Shaista Lodhi has enjoyed the kind of fame which many people can only dream of but her successful career suffered a big shock because of one mistake for which people are not going to forgive her. Shaista has been missing from the media ever since the controversy about her show started. She has been fired from Geo. She also fears that people may harm her and her family. There was already news that she had decided to leave the country in order to save her life.
The latest news is that Shaista Lodhi left the country a few days back. She was wearing a burqa so no one recognized her. There were many cases registered against her in the court.
The Burka Avenger series became known internationally as soon as it went on air. This series was praised by International critics for setting new trends. Usually women are shown as weak characters in fairytales and cartoons. All known cartoon hereos are men but Burka Avenger introduced a girl who was empowered in more ways than one. Burka Avenger uses her education to fight people who want to take away the rights of the poor and weak.
Haroon Rashid, who is better known as a singer was the main force behind this series. He came up with the original idea, he gave voices to some of the main characters in the animated series and he is also the producer of the show.
The Peabody Award is given to those series or films that are meant for television or radio which attempt to educate people. These awards have been around for 70 years now. Peabody awards are considered very prestigious. According to the Peabody website “Every year, over a thousand submissions—including TV shows, radio programs, and various types of web content—are reviewed first by 90 faculty, staff, and students judges at the University of Georgia. Their committees make recommendations to the Peabody Board who are responsible for selecting the final winners”.
This year Burka Avenger was amongst the very few series which bagged this award. Haroon Rashid, the man behind the show received the award on behalf of the Unicorn Black team.
Poor Laila; she is sensitive, sweet and genuine but fate has tied her with a man who is heartless, cruel and extremely selfish. Laila is trying hard to make sense of the relationship she has with Mansoor. She wants to believe that he loves her but as time goes by Mansoor is giving her very little reason to continue wishing and hoping that he does love her. Mansoor has rejected Laila over and over again in more ways than one. He has never made a conscious effort to come up to her expectations but he knows absolutely nothing about handling rejection himself. This man wants complete compliance by his wife even though he does not have feelings for her. Mansoor’s attraction towards Laila and Kukoo both appears to be strictly physical. There was a time when I used to think that Mansoor and Kukoo were soul mates who met at a bad time but after watching tonight’s episode I got the feeling that Mansoor is incapable of feeling that way about any woman at all.
Kukoo isn’t even trying to move on; her life has taken a very unexpected turn after Mansoor’s wedding and she isn’t even sure how to deal with the situation. Khurram’s promises are nothing more than false hopes which are not worth banking on. The meeting between Mansoor and Kukoo tonight seemed to be a direct reaction of the way their spouses treated them. Kukoo was getting back at Khurram forgetting his promise of taking her out for dinner and Mansoor was punishing Laila for not being an “obedient” wife. Iffat Omer is absolutely brilliant as Kukoo; she does not want to be the other woman but she cannot let go of Mansoor either. I think the only reason Kukoo keeps on going back to Mansoor is that she is lonely. Khurram’s dialogue about not being unfaithful was spot on and timed perfectly. Does being faithful make up for all his other weaknesses? I am not sure! Are there more ways than one to be unfaithful to someone? These were some of the questions that popped in my head when I heard Khurram declaring his faithfulness.
My favorite scene from tonight’s episode had to be the opening scene in which Laila asks Mansoor to “forgive” her for her behaviour. The other scene which said a thousand words was the one in which Kukoo starts cleaning the mirror while giving her client a haircut; she obviously could not take her mind off the message Mansoor left for her. Wiping memories out of the mind is never this easy and simple! Kukoo would like to erase all those memories of the past and present but those memories are probably all that she has and she actually does want to hold on to them.
Laila’s conversation with her mother in law said a lot about who Mansoor takes after. The most outstanding aspect of this play till now has been that every scene and all the conversations add something to the play. There are hardly any dramas on air right now which do not give away unnecessary details to kill time. The scene in which Laila goes to meet her parents was also beautifully done. It isn’t easy for a girl like Laila, who has shared every tiny detail of her life with her father, to hide something so big from him but she does not have a choice. She knows that she has to make this marriage work; letting her mother down is not an option.
The OST of the play is beautiful. It is definitely one of those songs which you want to hear over and over again. I am extremely impressed by the quality of direction, acting and script of this play. Sohail Sameer has nailed his character and Alishba Yusef has breathed life into Laila’s character. Iffat Omer’s character has to be the most complicated one in the play but she portrays Kukoo’s insecurities, loneliness, helplessness and vulnerability effortlessly. Sumbul Shahid has played the proud mother of a “perfect” son superbly.
