This episode was much better than the previous few in terms of development in the story but it had more than its fair share of ridiculous moments. There were many scenes which could have been shot and written in a more convincing manner. The opening scene in which Saman has her first real but the most candid conversation with Hashir sounded very strange. The way Saman asked Hashir why he couldn’t marry Shazia and who he loved seemed out of place. The last time Saman met Hashir she did not even want to stop and say hello and now she had no issues with having a very personal conversation with Hashir when she knew her husband was around. When Hashir told Saman that he loved someone else and she should have guessed by now who it was, I was hoping that she will put two and two together but Saman is so blinded by whatever information Shazia has been feeding her that she fails to see anything else.

Saman’s mother overhears the entire conversation between Shazia and Hashir. She does not have the guts to say everything to Shazia’s mother’s face but she conveys whatever she can indirectly and decides to keep her distance. I have to say that this was one aspect of the play which I could totally relate to; the way Saman’s mother and Shazia’s mother drift apart because of their children although they have lived very happily with each other all these years. Hahsir decides to go abroad for God knows how long but it was mainly due to Mehreen’s father’s request. Hashir’s confrontation with Shazia was not as impactful as I was hoping it would be. All of Shazia’s hopes have been dashed to the ground for now, what is she going to do with her life now!

I feel for poor Saman, looks like her mother made all her jahez suits from the dresses she had stored in the trunk for ages. Saman looks like she walked out of a 60s movie and I am so not impressed by Hareem Farooq’s acting. There are times when she delivers but mostly she looks very clueless. The scenes with Saman and her mother in law are getting repetitive. I wonder where Faisal’s mother got all that money from, any guesses? I am warming up to Hashir’s mother’s character gradually, she makes an effort at every step to rebuild her relationship with her son.

Mehreen can’t take Hashir out of her mind and her father is waiting for her to move on. Shazia Naz is a total misfit for playing this character. I wonder how old she is because it is very difficult to accept her as a girl in her 20s. The make up artist has worked very hard on her and she looks great so it is only fair that I should give the person responsible for her grooming credit.

Overall a pretty average episode as usual but one that left me with the hope that the story may move forward at a relatively faster pace now. Hashir is gone for now so the good news is that we probably won’t be seeing Ahsan Khan in the next episode. The relationship of the characters with each other hasn’t been cemented well therefore most often it is very difficult to relate to them. I am really disappointed with Aliya Bukhari’s script because the drama just isn’t taking off.

Do share your thoughts about this episode.

Fatima Awan

Pehchan is storytelling at its best. Khalid Ahmad deserves heaps of appreciation for giving us innumerable scenes that convey so much even when they don’t involve a single dialogue. Khalid Ahmad obviously believes in innovation; that is something that shows in the locations and also in the way the characters convey their emotions. You know what these characters are thinking or feeling long before they utter a single word. The clarity with which Khalid Ahmed has translated Bee Gul’s equally impressive script on-screen is truly commendable.

Tonight’s episode opened with a very worried Kukoo sharing with Mrs. Khan how she felt about Khurram’s present state. Later on when Kukoo gets the call from the hospital I felt as if she was crying because she was relieved and scared at the same time; relieved because she still had a man in her life but scared/terrified of falling into the same rut again with Khurram. Did she have the courage and patience to continue leading the fake life which she had been living with Khurram for so long? She obviously didn’t. I also felt like Kukoo was ready to let go of Khurram, as if she had said her final goodbyes and in her heart she was ready to move on. When Khurram went on and on about Kukoo’s loyalty towards him she could not stop herself. She finally came out with the ugly truth because she felt guilty every time Khurram presented a perfect picture of her. I absolutely adore Laila’s character now and the way it has developed in the past few episodes. There was a time when I thought Kukoo will be another strong woman who will never know her worth but now it seems like she is gradually getting there. Even if she does not find her way, I will be quite content because she is not relying on these men now the way she was before. She is not scared of losing either Khurram or Mansoor.

When Laila is getting ready to go out with Saadi, she thinks twice before putting on the lipstick and then she decides not to put it on. Later on she tells Saadi she is married and has a baby, as if she is reminding her own self that. The guilt pangs never leave Laila too, she does not want to do all this but she also does not want to do anything that will make Mansoor happy. Most of all she wants Mansoor to know that he doesn’t own her, at least not any more! Mansoor is a lost soul. He does not know what to do about his bruised ego, he tries threatening Laila but nothing can make Laila change her mind now. He gives Kukoo a desperate phone call; a man who needs saving himself pretends that these women cannot do without him but he is not in control any more. Not being in control is something Mansoor cannot handle.

