So my best friend rarely watches dramas. Yes, I know – we made our peace with that, haha. But with her mother in law visiting nowadays and the TV tuned into dramas more often, she mentioned how she was watching Kuch Na Kaho and when I said I review it she asked ‘oh so what’s the deal with Aina? She’s married with a kid but where’s the kid and why’s she with Mohsin?’ When I briefly explained how it happened her reaction (which is the reason I am mentioning this in the first place) made me pause and reflect. She said ‘No way – dhoka!!’ And I thought, wait – dhoka indeed. For us viewers who have seen Aina suffer and Mohsin’s tantrums, although I did feel Aina should have told Mohsin about her past and not kept him in the dark, I somehow did not in my mind view it or word it as a dhoka but in retrospect, it is actually a dhoka – isn’t it? And although I feel at some point Aina’s past will catch up with her and everything will be out in the open and all hell will break loose, even though Mohsin would be justified in his anger, yet I never cared much for his feelings, and how he would think he has been duped and betrayed by not being told of such an important part of Aina’s life.
But having said that, Mohsin’s attitude and behaviour does sort of make you not like him much. His faulty genetic wiring which does not let his mind get in sync with his heart, where he feels he loves Aina and cares for her but does not care to admit it to himself or her or show it was becoming a bit exhausting. It irks me twofold when Mohsin does not trust Aina for yes, she is loyal but the fact that she did actually pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, details of which Mohsin is not exactly privy to, makes me uncomfortable for her and him both. Not judging Aina, whether what all she did was right, wrong or whatever – but oh well.
Aina’s retorts when she twisted her ankle actually made me laugh and her outburst also made me think that she has not totally lost her spirit. Mohsin’s apology (after his conversation with his nicer alter ego) made me hopeful but fast forward, eighteen years and things do not look as rosy as they seemed to make me believe they may be. When Aina looked at Mohsin’s bent head and thought iss ka saath dhoop aur chaoon ka saath hai – jalaye ga bhi aur saaya bhi day ga I thought how apt! Years pass by and either Aina has compromised and mellowed or finally given in and let go of who Aina originally was. Mohsin however seems to be as angry as ever and I winced and muttered ‘oh how low’ when he flung Aina’s past and mistakes in her face and especially the statement of Aina wanting Taabi to make a mistake so that she may fling it back in Mohsin’s face was really below the belt. Even though Aina is not these children’s birth mother, she has done everything for them that a mother can do and it seems like Taabi will be held back for fear that she may repeat what Aina did in her youth (half of which Mohsin is not even aware of – sigh!). Sins of the mother and all that.
I am glad that the time hop has been brought in quickly and I hope whatever is to unfold next is done as skilfully as the director has been dealing with the drama so far. Well, for the most part. Naveen Waqar has totally won me over with her acting and what I can not help but mention is how genuine her expressions and feelings seem to be when she interacts with the children, whether they were babies or grown up now. Also, so relieved to see how wonderfully an older Aina was presented without having to show a dupatta on her head, with the pearl necklace and grey hair which seems to be the go to idea of an older woman in most dramas. The glasses are there, but the parting of the hair, the mellowed nature – I really liked it. I am not the sort to gush over these things but I liked how the director kept it real for Aina was quite young when she married Mohsin so would seem absurd if she was suddenly old and grey.
What I do not understand is how in this day and age Aina has not seen Maaz in so many years. Skype? Whatsapp? I know Mohsin runs a tight ship but surely Aina has a mobile phone now. Or wait, does she?! I can only think that Sajal has deliberately kept Maaz away from Aina as she has not overcome her insecurities but oh well. Did you watch next week’s preview? The new young male character – is that Maaz? I sure as hell hope not – he did not seem very ‘nice’ and poor, poor Aina to have raised three children so well and to have her own child turn out, well not so well! Is it Mohsin’s sister who has come back – maybe he is her child? When after quite a number of episodes, a few new characters are introduced in a drama I often lose interest or it spoils the charm of the play but I am glad this episode did not make me feel that way and looking forward to seeing what happens next week and if Maaz is finally to appear before Aina soon. What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Kunwal Javid