Thank you Team Pehchan for giving me something worthwhile to watch; Pehchan has to be the only play on air right now which I look forward to and enjoy reviewing.
Ohkay on this website, we have an influx of those regular readers who reside outside Pakistan, so I thought of coming up with an article to which most of them in fact all of them can relate. :)
I think the excitement of visiting Pakistan every single time is beyond explainable. No matter where you live, no matter how much settled you are in your routine, the vacation to Pakistan is the most anticipated thing & worth the wait. I myself always look forward to visiting Pakistan no matter what the time span of my stay is but by the end I always feel that you just can’t get enough of your homeland.
Here’s a list of some of the perks of visiting Pakistan, every single time: :)
The Dose of Urdu:
I must say this fact brings a smile to my face that the moment I step into Pakistan, I get to hear my mother tongue in my surroundings. I think nothing beats the connection you feel the moment you hear Urdu all around you. No matter where you go, the relation & the bonding you feel with the people who share the same language as you is unexplainably appeasing.
Good Old Family:
For me, the best part about visiting Pakistan is meeting the grandparents & all the elders of your family, in fact the whole bunch of relatives. The peace & happiness that you feel after meeting your people, after seeing those familiar faces eradicates all the hassle of travelling. Nothing beats the warm welcome that you experience the moment you meet your family.
Shopping Till You’re Dropping:
Not sure about the gents but for the ladies, hands down, this has to be the best perk of visiting Pakistan. Discussions on the latest trends, the designers & all those shopping trips are the best part of the the whole journey. I mean who doesn’t like stocking up the apparels for your new wardrobe? Coming to Pakistan & not to shop till you drop is something impossible. I enjoy my fair share of those bargains with the ‘Pathan’ vendors, I must say they do come up with all sorts of tricky taglines to sell the fabric, which you can never think of & yes, the most important aspect of the trip to Pakistan is the regular trips to the family tailor, lol.
Cravings of Pakistani Food:
Ohkay, we know, we all have that one specific dhabba that we all want to visit before leaving Pakistan. I make sure I compile a list of the places that I want to visit & the food I want to eat because there are plenty of places that have helped in spoiling our taste buds. No matter where you eat, nothing beats Pakistani food & especially the food of those road-side stalls is to die for.
The Weddings:
No matter what time of the year it is when you visit Pakistan, you always get to attend the wedding functions during your stay. All those vibrant colors, the long discussion, everything related to the festivity is something to look forward to & luckily if the wedding that you get to attend is of the immediate family member then the excitement is sky-high.
The Night Long Discussions:
Who doesn’t do it? The best part of visiting your family is staying up till late hours of the night just so you talk about everything that has been happening in & around your life. I look forward to these sort of sessions with my cousins the most & I think everyone does it because those discussions are the best way of unwinding with your people.
Mini Trips:
That’s like taking a mini vacation within your vacation. Those short trips that you tend you plan with all the families of your immediate relatives are the most memorable moments of the whole trip. My ancestral home happens to be in Murree so for me, visiting Murree is a compulsory part of every trip that I make to Pakistan. All those gatherings & outings are something worth planning so as to experience a wholesome vacation & not to be forgotten the late-night outings with a bunch of cousins to settle the food cravings are another highlight of your stay.
Remembering The Routes:
Remembering the routes to everywhere you go. Remembering all the places, all the markets, all the roads, ways, even the sign boards has to be the best thing about being in your place & then all of a sudden you realize, things might’ve changed but a lot of them didn’t. I totally enjoy how the whole map is sketched into your memory & helps you in remembering everything related to the journeys you’ve taken on these roads.
So, this was my little dedication to the awesome trips we make to our country; our Pakistan. Share what you felt about the article, what you guys look forward to the most when you’re planning your trip & what does your to-do list comprise of? :)
When I watched the promo for this episode, I was quite sure that this will probably be the episode which will make me feel for and connect to Alvira’s character more than ever. There were some parts which did make me feel for her but I must confess that even after watching what Hamza did to Alvira, I still feel that Hamza has a lot to deal with. Ever since he got married to Alvira, he has been busy pleasing either his wife or his mother. Hamza most certainly should not have hit Alvira and it is plain to see that Hamza and Alvira’s marital problems are taking a toll on little Shiza.
