hasn’t found a closure till now. She keeps on reminding herself of all the hardships she had to endure because of her late MIL & also that her SIL Sherbano had an important role to play in snatching away Gaitiara’s peace. Even though it was Daadi’s decision to get the grandchildren married & despite all the hatred that had harboured in between them over the years, no one dared to break off the engagement because the cousins already had inclined towards each other emotionally. Momenah’s only saving grace was the relation of Abdullah with Deeba & vice versa but now when Abdullah has walked out of the commitment, Gaitiara has found a concrete reason to call of Daood’s engagement too.

Momenah thought it was her duty to assure her MIL-to-be about how she keeps them all closer to her heart & therefore she didn’t feel ashamed in literally begging them to make her a part of their family by forgetting what Abdullah has done to Deeba. Momenah may love Daood wholeheartedly but she really doesn’t know that Deeba will treat her like her mother Sherbano treated Gaitiara & Gaitiara will treat her the way her MIL used to treat her plus definitely Momenah’d have to pay the price for all the ill-treatment Sherbano put Gaitiara up with.

Times have changed & just now when Sherbano knows her own daughter’s happiness is at stake, she feels remorseful & ashamed because of her behavior with Gaitiara & clearly she can foresee what Momenah would have to endure because Gaitiara has lost all the respect for her in-laws. Sherbano thought that Gaitiara might’ve forgotten all the insulting she ever got from her but she was shocked to hear her confession of how much she has hated them all these years. This was definitely an eyeopening detail for Sherbano because she never must’ve thought that ever in her lifetime Gaitiara would come to a position where Sherbano won’t be able to look into her eyes with the same pride she once had in the early years of their lives.

Gaitiara dreaded seeing her son getting away from her as Daood was the only one who took a stand for his mother in front of his father & grandmother but now when she saw that Daood found out about Abdullah’s wedding & planned his own with Momenah so as to protect his engagement from breaking, Gaitiara can’t tolerate her only son being snatched away by those people whom she has hated all her life. For now, she has officially called off their engagement & seems like Daood will resist & try to undo his mother’s decision. Let’s see what happens next.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

First of all the dialogues that deserve the most absurd dialogues of the century award

Shaam’s mother: mein tumhein kuch batana chahti hun lekin wada karo ke tum naraz nahi ho gay

Shaam: Yehi ke Sehrish pregnant nahi hai

Shaam’s mother: Tumhei kese pata chala!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Errrrr it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out, right guys?? Just when you think that it can’t get any worse, it does!! All of us thought that the characters and the story could not get any more twisted and the happenings more ridiculous and illogical but I would call that wishful thinking now. Shaam and Sehrish playing pretend in the opening scene was beyond absurd. Both of them knew there was no baby so they could at least be honest with each other when they were away from the house…away from militant mommy! One second Shaam’s mother was huffing and puffing and the next moment she was having guilt pangs! In one scene she was threatening Sania and in the other one she was feeling for her. Shaam’s mothers attempts to keep him in Sehrish’s room were the tactics an eleven year old would use but not something you would expect from an old lady. Nothing about Shaam’s mother’s character made sense. Same is true for Sehrish, if she does not want to fight for Shaam any more, she should just stop! There was a time when she was fighting for her husband because she felt she could not live without Shaam now that she clearly sees Shaam, Sania and Roomi as a family, she should just move on with life.

Shaam’s mother gave him a chance to divorce Sehrish but how lucky are we that he is still thinking things through! Sania and Shaam’s conversation in the study in which she apologizes was another pointless conversation in tonight’s episode. When I saw this particular scene I was reminded of the times when we had to write a long answer to a question in exams and I hardly had a paragraph of logical details in my mind, that was when you had to stretch all those details to fill pages even if what you said made no sense. Our writer my dear friends is following the same formula here! Samira Fazal knows only too well that there is nothing left in the story. The only way to stretch the drama is to fill it with conversations that go around in circles and have absolutely nothing new to add to the story.

