I’d like start with giving everyone a caveat that this will be more of a character analysis, than the usual review. By now I’m sure everyone reading this has already seen the episode so I thought I’d discuss the insight the writers have presented to us about the characters. Episode 8 of Mera Pehla Pyar was all about University life. Let’s set aside the fact that besides Shazia, none of the characters could pass for University students, is this really how students behave in Pakistani Universities? Does no one do their own assignments? Are people really that rude and disrespectful in class towards their professors? I was under the impression that there was discipline, that there was a boundary line of respect between students and professors, and that manners were strongly enforced in schools and Universities in Pakistan. Anyways, on to the analysis…
Ayesha: We see that she has always been self-obsessed and cared for no one but herself from the beginning. She also only befriends people that worship the ground she walks on; Shanze in her present life, and Maria in her University life. She is embarrassed to have everyone know that Taha is her cousin because he is geeky, yet she has no embarrassment in forcing him to do her assignment. She also seems insecure of Maira. In the last episode she got angry with her friend because she was complimenting Maira, and in this episode when Maira is asking for assistance in what seems to be the world’s most difficult assignment, she is rolling her eyes at her. What really bothered me was her mother’s attitude. When Ayesha is complaining about Taha being in the same University and everyone makes fun of him, her mother doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t ever set her straight and tell her that she is being rude and selfish. I’m guessing that it’s her mother’s over leniency that has made Ayesha the person she is today. Her mother has been no help to her as a mother. It makes me wonder why she is surprised at how Ayesha’s life has turned out.
Ziad: Yeh cheez kya hain aakhir? I’m confused as to why he is so over confident about himself? He flirts with every girl and has the same lines for them all. Oh and ladies, if a guy asks you what he can do to prove how much he loves you, and offers the ‘taare tor ke laon kya’ wali line, please, please say yes!! Call their bluff and put them in their place because if someone really loves you, they don’t need to offer ways to prove it to you! I do think that as chichora as Ziad is, he is completely harmless and I know for a fact that there is a Ziad in everyone’s University. He may be the only one besides Maira who really does care for Taha…although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the random girl calling him ‘Ziad Bhai’ and Taha’s mum going off on him.
Maira’s brother and bhabi: They are both very typical, bhabi more than bhai though. I’m confused as to how going to do one’s assignment is interpreted as ‘khuli choot’ by her bhabi. When this jahalat wala trend will end in our society is beyond me. And after that intense over reaction of that fight scene, her idea to her husband to get Maira married to her rich cousin to benefit their business was not just cheap, but also insulting. I can’t imagine what kind of a guy would stand there and agree with his wife over this pathetic idea and that regarding his own sister…disgusting!! The characters did play their roles well and were very effective in making the audience not like them.
Taha’s parents: Sheheryar Zaidi is as awesome as always as Taha’s ‘best friend.’ It’s nice that Taha had at least one parent who was willing to act like a real parent and also be his friend at the same time. He is clearly happy with Maira’s entry into Taha’s life and the sudden burst of confidence in him. We also see that Laila Zuberi wasn’t just Hitler Dado, but also Hitler Ammi from the beginning. She felt the need to control Taha at every stage and clearly couldn’t handle
one little incident. Ideally, if one’s son was brave enough to defend a girl while she is being harassed by thugs, then that should be reason to be proud of him, not upset at him. And why does she scream so loudly at her husband? I felt as if I was being yelled at. Excellent acting by both Sheheryar Zaidi and Laila Zuberi. I honestly cannot imagine anyone else playing these characters.
Maira: I like Shazia…again, she is the only that can pass for a University student, but she is also a very fresh face. She has an innocence in her that really was needed for her character. She clearly knows her bhabi’s ill intentions yet stays quite. She admires Taha for his kindness and looks beyond his looks and geeky behavior. What really surprised me was her reaction when Taha is telling her that he will not be able to do his assignment in 2 days since he still has to do Ayesha’s. She doesn’t berate him or even advises him to do his own assignment first and let others do their own…she simply and very kindly offers to do his for him. I really thought that was different. I’m really looking forward to watching her character shape up.
Last but obviously not least, Taha: Faysal Qureshi owned this episode like anything. He honestly doesn’t fit into the University role, but his acting of this confused, yet very kind, and geeky student is fantastic!!! I had been wondering why Taha is so sweet to everyone and why he never bad mouths Ayesha in front of Hira even a little. I got my answer in this episode. In the beginning when Ziad and Taha are talking about how girls only like serious guys, Taha tells Ziad that because his dad is funny, that’s why ‘mama unhe pasand nahi karteen.’ Taha knows how it feels to have his mother not like his father (even if he is wrong) and that’s why he has never given Hira that opportunity, or at least did his best to save her from that. Maybe that is also the reason he tries to never give his mother the reason to not like him or be upset at him like she is with his father. He also has clearly always been nice, extremely giving, and very obedient. Again, this is entirely FQ’s episode and I have not yet seen him portray a character like this and too so convincingly!! Faysal Qureshi never ceases to amaze me.
In conclusion this episode really answered some of the questions I had regarding why Taha is so over the top nice and if Ayesha really was always like this or did this happen after she got married. I wanted to know if the mothers were always like this also. The episode really helped me understand the characters well. I’m not usually a fan of ‘such long blasts from the past’ but in this case it was important. Well done team Mera Pehla Pyar!!
Sheeba Khan.