Ohkay so, I must say, the story of Thora Sa Aasman has become quite interesting at this stage & I really like how the director is taking things forward. This drama is completely different to what the viewers are being offered to watch lately & that’s what makes it even better because it is based on the harsh realities of life & the adversities people go through. What I love the most about this drama is that it is showing us how people in facing the adversity react & how conninvingly, those who create these adversities for people pose to be their saviors!

Ambar & Muneeza are facing the harsh realities of life. After parting from Mansoor, both Ambar & Muneeza have come out of their bubble & have realized that the world out there & the people in it are far more ruthless than they could have ever imagined. Mansoor actually treated them as his universe & sadly, him not being a part of their lives anymore has created so many problems for both of them. Muneeza actually thought that her brother & his wife will support her & her daughters financially but things were completely different to what she imagined.

Mansoor has not realized that he is committing one mistake after another. First mistake was getting married to Rakshi, second mistake was divorcing Muneeza, third mistake was parting ways from his brother Maqsood, fourth mistake was taking a complete ownership of the business, fifth mistake was calling the engagement of his daughters off & the final mistake that he is committing is handing over the chunk of his wealth to Rakshi. Mansoor is someone who gets easily manipulated & he is not realizing how Rakshi & Haroon Kamal are making the most of it. Mansoor is actually just a pawn but the masterminds are Haroon & Rakshi. In fact Rakshi is also doing what Haroon tells her to do but it is Haroon who is the actual puppeteer here.

It is actually quite mind boggling how far a man like Haroon Kamal can go to get what he likes. He has literally ruined everything in Ambar’s life to get closer to her & sadly his plan is working. Just because Haroon knew that he had no chance of winning Ambar over, he literally turned her world upside down & is now posing to be their well-wisher as he knows they are emotionally unstable, so they need someone to rely on & Haroon is making the most of the situation. It is actually quite sad that Ambar is incapable of reading people’s minds. Ambar committed a mistake by trusting Rakshi & now she is once again committing a mistake by trusting Haroon Kamal.

I must say I actually loved seeing Safia coming to the forefront & trying to tie the loose ends together. Safia chose to stay with her father initially as she knew that way she would be able to help her mother & her sister. Safia is far more analytical & practical than the rest of her family members, which is commendable. Roshaan is on a trip of his own where he is blaming Ambar for everything without even realizing that there is no reason to crib about something that has happened as he can’t undo that but then it is understandable because he is young & immature. It is actually quite shocking that even Muneeza is depending on Haroon Kamal, obviously because even she in her wildest dreams never imagined that she’ll live to see a day like this. Ambar is not that smart but Safia on the other hand is not only intelligent, but she is far more brave than anyone around her realized. Safia chose to end her engagement with Osama on her own terms because she knew that her relationship with him will demand a lot of sacrifices so she knew that at this point in her life, her family was her priority & she needed to keep her mind free from any other issues. I actually liked that Osama was ready to take a stand for Safia & he almost convinced his parents for his & Safia’s marriage but then even he started demanding a bit too much from what Safia could offer at this stage in her life, therefore it resulted in the end of their engagement too. I love how Safia can even see through Haroon Kamal’s intentions, it’s like she knows that a man can Haroon Kamal can never ever offer any favor to anyone without expecting anything in return. Muneeza & Ambar chose not to pay heed to what Safia was saying but the time will tell!

Where Nayab has started showing a lot of interest in Samar, Shahista Kamal has also started taking a lot of interest in Shaheer’s life after finding out that he is her son, the one they estranged the day he was born. Does Shahista actually think that by giving a few monetary favors to Shaheer & by hovering around him posing to be his well-wisher would justify her & her husband’s selfishness that they displayed years ago when he was born? Shahista should realize that by doing all these things, she is only making things difficult for Shaheer & also for herself because the day Shaheer will find out that she happens to be his mother, it also would be the day when Shaheer will ask her all those questions that she might not have an answer for. There is absolutely nothing at this stage that Shahista can do, which will justify her past mistake. It was actually quite shocking to see how Haroon reacted at the mention of Shaheer, it is unbelievable that being a father, Haroon Kamal is not concerned about him at all!

