25 episodes and a few time slot changes later, Bay Emaan Mohabbat came to an end. ARY’s tradition of stretching a story beyond it’s expiration date continues and I fail to understand why they are committed to prolonging stories when the end result is nothing but a lack on interest from the audience. This drama was nothing exceptional by any means but the first few episodes had a somewhat engaging storyline. The pacing was fairly steady until somewhere midway, there seemed to be an absolute loss of focus.

There wasn’t much of a story to begin with but seeing the likes of Nauman Ejaz, Samiya Mumtaz and Saba Qamar was a enough of a draw. However, with actors signing up for multiple projects it’s unrealistic to expect every project will be worth the time. Acting wise, Samiya Mumtaz was an excellent choice as a blind woman, Saba Qamar added a spark to her role and Nauman Ejaz has perfected the character of an unfaithful husband. The story had potential- it was supposed to be the story of desires and how far people go to achieve them. There could, rather should have been a very strong moral at the end- but instead, the writer Amir Raza ended up sensationalizing everything that’s wrong with our society.

Here’s why: Dania, a middle-class girl who dreams big is engaged to a simpleton Naeem- a man she can’t stand since she thinks she deserves much better. She’s having an affair with her best friend’s fiance, Babar- a man who’s just using her as a time-pass since he’s too much of a coward to stand up for himself. Dania dumps Naeem for Babar thinking Babar will marry her. But Babar ditches her and she’s left devastated. She tries to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and finds comfort in the arms of her boss- Nabeel. Nabeel is a frustrated man married to a blind woman. But before you start feeling sorry for him since he’s a whipped husband, he has a history. He married Maria to escape a lower middle class lifestyle and traded his soul for money. But seeing that his wife is not only blind, but also infertile and a complete control freak, Nabeel tries to compensate for his sorrow by leading a parallel life. Dania isn’t the first woman he has been involved with but she ends up being his last. The two of them secretly marry and when Maria finds out, she vows to destroy him. She files a case against him and has him arrested but Dania pleads for his freedom and Maria agrees in exchange for her to disappear. Maria, who is cheated upon by her husband, is suffering not just from a disability but also the earth-shattering reality that she can never conceive is shown in a negative light- she’s not the victim here! Instead, poor Nabeel and Dania are the ones we are expected to feel sorry for. Everyone from Maria’s caretaker uncle, to her trusted lawyer, her nanny who raised her blame her for being irrational and depriving Nabeel from becoming a father- a right he is entitled to even if it means agreeing to his second marriage. The ending was almost comical- it was an extremely forced attempt to ensure everyone has a super happy ending. Maria ends up accepting Nabeel and Dania and naming their son as the heir to all her wealth; all of them live under the same roof and Dania now refers to Maria as Api and Maria is more than thrilled playing mommy to Dania and Nabeel’s son and has very happily handed Nabeel over to Dania.

So basically, the moral of the story is that if a man cheats on his wife, his wife has no reason to get upset, instead she’s expected to openly accept his decision. If a woman is barren, she should herself hand her husband over to another woman since men have a stronger urge to have children and a woman’s needs are secondary. If a woman thinks too much of herself, she has every right to do whatever it takes to ensure she gets what she wants. Dania and Nabeel both wronged their partners but it didn’t matter- they were the lead and they had to end up together. How do the writers come up with such twisted stories and have the nerve to justify them with happy endings? I’ve got to say, the writers don’t disappoint on one front- they constantly do a one-up by coming up with even more outrageous stories!

Yours in watching,

Kanwal Murtaza

Four episodes have elapsed and we have another time change? ARYs lack of faith is disturbing. But then again, this drama has been going downhill for quite some time. I think the biggest dilemma is a lack of focus, a mediocre storyline and poor vision. Trying to throw in suspense elements hasn’t really helped much since we all pretty much know where things are headed.

Dania has succeeded in luring Nabeel into a marriage- there were a few hiccups along the way but the inevitable wedding took place. Nabeel gifted her a house for a wedding and ironically the house cost him his life’s worth of savings! Dania is over-the-moon initially being a homeowner and marrying the man of her new-found dreams but soon her bubble bursts when she is faced with the reality that Nabeel will only be a part-time husband and that too in secrecy. Maria is back and pulling the strings as she does best. She’s torn over the news that she can’t conceive and is suffocating Nabeel in the process.

