Last thing I wanted to see in this drama was the quivering lips of some uncle we don’t even know nor even have sympathy with. Do they really think that by throwing in some more characters they’ll be able to pull off a well-packaged drama? I say they’re mistaken because what would be better is them concentrating more on the main characters of the drama & etching them out appropriately that by the end of the episode or even the drama we feel a thing or two for them.

Dua has finally taken responsibility of the kids & she is doing her part really well. Khala Masooma had a say in this episode too where she goes like ‘hum damaad pe bojh to nahi ban saktay’, whereas Dua only asked about what her future plans was seeing the physical condition of her father. Khala Masooma knows how to toss things in her favour because she gave clear hints to Dua in a hope that very open-heartedly she’ll invite her mother to stay with her. I feel this is why Khala Masooma spoke about her son-in-law or else why would she do that? I kind of feel that Khala Masooma is a bipolar patient because one thing she says pretty much doesn’t match the other.

Sofia has started to open up a bit & she is seeing Dua past the facade of she being a step-mom. Dua has played her part really well in making the kids love her because she understands their mind frame as she herself has experienced what the kids go through when their father get married to someone else. Luckily for Dua, this lesson helped her in cracking the code of how she can connect with Sofia & Tabrez. Tabrez being too young was already smitten by her but it was Sofia who needed to be worked upon. This little getaway to Sialkot has does a trick & Sofia is now relying on Dua & also has a shift of tone too.

Zara finally had a procedure & I am not sure if a patient feels really so well to chuck on a red lipstick & some shimmery eye shadows just the very next day. Zara has opened up to Dua because she has understood the reality & is now facing the facts. She knows that time’s slipping away & she has no other option except of relying on Dua because Dua has time & again reassured her of how much she loves Jazib’s kids. I think the ending scene of the phone conversation between the two ladies was done really well & Dua’s confession helped in easing the pain of Zara which she might feel in a concern of her kids. Jazib Jee was definitely missing while so much was happening but I think now the secret’s out & he will go into a shell where he’ll detest himself for not taking care of Zara, or that might never even happen because that’s Jazib Jee we’re talking about.

The characters of both the ladies in this drama are definitely good, they aren’t like the typical ones we’re coming across these days. Very easily they could’ve turned Dua’s character into that of a young snot who is taking advantage of her husband’s love but I am glad they showed Dua as someone who understands the complexity of the circumstances around her, acts accordingly & responsibly without demanding anything in return. No doubt at first, her character seemed annoying but I think her wisdom is appreciable. Share what you felt about tonight’s episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

I must confess that I wasn’t very sure if Tanhaiyan would have the same effect on me which it did when I watched it the first time it went on air. I was not even ten years old when Tanhaiyan aired. That time was very different from now, even little kids used to sit with their parents and older siblings to watch the 8pm drama on PTV. It was like a ritual in every other household because dramas back then had something for everyone. I remember not understanding much about Zara’s trials and tribulations but Qabacha and Sanya were the highlight of the show for me. Watching Tanhaiyan once again brought back sweet memories of the days when PTV dramas guaranteed wholesome entertainment; the days when our drama writers were not obsessed with marital problems. The writers believed in experimenting and the producers were not afraid of trying something new. There was no race for TRPs but only talented people who did their work responsibly.

Tanhaiyan is a classic which needs absolutely no introduction but I will write a brief summary of the play to refresh the memories of those viewers who watched it a long time back. The play has been written beautifully by Haseena Moin, it has been directed by Shehzad Khalil – one of the best directors of PTV at that time who discovered many new faces and the play has been produced by Shalimar Recording Company (SRC). The cast of the drama includes Shehnaz Sheikh (as Zara), Marina Khan (as Sanya), Behroz Sabzwari (as Qabacha), Qazi Wajid (as Faran), Asif Raza Mir (as Zain), Durdana Butt (as Bibi), Badar Khalil (as Zubi/Aani), Jamshed Ansari (as Buqrat), Amir Hatmi (as Saad Salman), Yasmeen Ismail (as Vida), Azra Sherwani (as Appa begum), Sultana Zafar ( as girls’ mother), Subhani Ba Yunus (girls’ father) and Imtiaz Ahmed (Aani’s servant).

