Ohkay so, honestly speaking, out of all the episodes of App Ke Liye that have gone on air, I enjoyed watching this one the most only because of Shaheer & Washma & their conversations. Things are being taken forward in regards to Shaheer & Washma’s track, so it makes the upcoming episodes look promising because apart from their characters, the rest of the characters are quite typical.

Maryam went to Arsalan’s place but he told her to go back to her husband’s house. I think in stead of using Washma as a scapegoat, Arsalan should have the decency to at least be honest about everything in front of his sister & own his mistake like a man. Waheed has been financing Arsalan’s education so it is understandable that he feels burdened & doesn’t want to hurt Waheed especially after all that he has done for him, but what Arsalan can do is, tell his sister about the reality so that she stops being so nasty with Washma & stops blaming her for everything. Maryam will obviously have to keep things to herself because after knowing that it was Arsalan who forced Washma to do the heavy-lifting, she will stop being so bitter about it & will accept everything since she will know that this is exactly what her brother wanted too.

Oh dear, the scenes & dialogues of Nishat Apa are just as OTT as her character is. The entire conversation about giving away her child to Shaheer after beating around the brush for million seconds was so not done well. I am sure that it is not the direction, it is the acting of Samina Peerzada that is making it hard for me to tolerate Nishat’s character. It is actually quite ridiculous that she wants Shaheer to adopt her child, whereas Shaheer has been bearing their expenses right from the beginning. He has taken care of his entire family so what’s the point of adopting Nishat’s son? Nishat thinks that her husband’s name won’t make things easier for Ali so can she please elaborate how using Mamu’s name will shape Ali’s future? Nishat obviously has her sights on Shaheer’s property & wealth, so that in any case is being shared by his family members, so can she stop being so petty brained & not use her son for her ulterior motives? Thankfully, Shaheer talked her out of it & didn’t just surrender to this order by his Apa since he does everything that she tells him to do.

Areesha has asked Shaheer to meet Omar so that he can give his blessings to them. Areesha prepared Omar for the meeting & made him familiar with Shaheer & his personality. It is good that at least Shaheer is far more considerate about others choices in comparison to Nishat because she is a control freak & wants everyone to follow what she prescribes for them. Areesha doesn’t know but Nishat is planning her wedding with Imdad’s brother. I want to see how Areesha will take a stand for herself against Nishat’s orders!

I loved the way Washma taught Imdad a lesson & luckily, Shaheer found out the truth that Washma was only explaining things to Arsalan & wasn’t actually spending time with him. It is good to see that Shaheer doesn’t just believe in listening to the one side of the story & gives fair chance to everyone. I liked the conversation Shaheer & Washma had, it’s like Shaheer has found a new friend who he knows will walk an extra mile for him, but before even talking about his personal issues, Shaheer gave the chance to Washma to vent out where she explained what Arsalan put her through & how she accepted everything for the sake of her brother & his wife’s happiness. Washma & Shaheer might be oblivious of it right now but these conversations are giving them an insight into their natures & likes & dislikes, which is a good thing because unconsciously, Shaheer & Washma will start depending on each other for moral support & then they might even fall for each other as well. Well, Washma assigned herself a duty of doing a background check on Omar for Shaheer’s peace of mind & I am sure this is another quality of Washma that Shaheer will admire that she is good at heart & believes in helping people without expecting anything in return.

Well, I am getting tired of Maryam’s character but yes, the only good thing about the bickering scene between Waheed & Maryam was the insight that we got into what Waheed feels for Washma & how he has raised his sister. It is actually quite refreshing to see that Waheed believes in giving Washma a complete freedom of choosing what she likes for herself & not only that, he has empowered her by turning her a confident individual. It is a rarity in our dramas to see such brothers who trust their sisters & respect their judgments – that entire conversation was done really well & I commend the writer for coming up with such a unique bonding of Waheed & Washma that is built solely on trust.