The long dialogues between Dania’s parents serve no real purpose. There was a failed attempt at trying to get our pulse racing when Nabeel was trying to uncover the mystery behind who was keeping tabs on him and Dania. But just like that, he managed to quickly turn the tables in his favour and now the Private Investigator has sworn allegiance to Nabeel. Or so it seems for the mo. Maria’s bossy attitude continues and is no longer restricted to the home. She is now pushing herself into the workplace trying to keep track of every breath he takes. If only chocking your better half could guarantee faithfulness…

Dania is trying to throw tantrums of her own- Kyun Nabeel? Aaj ki raat rukh jao… Umm, okay, so didn’t she know what she was getting herself into? It surprises me that the characters suffer from short-term memory loss and forget their association with one another. Babar and Naeem have completely disappeared from the scene- Naeem tried to blackmail Dania but that backfired and he was tossed out of his job; Babar feigned an apology which fell flat. This is now simply the story of a man caught between two wives doing the juggling act as best as he can.

My issue really is with the number of episodes. All of this could’ve easily been wrapped up in 15 episodes. Had that happened, we may even have had moments of paying attention. But 22 episodes later, any efforts at redemption seem highly unlikely. Are my faithful four still on-board or have you stumbled off?

Yours in watching,

Kanwal Murtaza

I had completely given up on this show by the time I saw the 3rd episode. The whole episode was filled with the good and evil sister-in-law drama. Saira could not stand Adil giving so much attention to Rudaba, and she created a huge drama to get attention. She thought that Rudaba had complained to Adil about her attitude when the poor girl had done no such thing.

After that, Saira openly showed her dislike for Rudaba and made her feel like a stranger in the house. But not in front ofAdil of course, in his presence she was at the best of her behavior. The way she taunted Rudaba about Buland in front of her sister and brother was simply pathetic. This track was dragged to the limit and by the end of it; I had completely lost interest in the show.

Tayabba and her desperation for marriage is getting on my nerves by each passing episode. How desperate can a person get? It is not the end of the world if your engagement breaks. She kept on whining about how unfair life is and kept on blaming her brother’s illegal work and bad reputation for her broken engagement. This track is seriously getting very repetitive. The crying and whining continued in the 4th episode too, and it was simply frustrating to watch Tayabba’s scenes.

However, the fourth episode managed to capture my interest, and now I have some hope for the show. Why was the episode worth watching? The answer is simple: Faysal Qureshi. I was disappointed with his loud and rash character; all the pointless screaming simply made my ears rings. But I had forgotten how well Faysal can emote through his eyes, and that romance and Faysal Qureshi are a perfect combination.

We saw the start of the attraction phase between Bashar and Rudaba. Rudaba is scared out of her wits when she is near Bashar, but she still manages to challenge him even though she never means to. He was amused by the ‘monster’comment, and simply shocked by the detailed and honest comment about his behavior and character. The best part about his eyes is that they can emote both anger and softness. We saw the soft look when he was admiring her and the angry look when he was furious with her.

Rudaba was staying at Bashar’s house because Adil and Saira had to go abroad for some urgent business work. Bashar never gave a second glance or thought to Rudaba, and treated her rudely (that’s normal behavior for Bashar). For him, she was no more than Parizey’s care taker, but with each encounter, his opinion about her changed. She disobeyed him and took Parizey in the rain. That was the first time anybody disobeyed him so openly and calling him furious would be an understatement. He unleashed his wrath on Rudaba and the poor girl simply fainted. Yes, FAINTED! I was surprised and a bit amused by her fainting spell.

The look on Bashar’s face when Rudaba fainted was priceless! It was obvious that he felt guilty for his behavior (a first for someone like Bashar), and he had never expected her to faint all of a sudden. For the first time, we saw Bashar  acting in a normal way as he gently tried to wake Rudaba. It was funny to see Bashar speak so softly and act in such a gentle way! Their next encounter in Tayabba’s bedroom was also pretty amusing. Faysal’s eyes did all the work in this scene.

Bashar has not realized that he is attracted to Rudaba, but he will soon. Judging from the preview for the next episode, he would be speechless after he sees Rudaba all dressed up and this would make him think about her.

Another highlight of the latest episode is that Buland is officially back. Buland and Rudaba’s  first encounter was pretty filmy, there was no electricity plus there was rain. Rudaba was standing outside the house with candles in her hand and Buland was under the umbrella. The expressions of both the actors were perfect. But then if someone asks me who is a better romantic hero; Faysal Qureshi or Sami Khan, then my answer would be Faysal. Ushnah Shah has good chemistry with Faysal, now let’s see how her chemistry with Sami turns to be!

I would recommend you to watch this episode, its better than the previous ones!

Till Next Week!