Tanhaiyan is the story of two sisters Zara and Sanya whose life takes a terrible turn when their parents die in an accident. Both the girls are very close to their Khala Zubi who they call Aani. They wish to continue living in their parent’s house in Lahore but soon after their death the two sisters find out that their father had taken a big amount of loan to make the house. The people who had given him the money wanted the house now because there was no other way to pay them back. Initially both the girls try their best to convince the people concerned that they will return the money in a few years but finally they come to the conclusion that there was no other way out. Both the girls move to Karachi and start living with their Khala. While Saniya moves on because she believes that she still has many people around her who love her. Zara feels that she has let her father down, her sole purpose in life is to earn enough money to buy her parents’ house back. She loses her faith in people because the people her father owed the money to were very close to him so she expected them to understand. The title of the drama refers to the loneliness which Zara feels after her parents pass away and the way she isolates herself from the world because nothing matters to her anymore. In her quest to earn money, she forgets that people who were once close to her were moving away from her. She was misses out on all those beautiful moments which Sanya, Aani, Bibi and Zain were cherishing. The drama ends on a happy note, the viewers have the satisfaction of knowing that Zara got her happy ending even after making so many wrong decisions.

The beauty of this drama lies in the beautiful relationships that all these characters have with each other. Even after so many years watching this classic was actually like a breath of fresh air because there were no mazloom women in the play, no family politics and most importantly no villains or heroes. The play is full of characters who you can fall in love with over and over again. I couldn’t help but connect to all the characters because there was nothing over dramatic about them. Zara’s character has been etched out brilliantly. Zara was always very insecure and lacked confidence. The reason behind that was explained wonderfully by her father. It is actually very true that every grown up is a product of the surroundings and the circumstances under which he was brought up. Zara decides to be strong after her parents’ death but deep inside she is still the weak and vulnerable girl that she once was. What she really needs is love and family but she is too busy proving that she doesn’t need anyone at all.

Zain’s character is charming and very likeable. He has feelings for Zara but he also does not want to let Vida (his fiancé) down. Vida’s character is one of the many characters in the play which you can’t help but fall in love with. All the women in the play are positive and enlightened unlike the conniving and desperate women we see on our screens nowadays. We see women fighting over men all the time in our dramas but how often are we shown these love triangles the way it was shown in Tanhaiyan. Zara never schemed to win Zain over, in fact she got engaged to Saad Salman just because she didn’t want Zain to think she was waiting for him. Vida broke the engagement herself without any grudges because she knew Zain did not love her. She did not play mind games like we see many women playing in our dramas.

Aani’s character is another one which I would really like to see on our screens more often. Apa Begum actually liked her boldness and bluntness; how refreshing is that! Marina Khan completely nailed Sanya’s character. It wasn’t an easy role to play because it could be quite annoying if it wasn’t done well but that was most certainly not the case. Sanya, Qabacha, Bibi and Buqrat added the comic element which this play really needed. If Tanhaiyan was about Zara’s struggle alone then it could have been very dull and too serious. Behroz Sabzwari is outstanding as Qabachi. All the actors fit in perfectly in their respective roles. Bibi’s lines made me laugh over and over again. A big thank you to all the pretty and very well dressed ladies in the play. I loved the make up and the dresses.

I know that not too many people liked Tanhaiyan Naye Silsilay but I must say that after watching this prequel, I am even more convinced now that the sequel was totally in line with the prequel. Also, the ending was like the one in the prequel. I loved how they made a beautiful OST based on Tanhaiyan’s original background music.

I also agree with people who were saying that the play Ranjish Hi Sahi was inspired from Tanhaiyan. Honestly speaking, I don’t mind it at all if more writers get inspiration from these classics. Our writers should watch this play over and over again and take notes. Yes, it is possible to make a classic without degrading men or women! Have humans really deteriorated so much or the writers nowadays feel that portraying people in a negative light is the only way to get people’s attention? There is a very good reason why Tanhaiyan is a classic and it actually makes me very sad to see where our drama industry is headed now.

It wasn’t easy watching this play online but I decided to take up the challenge because so many of our readers wanted the play to be reviewed and I must say it was totally worth it! Do share your thoughts about the play and how different it is from the dramas we see on our screens nowadays.

Fatima Awan

I must say today’s installment was not that bad as previous one. Story has taken a completely different turn  and we should get used to call him as “Afzal Bhaie” rather than “Pyarai Afzal” .

Tum bhi bohat bara subject ho Farah..Lubna was so right,Farah has no freaking idea that how madly she is involved in Afzal – she has started watching movies related to underworld and gangsters now.I have finally admitted that Indian movies leave a great impact on Khalil ur Rehmaan Saheb that reflects in his writing too. So , when our Farah was watching Vastav, she came to know that her very own psychiatrist is dying to marry her.