Laila’s conversation with Saadi about her life, when she says that she has everything and apparently nothing is wrong but something just isn’t right either was simply beautiful. It was probably one of those very few conversations which many women probably have with themselves every now and then and most of them probably convince themselves that there really isn’t anything to worry about but like Saadi rightly points out that Laila is unhappy which is something that just cannot be brushed under the carpet.

Another conversation which was one of my favorites in tonight’s episode was the one in which Kukoo talked to Mrs. Khan about Laila not being able to realize her own self worth and relying on mard ka sahara! That was an amazing conversation which went to show how easy it is for someone to judge others but it is so difficult to see your own life in the same manner.

Tonight’s episode had quite a few scenes that left me in awe of Khalid Ahmad’s direction but the one scene which was my most favorite was when Khurram cries on the shoulder of that kid….very very well done indeed! Khurram doesn’t say much but he is heart broken. The preview of the next episode showed that Laila and Kukoo both will be on their own very soon.

The Voice Of America headlines in the middle of the drama came out of nowhere without a proper commercial break, I was left wondering if it was a mistake or was it done on purpose.

I can’t praise all the actors enough for performances that completely blow you away. Iffat Omer has completely won me over and Sohail Sameer has truly outdone himself. The meaningful dialogues leave an impact on you that lasts long after you’re done watching the episode. Really looking forward to finding out how the story unfolds in the upcoming episodes.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

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

What I ain’t getting about the story of this drama is the unnecessary delay in Zara’s death & the final episode? I think they’ve sorted out every single detail so far, so why aren’t we seeing the ending of this play? I find it absolutely pointless that now when they’ve got nothing left, they’re revisiting all the emotions of hatred, jealousy & all that jazz Zara felt for Dua in the beginning.

I mean I find it pointless that now when they’re left with nothing they are making the kids a focal point of the worry for Zara too. I know it’s realistic,  any mother would be worried about her kids but then we have already seen Zara entrusting the responsibility of her kids to Dua, so what’s with the unnecessary procrastination?

It’s absolutely getting ridiculous to see Zara worrying about her kids thinking they aren’t being taken care of but t I think she has already seen Dua taking care of them & she is doing a better job as a step-mom than Zara; a bio-mom, so why’s Zara worried now? She herself admitted that she sees Dua as a very strong person & she feels she can rest in peace knowing her kids are lucky that they found a mom like Dua, so bas abb ankhain band bhi kar lo? Zara got enough assurance from Jazib, from Dua, from her nameless friend & also from Khala Masooma, so I find it absurd that they are once again revolving the whole story around kids for no good reason.

I think the unnecessary drag in the story will force everyone to snap out of the sympathy they once had or felt for the character of Zara or even this whole family because to be honest, I am getting irritated by the slowness of this drama. I saw no point in the arrival of Khala Masooma because what’s good left in there for her? All those mind-boggling & annoying confessions of Khala Masooma weren’t doing anything to add more to the experience of this drama. Yes, the only thing that made sense was when she tried to make Zara understand that she herself has lead a life without her parents, so her worry seems pointless as The Creator will take care of her kids. With this I hope Zara finds some peace & stops worrying about her kids.

I was hoping that next would be the last episode of this drama but I still see no signs of it. Somebody please tell me that next episode marks the end of this play because it is actually getting tedious to tune into this play as they’ve got literally nothing left to cover that too especially after Khala Masooma’s lecture to Zara. I hope they had edited & cut-short some of the scenes because each & every scene of this drama seems never-ending, it actually puts you to sleep because everything seems just so slow as if they’re living in a slow-motion, phew! Share your thoughts on this.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Till now, we have seen that Afzal came to know about Farah getting engaged to Sabtain and as a consequence, he decided to exchange the ring with Yasmeen too. On the day of their engagement, Afzal ‘s father faced cardiac arrest because of which Farah’s engagement was left halfway where on the other side , Afzal got engaged to Yasmeen. As soon as Afzal came to know about his father’s condition, he rushed to Hyderabad. Now that we are done with recap of last few episodes, we shall move towards today’s installment.