Mariam Shafiq

Another episode has passed and most of us are still trying to find out what the hype was all about. True, the budget and production values are impressive, but at the end of the day what matters is the content shown. I would rate the first two episodes as average; they concentrated more on character development in the first episode and paid less attention to the story, and now in the second episode they tried to create more drama and suspense.

Did they succeed? Well, not really! The whole drama created around Salman and Tayabba’s broken engagement was dragged to the limit. Mostly, they were trying to give more insight into Bashar Momin’s character through this forced drama. After watching the drama, we know a few things about Bashar. First of all, he adores his sisters and can go to any extent for their happiness. Second, he thinks money is above everything, it can buy anything (even a groom for his sister). Third, what happens to those who say no to him. We were all a bit shocked to see Bashar Momin acting so loud in the first episode, we expected him to be the sophisticated and charming businessman. The writer has experimented with his character, and we see a rich billionaire who acts more like a typical gunda. He is like volcanic lava ready to erupt any second; loud, rash and completely manner less.

I expected Ushnah Shah to be the weakest link in this show, but she is definitely proving me wrong. She is able to portray the innocence needed for this character with perfection. At times, I cannot believe she is the same girl playing a negative role in another show on the same channel. Her heart wrenching cries and her breakdown was brilliantly enacted by her. I enjoyed all her scenes in this episode.

I have only one word for Saira’s (Maheen Rizvi) acting: cringe worthy. Her fake accent and overacting were difficult to watch. I wish someone had told her to tone it down a bit. It was obvious that she did not like the attention Adil was giving to Rudaba after their father died. Adil has taken complete responsibility of Rudaba, and Saira had no option but to accept her presence in their lives and their house. She definitely did not like the idea of Rudaba shifting with them and Adil giving her the special treatment. Her attempt to gain Adil’s attention by pretending to be sick was just pathetic!

Adil is completely oblivious to Saira’s feelings, maybe because she is good at pretending. It is in her nature to show people what they want to see and not what she is really feeling. Well, at least Adil is not heart less and cares about his sister. Frankly, I did not expect him to play the role of the doting brother.

Tayyaba’s desperation to get married was simply getting on my nerves. Bashar got angry seeing her upset and the next thing we know, he is trying to buy Salman for his sister. He tried his best to bribe Salman with materialistic things, but to no avail. Now Salman and his family would face the wrath of Bashar Momin; he will show them what happens to those people who refuse him for anything.

Rudaba and Bashar’s first meeting was quite different from what I had expected. The huge contrast in their characters was so obvious. It was definitely a treat to watch the quiet and polite Rudaba meet the rash, loud and ill-mannered Bashar. The poor girl was scared out of her wits when she overheard his phone call and a bit hurt when he made her feel like an uninvited guest.

The only main character that has not been introduced so far is of Buland. There is an air of mystery around his character. I had expected him to come to his father’s burial, but I guess he would not make an entry for another one or two episode. We all know that he would not turn out to be the kind of guy Rudaba expects him to be. Now let’s see when Sami Khan would make his entry in the show.

The episode was not an amazing one, but I guess we need a few more episodes to give a verdict about the show. The problem is that the show is so overhyped and our expectation level so high that an average episode would not satisfy us. We want something extra ordinary in each episode.

A special mention for the dialogues of this show; there were a few good ones in this episode. Dialogues like ‘Bika To Khareed Ke Na Bika to Loot Ke’ and ‘Yeh Doosra Sifr Hai Jis Ne Apki Behn Ko Reject Ker diya’ were a few impactful dialogues!

Share your views about the show!

Mariam Shafiq

A month or two back I posted an article on this show. It had intrigued me, but I was not excited to watch it because of its cast. Most of them are new unrecognized faces and the only person who I liked in the cast was Faysal Qureshi. There was a lot of curiosity created when Faysal Qureshi started sporting the army haircut and full beard look, but the details of the show were kept tightly under wraps till the final product was made.

I must admit the extravagance of this show has impressed me. Faysal Qureshi is seen adoring suits ranging from 1.5 to 5 lakhs and the leading ladies had sported jewelry of worth 7 crores, and trust me, these are just a few minor details. It is called the most expensive drama yet because of its extremely high budget.

Now coming to the first episode, it was not extraordinary because the story is just building up, but it was definitely a good start. We need a few more episodes to give a verdict about this show. At the end of the day, it is not the hype or the budget that matters; it is the content that attracts the viewers. The promos attracted me, but then from experience I can say that promos can be very deceiving.