Beti hona tamaasha nahi hai, iss lyai abba ko ye matt sikhao k 2 betiyoun par khush honai k jurm mai unko baar baar saza milay ge. Lubna knew that her father is mentally disturbed because of Farah and Farah always kept herself first in-front of everyone in her family; Farah’s selfishness lead her too far that she ,herself, forgot to realize that her parents are badly suffering due to her self-centered attitude. It was the time when Farah should be given a wakeup call and Lubna did just the right thing at the right time. She clearly told Farah that this time around, she is in no way going to help her. Plus Farah has no reason to refuse the proposal because he is not “waila” like Mehtaab..3 clinics hain bhaie uss k..

Farah was confused but concerned too. At one side, she was thinking about Afzal and at the other, she was wondering about the situation she put her father in. I must say Vasay Chaudry has completely outdone himself in this doctor role. I mean  sometimes, in real life, psychiatrists act like as if they are patients themselves and he did just the right thing :P .

Psychiatrists kabhi ghussa nahi kartay…(pause).. Aunty.. !..After watching his expressions in that particular scene, I literally laughed like hell. As expected, Farah clearly told him that she is no mood of getting married to him but Docy was in no mood of leaving Farah.

A man never gets closer to Allah till he faces hardest times of his life. And for Yasmeen, now is the time to pledge in front of Allah, not for her sins ,but for a man – typical human psyche.

Coming towards completely different side of Afzal Bhaie, I enjoyed watching it. Najju Bhaie was the victim this time because he murdered 4 innocents and Afzal Bhaie can never ever spare those who kill innocents. Also since, Najju Bhaie was 35, so as Afzal Bhaie said,  it was his time to say “good bye”.

I was glad to see that our Pyarai Afzal is not completely lost, he still recalls his good old times and by observing that, I can say that there is a hope that we will get our very own Pyarai Afzal back soon. I really liked Farah’s visit to Arfa today; Farah wanted to meet Rukayya but Arfa was a girl of dignity, she never wanted her mother to get sympathized by others so she didnot let Farah meet her.

Sole purpose of Farah’s visit to Arfa was to ask about Afzal ; She wanted to talk about Afzal more and more – Afterall, Arfa was the only with whom she can talk about Afzal openly. Farah was given another wake-up call by Arfa today and after that Farah even informed her that she is going to get married soon and with mixed feelings, she left.

Afzal bhaie’s twist got revealed when we came to know that he is working for Police and they want him to be a part of country’s politics as without being politician, no one will let him survive.

Like I always say, this show is so unpredictable that in every episode we encounter with a new twist or turn.  What will be the next turn in “Afzal Bhaie” ? Share your thoughts about this episode.

Rabia Basharat.

Once again a very interesting episode. The black apron round was a treat to watch. I feel as we’re going along the season, the editing issues are subsiding & this episode was perfect in that regard. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the show & liked the energy of the judges this time around too.

In this round Maryam, Aneela, Rayyan, Madiha, Amna, Sidrah & Gulnaz were competing. The challenge was set by Chef Zakir himself that the contestants had to replicate his signature dish; Chicken Reshmi Karahi. What normally happens is that when the contestants are told to recreate a signature dish of any of the chef, they are provided with all the ingredients & more importantly, the recipe as well but in this round the contestants had to judge a dish based on their own capability & understanding of food, which definitely meant that everyone will be having a respective version of the dish. I feel that if they had at least given them some sort of pointers, than it really would’ve meant that the contestants were recreating Chef Zakir’s dish but nevertheless, what they all created was good to see too. The contestants had a free choice of making any sort of bread to compliment the dish & they did come up with some succulent bread for the judges to try.

While judging Madiha’s dish, Chef Zakir firstly pointed out that the cutting wasn’t the same how it was in the original dish. He also felt that the whole dish was dry. Chef Mehboob felt that she didn’t marinate the chicken long enough for the flavours to get in there. Chef Khurram felt that the sourness was overpowering the whole dish.

For Amna’s dish, Chef Khurram felt that the gravy was nice & had a great texture. Chef Mehboob liked the balance of flavours but Chef Zakir felt that the whole dish was missing a binding factor because of the lack of salt.