Tonight’s episode was a bit on slower side but some dialogues and scenes are worth praising and I would love to share them with my readers. Afzal left his parents for the sake of good but soon he realized that he was way better while living with his own family ; He never lived alone without his parents and never faced the type of hard times in his life which he faced while living in Karachi.

He came back because he was unable to bear the news that his father was in sheer pain – how can we even expect him to bear the news as during his stay in Karachi, Maulvi SubhanAllah was the one, whose teachings and lessons were there with him in all his discussions and dealings with his friends.

 Logu ne tou kal dekha par maine usi din daikh lya tha jis din unhain gira gayai thai tum..Being a mother, Rukayya can’t resist to forgive her son but being a wife, she dont want to think about forgiving the one who is the prime reason of her husband’s very situation. She knew that her husband broke completely from inside the day Afzal left them all alone. Par maa ka dil tha na so was melted within minutes.

 Uss se kehna woh saat maheenay baad ro raha hai .. hum saath maheenai sai ro rahay hain..Everyone was trying to make up Maulvi Saheb’s mind for reconciliation with Afzal. Deep inside, he was yearning for Afzal but his fatherly ego came in his way and that was because his son went against his teachings. Being close to religion, he wanted his son to be his reflection too but Afzal turned out to be a rebel and compelled his father to leave all religious activities, he was initially involved in and for that , Maulvi Saheb’s rage was not in his control.

We came across jealous side of Farah today. She was badly burning with envy as and when that incident when Afzal hold Yasmeen’s hand came in her mind; And relating everything with that particular moment, she decided to get married to Sabtain.. woh bhi sunday 27th ko.. By the way, has anyone noticed that we will be having Sunday on 27th of July too.. :)

I thoroughly enjoyed Sabtain’s convo with his patient ; A huge grin remained on my face throughout the scene. Anyhow, as soon as Sabtain came to know Farah’s decision, he was not ready to buy that and if I relate that scene with what Lubna said to her father regarding Sabtain’s intentions of not marrying Farah than our prediction is turning out to be correct that its part of Farah’s treatment and Lubna is also involved in it.

Sheikh Ibrahim compelled Maulvi Saheb to allow Afzal to come inside and it was so nice to see Arfa smiling after a very long time. The way Rukayya was talking to her son with his head on her lap was the scene of the day – such a perfect picture of emotions it was.

Such poocho tou iss mohabbat ke syaasat sai dil bhar gaya hai mera..By bringing tea as bribe, Yasmeen came to ask Maulvi Saheb that he should meet his son now. But he was completely heartbroken and mad at Afzal because he loved him the most and Afzal left him by adopting the way of life which is not called for. Now that Afzal is back, his father dont want to go through the same pain again as he dont trust him anymore. But as Yasmeen insisted, he was ready to meet Afzal with a condition that he should not stay infront of him for more than two minutes. Meanwhile, Farah is all ready to meet Yasmeen and congratulate her. Next episode is going to be an interesting one and I am looking forward to it.

Share your thoughts on today’s installment.

Rabia Basharat.

Alright, now from where should I start? 11 episodes have passed but this exceptional drama has succeeded in keeping me on the edge of my seat! As the story is progressing, I am getting hooked to this play. The beauty of this show is that you will find each new turn realistic and rational. They have kept the scenes simple yet engaging!

Well, now that things were finally looking up for Munazzah and her family, there came the dreaded news of Adeel’s accident. However, it wasn’t a life-threatening accident and Adeel was safe. The hospital scenes may have seemed unnecessary at first-but then I came to realize that no-they actually played a fundamental role in Mehar’s further character development. After watching Saqib comforting her family, showing his concern for Adeel and looking after him in the hospital, Mehar couldn’t help thinking once again about her decision. Although there were no particular dialogues, some flashbacks and Mehar’s expressions were enough to tell that it will not be very easy for her to walk out on Saqib. For once, Mehar stops being impulsive-she starts thinking sensibly. Mehar also starts having second thoughts about Mateen when she learns the fact that Mateen hasn’t discussed anything with his mother yet.