It was interesting how Shahista told Haroon that their son Asad wanted to get married to Ambar. Shahista herself is aware of Haroon’s nature & his evil intentions as he has been insincere to her in the past, that is why the moment Asad told her that he spotted his father with Ambar, Shahista knew that he was upto something & he wasn’t going out of the way for no reason.

Zarka came into the picture too & seems like even she has started making enough money once again to help Fatima raise Samar & Sani. It seems that even Zarka has kept a close eye on Fatima & her family because she knows that her sister Rabeea handed her children to Fatima. Things are actually slipping away from Fatima’s hands because sadly, one day she will have to give answers to all these questions that her children will ask about their existence & their biological parents.

Finally, Haroon Kamal said it. He confessed his feelings to Ambar but what’s left to see is that will Ambar become another Rakshi or she will be respectful enough to part ways with him by recognizing his evil intentions? Ambar should understand that she is the reason why her entire family is suffering so badly & is going through all the hardships so she should not act selfishly by ignoring Safia’s suggestions & opinions because even without interacting with Haroon Kamal, Safia knew that he was definitely upto something & his confession proved it. I hope it serves as an eye opener to Ambar & she also realizes that Safia called her engagement off with Osama for her & Muneeza’s sake. It seems like Mansoor has married another Muneeza, the woman he was running away from. Rakshi knows that she has Mansoor wrapped around her finger that is why she is putting forth one demand after another & looks like Mansoor is at the verge of losing everything, his wealth & his mind too!

Overall, these three episodes were done really really well. I am glad that the channel decided to air Thora Sa Aasman twice a week because it changes the pace of the drama & gives us a lot more to watch & discuss. I must say, so far all the actors have done a good job but the one who is shining the most is the actor playing the role of Shaheer, that actor has without a doubt has owned the character of Shaheer & portrayed it perfectly. I am not sure why we didn’t get to see this promising young actor in more dramas because he surely is a very fine actor. The direction of the drama is great, I love the usage of the OST at the right time & the right moment. I really like how the writer has shown us different reactions of different people when adversity hits them. I wish they had hired someone else as Safia because she has an important role to play & not only her character, but the acting needed to make a mark too but sadly, where the character is so strong, the acting is not. The rest is all good. Please share your thoughts about these 3 episodes of Thora Sa Aasman.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

So I have been watching Laaj thinking that while the story is not extraordinary, it is not too bad either. But I am getting a little fed up with these promos for the next episode which give one idea and when the episode is aired it is all a figment of Zainab’s imagination. While this may work a few times, I am sure if done too many times then the viewers will begin to lose interest.

When Reshma brings the bottle of poison to Zainab and drinks it and collapses, I was a bit taken aback for I had seen the promo last week and Zainab had the scene with Jahanzeb when she tells him she can not live without him and then collapses in his arms. Zainab has told him that she will wait for him till her last breath and beseeches him to somehow stop the wedding. He tells her nothing can be done and she should accept this as her fate and move on otherwise it will become hard to live under the same roof. Seems like Zainab daydreams a lot – that I had established in the earlier episodes. Now, given the neend ki dawa (which was in the bottle that apparently contained poison), she is dreaming again! Anyhow, dream is all she can do for the nikkah between her and Shahzeb takes place. Mubarak – not!

This has to be the first time I have seen a bride do what Zainab did on her wedding night and change into plainer clothes than she wears even on a normal day! Shahzeb is still dolled up and so she presents him with his moo dikhayi gift haha, and gives him a free ticket to remain in touch with and continue his relationship with Alisha. Wah! Even though I had found Zainab’s one sided love a bit dramatic, to put it mildly, I could not help being amazed how she showed up with a cup of tea in Jahanzeb’s room and claimed nothing had changed. Yes, she may still love him and may not be happy about the nikkah but well she is married now and to be openly saying she will love Jahanzeb and profess her love to him time and again – did not still well with me at all, I am sorry to say.