Regarding Rayyan’s dish, Chef Mehboob felt that salt was missing but he still liked the gravy. Chef Khurram felt that the gravy had the ratio of tomatoes more than it was required. Chef Zakir said that just because he put in a lot of spices, he had to balance the taste, that’s why he poured in some more tomatoes in the sauce.

In Aneela’s dish, Chef Zakir felt that it had no sourness, no shine in the sauce & just because she didn’t cook the dish properly, the tastes weren’t well combined. Chef Khurram liked the bread she served but Chef Mehboob felt that the dish was incomplete.

Gulnaz’s dish got a lot of compliments. Chef Mehboob felt that she recreated the dish closest to that of Chef Zakir’s. Chef Zakir felt that the balance of flavours was spot on, his only critique was that if she had brought out some more texture of the sauce then this dish would’ve been a perfect replica. Chef Khurram’s only concern was the usage of ginger but otherwise he liked the dish a lot too.

Sidrah’s dish got mixed remarks as well. Chef Khurram liked the bread & also felt that the sauce was nice. According to him, the tomatoes weren’t overpowering & because of that the spices could be tasted well. Chef Zakir felt that the chicken pieces were overcooked which made the main component of the dish a lot dry.

Maryam’s dish was average too. Chef Mehboob pointed out that the cutting wasn’t right. Chef Zakir felt that the sauce was way too thick but the taste was fine. Chef Khurram said that it wasn’t an exceptional dish.

It was now time for the results. Amna, Sidrah & Gulnaz were told that they were safe. Rest of them once again got criticized on the missing factors in their dishes. Chef Khurram said he was disappointed by the bread that Madiha made. Chef Zakir felt that Rayyan was working haphazardly & he seemed lost. Chef Khurram said that Maryam needs to work on her presentation & Chef Mehboob said that the chicken she made was dry. Aneela got the remarks by Chef Mehboob that her dish was incomplete, garnishing wasn’t upto the mark. Chef Khurram said only listening was not an option in this case, she had to practically create a dish of that standard too & just because she couldn’t deliver, she was eliminated leaving Maryam, Rayyan & Madiha safe for yet another week. Aneela’s elimination wasn’t a shocker, she wasn’t performing well ever since she stepped into the MasterChef kitchen but never mind, I wish her good luck.

One thing that I did feel once again was that the judges’ comments were confusing & misleading. While tasting & going by their remarks it felt that all the dishes were weak & the judges didn’t shed a light on any single dish that left them impressed, even Gulnaz’s dish was criticised for some factors despite it being the closest to the original one. Every single time, the judges picked one thing or the other that was lacking so it left me confused as to who deserved to stay in the competition & who didn’t. Sidrah was safe whereas Chef Zakir emphasized on the fact that the chicken was dry. Madiha’s dish was pretty disappointing but Aneela was eliminated. Chef Mehboob mentioned that she hasn’t been performing since the beginning but I think they shouldn’t have judged her cooking based on the past experiences because the clear reason they gave to her was that she remained in the bottom 3 every single week. I think the elimination was supposed to be based on this particular recreation of Chef Zakir’s signature dish & going by the judges remarks I feel Madiha’s dish was the weakest because judges didn’t like anything on that plate that she served. Chef Khurram did like the bread that Aneela served but he clearly mentioned that the bread served by Madiha disappointed him big time.

I feel that if the judges while tasting make up their minds that this dish can put the contestant through to the next round then they need to talk about the positives of that dish as well because I don’t see a reason for why Madiha was safe & why Aneela wasn’t because both of them got harsh remarks on their dish in this round especially. Even though I support Madiha & feel she is a strong contender but she definitely under-performed in this round & I didn’t hear a single positive comment about her dish that’s why I have my doubts. I feel that at least the judges should justify as to why a certain contestant is getting a chance once again like what was that ‘one’ particular factor that gave them an upper hand & a saving edge to continue being in the show.

Overall it was a pretty good episode & even the editing was great this time around too. Share your thoughts on this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Writing of Aliya Bukhari, direction of Haseeb Hassan & production of Momina Duraid, Ahista Ahista was one of the most highly anticipated programs that hit our screens last night. I must say the moment you tune into this drama you see the larger than life feel of this project. The photography, the serene locations & most importantly the picturesque approach gets you going.