My husband asked a very valid question at the end of this episode; he wanted to know how I was going to review this one because nothing happened!! Well, ranting always comes in handy in such a situation and that is exactly what this episode deserved. I will say once again that I am beyond disappointed. Team Shukk and ARY you maybe getting the TRPs you dreamed of but you have turned the love people used to feel for this play into detest…way to go!!

Fatima Awan

Another interesting episode. After Sajjad Ali’s episode & Shahmir’s elimination, I think this one will stay with me because I actually enjoyed Ali Zafar as a judge but more as a mentor. I think he brought out the best in the singers & lead them like no one has ever done. His main focus was to make them understand how they are supposed to convey a feel of the song & loved how he broke down the emotions of each & every word & sentence which actually helped the contestants understand a lot more about the right projection of the emotions behind the words. It looked like Ali Zafar’s a perfectionist & he was working towards making all the songs of his that were going to be performed, perfective. It was a treat to watch him & his judgements. :)

The list of the performances is as follows:

Rosemary (RM) of Karachi sang a duet sung by Ali Zafar & Shreya Ghosal named ‘Dhichkiyaoon’ for the Indian movie ‘Chashme Baddoor’. She sang it with ease & seemed really confident & I couldn’t help noticing how pretty she is. Ali Zafar said that she had this naughtiness in her voice that was actually needed for this song & she used it really well. He also said that her voice is perfect for singing the duet songs. Bushra Ansari said she enjoyed the song & felt that even though it was a duet, she sang it really well. Hadiqa said it was a high-pitched song but Rosemary was effortless in her performance. Ali Azmat said that it’s for the first time he has felt she chose a song that is appropriate for her age & commended her saying she was brilliant.

Ali Asad Zaidi (AZ) of Karachi sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Dekha Jo Teri Ankhon Main’ from his album ‘Masti’. It was a perfect performance & he made it enjoyable to listen to. Bushra Ansari said she was just so happy that she can’t explain. Ali Azmat mimicked Bushra said he was happy too & said it was a difficult song that he sang easily. Hadiqa gifted him a bell & it was absolutely hilarious. I thought it was a very cute gesture. Like always she called him a star & said his performance was brilliant. Ali Zafar spoke about the technicality of the song because he himself has sung it. According to him this song gives a very less breathing margin to the singer & has a few difficulties but seeing Ali Asad Zaidi holding it all together during his performance left Ali Zafar amazed too.

Kashif Ali (KA) of Lahore sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Jugnuon Se Bhar Le Anchal’ from his album ‘Huqa Pani’. I must say this performance of Kashif marked his presence on the TOP 3 definitely, he was just perfect. Ali Azmat said he breathed the life into this song & made it effective in it’s own way. Ali Zafar felt his voice has a spirituality in it & spoke about how he tried to bring him out of his comfort zone to see how well he performs & I am glad Ali Zafar did it because Kashif nailed it. Bushra Ansari said his performance had everything starting from expressions to sweetness to spirituality. Hadiqa said Kashif came out of his comfort zone & didn’t ever let Ali Zafar’s singing style overlap his.

Mohammad Shoaib (MS) of Peshawar sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Masti Ke Din Hain’ from his album ‘Masti’. It was a fun-filled, power-packed performance & he totally stole the show which even compelled Ali Zafar to give him a standing ovation. Ali Azmat said he was brilliant. Bushra Ansari said the audience enjoyed as well as we enjoyed the performance. Hadiqa said he chose a great song & sang it really well, she said he had all those moves going on but pretty much had a control on his notes & she even said she loved his performance. Ali Zafar said he came with a positive energy & entertained the whole crowd, he also spoke about the technicality of the song & appreciated Shoaib’s take on it.

Zamad Baig (ZB) of Mandi Bahauddin sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Dastaan-e-Ishq’ from his album ‘Dhoom’. No doubt he sang it really well because he is definitely a great singer but I wasn’t impressed with the song choice because it was like we are listening to the very good ol’ Zamad Baig – the Qawwal of Pakistan Idol. Bushra Ansari said it was a soulful performance but she found him weak at times too. Hadiqa said very appropriately he chose a song that matched his vocal tone (surprise surprise) & didn’t take any risks but sang it well. Ali Azmat said he has an earthy feeling to his personality & that shines through his performance too. Ali Zafar spoke about knowing the true meaning of Sufism & then performing a Sufi song brings in a whole new meaning to the performance & he commended Zamad for justifying the song completely.