Overall, this episode was good & I really enjoyed watching Shaheer & Washma’s bits. It looks like Shaheer will have no idea when he will start relying on Washma because she has such a positive attitude & energy that he will find himself drawing closer to her unconsciously. I can’t wait to see what these two have in store for us. Please share your thoughts about this episode of App Ke Liye.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, this episode of Thora Sa Aasman was quite interesting. I am really happy with the pace of the drama because thankfully they have so many stories & tracks to cover that they can’t afford slowing down the pace, which makes me hopeful that things will remain exactly like this till the drama will last. I must say, the director has given due coverage to each & every character & has established their tracks appropriately, for which he deserves a round of applause.

Haroon Kamal got married to Zarka to prove the love he had for her but he being a free bird doesn’t believe in enduring any sort of pressures, that is why the moment Zarka’s mother Dilshaad Begum started doubting his intentions, he came clean & told her that he never intended to get married to Zarka in the first place & it was only on her request that he took such a step. Zarka is actually tired of living the life that her mother has planned for her, that is why like a gullible fool, she thought that she found her home when she met Haroon Kamal. If Zarka hadn’t allowed her love for Haroon cloud her judgments, she would’ve known that Haroon doesn’t know what loyalty is because he would’ve never ever cheated on his ‘beautiful’ wife that he time & again spoke so causally about. Zarka’s happiness was short-lived & unfortunately, she was made familiar with the true face of Haroon Kamal just in the early stages of her marriage.

Haroon actually made the first move by sending an expensive gift for Baqir Shirazi’s wife in order to impress him but he didn’t know who he was dealing with. This entire scenario sheds a light on the ugly face of the elite society & the things that transpire behind the closed doors. All this while, Baqir didn’t mind eyeing Haroon’s wife Shahista shamelessly, but the moment he saw that Haroon made a gesture only to initiate family terms with him using a bait targeting his wife infuriated him quite a bit & he came up with a plan of insulting him on his face. Baqir actually knows what sort of a person Haroon Kamal is that is why he knew that he will hit a bulls-eye by sending an invitation to Shahista Kamal. As expected, Haroon told her to entertain Baqir because he wants to reap the benefits that this relationship will bring with it. I think either all the women around Haroon are too gullible or Haroon is quite a sweet-talker because it only took him a slight confession of love to convince Shahista that she should accept the dinner invitation that Baqir sent to her, while making her forget completely that he has been cheating on her.

Baqir got what he wanted & he killed two birds with one stone because he not only got to spend the time with Shahista, but he also made sure that Haroon gets his message loud & clear too. I liked how both Baqir & Haroon are still not in contact but are talking indirectly to each other, it’s like Baqir knows Haroon in & out & he also knows that Haroon definitely has an ulterior motive due to which he wants to become friends with him, that is why Baqir is making the most of the situation & putting it to good use by spending time with Shahista Kamal & by also displaying his power & status in front of Haroon Kamal. I think Shahista has spent enough time with Haroon to know him, therefore she shouldn’t let him use her as his stooge, but then may be she loves him so much that she is still hopeful that her husband will change completely & will become loyal to her.

Saiqa is finding it hard to cope up with what life has thrown at her & her circumstances are filling her with bitterness but what she didn’t know was that she had so many women around her who were in the same boat as her too. Saiqa never ever imagined that she will meet another Saiqa who will give her a futuristic perspective of what her life will turn out to be but then Saiqa is not too ambitious. Yes, she is frustrated & she is helpless but she still doesn’t believe in curbing everything for her own benefits, that is why the things she heard from her supervisor made her realize what she wants & what she’ll never settle for in her life.