The episode started with Rudaba’s (Ushnah Shah) engagement to Buland (Sami Khan). Rudaba was not too happy about the engagement because it was completely arranged, and she had never even met her fiancé. He lived in America and she thought that he might turn out to be like most typical Americans. In Rudaba’s words, he might turn out to be a ‘burger’ which was a trait she loathed in any man. She wanted a simple life partner and feared that he would feel that she was not good enough for him.

Rudaba’s character is an open book for all to read. She is simple, innocent, and naive and had lived in a protected environment all her life. She is unaware of the realities of the world and true faces of people around her. She is close to her father who is her friend and her mentor. I enjoyed all the scenes between the two, he tried his best to convince her that Buland was the right person for her and she needed to trust him. Her bonding with her father’s friend and her future father-in-law was also a treat to watch.

Rudaba’s brother, Adil (Yasir Mazher) is married to Saira (Maheen Rizvi), one of the two beloved sisters of Bashar Momin (Faysal Qureshi). Adil works under Bashar Momin who is involved in quite a few illegal activities and this has created a rift between Adil and his father who had loved the life of a sincere bureaucrat. Saira is a complete control freak, she definitely knows how to manipulate people and play with their minds. It was obvious from the way she manipulated Rudaba that she excels in her abilities. She has the ability to make people feel inferior and she always has a mask on her face; she never shows her true emotions. Her life can be in a complete turmoil, but she would always portray to the world that her life is perfect. Her sister Tayabba (Sundus Tariq) is just the opposite. She seems unsure of her herself, and is quite insecure and emotional.

Bashar Momin is the villain and the hero of this show. We did not get much insight into his character, but I could make out a few things about his character. He has an aura that makes people bow down in front of him. He is too powerful to be challenged and hell breaks loose when he loses his temper. He has simply no control over his temper, and there is no such thing as patience inside him either. He believes in getting what he wants by hook or by crook.

Sami Khan’s character is yet to be introduced, but I can make out from the promos that he is playing the role of a broken hearted lover. Nothing new in this, he plays similar roles in every show!

There was more of an introductory episode and a lot of insight was given into different characters. Rudaba might be unhappy about her engagement, but she would do anything for her father. She promised him before he died that she will marry Buland at all cost and she will be more open minded about her relation with him now. It was quite unexpected to see the end of two important people in Rudaba’s life. This is definitely a turning point in her life.

I am really looking forward to know what happens next!

So what are your views about the first episode? Share your views.

Mariam Shafiq

Ohkay, so fair enough. Let me just say this drama had a fairly decent ending which I wasn’t expecting at all. I will definitely praise the bits that deserve to be praised. I think the developments that they showed in these last 3 episodes were what we all were looking for. I’d once again say that this drama had a lot of potential but may be the unnecessary stretching till 30+ episodes did the trick in losing the plot & pace of the drama. I think ever since the drama began, if they had revolved the plot around Bashar Momin, his character, his background, his feelings & his story, this drama definitely would’ve garnered a lot more fans. I think I’d definitely blame the writer & the director for losing the track & drifting the focus from important aspects to the meaningless ones by giving a lot more coverage to & wasting so many episodes on the supporting characters than needed.

Like we all discussed, Bashar was too softy of a don. I think in one of my reviews I did predict that Rudaba will change him, which was obvious as he was like a lost soul that needed some love, attention & guidance but the way they reached to this point wasn’t convincing at all. I really wish they hadn’t stooped so low to unleash such dark & diabolic side of Bashar because now when he rebounded from it, I had a hard time feeling for him as much as I wanted to. Obviously, Bashar fell weak & all the negativity really burdened him, which he couldn’t cope up with, that’s why he decided he didn’t want all this in his life. Saira & Tayyaba always resonated the negativity to keep him going but now when Rudaba was exposed to all this, Bashar found out that she is a different being who couldn’t bear all that & this is what made him regret doing everything that he ever did to her, in a fit of hatred & anguish. I know it would sound surprising but I kind of enjoyed the scenes between Bashar & Rudaba, I think this is how a love story should be like, less yelling & more talking. Bashar really wanted to make up for the things Rudaba had to face because of him & it was good to see him being repentant repeatedly.

I think the sudden intervention of media & police wasn’t convincing once again. Obviously, they had to show that Bashar being a don was always at a risk of losing his freedom & life but I think we were never given any grounds to know what Bashar did & what level of crimes he was involved in, that’s why it never really made any sense. I so wish they had focused more on his professional life rather than the personal lives, that too of his family, so that we could’ve found the recent turn of events a tad bit interesting.

To see Buland again yearning for Rudaba wasn’t appeasing at all. I mean how much of a self-respect-less can a man be? Did he really think that Rudaba would still be so in love with him to leave Bashar for such a spineless man like him? I think the director & we all could’ve done without him because he was useless even now just like he was useless ever since the drama began.