So, this was it from this particular episode of Pakistan Idol. My favorite performances were of Kashif Ali, Ali Asad Zaidi & Mohammad Shoaib. I think Rosemary did sing a song really well but I feel she earned herself a ticket of exit from the show because Pakistani audience have not liked these sort of songs that were performed previously in Pakistan Idol too. Mehwish Maqsood got eliminated when she said ‘Dil Mera Muft Ka’, Asad Raza Sonu also got eliminated when he sang ‘Dil Mai Bajji Guitar’, similarly despite the fact that Rosemary has sung the song like the way it should’ve been performed but I am not sure if it will earn her the votes. May be her support system, her fanbase won’t slack & vote for her to secure her position in the show but I highly doubt it.

It is definitely getting tougher & tougher but I am glad Ali Zafar came in at the right time. Hadiqa very subtly mentioned about Zamad playing it safe & not being experimental which I think is definitely needed in Pakistan Idol. I think this was just the perfect opportunity for Zamad to show his versatility but he missed it. Kashif Ali shined in this performance because he tried experimenting & very confidently he made a mark. I loved how Ali Zafar even briefed about how he must perform by sitting & giving out a romantic feel to it. His briefings to all the contestants were honest & came straight from his heart which made him look like that secure senior artist who really wanted the best for these contestants & wanted to help them earn all the praises & appreciation. This makes me think Ali Zafar would make a great judge too because he is young & seemed like he connected with the young, fresh talent pretty well.

Even though this was the very first season of Pakistan Idol & they lived up to the expectation of the viewers but now when the show is ending I feel they didn’t actually work on the genres & didn’t let the contestants show their versatility. They did come up with general themes like party, valentines, pop music but they actually didn’t test the contestants by confining their skills to certain classified genres like Ghazal, Qawwali, Sufi Music, Classical, Folk etc. I hope in the next season the complete song choice is not left on the contestants because right now each one of them except Ali Asad Zaidi & Mohammad Shoaib have pretty much made a point about what sort of songs they are good at singing & that’s it.

So this was it from my side, I thoroughly enjoyed the episode & feel that more such young successful singers should’ve been invited as guest judges because they can connect with the young contestants pretty well. Share about your favorite & least favorite performances of the night.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Tonight’s episode focused (generously) on everyone’s reaction to Zeeshan’s father’s decision. The viewers were shown in great detail the reactions of all the family members. The first half of the play was filled with meaningless conversations. The only conversation that deserved all the screen time was the one between Rabbiya and Zeeshan. Mira Sethi was brilliant in that particular scene. She portrayed all the emotions of her character flawlessly. Rabbiya found it impossible to believe that Zeeshan’s father could come up with such an unacceptable solution to the problem. Her reaction was justified and shown superbly. I could not be less bothered with how the rest of the family members felt about it because none of them had anything new to say. Those scenes could easily have been chopped down. The viewers know all the family members well enough by now so even a couple of lines from each character would have conveyed the message loud and clear.

Hassan deserves to be shot; the way he has been harassing Romaissa is beyond sickening. But then all of Nabeel’s family members except for Zeeshan of course have done everything in their power and more to make things even more difficult for Romaissa. Even Waleed proved today that he is not just useless but he can also stoop as low as Hassan and Nabeel’s father to get his hands on Romaissa’s money. No surprises there of course.

The best part of this episode was that the viewers got a chance to see a lot of what Romaissa was thinking and going through. Usually we see Romaissa crying, we hardly ever see her thinking or reacting to anything. This time around Romaissa decided to take action. She felt cornered, used and abused. She even turned to Khala in order to get out of the situation she is in and she went as far as contemplating suicide. I am so glad that it wasn’t Zeeshan who rescued her because I was expecting that it may just happen. The two most important people in her life – her father and her dead husband – were the reason she chose to stay alive.