Fatima’s mother finally found her & sadly, like always, she brought troubles with her. Fatima’s mother ended up telling everything to Askari Bee & things got even more difficult for her, but it is good to know that Fatima has Rabeea by her side who is ready to help her in every way possible. Fatima is someone who wants to live life on her terms & conditions but so far, she hasn’t succeeded because people around her believe that they are the ones who should be making decisions for her on her behalf. Fatima ended up getting jailed & this was something that she had never imagined. I really want to see what Fatima will do to shape her life up & how she will bring herself out of the misery. Unfortunately, the manager of the orphanage & Aliya have started looking for the boy that Aazar & Aasia adopted on behalf of Fatima, let’s see when their search will end & for how long Fatima will be able to keep Shaheer protected & hidden from the preying eyes.

Overall, this episode was very very interesting & face paced. The change of every single scene made things refreshing & it also changed the entire perspective because so much is happening at this point that it looks like a puzzle that you’re trying to solve, which is brilliant & sheds a light on the fact that this can only be a result of an intelligent writing. I must say the direction has been top-notch & so has been the acting & considering this being a GEO TV’s production, the production value of this drama is extremely good too. All the actors have given a perfect face to their respective characters & I am glad that apart from a few actors, this project doesn’t have quite a big names attached to it because these days the dramas that are not studded with star cast seem to do well actually, so for that reason I thank the casting directors of this drama immensely. Yes, there’s one thing that isn’t working for me & that is the usage of the OST throughout the episode, the soundtrack is alright but lyrics don’t really gel well with the situation but seems like they use it to add more depth in the scenes but it hardly pays off. Anyways, please share your thoughts about this episode of Thora Sa Aasman.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, to be honest, this episode of Mor Mahal was pretty decent. May be I feel that way because I have made myself understand that things in Mor Mahal are going to revolve around the ladies, their lives & their politics only, so if we watch this drama with that perspective, we can watch it just for the sake of it but if we’re going to have some expectations, then that’s going to be our fault only.

Akhtari convinced Badshah Begum that Meher Bano & Banki were putting up an act & for that reason, Badshah Begum ended up questioning Banki & she easily confessed that she was carrying Asif Jahan’s child. Badshah Begum has made it quite evident that she will go to any lengths to defeat Farrukh Zaad & also, she will do everything in her might to prevent Taimur from becoming the ruler after Asif Jahan, that is why, just in a split of a second she accepted what Banki told her as she knew she had that child that Badshah Begum was waiting for quite eagerly.

I must say, everything can be forgiven but what can’t is the fact that the walls of Mor Mahal are made of cardboard because the way everyone can hear everything from the basement is actually quite amusing. Meher Bano being a resident of the basement knows everything that transpires at the top floor & so does Shahista & also, I must say Shahista’s timing is perfect, it’s like she has these sensors in her body that tell her to go to the basement because there she will get to listen to something highly confidential & important. Also, looks like some novice architect designed Mor Mahal because the way Shahista & Meher Bano eavesdrop on Asif Jahan & Badshah Begum makes it look like their rooms are side by side, which is actually quite amusing considering how it is a Mahal & how there should be separate portions for everyone. I fail to believe that Asif Jahan & Badshah Begum share a wall because the way their voices are heard from the basement makes it look exactly like that. Anyways, Meher Bano, through the cardboard wall heard that Badshah Begum planned on getting rid of Banki once she gave birth to the baby of Asif Jahan, therefore she decided to swoop in & save the day, which she actually couldn’t!!!

I think before the crowning ceremony, Asif Jahan should’ve done something about Jamshed but he seems to be in a hurry for all the wrong reasons. He wanted to crown Banki & that’s when he got to know that she wasn’t his wife. At least Meher Bano did try to save Banki because she knew about the evil intentions of Badshah Begum, I guess when Meher Bano found enough courage in her to confess everything, she should’ve taken Badshah Begum’s name in front of Asif Jahan as well to make things a bit more clear & add more weight to her confessions that she wasn’t lying. Well, looks like Banki underestimated Asif Jahan’s love for her & she chose to end her life. That scene was a bit emotional only because Banki ended up dying for no good reason & also because she was the one that Asif Jahan truly loved. Banki was innocent & she didn’t deserve to die like that but no idea what was running through her mind.