The very first episode was fast paced & yet detailed in terms of telling us a story about all the characters. Bee Jaan (Saba Hameed) has a son Zawaar (Adnan Siddique) who is settled in the States. Bee Jaan lives with her brother Safeer (Behroz Sabzwari), his wife Shireen (Hina Bayat) & her niece Haya (Mawra Hocane). Bee Jaan’s utmost priority is getting her son married to a typical Muslim Pakistani girl but just because Zawaar is dodging the bullet, she feels frustrated. On the other hand, Bee Jaan also is worried about the marriage of Haya because she feels liable to her late sister & now wants to see Haya settled so that she can take a sigh of relief.

Zawaar, who is living his perfect American dream, is married to a Christian girl Sofie (Sarwat Gillani). Just because Zawaar respects his mother a lot & doesn’t want to hurt her being her only son, he has pretty conveniently hid the news of his marriage from Bee Jaan because Sofie doesn’t fit the bill of a Pakistani & then a Muslim girl that Bee Jaan is in search for Zawaar. Despite the differences, Sofie has actually worked really hard & has put in a lot of effort to make her marriage work because she knows her husband is deeply connected to his roots & she finds no problem in helping him lead the life the way he wants. Sofie might be coming from a different background but she has successfully moulded herself in a way that makes Zawaar happy because for her, apart from her husband, nothing else matters anymore.

Haya on the other hand is a tomboy of the family, being the only girl she gets all the attention, not in a negative way but everyone worries about her more than she understands. She has clearly backed out of the decision of her marriage taken by Bee Jaan because she can’t see herself parting ways with her mother-like Bee Jaan as yet. She just isn’t ready & according to Zawaar, she is way too young.

Sofie has time & again spoken to Zawaar about letting Bee Jaan know of his marriage but Zawaar has been persistent & thinks that Sofie shouldn’t worry because he ain’t going anywhere. As far as he thinks, things will keep on working in their favour till everyone in his family remains oblivious to his marriage. Sofie has clearly told that she has her fears & for obvious reasons. Sofie’s nightmare comes true when Bee Jaan’s health takes a bad turn & Zawaar is asked to come to Pakistan. I think seeing Bee Jaan in such a fragile condition, he won’t be able to resist the demand & like a typical mama’s boy he’ll agree to get married to Haya.

First episode was good but let’s see if the story stays engaging enough to keep us all hooked. It’s too early to judge so I am reserving my comments here. The plus points of the drama for now are the direction, the locations, the screenplay & also the acting. I liked Sarwat Gillani especially & feel that Marwa looked like she was putting in a lot of effort while acting, her acting wasn’t coming across as natural which I hope improves in the upcoming episodes. Share your say on this.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Once again an engaging episode of Marasim. Once again they managed to make us feel emotionally attached to all the characters. Before saying anything I feel the special mention must go to Sonia Hussain for playing her part so well in this particular episode once again. She’s a star of the show.

At least on her wedding & Zaid’s last day of his life, Nayab manages to see Zaid for the last time. She takes steps towards a new beginning while Zaid makes a journey to his resting place. It was disturbing to see Zaid’s mother shedding tears at her only son’s condition. Almas did feel remorse & regret but she sealed the deal of Nayab’s fate with the wealth of Gaitiara’s son Daood, so she had no other way to back out despite how regretful she might be. No matter how must she wanted but that won’t undo the fact that Zaid died & Nayab died within.

Momenah held her head high all this while but finally seeing someone else walk into Daood’s home & life was enough to break her down. Momenah easily blamed Daood for getting married way too quickly but it was she who broke the engagement. Even though they both were at fault to some extent yet they both were victim of the circumstances spun by their mothers, I still couldn’t help feel sorry for them both, especially Momenah. Daood certainly had issues in moving on & Momenah posed that she was happy with her fiancé, but she let go of the truth that it was just an act she was pulling all this while. Sonia Hussain nailed that scene as she was flawless, effortless & natural in portraying the real feelings of Momenah.

Daood might’ve actually accepted Nayab & might’ve even tried to start afresh but Momenah’s confession messed his head up once again. His feelings once again were clouded & as a result Nayab had to pay the price by facing the insult in just fresh hours of her married life. Gaitiara once again very easily manipulated the situation & told Nayab that Almas was aware of Daood’s state of mind & nothing was kept as a secret from them all. She didn’t for once sympathize with Nayab but instead told her to work her way into Daood’s heart saying that men are like that & they need to be worked upon. Deeba is pure evil & I can’t help feeling detest towards her. It looked like she had made Momenah the focal point of her revenge & she wanted Daood to get married so that she could see Momenah suffer, in which she eventually succeeded.