The flashback scene in which Romaissa is talking to her father was truly touching. I wish we could have seen more of the beautiful conversations that Romaissa used to have with her father. The sweet words that her father spoke to her helped me relate to the person Romaissa is today. Her father was obviously her ideal and whatever he taught her is very close to her heart, which is exactly the reason why she is such a harmless and sweet person.

I feel for Adeel Hussein, his character has one more shukki wife to deal with now. But I must admit that Zeeshan’s character is way better than Ehtesham in every way possible and I do not expect it to go downhill. Zeeshan threatened Hassan like a true policeman and I loved him for it!! The preview of the next episode definitely gave me something to look forward to. Looks like it would be Rabbiya’s greed because of which Zeeshan will leave her. No wonder her parents figured out the reason behind Zeeshan’s father’s grand plans – it takes one to know one!! I really liked the way the scene in which Zeeshan sees Romaissa and Hassan talking was shown. In any other drama Zeeshan would have heard the entire conversation but in this one Romaissa spots him the second he is near enough to hear what they are talking about. This was definitely more real.

This episode could have been much better if Nabeel’s family members were given less screen time but overall it was good mainly because it showed the more human side of Romaissa. Sanam Jung was absolutely wonderful in tonight’s episode today. Adeel Hussein never ceases to impress me with his performance and I really liked Mira Sethi in tonight’s episode as well.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode. Any predictions about what is going to happen next?

Fatima Awan

Ohkay, I must say Rubaru is getting better & better. 14th episode, still going strong & still not disappointed. I hope they do not stretch the drama & end it at a good note.

I am still unable to figure out the importance of Kiran Teeepu story. I mean what does Kiran want now? She wasn’t satisfied & happy when she was single, she was at her worst when she got married, she herself left no stone unturned to get divorced & now when she has remarried, she has totally gone crazy. Does she really think she can win Teeeepu over again? & I really don’t get why her irritating character is even so important that we get to see her throughout the episode. Aik do scene karo aur paray karo isay.

Teepu has found an old/new friend in Neha. He definitely knows her as Surmed’s ex but now she is also single after having her bad share of divorce. I think things might shape up for Neha & Teeeepu & they’ll tie the knot pretty soon because they both are seemingly enjoying each other’s company these days.

I thought Surmed actually had nothing against Shabbi & Neelam’s family but I was wrong. He only pulled off the acting till he got to the position which he hoped for. He has now found the perfect way of taking revenge from the whole family. I am glad that Shabbi got to know everything about Surmed at just the right time because now she can still prevent something worse that might happen.

I think none of us might’ve even imagined the things Surmed went through as a child & for this I do commend the writer for bringing in these twists at just the right time. At first he did come across as a victim but surprisingly he was a nanha munha villain on his own. I think Syra Yousaf failed in portraying the shock Shabbi got after finding the truth & the real face of her husband because she conveniently seemed too dumb & numb thinking crying another glass of tears would be the perfect thing to do.

I must say in a bunch of expressionless people like Teepu, Kiran, Shabbi & Surmed, Neha is such a pretty face & a breath of fresh air. I know she doesn’t have much of a role to play but definitely brings in the energy & a positive one at that. I think we all complained at the never-ending wrath on Surmed/Faizan Khuwaja’s face but now when I saw him smiling I thought this guy must never smile again. I am glad he uses his teeth stealthily & miserly because that smile just doesn’t suit him & he is definitely saving a lot of people from the creepy shivers.

Anyhow, this was quite an interesting episode & I can’t wait to find out what happens ahead minus Kiran & her irritating voice.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

I started watching the play Meri Beti because it had some of my favorite stars. I must confess that all the dramas that have been produced by the Big Bang Entertainment (Fahad Mustafa & Dr. Ali Kazmi’s production house) start with a big bang but gradually go downhill after a few episodes. The casting and acting is always stellar but the direction is so weak that even a story with tons of potential falls flat completely.