Zainab was obviously talking only out of her own personal experience when she said that it was perfectly normal for a man to hit his wife, that is most certainly not the case! Most marital couples have arguments all the time and it is not normal for a man to hit his wife. Alvira is finding it impossible to forgive Hamza this time around and Hamza does not have the time to “make up” for what he did. After watching tonight’s episode, I really felt like Alvira and Hamza’s relationship has come to that point now when little gestures cannot rescue it. This episode was much more real than the last few episodes because like I said in my last review that when there are so many issues in a house, they tend to escalate rather quickly. The issues in Hamza and Alvira’s marriage took time to escalate but what we saw today was a much more believable turn of events, with the exception of the slap of course!
Maheen Rizvi’s character was introduced in the play tonight. She is Hamza’s co-worker who notices that Hamza has been worried lately. While Alvira vents out her frustrations by talking to Zainab, Hamza has no one talk to. I would not be surprised at all if Hamza starts putting his trust in Maheen’s character.
Alvira’s father is so busy proving that he was right all along that he does not really care about what his daughter is going through. He is sitting pretty waiting for the time when Alvira will come back home after being utterly disappointed with Hamza.
The story is finally moving forward but is it taking off just yet? I think not! The child star playing Shiza is beyond adorable and I love her confidence. I feel for poor Hamza still, I wonder if everyone else who is watching the play feels the same way too.
Ohkay, kind of a slow episode but still better in terms of a progress in the story. Actors have played their parts really well but I am kind of concerned for the young girl playing the character of Sofia. I know she is just acting but I am concerned as to what she is learning during this whole experience of acting in a drama. As one of the dear readers raised a question & a valid one that we’ve started to see a lot of child artists being involved in the dramas, where they are a part of the family issues too no matter how big or complex. Even though the kids are just doing their bits in acting but other than that, they are real people with innocent minds who are open to all sort of things that come their way. The way the director has made Sofia act like an angry girl who’s upset all the time, I hope she ain’t taking anything related to this role with her. I think it’s a high time that the kids are left out of these so-called ‘family dramas’ & are not involved into all this because even then the young viewers get attracted to seeing their age fellows in the dramas & that starts another cycle of bad influence.
Coming onto the drama, Jazid has finally understood that his kids are not Dua’s responsibility. Finally we can see Dua ke parathay burps k saath saath rang bhi la rahay hain. He was clear about this fact that he & Zara need to sort out their issues to think better for the kids. Jazib showed a lot of concern for Dua & her career as a teacher. Wasn’t Jazib always upset with Zara because of her being so career-oriented? So, why all of a sudden he reminded Dua worriedly that this is just a beginning of her career & she needs to focus more on it. Just because he heard Dua say that this job is not her priority, he is happy that the moment he will wave a flag, she’ll leave the job & run towards him & just because he didn’t get this edge from Zara that he was her priority & her career wasn’t, he was seen upset & complained about thick edges of the roti all the time.
I don’t really know why but I feel Zara’s character in the beginning was better. It is definitely appreciable that she tries to talk Sofia out of hatred that she feels for Dua but on the other hand Zara needs to understand that Sofia is under the clear impression of how Zara herself treats Dua, how she misbehaves & looks down at her, that’s why this is exactly what Sofia does with Dua too. Zara needs to understand that the change in her attitude will allow the kids to look past the hatred & they will then accept Dua as well. I felt the way Dua stood up for herself was something good. She now has to make sure that she isn’t run over or bossed around by anyone because she has a self-respect too.
Zara has finally found out that the tumour which she was ignoring has now taken a form of a lethal disease. Zara told her friend that she found out about the tumour when Tabrez was 6 months old & I am assuming back then Zara & Jazib must’ve had a pretty healthy relationship because they had just welcomed their baby boy, so was it really possible that Zara hid her condition from Jazib, & if she actually did, what was she thinking? Weren’t they so much in love that Jazib was oblivious of what his wife was going through, despite it being a minor thing? I think the way they have ignored the part of showing us how & WHY they actually grew out of each other, raises a lot of question & makes certain things a lot more blurry. We get to see Jazib & Zara holding hands, strolling like a happy couple whenever Zara goes into her past, so when she has good memories, what actually was the reason that they both ended up separated? I think it must be Jazib’s fixation to patli roti then which made Zara detest & loathe him because other than that I don’t see any valid reason for them being so unhappy with each other?
