Hmmmm, it was kind of a slow episode but never mind, may be because they’re showing us new set of problems of a newly wedded couple altogether & also because we don’t think so highly of Hashim, that’s why his issues doesn’t seem appealing for now but after the preview of next episode, I am sure we’ll have an interesting developments in the story because I think this time around Annie will be involved in their fiasco too.

Ohkay, so Hashim is trying to change Faryaal because now he is not comfortable with who she is, how she dresses up & what her mindset is. It’s obvious that they both are having compatibility issues but on the other hand, I think Hashim deserves a credit for at least trying to face his problems & finding solutions for the first time. I still feel it’s important for him to change himself first & lead by example because actions speak louder than words. Till now Faryaal knows that Hashim fell in love with who she was, it wasn’t like one fine day without knowing much about her, he decided to get married to her. Hashim jumped into this relation with his eyes wide open & now if his perspective has changed, he should blame himself first before blaming Faryaal because she is still trying to make her marriage work despite the drastic changes she is seeing in Hashim which are keeping him unhappy all the time.

I think it was rather sweet of Faryaal to show some consideration to her in laws but the way Shireen reacted was totally uncalled for. I really think just like Rohaan’s mother, Shireen also needs some activity in her life because looks like her idleness is really taking a toll on her mental state & rationality. I think for once Shireen needs to understand that instead of blaming Faryaal & altercating with her, if she’d deal with her patiently, it would be beneficial for her own household. I really think it’s unreasonable of Shireen to blame Faryaal for everything related to Hashim. If Faryaal’s guilty, I say Shireen is equally guilty in eradicating the peace out of Hashim’s life as well.

Finally, I think we saw a ray of hope in Hashim’s life because all these problems have brought him to a threshold where he is really thinking about what’s missing from his life & I think this question will change the course of his life. I think this is just the beginning because before expecting anything from Faryaal, Hashim will now try to work on himself because he is the one who really needs to change & only then his life will shape up according to his desires. I liked what Ahmad said to Hashim because the sudden change in his personality will not only affect him but people around him too & it’s better that before expecting others to change themselves, Hashim needs to transform his mentality & mend his ways to make others understand what he wants out of life as well.

I really love how Annie & Rohaan are always a team when dealing with anything in their lives. I really like seeing Hashim, Annie & Rohaan spending time with each other because the couple doesn’t know how they’re indirectly helping Hashim in revaluating the priorities in his life. I think it was a subtle but a right move where Hashim decided to involve Annie & seek her help as he knows Annie has left a great impression on Faryaal & she can really make Faryaal understand the situation better.

Overall, it was a pretty decent episode & yes, now I can watch Shanakht peacefully because the fear of something happening to Rohaan has subsided. Phew! Share your thoughts please. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Tonight’s episode brought together three icons of Pakistani fashion- HSY, Vaneeza Ahmed and Deepak Perwani. Vaneeza has always struck me as an intelligent woman coupled with elegance. She refers to herself as a business owner. She has been the face of Vlawn for many years and is moving to opening up her own outlet. She stated style as being subjective- she draws inspiration from various cultures and thinks it is constantly evolving. Motherhood has transformed her life completely and her baby Inayah has helped her reevaluate her priorities. Vaneeza spoke about her husband Ali, and how she had known him for 18 years but it was facebook that brought them together in the end. In retrospect, she stated that she might not have taken up certain projects but she feels there is more to come. However, she made her stand very clear that she would never do an item number- especially since she wants to become a role model for her daughter. Speaking about the current generation, Vaneeza stated that there is extreme jealousy and competition nowadays and botox and cosmetic surgery has taken over.

Deepak Perwani, one of the leading designers in Pakistan was recently awarded as the 6th biggest brand in the world. In his own words, Deepak stated that he is obnoxious and insane- a complete control-freak, he exercises control on all elements of the designing process. He works with only two assistants because he strongly believes that too many ideas can ruin a good thing. He loathes stupidity and procrastination. He feels criticism shouldn’t come from someone who doesn’t know the art of designing but in the same breath he added that he is too big to discuss names. Vaneeza took the liberty of asking both Sheru and Deepak why they design short outfits that are not the norm in Pakistan. Deepak stated that his clientele is such and if he were to design more conservatively, he would be termed as designing bhehenji waley kaprey. I liked Vaneeza’s retort- business toh bhehenji se hi araha hai.