The story of the play Meri Beti was unusual and intriguing but the writer and the director failed to keep the viewers looking forward to more after episode 18; like many other dramas the focus on stretching the dramas till episode 25 or more took over everything else. The relationships between all the characters were established beautifully in the beginning, I couldn’t help but connect to everything that I saw on screen. But once Iraj found out the truth, the pace of the drama got so slow that it was very hard to keep that connection with the characters. Iraj’s reaction was completely justified but the entire situation was dragged without end. Samina Peerzada’s character’s death was completely unnecessary. Everyone could have resolved their differences without this turn in the story. What Iraj’s grandmother did was extremely wrong because many people were affected by her decision but I really did not want her character to die with guilt! She was not portrayed as villain but was made to look like one towards the end. I would have been much happier with the ending if Iraj’s grandmother’s death was not used to take the story forward.

Faisal and Iraj’s relationship was the only good thing about the play that lasted till the end. There were times in this last episode and also in the play overall when the emotional scenes were overplayed. Simplicity and clarity in direction most often leaves more of an impact than scenes that are over dramatic. There was way too much crying in the past few episodes as well. Irij took too long to forgive her grandmother who had given her all the love in the world which could easily have made up for the mistake she committed in the past. Iraj’s grandmother’s intentions were always pure; she wanted her daughter to be happy and she raised Iraj in the best way possible. Iraj’s mother in law got away with everything but the writer made sure that her grandmother paid for her mistakes! It is ironic how our writers conveniently forget about these trouble makers when they are winding up the story. They are used as a tool to create misunderstandings but these negative characters hardly ever pay for their mistakes.

The story was stretched to the limit, so much so that by the time we got to episode 20, I just wanted the play to be over! I completely lost interest in the play after Samina Peerzada’s character died because in my opinion her character deserved to be happy just as much as Iraj and everyone else. Samina Peerzada, Sabreen Hisbani, Arij Fatyma, Shahood Alvi and the child star Maryam deserve a special mention for their brilliant performances.

How many of you followed the play Meri Beti? Are you satisfied with the ending?

Fatima Awan

While looking at the promos I thought this drama definitely would offer something different. I must say considering the very first episode they did progress the story with the help of some flashbacks quite appropriately. If I have to explain in the simple words this is just another story about the joint family politics written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah & directed by Owais Khan. I have heard some great reviews from the viewers who have seen the scripts written by Zanjabeel Asim therefore I’m ready to give this one a try plus after APlus’s brilliant Aunn Zara that I covered, I am hoping APlus will not disappoint the viewers this time around too.

It’s the story of Gaitiara (Saba Hameed) who spent all her life miserably under the domination of her mother in law (Badar Khalil). Before her death, Gaitiara’s MIL thinks the best way to keep the family close-knit is to have the interchanged marriage of her grandchildren. Without the consent of her daughter-in-law Gaitiara, the MIL orders Rafique (M. Hanif) & Sherbano (Naila Jafri) to get their children married when they grow up.

Gaitiara & Rafique have a son Daood (Ahsan Khan) & a daughter Deeba (Sadia Faisal) where as Shehrbano’s son is Abdullah (Furqan Qureshi) & the daughter is Momenah (Sonia Hussain). Daood & Momenah have always loved each other because of their pre-arranged relation but Momenah has her inhibitions because of Daood’s mother. Momenah feels that Gaitiara has become quite bitter because of the ill-treatment of her own MIL. Daood tells Momenah to ignore his mother’s bitterness & treat her with love & respect because she can’t resist as she has emotionally suffered a lot. Momenah also dreads that things might go wrong & they’d have to part.

Where Daood & Momenah have a good relation & they love each other, Deeba always feels that Abdullah isn’t interested in her but she decides to give the utmost attention to her relation with a wishful thinking that Abdullah will fathom her love & she will win him over one day. Gaitiara who feels that now she is in a position to break the engagement, tries to talk her daughter out of her commitment but Deeba refuses to let go despite the fact that Abdullah has always lent a cold shoulder to her. Gaitiara tries to explain to Deeba that the way her own father was cold, similarly Abdullah will not treat her well but Deeba remains persistent because she believes the time will change.