Adeel’s doctor (played by Emmad Irfani) is a new character introduced this week. Well, for some reason, they haven’t disclosed his name yet but all we know up till now is that this guy has developed a liking for Mehar’s younger sister Sidra. I am guessing they have introduced his character for the sake of adding a side track. As long they don’t spoil the MAIN track because of the side one, it’s totally fine with me!
The most crucial part of this episode was-the ‘confrontation’. Mateen’s mother FINALLY paid a visit to Saqib’s house. Mateen’s mother callously insulted Saqib because that lady had had enough of Mateen and Mehar’s love story. And here comes my favourite part: Infuriated by her outburst, Mehar stepped in and made it clear that this was HER house, and Saqib was HER husband and no one had the right to insult him like that. At the spur of the moment, Mateen entered but right in front of him, Mehar confessed it aloud that she is happy and content with Saqib. Well folks, you heard it right! Mehar actually stood up for Saqib! To be honest, this scene held me spell bound. After watching the preceding installments, we couldn’t even predict this sudden change in Mehar’s personality. But the character development in this show leaves nothing to be desired. This was indeed a sudden change-but not an unreasonable one. They clearly showed us how Mehar was moved by Saqib’s decency and goodness. Mehar’s transition from an imprudent, impulsive girl to a thoughtful, sensible young lady is something truly spectacular! I must say Sonia Hussain has breathed life into Mehar’s character. From her dialogue delivery to her expressions-everything is top notch!

After watching this episode, my expectations have been raised even further! How will Mateen react to this sudden rejection? Will he now unveil his ‘evil’ side? Whatever happens, I am curious as to how will the story shape up now.

On a humorous note, I would say that thankfully, Adeel’s doctor didn’t fall for Mehar because THAT would have complicated the story even more :P

What do you guys think of this episode? I would love to know your views!

Maryam Mehdi

Finally, it was a dessert challenge. After a million savory challenges it was good to see them having a dessert challenge wholly & solely.

The challenge was interesting but it could’ve been a bit more complex, given the stage at which the show has reached. At first I thought they spoke about 3 tier cake but they wanted 3 different layers rolled into 1 cake. The time limit was pretty generous where the contestants got 4 hours. I feel in the last challenge they got 2 hours & this time the time limit was doubled, I hope in the grand finale, the contestants aren’t gifted with 6 hours to cook.

I must say I was impressed by the presentation once again; everyone put in a great effort in the cakes they baked & made sure they made their cakes look beautiful. I think everyone remained on a pretty typical side of the flavours but only Madiha & Rayyan experimented with the flavours & tried to go for something different to make their cakes stand out the most. I think Gulnaz made the right choice by using the immunity pin as she didn’t want to risk her spot at this point in the competition but I think where she has given some amazing savoury dishes, she should’ve shown us how well she performs in the sweet challenge too.

The cakes that the contestants presented & the comments they got, are:

Rayyan named his cake ‘Berry Bomb’. Chef Mehboob really liked the overall effort that was put into this cake. He appreciated the fact that Rayyan tried to put in different textures in this cake & tried to make them work. He felt that Rayyan stood out in this challenge too & he showed that he can bake good cakes as well. Chef Zakir felt that the top layer wasn’t moist enough but other than that he liked the cake. Chef Khurram commended him for keeping the crunch of the pastry intact, he felt that the usage of cream however did make top 2 layers taste a bit similar but other than that there wasn’t any heaviness to it which made the cake amazing.

Amna created ‘Triple Layered Mousse Cake’. Chef Mehboob felt that the second take she did on the brownie left it undercooked. He felt that the filling wasn’t right & he didn’t appreciate the fact that the cake collapsed however he did like the cream cheese filling & felt that the addition of raspberries added a very nice & unique touch to it. Chef Khurram felt that the top layer of cherry mousse was quite thin in consistency which got mixed with the bottom layer making it look like a two layered cake instead of three. Chef Zakir felt that she couldn’t master the usage of gelatine therefore it affected her overall performance.

Ammarah created ‘Chocolate, Strawberry & Mango Mousse Vanilla Sponge Cake’. Chef Mehboob liked the chocolate mousse because of the light bitterness to it. He appreciated the usage of dark chocolate because he felt that if the mousse would’ve been made with a regular chocolate, it wouldn’t have such a nice & unusual flavour. He also liked the mango & strawberry mousses & appreciated the fact that the layering of cake had a balance & consistency. Chef Khurram felt that the layering was done to perfection. He also liked the different textures this cake offered.

Khurram made ‘Mango Layered Cake’. Chef Mehboob felt that the base layer of the cake was hard & lacked moist. He also didn’t appreciate the fact that there were no significantly different layers in the cake & it was all sponge layers with some different flavours that too induced by the usage of essences. Chef Zakir felt that the cake was too dense with no prominent & different flavours. Chef Khurram felt that the cake wasn’t up to the mark & at this stage, the quality wasn’t good enough. He also felt that the cake had no layers as only one component was used.