Which brings me to a thought that has been niggling my mind. The whole set with the diyas near the pool and the dramatic feature image of the woman in white with the dupatta covering her face and then now this theme – of being married but still professing her love to another man and allowing her husband to continue his own romance brings on a whole Indian movie touch to it. I had felt the treatment of this drama was different and I had put it down to the colourful and aesthetically pleasant set but now I hope this train of thought of living and let live while remaining married does not go down the road it seems to have. While I feel Jahanzeb is a bit of a coward, although I agree that living in that setup neither he nor Zainab could muster the courage to speak up in front of Bari Sb I still respect that he understands things can not be as they were earlier and presses upon Zainab to make peace with that too.

Dilawar and Sikander are still at loggerheads with each other where Sikander feels Dilawar is being a fool and that ‘Bari Sb ki fitrat mein hai dassna, dass kay he rahay gi’. Sikander knows Bari Sb well and it appears he is not wrong in his judgement of her either for that is her plan to make sure Dilawar’s grandchild does not make an entry into this world. The promo of next week’s episode promises to be a happening one – if none of it is merely a dream, that is! While Zainab’s character is annoying me a little now, I felt Zarnish Khan acted really well when I could feel her helplessness throughout the wedding and her frustration when she woke and realized she had not died.

What did you all think of this episode? Please share your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

Ohkay so, the writing of Hashim Nadeem & the direction of Anjum Shehzad, Khuda Aur Mohabbat aired on Geo TV back in 2011. Now when the Season 02 of Khuda Aur Mohabbat is going to commence this Saturday, I decided to binge watch the 1st season so that I have an idea about what the plot of the drama was. I must say, it was a beautiful journey & I can’t really remember how many times I got emotional watching the sufferings of the main characters. Just when Dhaani drama began, I remember a lot of readers commented that the plot of Dhaani was similar to Khuda Aur Mohabbat, so yes, I will say that I found quite a lot of similarities between both the dramas but when the character of Hammad began his journey of self-discovery, he made me forget about Dhaani completely because honestly, I feel the character of Hammad is far more likable & stronger than the character of Sameer in Dhaani.

So, the story of Khuda Aur Mohabbat revolved around the two families; the family of Commissioner Amjad Raza (Firdous Jamal) & the family of Molvi Aleemuddin (Salman Shahid). Amjad Raza’s family included his wife & three sons, Sajjad, Hammad (Imran Abbas) & Ibaad. Molvi Aleemuddin had two daughters Imaan (Sadia Khan) & Haya & his nephew Abdullah (Ahmed Jehanzeb) also lived with them since childhood because his parents passed away. Amjad Raza belonged to a financially sound background already & his ancestors had a lot of property in the village, but Amjad Raza chose to educate himself & he moved out of the village. He made a name for himself, became a bureaucrat & gave his family a luxurious & comfortable life. On the other hand, like the name suggests, Molvi Aleemuddin was a very simple & humble cleric who barely made a living for his family but all that he wanted & worked for all his life was respect & dignity.

Hammad gets to see Imaan & that is when he falls in love with her, only to discover himself & discover the value & importance of everything in his life. Hammad’s love for a very simple girl allows him to see the real face of his family members & shatters the trust he had in them ever. Hammad’s sister in law Abrina (Farah Shah) wants Hammad to get married to her younger sister but Hammad doesn’t budge because by then, his love for Imaan takes control over his mind & heart & that is when Hammad’s love creates problems for him & Imaan’s family. Hammad’s mother insults Molvi Sahab & that is when Hammad decides that he will eliminate any such person who would oppose his love. That becomes a turning point in his life & his emotional transition begins, where he finds himself, his love, his love for Almighty & his entire perspective on life changes but the base remains the same & that happens to be his love for Imaan.

After leaving his home & family, Hammad starts working as a coolie to be able to make some money for himself but till that point, he lives a very purposeless life until one day he meets a stranger who makes him familiar with the idea of love of Almighty & religion. After putting forth his proposal for Imaan in front of Molvi Sahab, Hammad does realize that he doesn’t fit the bill of Molvi Aleemuddin’s choice for his son-in-law, so he also takes it as a hint to explore what religion has to offer to him but while he is at it, he shows more acceptance towards it & accepts it wholeheartedly, without any hidden agenda of impressing Molvi Aleemuddin or to show him that he has had a change of heart.