Abdullah after an year of his marriage to an Indian Muslim girl in the USA tells his mother, sister & Daood that he has gotten married. Hell breaks loose when Daood finds out as he is devastated & can’t imagine what his sister will go through because she loves Abdullah & this also compels him to have second thoughts about his own engagement to Momenah.

Momenah tries to persuade Daood into getting married to her before his mother finds out about Abdullah’s marriage as she knows that Gaitiara will not allow Daood to get married to Momenah as well. Daood does try to convince his mother for his marriage but Gaitiara clearly tells him that she won’t allow it until Deeba is married off to Abdullah.

This much was revealed till now & I feel the pace was good. I did find the beginning scene of the episode a bit too prolonged & felt they should’ve tackled it better because the conversation seemed never-ending & the flashbacks weren’t supporting the whole feel of the conversation but after that the episode picked up the pace & it got me interested. Let’s see what happens next because we have a lot of characters to know the story of. I feel that the fresh young cast will play a great role in the success of the drama but this depends on the director the most as to how he brings out the best in them, let’s see. Share what you thought about the very first episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so sad that I expected something different by looking at the promos of this drama. I know it’s too early to pass a verdict about the story but as far as I can foresee, this drama is another of those infidel love triangle sagas which do have a capability to make your head spin. Written by Amna Mufti & directed by Misbah Khalid – let’s see what this duo has come up with.

When I saw Saba Qamar act like a normal lady as in not as a villain in the promos I thought I definitely will give this drama a try but seems like Mikaal Zulfikar didn’t want to experiment & to be on a safer side, there he is, once again playing a role of a bored husband who’s bored with his wife & is egoistic. Zara (Saba Qamar) is a working woman who handles everything on her own but only expects her husband to acknowledge the efforts she puts in running the house. Surprise surprise, Jazib (Mikaal Zulfikaar) is once again a discontented husband who is not only egocentric but thinks highly of every single female other than his wife. They have a beautiful home with two lovely kids Sofia & Tabrez.

Jazib is now taking care of his Khala (Seemi Raheel) who separated from her husband just because he got married again. Khala has come to stay with Jazib because apart from him she has no one to seek help from. She has an only daughter Dua (Sanyia Shamshad) who’s B.A & Parathas have impressed Jazib so much that he expects his wife to leave everything & try to be like Dua for once & if not totally, she must at least try her hands on parathas by herself which will improve the state of their turbulent married life by heaps.

I must say I really don’t understand why all the working women in our dramas are shown as head-strong females who have a good salary & a dysfunctional marriage to their credit? In reality, I have seen so many working women who know how to maintain a balance between their professional & personal lives. Who excel in their careers & also have a squeaky clean home & kids but sadly none of such character has ever made it to our TV screens. It seems like the writers want to impose the fact that all those working women who leave their homes for their jobs have sulking husbands who miss their presence & a bunch of servants who take care of the house. Seems like Jazib very easily wants to get away with his unfairness by taking his wife for a lunch & by apologizing to her after belittling her, because it was the very same Jazib who just snubbed Zara off as he didn’t want to remind kids of their routine.

Even though Zara has wholeheartedly accepted Jazib’s gesture to help his Khala, Jazib thinks Zara is unhappy because she’s being exposed for not taking care of the home like a normal married woman. Zara on her own feels that Jazib has provided her with everything except loyalty. Khala herself has sussed that Dua’s presence might prove to be a hurdle in Zara & Jazib’s rocky marriage but she unwillingly & hesitantly has chosen to stay because Dua is having a time of her life by making Pink Tea for her Jazib Jee & Parathas for Jazib Jee’s kids. I found it a bit too clingy to see Dua getting so much involved in household chores; I mean who does it these days?