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) committee suspended the licenses of three television channels, Geo News, Geo Tez and Geo Entertainment, owned by the Geo TV network due to the recent controversy. However, after an hour of statements and counter-statements and utter confusion, the management of the authority said that the meeting itself was illegal, adding that any decisions taken by it were null and void.
The senior journalists and people attached with the media expressed their sentiments on Social Networking Sites. Most of these people were against this ban because of different reasons. Here is what they had to say
The ultimate decision on the revocation of the licenses will be announced on May 28, when the next PEMRA meeting is to be held which will also be attended by government representatives.
Mir Shakeel, the owner of the channel said in a petition that why wasn’t action being taken against ARY channel. Shaista has apologized 26 times but on the other hand ARY aired the same programme 60 times.
He also said that because blasphemy laws have become more strict, there was a tendency to label the accusation of blasphemy by Muslims against Muslims for settling their scores.
He said that he did not play any role in script writing, production or direction of the said episode even then he has been implicated in the case.
So many dramas; so little time! This is quickly becoming the story of my life. I find myself trying to catch up on as many recommended ones as I can and more often than not, I am not disappointed. My pick for the Drama Of The Week segment is Khuda Zameen Se Gaya Nahin Hai.
Background
Written by Asghar Nadeem Syed, directed by Kashif Nisar and produced under the banner of CRS Public Relations, the drama aired on both HUM TV and PTV Home in 2009. Some of the main actors are Ayub Khosa (Khaista Gul), Noman Ejaz (Zargul), Sara Chaudhry (Palwasha), Rasheed Naz (Rahman Gul), Syed Jibran (Captain Asfandyar), Captain Zeeshan Malik (Captain Taimoor), Najeeba Faiz (Zarghoonay), Aisha Khan (Gulbano), Azeem Sajjad (Major Rashid), Faizan Khwaja (Salman), Tipu (Bilal), Erum Akhtar (Dr. Maria), Kamran Mujahid (Ditta), Rashid Mehmood (Molvi Allah Baksh), Taifoor Khan (Dr. Sher Jan), Sophia Khan (Ayesha).
A Tale of Two Brothers
Khaista Gul and Rahman Gul are brothers who lived a destitute existence. After the death of their mother and father, they both went their separate ways- Khaista Gul headed to Afghanistan while Rahman Gul went to Peshawar. Rahman Gul strived to improve his life by seeking an education- he was an established businessman, married and father of three children- two sons, Dr. Sher Jan and Captain Asfandyar and a daughter Zarghoonay. Khaista Gul became a self-proclaimed jihadist leader and fueled by his rage against the privileged and infidels, waged war against anyone who opposed his beliefs. Using religion as his basis for dispensing justice, he seized control by exploiting the minds of the impoverished residing in areas of the frontier province. He had a son, Zargul, who was tasked with the responsibility of driving back and forth to conduct business and a daughter, Palwasha who lived in the chaar deewari as a slave.
Perception: Homegrown Terrorists vs Shaheed
Khaista Gul became a terrorist warlord funded by unknown sources. His network comprised like-minded fundamentalists who opposed the government and wanted to form their own government and establish their interpretation of Islamic Law- Shariah. Khaista Gul’s men spread fear among the people- they shunned women into their homes and executed those who stepped out. They bombed girls schools and openly warned women to wear burqas. Zargul was skeptical of his father’s ways and pondered over the purpose of his existence. Listening to a tape his father used to ‘educate’ his army of militants, Zargul became restless in his quest for seeking heaven- he wanted to become a Fidayeen. Khaista Gul’s network was widespread- starting at the grassroots level was Molvi Allah Baksh. It’s interesting to note that they used madrassas (Islamic schools) as a breeding ground for suicide bombers by tactfully controlling young minds by interpreting Islamic verses that suited their ’cause’. Many of the villagers in the neighboring areas who lived in abject poverty felt their sons would stand a better chance of survival in an institution where they would not only be educated, but also obtain the basic necessities of life. Little did they know, the molvis would instill extremist ideologies and encourage freedom fighting against their own brethren. These khudkush hamla’awar (suicide bombers) were under the false impression they were shaheed (martyrs)- those who sacrificed themselves for the true cause. The motto they lived by was Margayein toh shaheed, wapas agaye toh ghazi. Sarfaraz Ahmed was a survivor of the Afghan Jihad– he selected students from the madrassas and took them to their training camp to complete their militant training. Bilal was the Deputy Commander who was engaged to Palwasha. Salman, an IT expert joined hands with Khaista Gul seeking some form of retribution against the west. Ditta was the ‘chosen one’ who was training to become a suicide bomber and pave his way to heaven.