Overall it was a great episode once again. I did notice that Nayab had no Henna/Mehandi on her hands when she was dressed as a bride but in the scenes following the Baraat, she had her finger tips covered & also Daood had normal hair when he was listening to Momenah cry but in the next scene when he tells Gaitiara to ask Nayab to leave his room, he had a change of hairstyle too. Just a few bits & bobs that I couldn’t ignore but over all this drama can’t be missed. Share what you have to say.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

I know I might be a bit late in noticing but the opening title track of the show is really nice. It’s shot in the typical MasterChef way but the tune is catchy & it’s a great way to help us remember the names of the contestants. This show is something that I look forward to every single week because it goes without saying that the calibre is really top-notch. I thoroughly like the whole lot that has come to compete & the ideas they instil every single time they cook are praise worthy.

This was the very first team challenge of the season where Madiha once again had an upper hand because she won the last challenge so she was not only a captain but got to choose the menu she wanted her team to work with. I do feel that the judges should’ve left it on the contestants to come up with their own menu for the road-side food because the pre-decided menu didn’t help much in letting us know how creatively capable the team leaders were.

It was a typical street food that you get to eat everywhere in Pakistan available at all the times. It was again like a beautiful walk down the memory lane but apart from it, to see how the contestants competed was great too. The lot was divided into Red & Blue teams where Madiha was a captain of Blue team & Saad was appointed by the judges to lead the Red team. The contestants randomly picked the respective aprons. That’s how apart from Madiha, the Blue Team got Rayyan, Sidrah, Aneela, Maryam, Gulnaz & Amna. Along with Saad the Red Team members were Zain, Azam, Khurram, Ammarah, Iqra & Mudassir.

Madiha chose Bun Kababs & Jalebis for her team to create & Saad’s team got Roll Parathas & Gulab Jaman. Saad’s team had a very smooth start because it was Saad whose planning did the trick. He allotted the tasks to all the contestants & didn’t pressurize them much nor did he interfere. He believed in his team & allowed them to do whatever & however they wanted to do the work & later he focused on attracting the people towards his stalls. Madiha being too young to be a captain definitely had to deal with a lot things because her team mates weren’t properly following her instructions. Looking at how Maryam & Aneela were having difficulties in preparing the Kababs, showed they definitely might be having issues in taking orders from a 22 year old girl. Madiha herself was in a state of panic where instead of relying on others completely, she gave her input in everything, so for this right from the start till the end her team was suffering in communicating with each other.

The service began & the people flocked towards the stalls. I must say I was once again impressed by the choice of location & even the sitting arrangement done for the public. The food prep area was prefect as well where the special attention was given to the quality related to everything involved in the task.

It was great to see all the contestants work so hard to win the challenge. Iqra, Ammarah, Rayyan, Amna, Khurram & Saad stood out the most in this episode. To see how mechanically Rayyan worked was amazing. Amna definitely came up with some brilliantly tasty sauces to compliment the Bun Kababs chosen for her team. Iqra definitely had a rocky start but the way she grabbed all the compliments for Gulab Jamans showed how good she was. Ammarah was focused. Khurram’s a treat to watch, he brings in this positive energy & I like to see what & how’s he doing things. Saad was the one who stood out the most in the auditions but ever since he hasn’t been able to make a mark but I am glad the judges thought of him eligible of being a team leader & he certainly proved himself.

Red team won the challenge which by the end of the episode I was rooting for too. Their planning, co-ordination & eventually the taste of food paved the way for their success. Seeing frowning faces of the Blue team was a bit bad too but never mind I am sure the deserving contestants will come out strong after fighting hard.

It was good to see Chef Mehboob & Chef Khurram actually enjoy the challenge, mingling with the contestants, speaking to the people to get ideas of what they liked & in the end being open & comfortable in praising everything. However, I do feel that they are trying to sensationalize the non-existent rift between Madiha & Rayyan. I saw them both working just fine in the same team & even Madiha was happy to see Rayyan in her team but the judges were like ‘the enemies will work together’, I find it kind of unnecessary the way the judges are trying to bring in some sort of politics or are trying to fish for some kind of a reaction by either Rayyan or Madiha. Anyways, as expected, the only Chef who was in his typical mood was Chef Zakir. Seems like he was just there to nit-pick as to where things were going wrong & where the contestants were lacking so that he could comment on it. I actually laughed seeing him quiet especially when the other two judges were praising the contestants because it showed Chef Zakir had nothing good to say that’s why he wasn’t saying anything at all.