Overall, it was a pretty average episode & a very disappointing start because the story has begun with the negativity. The direction was pretty ohkay but I am not too impressed by the script as yet. I am not sure what the drama will offer because for now it seems like a predictable love triangle & nothing else. For the sake of my wishful thinking I’ll give this drama a chance, so let’s see how it goes! Share your opinion about the very first episode of the drama.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Dhoop Kinare – a classic of olden times, written by Haseena Moin, directed by Sahira Kazmi & produced by Farkhanda Shaheen for PTV. I thought it was a high time to revive & relive the excellence of our old blockbusters by discussing them therefore my pick from one of them for this week is Dhoop Kinare.

This drama needs no introduction because it is one of those classic masterpieces of PTV that made it across the border & compelled everyone to say that Pakistani dramas are beyond imagination amazing. I must say I had heard about it & somehow picked the story as well when my family watched it back in those days but this is the first time I got to see it myself & couldn’t resist praising it, not wondering why it got such popularity. All the actors were perfect & their conversations just brought a smile to my face.

The list of the actors & characters is:

Rahat Kazmi as Dr. Ahmer Ansari
Marina Khan as Dr. Zoya Ali Khan
Badar Khalil as Dr. Sheena Karamat
Sajjid Hassan as Dr. Irfan & Anji’s Fiancé
Qazi Wajid as Mohsin Ali Khan & Zoya’s Father.
Arshad Mehmood as Baba & Dr. Ahmer’s Foster Father.
Azra Sherwani as Fazeelat Bibi & Homemaker
Hamid Wayne as Mr. Jalal & Anji’s Father
Ishrat Hashmi as Mrs. Jalal & Anji’s Mother
Kehkashaan Awan as Anji & Zoya’s Best Friend
Rizwan Wasti as Mr. Nasir Jamal & Dr. Sheena’s Husband
Latif Kapadia as Dr. Adil & Dr. Ahmer’s Best Friend

The Story:

Dr. Ahmer; an orphan lives a life with his foster father who adopts him when he was just a child. Since then they both share a cordial relation because they both mean the world to each other. Dr. Ahmer’s life turns upside down when Baba dies leaving him devastated not only because of his death but because a secret he kept all his life from Ahmer about a family that he once had. Baba leaves a letter to Ahmer revealing the truth but he refuses to read because he is on his journey of detest & doubts. He feels wronged because of the secret Baba kept to himself all his life. For Ahmer, Baba adopted him because he wanted him as a partner to end his loneliness & all these doubts take place in Ahmer’s heart because before dying Baba makes his grand-daughter a beneficiary of the home both Baba & Ahmer lived in.

Zoya Ali Khan who’s a fresh MBBS graduate finds out that her grandfather whom she never met left a house under her ownership. Zoya a boisterous young girl who takes life way too casually now believes that she has attained a wealth overnight so therefore she doesn’t need to work hard in becoming a practicing doctor, but just because her father reminds her of how much her mother wanted their daughter to be a doctor Zoya agrees to do the house job to fulfil the wish of her late mother.

Zoya joins the hospital in a children’s ward where Dr. Ahmer is her boss. Oblivious of the link they both share, they both continue to have turbulent relation because Dr. Ahmer’s a perfectionist & a dedicated doctor but Zoya is least bothered about her duties & doesn’t understand the complexity of her job. Time takes her toll on Zoya & Dr. Ahmer’s continuous scolding convince her to take her job seriously & she also promises herself to prove a point to Dr. Ahmer that she can be a good doctor too. Zoya eventually works upon her motive & earns the respect of not only Dr. Ahmer but all her colleagues as despite having a serious job of taking care of childern with illness, she brings in the life & positivity to her surroundings.

Dr. Sheena who has been friends with Dr. Ahmer for a long time idealizes him as her perfect partner but she gets the idea that Zoya is also getting interested in Dr. Ahmer. This paves the path towards a love triangle. Sheena always gives Zoya a hard time but she finds Ahmer always supporting Zoya. Sheena now understands that Ahmer never intended to have a committment to her, then marries her classfellow. After seperating from her husband Sheena still hopes that Ahmer will take her as his wife because she hates seeing herself losing in front of young Zoya. Ahmer’s continuous support to Zoya then becomes a liking & later takes a form of emotional attachment towards her because he couldn’t help getting attracted to Zoya’s positivity & her lighthearted take on life. Ahmer always feels conscious of their age difference but overcomes the fear because he hears Zoya’s confession to Sheena about how much she loves Dr. Ahmer as she couldn’t resist falling for a charismatic person like Dr. Ahmer.