Meher Bano ended up getting arrested & looks like things are once again in going to turn in Farrukh Zaad’s favor because Asif Jahan has lost his new born Jamshed & the hope of having another baby has died with the death of Banki too. Farrukh Zaad will once again end up having an upper hand because only her son Taimur is alive & it is imperative that he is going to succeed Asif Jahan. I actually thought that Surraya was killed but I was surprised to see her alive, I guess Asif Jahan is quite inconsistent when it comes to love because out of his love for Surraya he made sure to win a bet for her sake, but ever since she came in Mor Mahal, Asif Jahan didn’t really bother much about her & even now he seemed indifferent to her condition & suffering because he was to busy mourning the death of Banki; his new found love, while completely forgetting about the promise he made to Surraya about Jamshed. Well, honestly speaking, I won’t be surprised if I see a new female character making an entry in Asif Jahan’s life & if I see Asif Jahan falling madly in love with her (for a couple of episodes). Anyways, please share your thoughts about this episode of Mor Mahal.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Well! What a happening and fast paced episode this was! My emotions were like a ping pong ball flitting between sympathy, dislike, anger, awe – you name it and sometimes contradicting emotions for the same person! Although Yusuf is going all out to help Zainy feel welcome in his home again, he would time and again tell her that she must not do anything that would upset Ahmer. Sherry, however feels that Yusuf is encouraging Zainy to act against her husband’s wishes and that if ‘Baji hoti iss situation mein tau Zainy ko kabhi encourage na kartein’. I have to say Sherry’s conversations with Yusuf are interesting for I mostly can not tell whether it is anger or his own feelings which he is scared of or Zainy’s best interests at heart that makes him say all the things he says to his father. Nonetheless, no matter what he thinks or says – in the end it is what Yusuf decides that happens and Sherry accepts.

Novera’s prolonged stay in Islamabad somehow gave the impression that things were not right between her and Sherry in the last episode. Let me rephrase that – for things have never been right between the two, but somehow we were given the impression that there was some mystery shrouded in her absence – but apparently there is nothing of the sort. Novera returns and is besides herself with anger and indignation to find Zainy visiting again and that nobody thought to mention this ‘development’ to her. Just in those couple of moments I felt for Novera when  Sherry is short with her on the phone and she returns saying she felt the ‘udaasi’ in his voice. But her antics later on in the episode quickly crushed any little sympathy I had for her. Yes I know she has brought this all upon herself. She wriggled her way into Zainy’s home and marriage by being Nigaar Apa’s chamchi and I snorted when she even used the ‘what will Apa say’ card about Zainy’s return. Sherry’s love for Zainy was no secret to her and her insecurity and pettiness makes her act out in ways that by no means bring her closer to Sherry. I thoroughly enjoyed the standoff between Novera and Zainy in this episode too and yes, Zainy has been immature, ungrateful, rude etc and I do not know why but I loved when she said to Novera – ‘jaisi bhi – but hoon iss ghar ki beti’! And also how she was confident about her own ‘place’ in Yusuf’s house – if only she had been that sure and confident about all this earlier then she would not have been swayed by Ahmer. Ah well, spilt milk and all that!

However unreasonable we may think Ahmer is being by forbidding Zainy to visit her father’s house, it is a decision she made when she walked out on them. And while he could relent by letting her visit her father, I can not say I fault him for not wanting her to go to the same house that Sherry lives in, given that he knows Sherry is/was deeply in love with her and was engaged to be married to her. Whether he is wrong or right to tell her not to go to her parents’ house, Zainy is not right to be going behind his back – in my opinion. She has every right to go visit her father but then she should tell Ahmer, argue over it, be firm – whatever mode she chooses but not sneak behind his back. Ever since their marriage I have truly wondered at their relationship. The lovestruck Zainy and desperate Ahmer seem to have faded away but it has not even transformed into a comfortable, loving relationship either. Ahmer at times seems genuinely to care for Zainy and Zainy – I do not know what she feels for him.