Anyways, it was a brilliant episode with a great energy. Can’t wait to see the black apron round to find out who goes this time. Share your thoughts on this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

And yessssss, Aiman is not like Romaisa except for her simplicity; She is intelligent and a good learner plus she knows how to deal with the hard facts of life bravely. At time, she falls short of patience and cries but still she is managing to survive in this new world.

I was waiting for the day when Aiman will meet her father and there it came but just before that she was so worried whether he will accept her or not. Because for her, she is just an ordinary looking not-so-intelligent girl and her father is perfectionist. Still ,she managed to recollect herself and went to meet her father. I really liked how father and daughter were looking at each other hesitantly; This is probably the first time I have watched such a different father-daughter relation in any drama. Without uttering any words, their eyes spoke and I absolutely enjoyed watching that. And then, it was so sad to see Aiman leaving Haider and Bibi ; She hardly got settled with them and now again she had to move to another place. In those few days, she got much attached to them and it was so painful for her to move to a house where  the man whom she hated throughout her life will be residing alongwith her.

I was so glad to see Almas attitude towards Aiman;She welcomed her open heartedly and unlike typical step mothers , she never gave a single glimpse of hatred for her rather she was there to help her in any way she needed. Taufeeq Kamaal’s interaction with her daughter was interesting to watch too; He knew that her daughter will be lagging behind in quality education due to her financial condition – ofcourse, there is a difference between a student of Harvard and a student of Urdu medium govt college. After knowing all her educational details, he recommended her to join some institute for short courses and she was ready to accept her father’s suggestion.I am feeling that her hatred towards her father is vanishing gradually.

In the meanwhile, Haider visited Almaas and Aiman expected that he will meet her too but it felt that he completely forgot her. Like Aiman, I was also disappointed to see that she was just a few days responsibility for Haider and he had no emotional attachment with her.  All this while, he was trying to cheer her up solely because he felt pity for her.Proving herself to be intelligent, she managed to run the laptop her father sent for her. There was a huge grin on my face when she opened laptop’s camera accidently or pher baal sanwaarnay lagee..

Sajeela is in no mood to grant forgiveness to her husband even after knowing that he divorced his first wife. We came to know the reason behind Haider’s serious attitude today too . It was Sajeela – Haider and Sajeela  were once married and how madly he loved her was all that took 35 minutes of tonight’s episode. Meanwhile, when Sajeela and Mazhar were far apart, Haider came in Sajeela’s life; they were family friends and Haider developed feelings for her during her stay at Sajeela’s place.  Sajeela needed a person with whom she will feel a bit lively after leaving Mazhar so Haider was just the right choice for her.

I missed Aiman and Taufeeq Kamaal tonight ; They could have shown them atleast for 5 minutes.. Metlab hadh he ho gayee.. Tonight episode had Sajeela written all over it.  Still, I enjoyed watching tonight’s installment.

Lets see what happens next. Share your thoughts about last two episodes.

Rabia Basharat.

This drama is full of stereotypes, I am not sure where to start from! The rich outgoing aunty who doesn’t have time for her son(remember Zaroon’s mother?), the wealthy boy who has everything in the world but he still feels like there is something missing from his life (Zaroon?), the annoying Khala (Romaissa’s Khala most recent one), the spoilt younger sister (we have innumerable examples!), the sidhi sadhi older sister/cousin (choose any one from the countless sister rivalry dramas we have seen on our screens in recent times) and of course the suitor who is dying to marry the spoiled sister but the sister has her eyes on an even richer man because she believes in dreaming big!

Shazia has “fallen in love” with Hashir (no surprises there) but Hashir is clearly not interested in her. He looks for ways to talk to Saman but Saman is not the least bit interested. Shazia and Hashir meet again in this episode so Shazia has more of a reason to hope that she may have a future with Hashir. Shazia is immature and Saman is very wise…that pretty much sums up this second episode!

The first episode had done-to-death written all over it too but I was hoping that the play may just turn out to be engaging enough despite of the obvious flaws in the story. This episode proved me completely wrong. Although two new characters were introduced in this episode but it wasn’t even remotely entertaining. I wish HUM would concentrate just as much on its script as it does on its production values and grooming of the actors. A play should be much more than a visual treat. When the story has nothing new to offer then the viewers have very little reason to continue watching the show.

The actress playing Nigar (Hashir’s mother) is very well dressed; it is plain to see that she has a fancy wardrobe which caters nicely to the elite aunty roles but I really hope that we see her doing something different in her upcoming projects.