Madiha came up with ‘Mango Mousse Cheese Cake’. Chef Mehboob felt that even though the cake collapsed & the mousse wasn’t set properly, it was the best mango mousse he tasted so far. He also liked the cheese layer of the cake. Chef Khurram felt that the base was hard & there weren’t many colours in the cake but the cheese filling was smooth & the flavours of the overall cake were balanced. Chef Zakir didn’t like the garnishing as he felt that kiwis & strawberries weren’t the right choice for such a cake.

So, this was it from the challenge & I am glad it was second time this week that Rayyan was the first person to be saved from the elimination. Ammarah got some great comments too because no doubt her cake looked perfect therefore she was safe as well. Even though Madiha’s mousse started dripping because it wasn’t set but the flavours she induced in that cake made her safe.

It came down to Amna & Khurram. In the beginning of the episode I heard Amna saying that she focused more on the savoury books as she felt they had attempted a lot of sweet challenges for which she now thought that they’re only going to get savoury challenges. I was kind of taken aback by that statement of hers because I feel Amna wasn’t mentally present in there because she felt that they were done with the dessert challenges!?!?! She mustn’t be paying attention as she must be busy focusing on what the other contestants were saying or doing. Obviously Khurram couldn’t dodge the bullet because it was his first attempt at the baking as it wasn’t his forte & therefore he was eliminated. I actually feel sad at his elimination & probably this is the first such elimination which I didn’t want to see. I wanted to see Khurram in the top 3 may be but didn’t want to see him go. He brought in such high & positive energy in this show & that is really going to be missed.

So, it now comes down to Amna, Ammarah, Rayyan, Madiha & Gulnaz. I hope to see Rayyan & Ammarah in the top 2 & whoever wins among those two would be a well-deserving winner because they both have been consistent & good in their performances. I hope the challenges get more exciting & difficult from now on as we’re heading towards the finale. Share your thoughts on this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Even though this episode had some amazing acting but it was kind of predictable. We all know where the story was headed to but to see it all happening to Nayab wasn’t appeasing at all.

I did feel a lot for Daood actually & it was emotional to see such a nice person like him suffering like that but still he knows he can’t undo anything. He can not return to where he began his life with Nayab, he knows whatever he did has back-lashed at him & for that no matter how sorry or apologetic he is, his fate has been sealed & the decision has been made.

All those confessions uttered by him that subliminally referred to his death were heart-wrecking. Deep within, he knows he has a very limited time left with his family & for that he is trying to make the most of it. He now knows that no matter how much he loved Momenah & how much he had wanted her, she wasn’t the right choice & they both weren’t meant to be. Daood has clearly declared it in front of his mother that Momenah left him in the lurch because she couldn’t deal with the burden of leaving her husband. Obviously, Daood still tried to be kind enough in regards to Momenah but he knows what actually has made her disappear from his life for good.

Even though it was good to see Nayab getting all the comforts in the presence of Daood once again, it was good to see her content & happy at her husband’s return but then it makes Daood look like a villain & a selfish person who walked away from his wife when he got his hands on the love of his life but now when he has no other option left, he’s back with a huge secret & is keeping Nayab in the dark by not revealing the real motive of his return.

If Daood actually cared for his wife & mother, he would’ve openly told them the reason of why he has shifted back. I think this is worst then leaving Nayab before. Right now Nayab must be thinking she got her husband back who is ready to start afresh but it’s sad to see that she is oblivious of the actual reason. Another thing that bothers me is the way Nayab now comes across as such a weakling who was ready to accept her husband even after how he wronged her & literally ditched her. Nayab should’ve fought with him & threw some tantrum of not accepting him back but seems like she was fine with the way Daood walked out on their marriage. It now makes me feel that we were being worried for Nayab for no good reason because seems like she herself isn’t bothered much about what her life has to offer. She seems pretty numb after Zaid’s death so I feel we shouldn’t feel too bad for her.

Another powerful conversation that we got to see was between Daood & Gaitiara where tried to make her understand how she was becoming like her mother in law & how he dreaded seeing Nayab becoming the next Gaitiara. He knows that he has a very little time left to make Gaitiara understand that she shouldn’t unnecessarily hold a grudge against Nayab because in any case, she’s innocent. The way Daood explained it to Gaitiara that he feels burdened for how he has hurt an innocent person like Nayab was quite overwhelming.