As far as social media is concerned, Vaneeza avoids it completely- she likes keeping her life private. Deepak is on twitter and facebook but he added that he doesn’t like how social media has replaced traditional media and human interaction. Both of them said they took up acting because they were bored of doing the same thing. Vaneeza added that modelling requires one to hold a single expression whereas acting allows you to take on a variety of roles/ expressions and emotions. Deepak said that acting therapeutic. Both the guests stated that the models currently aren’t maintaining the standards seen earlier- na shakal achi hai, height ka issue hai, models hi nahin hain…

Finally, it was time for the contests. Love or Don’t Love had each guest answering to all 10 pics- I don’t see the point of bringing up politicians though. I think it serves no purpose and no one wants to know their political affiliation or lack thereof. Ajnabee Kaun Ho Tum had Nadia Hussain calling in for Deepak and Adnan Siddiqui calling in for Vaneeza. Neither could guess the callers so they were tied going into the third and final round. The Q & A round had Vaneeza answering more of her questions to ultimately win the Rs. 50,000 Contradictions voucher. I have said it before and I will say it again, the guests couldn’t care less about the prize- the contests are a waste of time and no one ever seems genuinely interested to play. Other than that, it was a fairly okay episode. What did you think?

Yours in watching,

Kanwal Murtaza

The developments in tonight’s episode of Firaaq were definitely very unexpected and interesting as well. I am sure that many viewers like me were expecting Roomi and Paymaan to get married in this episode which no doubt would have been a very unconvincing twist in the story. Roomi never loved Paymaan, if this marriage took place it would have been because of external influence than anything else. I am pleasantly surprised at the turn the story has taken, Tabbasum’s death was predictable after watching the preview of this episode last week but the way her death was covered was another pleasant surprise. The fact that most part of tonight’s episode focused on Tabbasum was most certainly the right thing to do since Tabbasum’s character has been the highlight of this drama and Uzma Gillani was absolutely brilliant right till the end. Tabbasum’s conversations with everyone in the family including Roomi wrapped up her track beautifully. Tabbasum made sure that Haider knew just how special he was, she apologized to Paymaan once again and asked her not to repeat the mistake she had made. The fact that these scenes were not over dramatic yet very touching made them a treat to watch. The void that Tabbasum left in Haider and Paymaan’s life was apparent from their body language and conversations but there was no excessive rona dhona which was great.

Roomi decided to tell Paymaan the truth (finally!), which was another convincing development in the story. It would have been very unbelievable if he kept this secret to himself. We have been very confused about the timeline till now, it was nice to hear Sara clear that confusion! Imroze left Paymaan seven months back and Roomi talked to him five months back and then too he called to say goodbye. After finding out the truth Paymaan’s sole purpose in life is to find out what happened to Imroze. Sara’s obsession with getting Roomi and Paymaan married is still beyond me! Once again Sara focused all her energies on ensuring that these two end up together and refused to believe anything that Roomi said. I am glad that Roomi turned out to be smart and did not fulfill the dying wish of a friend without giving it a second thought.

It looks like Paymaan’s life in Karachi is going to be the main focus of the story from now on. The question whether Imroze has divorced Paymaan or not is still a mystery because when Paymaan was leaving for Pakistan Sara said to her that even if she finds Imroze there was no relationship between them anymore so there was no point in going there looking for him but in the preview of the next episode Paymaan said that she felt like a widow!

I must say that Paymaan’s character is much more likeable and lively now that Imroze is out of her life and she has a new purpose in life. I felt for Haider more than anyone else while watching this episode. Overall, this was a pretty good episode which I am sure gave many viewers a reason to look forward to more. Is Imroze dead? If he isn’t then why didn’t he ever get in touch with Paymaan? A lot of questions need to be answered, I hope that the next episode is just as entertaining as this one and the story keeps on moving forward at this pace. I also hope that the mystery unravels in a way that is believable.

Fatima Awan