Opening Thoughts – Interesting Situations:

Ohkay so, these two episodes of Ishq Zahe Naseeb took the story forward but the focus has mainly been on the struggles that both Kashif & Gauhar are faced with. Where Kashif is doing everything selflessly, Gauhar is being put in such situations time & again where she has to forcefully fend for her family. The contrast between both their lives, families & situation is what makes it interesting because while watching either Gauhar or Kashif’s scenes, you always have the other at the back of your mind where you’re drawing a comparison between their situations.

Contrast & Similarities In Gauhar & Kashif’s Lives:

Gauhar has unconsciously started taking interest in reading more pages of Sameer’s life. Even though she is very focused & determined about the job that she has been appointed for, but because Sameer is such a mysterious personality, she can not help but grow curious about him. Sameer has also showcased a very different side of his to Gauhar, which makes her want to learn more about him. So far, she has no feelings for him but she likes getting to know about him & that is nice to see. Gauhar also kinds of feel burdened because she knows how he has helped her & how he has gone out of the way for her.

Gauhar finally found out that her brother Saleem withdrew double the amount that was required. Although for Sameer is it not even an issue but Gauhar couldn’t stop thinking about it because for her, her pride & dignity means a lot. Gauhar felt that by doing something this cheap, Saleem put her in an awkward position in front of Sameer. Gauhar already couldn’t thank Sameer enough but now she was feeling indebted to him even more because she felt her brother cheated & deceived Sameer. Saleem & Zakia are selfish & mean, that is why they always have to come up with one excuse or the other to justify their selfishness. Even though Zakia is mostly held responsible for the things that Saleem does but I won’t blame her only. Saleem himself is quite an opportunist & he has proved it time & again. When he felt that Jahangir would excuse them the loan, he immediately agreed to get Gauhar married to him but when he saw another opportunity presenting itself, he not only called the wedding off but also grabbed some extra amount to help himself.

Kashif finally got his sister married. Dunia got to observe Kashif closely & she couldn’t help having a soft spot for him in her heart. Dunia couldn’t believe that people like Kashif existed who were so selfless & put family members ahead of them. All this while I couldn’t help but notice the difference between the kind of brothers the writer showed us in the form of Kashif & Saleem. Where Saleem was only thinking about himself, irrespective of what Gauhar was going through, Kashif was making sure that his sisters are well taken care of. Kashif & Dunia’s interactions were heartfelt & nicely done. Dunia has started opening up to him more because she has assessed Kashif on a different level, that is why after a long time she feels she can connect to him on an emotional level. Again, she has no feelings for him but yes, she likes the kind of person he is. Dunia feels Kashif will be able to listen to her & understand her feelings, that is why she is opening up a little more & doesn’t mind being vulnerable in front of him.

Sameer’s step mother painted a false picture in front of Gauhar. I am not sure what has made her change her attitude towards Sameer. May be over the years she has grown weaker & with her husband gone, she has realized that Sameer’s the only family she’s left with, that is why she has changed but she continues to be in denial. Sameer’s step mother does not hold herself responsible for anything, rather she conveniently lied to Gauhar & made Sameer’s biological mother look bad. Sameer’s mother is a very conniving woman & she really knows how to play a victim, plus because Sameer has come to terms with her over the years, that has also turned into an advantage for her. However, I would actually like to know what made her change her mind because going by the scenes from the past, we have seen how she mistreated Sameer, so I think a little justification is definitely needed to understand her perspective a bit more. I wish they had actually told what her name is because it is tedious referring to her as Sameer’s step mother all the time.

Gauhar got to see the basement that no one as an access to. The way Noora spoke about Sameer’s mother did hint that she wasn’t what Sameer’s stepmother made her look like though. Anyways, Gauhar got to see things in the basement & they did intrigue her a bit. Gauhar got to learn that in the basement, there was nothing like a usual kid’s stuff would look like, rather it was eerie & odd. Going by the things Gauhar saw, she could totally get a glimpse of the disturbed & traumatic childhood that Sameer has had. It is good that Gauhar is crossing these boundaries because she is getting to learn more & more about Sameer.

As much as I like Khalid Malik’s acting & also enjoy watching him as Jahangir, I actually find myself getting annoyed at the scenes of him & his friends. I don’t know, the vibe, the over-acting & everything about those scenes is just off. I know, these characters are meant to be annoying & negative but still, I have seen a lot of such situations & characters but this situations ticks me off big time. I feel this kind of larger-than-life performance or mannerism is suited for big-screens because on small screen, it is looking like too much to handle. Anyways, Jahangir decided to do that a morally, mentally & ethically corrupt person would do to someone else. He decided to harm Gauhar but luckily, she did try to save herself. Let’s see what happens.

Closing Thoughts – Differently Narrated:

Overall, these episodes of Ishq Zahe Naseeb were interesting & good. I like this drama for the fact that it is differently narrated but I still feel it has some shortcomings. I will say the timing, the chemistry between the characters in general doesn’t sit right. I am not talking about the main leads or the couples but the families & their scenes, like they all at times seem robotic or as if waiting for a cue all the time to say their dialogues. I also feel may be the director asked them to act more than required because a lot of times it looks like they could’ve underplayed to make it all look realistic. However, I will say that I like how a lot of things go unspoken in a lot of scenes, it is like they are understood so they don’t state the obvious, like women looking with sympathy or awkwardly at Dunia when she came to the wedding but Dunia just ignored it because she was used to those kind of stares by now. I liked that scene a lot. All the actors are doing a fab job for sure. Sonia Hussyn has acted brilliantly as well but I have a hard time appreciating her acting during the scenes when she cry-talks. Please share your thoughts about these episodes of Ishq Zahe Naseeb.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.