Ah! It was a pretty heavy episode emotionally & I must say I have never liked Ahsan Khan better in any other role than the one he has portrayed in this drama. He has been flawless as Daood & the director has put in an extra effort in bringing out the emotions best way possible. No complains but only praises for this drama serial. Share your thoughts on this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Can someone please call 911 & tell that they have seen a psycho lady who yells & breaks things whenever she throws a hissy fit? Can someone also tell them that they’ve spotted a man who’s spineless & isn’t blessed with brains whatsoever? Having said that, this episode was at least a tad bit tolerable because seems like the story is moving forward but still there’s some roothna aur manana left to deal with.

Awazaar’s expressions changed when he saw that his Pakistani Paratha was slipping away & was about to be replaced with Indian Idli on his breakfast table. Haya has certainly made some place in his heart because she has an upper hand in Pakistani cuisine in comparison to Sofia. Awazaar has understood that he can’t live without both these women (yukh) & now agrees that he has wronged every single woman that has ever trusted him.

The na-maloon fard i-e Shireen Apa got some coverage in this episode too where once again she tried to show her unwanted & unnecessary concern for this family. I wish someone tells me how’s this lady related to them? Once again Shireen Apa told us how does she fit the bill of being a distant/immediate relative because whenever she speaks, she pushes all the wrong buttons. Once again Awazaar who has no brains of his own ate the food of thought that Shireen Apa gave to him to make him realize that he can’t be without Haya’s Pakistani Pakwaan.

The only part that I enjoyed watching in this episode was Nousherwaan Uncle & his conversation with Haya. At least it’s good to see someone else in this otherwise boring drama. It was good to see that Haya tried to open up in front of him & his wife & now she has someone she can speak to in future because the place where she resides is so dense & gloomy that it makes one suffocated.

I think this Goa trip makes no sense because a person like Sofia who is so dominating & insecure is now ready to leave her husband behind? Obviously as seen in the preview of the next episode, she is going to make sure that Haya leaves her place but still, how can she leave Awazaar behind? She seems like one of those people who would even pack her husband in a suitcase & tag him along her because she is so insecure. I wish they had tried their hands on showing the frustration of the already frustrated Sofia in a better way rather than crushing innocent things like spoons & expensive vases. I mean was so much negativity really necessary?

Pretty average episode but I think next episode would be interesting to see because Awazaar will look like a headless chicken running to make sure Bumble Bee doesn’t find out about his first love Sofia. Is it just me or Sarwat Gillani looks like she is going for a horseback riding every single time she dresses up with those long boots? They put in a lot of efforts in the production so I wish they had selected some more wardrobe options for Sofia as she has repeated so many clothes that it looks like they ran out of budget that’s why she had to stick to very limited dressing options. Share your thoughts on this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, the episode was good but once again a savoury challenge!?!?! Ever since it has been pointed out by one of the readers that the dessert challenges have been completely ignored, it does seem right & makes me want to see a dessert challenge more. We’re almost at the end of the season here where we’ll get a winner in a few weeks’ time but still we haven’t seen who’s diverse in the cooking except a few contestants.

So, this challenge was based on ‘duck’ as a core ingredient. Contestants had to make it shine in their dishes & they got a pretty decent time limit of 2 hours in this challenge. I was impressed by quite a few dishes but I must say it’s clearly visible that the contestants have stepped up a couple of notches in the presentation because almost all the dishes looked visually appeasing. The dishes that were created & the comments they got were:

Rayyan came up with ‘ Duck w/ Plum Sauce, Potato Dauphinoise & Duck Crackling’. Chef Mehboob liked the dish for the fact that the main ingredient was cooked perfectly. He felt that the duck was succulent, tender & also medium-rare; exactly how Chef Mehboob preferred it to be. He liked the sauces as well as the potatoes Chef Zakir liked the dish on the whole but he felt that the taco had no flavour & it lacked seasoning but the sauce was good too.

Gulnaz came up with ‘Duck Steak & Legs w/ 4 Sauces & Semolina Cake’. Chef Mehboob commented that just because she tried to go for a lot of sauces, she couldn’t do justice to each one of them. He didn’t like the honey sauce much because he felt it had no other flavour, apple sauce was more like a purée & it also lacked flavour. He felt that even though the duck leg was cooked well but it had no flavour as well. He liked the semolina cake but he felt that Gulnaz should have used her immunity pin today.