The real shaheed- our brave soldiers
Pakistan Army was faced with the dilemma of regaining control of the areas that were under siege by Khaista Gul. Working in collaboration with the Frontier Corps, they tried relentlessly to fight back and restore the area to it’s previous harmonious state. In the line if duty, many lives were lost- one of them being Captain Taimoor. Others were civilians- Gulbano, a Swat resident, widowed with two children who was kidnapped and killed for refusing to quit her job and stay at home. A German school teacher who was on a visit to Pakistan and countless innocent lives that were lost as a result of the various suicide bombings. After many attempts, the soldiers managed to successfully penetrate the difficult terrain and clear out the terrorists. But this was no single victory, it is an ongoing battle and there are many out there who are led astray and take on extreme measures to make sense of their existence.
Final Verdict
This drama brought out the covert patriot in me- I silently cheered for our heroes and I cringed at every defeat. I was in awe of the magnitude of the production. Probably for the very first time, after watching 16 episodes, I was craving for more. I loved the sleek direction, the spot on editing, the impeccable acting and most of all, the though-provoking storyline. I loved the locations, the uniformed men, the many unforgettable moments like the soldiers performing namaaz praying for victory before setting out on their mission, the narey takbeer, the do-or-die determination. Ayub Khosa made a very convincing and ruthless Khaista Gul; Noman Ejaz didn’t fail to deliver as Zargul; Sara Chaudharay was innocence personified as Palwasha; Syed Jibran brought immense strength to the role of Captain Asfandyar; Aisha Khan was commendable in a support role. The supporting cast complemented the main characters resulting in a superior finished product. One of the strong suits of this serial was that it stayed true to it’s core focus- there were many characters and multiple story lines but the message was never lost. Each episode or chapter as it was called, had enough drama and tension to keep you wanting more. The soundtrack deserves a special mention. Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with music by Sahir Ali Bagga, the soundtrack is deep and meaningful with soulful lyrics and soothing melody. Have you watched this serial? What did you think? Did it make you appreciate our Army or empathize with those that are exploited in the name of religion? Did the message resonate? After all, asal jihad apney nafs pe qaboo pana hai!
Tonight’s episode was the most boring and slow paced episode of Pyarai Afzal; I didnot enjoy watching this episode except for few scenes that I will be discussing in detail today. I know many of you will disagree with my point but thats how I feel and I guess, its the time to wrap up the show.I have no issue even if they will take 5-6 episodes to wrap up par koi asaar tou dikhain Afzal k kisi aik ke taraf janay k..
Sad part of today’s episode was when we came to know that Babu Hameed is no more. Ofcourse, out of all, Afzal and Yasmeen were completely broken because for Afzal,he was like his brother who was there with him when he needed help. Right from the day when Afzal came to Karachi, he took every step with Babu Hameed; They discussed ups and downs of their lives and always stood by each other and now that Afzal’s hard time companion is dead , he is completely shattered and broken from inside. And yes, I would like to give a special mention to Babu Hameed’s funeral; After a long time , I have seen a death in any television drama where people didnot wear white clothes and for that Babu Hameed’s funeral looked like real life one.
I literally hated Farah today; I mean how selfish a woman can be ? Instead of feeling sad for Babu Hameed, she was cursing Afzal and Yasmeen. And for me, this is called nothing but peak of an emotion termed as Love ,blended with jealousy . Farah was jealous that Afzal put his life in danger for Yasmeen and now after seeing them together, she was unable to control her rage and started cursing both of them or woh bhi Lubna k kandhay ka sahara lai kar.. I must say, I should add sympathy with my hatred for Farah too because she can’t help herself and she is not in her own control now.
The best part of tonight’s episode was when Afzal’s family came to know that Afzal is in safe hands now. I would like to mention Firdous Jamal’s name,for acting superbly and brilliantly today ; Not for a second, it felt that he is acting in a drama- it looked as if its a real life scene. Rukayya was unable to handle her emotions and Arfa’s eyes were full of tears – tears of happiness. And like always, Maulvi Saheb’s dialogues took the limelight of today’s episode.
As Afzal is now in mood of taking revenge from Wali, he planned something fishy with Yasmeen and for that after a long time, he called his friends too. I guess, Wali will visit Yasmeen alone and this time Afzal will be a “bad man” ,with his friends as his back up. God knows what is cooking in Afzal’s head.