We all know why Shazia fell for Hashir; he has the looks and the money so he fits the bill perfectly but I am finding it very difficult to relate to Hashir’s fondness for Saman. Shazia Naz (Hashir’s cousin Mehreen) once again plays the role of the desperate lady (I won’t call her a girl) who wants her rich cousin to fall for her. She definitely looks very pretty in this drama and much younger too but it is almost as if I am watching Kukoo from Ishq Mein Tere all over again (oh yes! another stereotype). Ahsan Khan looks great after all the weight loss but he really needs to tone down the make up. Hareem Farooq is attractive and she can act too but her make up could have been far better.

The promo of the next episode showed that Shazia’s mother gives her approval for Faisal’s proposal. It remains to be seen if Shazia will quietly go ahead with this proposal or if she is foolish enough to take a step which she will always regret. Honestly speaking, this episode gave me very little to look forward to. I definitely expected better from HUM but I guess it’s about time that the viewers stopped having high expectations from the channel. They allure the viewers with a beautiful OST, great production values and sometimes a star cast but it has been a while since the scripts of their plays carried any weight at all!

Fatima Awan

My goodness! This episode was just not ending. I was whatsapping in between, surfing the internet but still it seemed never-ending. Finally! A sigh of relief that it got over & now I get to have my say on this for a week.

Jazib has pretty much understood that he was half responsible for the rift between him & Zara so now he doesn’t want to repeat those mistakes again. If Jazib was ready to start afresh where he understood that a wife needs a me-time too & she has to have a life of her own where she can be whatever she wants to be, so why didn’t he give that chance to Zara for once? It’s like Jazib was tired of her & wanted to get rid of her that’s why he took the plunge of re-marrying when he saw that Zara herself parted ways. He didn’t even bother reconciling with her which definitely shows that he wanted to get over with that relation & now when he did, he thinks he can save the day by confessing his faults out of nowhere. All of a sudden Jazib now wants to see a domesticative girl turn into a career woman, so when he already had one, why was he hell-bent on making her a kitchen ki chipkali? It looks like Jazib is someone who just can’t be happy with whatever he gets. When he had Zara, a career-oriented woman, he was fascinated by the idea of a young lass who was good at making rotis & now when he has gotten the roti-maker, kinoo-peeler & a baby-sitter; he wants to see her as someone else. Bored Jazib ki boring kahaniyaan!

As much as I liked that the girl playing the character of Sofia was a flawless actress, I am actually concerned at such mature & pakkay hue dialogues she has to deliver. Her conversation with Jazib in the car was no doubt realistic but I feel a little too much to digest seeing it coming from a girl her age. She’s good I mean the character but is now getting unbearable seeing how rude she is. Tabrez was in a back-seat all this while, he was like a cutie who’s a huge fan of peter pan but in this episode I saw him as a son of Jazib because of the obvious fixation to acha khana. It looked like he was on a loop saying ‘Dua acha khana banati hai’, ‘Dua itna acha khana banati hai’. He certainly took that after his father & ta-da it’s proven.

As much as I thought that they had given this story a very realistic execution, things started to get a little unrealistic when we were told that Zara managed to hide her illness from her husband all these years Ohkay, that’s still digestible but what’s not is she undergoing a procedure & very easily telling her husband that he can fetch the kids from school, as if that’s all there’s to it. Jazib himself knows that she has left the job so Zara posing to be busy is definitely an excuse no one would buy & no one should buy. Plus if they think that now Jazib after finding out about Zara’s illness would have a sudden realization which will make us believe that he loved her, they’re sadly mistaken because till now he seems pretty much settled with Dua & without Zara, so I think it would be a better idea to still show him staying indifferent because he has been good at it.

One dialogue that caught my attention was ‘Abbu ki dusri biwi bhaag gain’. I am glad that in such a heavy-hearted episode they managed to make us giggle because I grabbed the opportunity & laughed a lot. Seems like we’ll be seeing Khala Masooma in the next episode & a lot of her at that too. Not that anyone was missing her & her hard-hitting stories which were so hard to understand but yeah, don’t want to see what she has to say. Anyways, I hope & wish that they switch to PTV’s policy of a 13-episode-drama, because I see no reason for Izteraab exceeding the number. Share your views about the episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

PS: Any reader who feels like telling that this drama is a shameless copy of Hollywood’s Step Mom & Bollywood’s We’re Family, just so you know…We Already Know, so yeah! :D