I think Saira got the shut up call rightly so & just when she needed some. Bashar said it loud & clear that nothing can part him & Rudaba, which was fine because the things later Adil said to her made sense as well. She has been a very self-absorbed & rigid person who never gave importance to anyone, but I think it was about time that she learnt a few lessons of life too.

So, everyone found a closure. Rudaba earned Bashar’s love. Saira learned how to mind her own business. Bashar decided to start afresh & Buland finally let go of his one-sided love for Rudaba. The ending was fair I believe but I’d still say that this drama had a lot of potential if only it was tackled properly. I so wish they hadn’t gone for such an OTT approach in executing this drama. I am sure if they had focused more on the quality of script & acting & hadn’t spent time in meaningless angles & larger-than-life appearance of everything, they might’ve given out a fairly decent play with a bit of acceptable filmy touch to it. I also feel that they should’ve invested more time on the central character & should’ve given him the required coverage to let us know why the drama was named Bashar Momin, some story starting from his childhood to his struggling days & some showcasing of how he got to such a point that made him such a ruthless yet successful don, I believe would’ve sufficed. I think if they had wrapped the drama within 20-22 episodes, it would’ve been a lot more interesting because in between, the drama & its story definitely lost the track as Adil, Saira, Tayyaba & Buland dominated the whole story while Bashar only seemed to be that person who was tending to their issues like a head of the family without having a life of his own. I so wish they had equalized the coverage of the supporting & the main characters to make a balanced & engaging drama. I must say the only person who did justice to his character in terms of acting was Faysal Qureshi & I think he certainly deserves to be credited for this. Share your say please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

ps: I must say by the end I so wished he’d get rid of his BM ring & I was the happiest when he finally let go of it, haha!

Ohkay so, these two episodes gave a new face to the story. Till now it looked like Bashar will make sure Rudaba runs back to him but the new twist was all about Buland & Rudaba. I am not sure but to see a married-triangle for the first time on screen was kind of awkward because till now we’ve seen engaged people running into odd triangles but to see a legally married & a potential father being involved in a triangular flick wasn’t appeasing at all.

To be very honest, I think it’s about time they should start wrapping up the story because adding new twists & turns isn’t really making any sense. Just when a calamity was inflicted on Adil, not only he got his lawn-mowed hair back but also regained some senses to realize that Rudaba’s the one who has suffered & lost the most.

Buland came on a business trip but seems like he went on a trip of his own where he forgot that he was at the verge of becoming a father but just because he likes being a puppet (which he admitted himself, so don’t blame me for calling him a puppet), he decided he has some other move to groove on. I must say the most hated husband was Awazaar of Aahista Aahista, but the most confused personality ever seen in the history of Pakistani drama industry is that of Buland. Just now when he has already had a shaadi ka laddu & the barfi’s about to be born, he’s now eyeing up his ex-fiancée who happens to be his wife’s brother’s wife as well, so cool na? *coughing sarcasm*

Buland & Adil are so blinded by rage against Bashar Momin that even though they know they’re just like mere chickens in front of him, they’ve taken the gloves off for the sake of ruining Bashar Momin the ultimate, haha, nope nope, the gharelu don. I think Bashar should understand that he’s blessed with two unfortunate souls that’ll keep on hovering around his head & they are Saira & Tayyaba, so it’s better that either he gets rid of them or baby sit them all his life because such petty issues related to his sisters are putting us to sleep.

I think that was a good scene where everyone encountered Buland & Rudaba’s cuckooing because this will definitely hurt Bashar’s ego & I think after this, he will make sure that Rudaba doesn’t leave him because he knows that this will not only result in Tayyaba’s home wreckage as well as he’d have to baby sit two babies with their mommies for the rest of his life for sure.

I really wanted to see a story of a don but to see it turn into a gharelu khichri is very disappointing. I really don’t see any point in spending so much money on such a script or may be that was a coaxed hoax for the sake of ratings & oh is it just me or the direction of these two episodes seemed completely different as if some other director took over to complete the project? I am not sure but seems like the team actually lost interest because the actors look lethargic, the energy saver seems to be getting dimmer & the execution’s getting poor & poorer. To be honest, I am sure by this time everyone’s only interested to know how the drama ends without actually rooting for Rudaba-Bashar or Rudaba-Buland’s jori. Share your thoughts on this shahkaar please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza

PS: I wish all my dear & awesome readers a prosperous Eid-ul-Azha.
Musalmanoooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnn TIKKAY Lagaaaaoo!!! :)