When Hammad leaves his home, he comes across so many people like Siddique (Mohsin Gillani), Najma (Fazila Qazi) & Abdul Ghafoor (Shafqat Cheema) who didn’t have the money his father had, but only had love & consideration to offer to him & they immediately become his family who not only feel for him, but stay by his side through thick & thin. Like I said before, Hammad’s character is far more likable & respectable in comparison to Sameer because Hammad had a backbone, he had a personality, he had a mind & more than that, he had a determination & a will to love Imaan to such an extent where he left all his wealth, comforts, family & luxury for her sake. I loved how they introduced Hammad’s character because he was always shown to be a kindhearted human being who always connected with people emotionally irrespective of what their social standing was, that is the reason we saw how Hammad shared a cordial relation with his driver Shakir (Khalid Butt) & his daughter Nighat.

Molvi Aleemuddin feels pressurized & that is when he decides to get Imaan married to her cousin Abdullah, who also loves Imaan but doesn’t say much. After seeing the sufferings of Hammad & the change in his entire personality, Abdullah feels that may be he & his uncle are being unfair to Imaan. Imaan feels burdened as she considers herself responsible for Hammad’s sufferings, that is when she decides to meet him, only to tell that she has nothing to offer to him & requests him to return to his family & his life that he had left for her. Imaan does feel the intensity of Hammad’s love for her but she chooses to ignore it as she can never think of letting her father’s trust on her down, that is why, after meeting Hammad for the last time & rejecting him, her health starts to deteriorate & it costs her, her life, that too at such a moment where Molvi Aleemuddin does get convinced that Hammad is capable of getting married to Imaan & that way, this love story ends tragically.

I must say, the way the writer had written Hammad’s character & the way the director showed his transition was beautiful. This entire journey was so enticing & captivating that it just didn’t allow my mind to divert at all. Even though it is a done deal that Imran Abbas is a phenomenal actor, but his acting as Hammad was so convincing. Imran Abbas made everything, like Hammad’s love for Imaan, his restlessness, his grief, his hope, his efforts, his speechlessness every time his eyes met Imaan’s, just so beautiful that I couldn’t help feel his pain. I must say, I didn’t expect to see such an ending & till the end I was hopeful that may be Hammad & Imaan will get to be together & may be all the prayers & all the efforts of Hammad won’t go to waste & he will get Imaan as a reward for all the struggles that he did till day but Alas! They weren’t meant to be.

I loved how simple the approach of the director was, it just made things a lot more real & convincing. The director for sure extracted the best acting out of all the actors, be it the protagonists or the supporting actors, each & every actor did a convincing job & the writer made all the characters seem quite important, like there was not even a single character that I can pick which wasn’t needed in this story. This story highlighted so many factors about how society puts pressures on people irrespective of which social class they belong to. Even though Molvi Aleemuddin knew that Hammad’s wish was not wrong & he was not at fault for wanting to get married to Imaan but he was too scared about his image getting ruined & also about the class difference between them that he didn’t accept Hammad’s proposal, even after seeing how much he changed. This drama highlighted the fact that people measure their strength & respect based on how much wealth they have garnered all their lives, that is why Hammad’s family doesn’t accept his love for Molvi’s daughter & Molvi Aleemuddin doesn’t accept Hammad knowing that he belongs to a very different world. I loved how Imaan took care of her father’s wishes & didn’t even think about going against his decision, she actually understood all the struggles her father had been through in his life to earn respect & make a name for himself, that is why she chose to stick with her father’s decision despite knowing that the idea of Hammad loving her to such an extent will haunt her all her life.

I am glad that I decided to watch Khuda Aur Mohabbat & after watching it, I know that I missed a very nice drama, which was filled with some beautiful characters, a lot of emotions, some amazing dialogues, some very meaningful conversations, beautiful performances & a heart-warming & unique love story. I loved the OST of this drama too, however I do have an issue with the lyrics but keeping that aside, I also feel it was used a bit too much that after a few episodes it lost its charm. The direction was amazing & I couldn’t help but rejoice at the fact that it only had 14 episodes. Imran Abbas once again made me a fan of his acting, he surely is one of the best actors of all times & I am actually excited to see him in Khuda Aur Mohabbat Season 02. Please share your thoughts about Khuda Aur Mohabbat Season 01 & do let me know if you’re excited for Season 02?

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.