Khurram came up with ‘Sweet & Sour Duck w/ Fried Rice’. Chef Khurram commented that the presentation was great, sauces were good, duck was tender, succulent & flavoursome however the rice were a tad bit salty & they weren’t exactly the way fried rice are served. Chef Zakir liked the duck but he felt that the fat wasn’t rendered which was making the meat a bit chewy to eat.

Amna created ‘Stir Fried Noodles w/ Honey Soy Glazed Duck’. Chef Mehboob liked the plating but he felt that the flavour was missing, duck had no flavour whatsoever, noodles weren’t Asian enough & the egg served for the purpose of garnishing was overcooked. Chef Khurram liked the presentation too but he felt that the duck was hard & lacked flavour; veggies were crunchy but had no flavour too.

Zain presented ‘Duck Breast w/ Mash Potatoes, Pea Purée, Orange Sauce & Salad’. Chef Mehboob felt that just because the peas weren’t cook through, it made the purée a lot grainier & it lacked flavour as well. He felt that the potato mash missed the mark too & the duck was overcooked. Chef Khurram liked the presentation but he felt that this much effort should’ve been put in the flavours too. He found the duck breast a lot more chewy & undercooked. Sauce had an overpowering flavour of orange zest which made it too strong. Chef Zakir found the salad bland & felt that it lacked seasoning. He also complained about the usage of excessive orange zest which made every bite quite hard to eat.

Madiha came up with ‘Oven Roasted Duck w/ Plum Sauce & Pomegranate Orange Salad’. Chef Mehboob liked the salad but felt she used the pomegranate more than required. He liked the duck meat too. Chef Zakir forgot to comment on the dish but he voiced up his opinion about the inconsistency in the knifing skills because he found that the meat pieces weren’t cut consistently.

Ammarah created ‘Duck Breast w/ Orange & Cherry Sauce’. Chef Mehboob liked the duck because it was cooked nicely however he felt that the sauce got concentrated a bit too much, he overall liked the effort but he felt she had missed a mark a bit too this time. Chef Khurram liked the presentation but felt that the duck skin wasn’t cooked too well. Even though he felt that the duck was cooked through but he complained about the portion size as that made the duck a bit chewy. Chef Zakir passed on his signature comment which was ‘maza a gaya’.

Ohkay so it was pretty evident that a quite a few contestants made remarkable dishes that’s why Khurram & Rayyan qualified for the next round followed by Ammarah & Madiha. I am glad that Khurram & Rayyan redeemed themselves & have been consistent with their performances with the finale approaching.

Gulnaz, Amna & Zain fell in the bottom three & one of them had to go. I think all the three dishes were weak & had nothing good in it but just because Zain made a few more mistakes, he was eliminated. The elimination was a bit emotional because Chef Zakir even got overwhelmed. Ever since the beginning of the show, Zain has emerged as a very friendly person & he was someone who believed in helping his co-contestants, no wonder why everyone was so sad at his elimination. The judges had some great things to say about him & Chef Mehboob was generous enough to offer him his consultancy services free of cost for the sake of Zain’s future restaurant. That was really kind of him.

So, coming onto the overall episode, it was good enough but before I say anything I want to thank Amna for using that pasta machine because otherwise it would’ve defied the purpose of this show being a MasterPasta Pakistan (as pointed out by Haseeb brother in his article), so yeah back to the episode I don’t know why I feel they need more diversity in the challenges. I am not too sure if it was a coincidence or people copied the ideas from each other but every single dish had the acidic content in it like Plum & Orange & a bit of similar sweet content of Honey & Pomegranate & also Semolina Cake was made by two contestants . Amna & Khurram tried different dishes with Asian inclination but all of the others had somewhat similar ideas & components in their dishes & it looked like we were seeing similar dishes presented differently. One thing that does make me wonder about the elimination is that if we stick to the judges’ comments, Amna’s dish had no flavour at all & seems like every component of her dish was tasteless. Both of them presented their dishes well yet both of them were unable to instill any flavour in their complimentary components & where Zain undercooked the duck, Amna overcooked it, so I am not too sure why Zain wasn’t safe & why Amna was.

Anyways, the idea of elimination by the end of every episode now makes the show a lot more interesting but I wish we get to see some difficult challenges from now on as we’re heading to the finale. Share your thoughts on this episode & I excuse for keeping you waiting, I know how many times a few readers must’ve refreshed the page, heheheh!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.