It’s now the time when they both are aware of each other’s feelings when Zoya’s father suffers a loss in the business & is physically fragile. Without her father’s consent Zoya tries to sell off the home so that she can help pay off the loan that her father has garnered. Ahmer who had always strived for getting the house back happily purchases it just to find out that the girl who he hated for taking his home away from him was none other than Zoya. Ahmer then reads a letter his Baba writes to him before dying in which he confesses how leaving his own family daunted him so therefore he wanted to do good by his granddaughter as a compensation because he could never provide a shelter to his own daughter. This way he would rest peacefully that he at least gave a roof to his only granddaughter. Dr. Ahmer comes to term with the fact that Baba was a person who only believed in benefitting those he loved therefore Ahmer accepts Zoya wholeheartedly not only because she was Baba’s granddaughter but also because he loved her.

The Brilliance of Dhoop Kinare:

I must say while watching the drama, the only thing I couldn’t stop raving about throughout was the usage of proper & accurate Urdu. I kept on wondering that no doubt Pakistani drama industry has progressed in terms of technicality & technology but we have also taken a back turn in the basic things like simplicity, the accuracy of Urdu & those brilliant heartfelt stories which leave you awestruck because of their excellence. I couldn’t help noticing how easily such a simple execution could strike a chord & make a drama memorable. No doubt the progress our industry has shown these days has its pros & cons but sadly the quality of entertainment has been left far behind. After watching Dhoop Kinare I do hope that our current lot of actors work on their accent & pronounciation of our language & use just as much Urdu as they can because it was a treat to listen to. The drama-makers must consider projects like Dhoop Kinare as a standard that they have to & they must deliver & I am sure our industry will redeem itself overnight!

All the side characters had just an important role to play in this drama as the main characters. As much as I enjoyed Dr. Irfan’s conversations, I loved the relation Zoya shared with her father. As much as Fazeelat’s raised voice to put forward her concern about Zoya was enjoyable, seeing Anji’s father as a stern & disciplined businessman but a soft-hearted father to her was a treat to watch too. All the characters were just perfectly portrayed by the actors & I must say I loved almost all the conversations because they were simple but carried a million meanings within.

I loved how Anji was ears to Zoya’s innermost feelings & how Zoya pushed Anji towards Dr. Irfan. Dr. Ahmer found a trusted friend in Dr. Adil who always helped him in changing his perspective towards certain things. Another aspect that went to show how straight forward Zoya was, were the confrontations she & Dr. Ahmer had. No one actually could’ve dared speaking to Dr. Ahmer just like that but it was only Zoya, who knew she had to convey her feelings to let the other person know how hard it was to keep up with the trials they put Zoya through. I must say I never thought that the actors back then had cared much for the fashion but it came by as a pleasant surprise to see all those ladies as proper fashionistas with short hair, matching earrings & up-to-date outfits of that era. Even though they all came across as very simple, each one of them had a fashion sense for sure.

Each & every actor enacted their character perfectly & I couldn’t believe how effortless Marina Khan was as Zoya. It was like she was born to act because she gave a life to her character. Rahat Kazmi was undoubtedly at his best & he portrayed the character of Dr. Ahmer with brilliance. & I must give a special mention to Sajjid Hassan for performing Dr. Irfan with so much ease. Each of his scenes were like a rollercoaster ride & he singlehandedly instilled the humour quotient in the drama. No wonder why this drama became everyone’s favourite because it certainly deserved to be. I am glad I took my chance & invested my time in Dhoop Kinare because yes, nothing can ever beat the magnificence of this drama.

Share your views about & memories that you have of Dhoop Kinare.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.