Anyhows, this all blows up in Zainy’s face when Novera brings it all out in the open in front of Ahmer. I liked how Sherry did not interfere between Ahmer and Zainy’s conversation but then had a go at Novera later, LOL! Novera – what a piece of work this woman is! You know in my previous couple of reviews I had said that Ahmer would have to do something seriously despicable to have Zainy dislike him and well Ahmer physically manhandled her, tore up her admit card AND locked her in her room! Matlab, road to redemption par aana bhi chahay, he would not even be able to find his way on to it! Where would he start! I am confused though as to how Yusuf finds out – did Zainy call him? And how in the world did Zainy escape – for that window was broken but it had bars across it I believe? I know Zainy is stick thin but still!

I have to say – I truly enjoyed the faceoff between Ahmer and Sherry. Sherry has always been the quiet, broody character and to see him stand up to Ahmer and threaten him – ‘oonchi awaaz mein humein bhi baat karnay aati hai Ahmer ‘– was really a treat to watch. Ahmer showed how low he can stoop – I am sure he can stoop lower but khair – when he said Zainy’s character was faulty. Yes, Zainy has been a brat and she makes these silly choices but I did feel for her when she sat at her mother’s grave and said ‘mein kahan jaoon’.

‘Pyaar tau tum nay kabhi kiya he nahin Zainy, kia hota tau tumharay leeyay duniya say larta. Kis haq se mein awaaz doon.’ Aww! Sherry was upset when Zainy left him for Ahmer but he took the rejection gracefully although he was not impressed with how Zainy had been rude to Yusuf and Mehtaab. His anger really kicked in when he saw what a toll it took on Mehtaab. He loves Zainy though, but is married and so is Zainy and it is so true that Zainy never loved him – at least not in the way he loves her. Gosh, I feel like I am writing about those romantic novels I would read, haha! Yes, ideally we would say he is married and should move on, etc – but kia karein, I truly want Sherry to be happy and if Novera was a sweet girl I would hope the marriage works but it seems that things will only worsen for she has taken Zainy’s return very badly and is resorting to petty little tantrums now. She is constantly comparing herself to Zainy and how Yusuf should feel the same for her, a disillusion he is very happy to crush with his ‘sorry baita but aap mein Zainy jaisi qaabliyat he nahin’ which really did make me laugh. From Novera’s point of view, he probably came across as mean but well she does ask for it I think!

I was surprised to see Sherry siding with Novera over Zainy being made to go back to Ahmer. True, Yusuf sounded a bit out of line saying her exam was more important than her marriage but then he reasoned that if she is unhappy and has made a mistake then by no means does she need to live with that mistake for the rest of her life. I am glad he is sensible and open minded about it. Novera harping from her high horse about how quarrels are common between a couple would probably not be as convincing if Sherry had treated her that way.

At this point, the thing that bothers me is if Zainy suddenly falls in love with Sherry. She wants his love and friendship back but there is the constant ‘bhai’ factor and with this being the 25th episode and the end seemingly near I will not be able to stomach a sudden, undying passionate love for Sherry. Agha Ali has really outdone himself in this drama. We ooh-ed and aah-ed over Asher in Humsafar – well, at least I did but Agha Ali has portrayed Sherry so well that he gives Asher stiff competition and more than Zainy, I want Sherry to get his happy ending, whatever that may be! Each episode has a few well written dialogues that really make me pause and say ah! The writer, Naila Ansari is new to me and I do not know of any of her other plays but she done a good job with this drama. Also, Big Bang productions I have noticed of late have these distinctive features (not necessarily good) that stand out such as the constant daylight glare in Mera Yaar Miladay, the awkward closeups in Socha Na Tha to name a few – but as far as I can recall this play has thankfully been kept clear of such gimmicks.

Although I feel it is time for the drama to begin wrapping up, I did thoroughly enjoy today’s episode. How many of you felt the same? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Kunwal Javid