Share your thoughts on recent installment of Pyarai Afzal.
Rabia Basharat.
P.S. I would be extremely happy , if everyone in this show will stop uttering one “signature” word. #Youknowitwell :)
Back2Love is a new music album by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan comprising of ten romantic songs. The album is formally launched in Pakistan last week at Moven Pick Hotel Karachi.The event was attended by many artists and corporate community.
The songs are composed by Sahir Ali Bhagga, Yousuf Sallahuddin and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. The album has duets and solo songs.
Here is a video report from this launching ceremony taken from website of Voice of America Urdu
Female novelists take a clear lead when it comes to novels that are adapted for the television dramas. However novels of few male writers were also adapted for television. Shaukat Siddiqi is the most famous one amongst the male novelists. This article is based on male novelists other than Shaukat Siddiqi where atleast one of their novel is adapted as a television play.
Drama Zeenat by Mirza Qaleech Baig
Zeenat was a drama from PTV Karachi centre based on a sindhi novel written by Mirza Qaleech Baig. It was dramatized by Fatima Surraiya Bajiya and directed by Muhammad Baksh Sameejo. Rabia Naureen, Mehmood Siddiqui, Ishrat Hashmi, Khalid Zaman, Zaheen Tahira, Shafi Moahamad, Mahmood Ali were in main roles. The drama was aired in mid 1980’s and was popular at that time. Mirza Qaleech Baig is termed as Shamsul Ulema for his contributions in Sindhi Literature. Mirza Qaleech Baig was born in 1853 near Thatta Sindh and passed away in 1923.
http://vimeo.com/95890826
Drama Khilonay by Masood Mufti
Masood Mufti is a famous literary figure in Urdu writings. Masood Mufti has also written one novel Chehray on the separation of East Pakistan. PTV Islamabad presented a drama named Junoon based on novel Khilonay by Masood Mufti in mid 1990’s. Rubina Ashraf, Ayaz Nayek, Sajjad Kishwar and Shamim Hilali were in main roles. The drama went unnoticed and was not much popular. The play was dramatized by Mansha Yaad.
http://vimeo.com/95890825
Rahain by Mansha Yaad
Mansha Yaad is a famous writer mainly in Punjabi literature. His Punjabi novel ‘Tanwan Tanwan Tara’ is adapted for a play Rahain from PTV Lahore centre. The cast for Rahein included Habib, Naseem Vicky, Saleem Sheikh, Tauqeer Nasir and others. It was directed by Tariq Jameel who earlier directed a block buster drama Aanch from PTV Karachi center earlier. Rahain was a block buster drama and earned sizeable revenue for PTV. It was also praised by critics for strong plot and story. Apart from Rahain, Mansha Yaad has also written few plays for PTV like he dramatized drama Bandhan for PTV Islamabad centre which was based on novels of Bushra Rehman. Mansha Yaad was born in 1937 and passed away in 2011.
http://vimeo.com/95890828
Do share your experiences about any of above mentioned dramas and writers.
American journal “Real Clear” made a list of the nine most attractive politicians in the world. Mara Carfagana of Italy topped the list.
The interesting aspect from Pakistan’s perspective was that there was not only one but two Pakistani politicians in this very short list. Hina Rabbani was ranked third in the list.
Imran Khan was eighth on the list. Pakistan and USA were the only two countries with two politicians in the list.
Jackson Heights is upcoming Pakistani Drama, written by Vasay Chaudhry and directed by Mehreen Jabbar. Cast of the show includes Nauman Ejaz, Marina Khan, Amina Sheikh, Adeel Hussain and Ahmed Rizvi. The story of this show revolves around the non-resident Pakistanis in America. Show has been named after the area, Jackson Heights in New York, where most of the people from Indo-Pak reside. Vasay Chaudry is famous for writing comedy dramas; Lets see how he treats comedy and serious element together.I am expecting a fresh and different story this time. Enjoy the stills.
Geo TV is the biggest media house of Pakistan and perhaps the most powerful too. With great power comes great responsibility and to fulfill this responsibility as per Geo TV and Jang publications they have already contributed too much. The tale of their greatest sacrifices and untiring contributions is already published many times and also aired on their channels too. Still not satisfied with it, they want to take further initiatives.
Another such initiative is special one hour transmission on an extremely important issue. Geo TV has dedicated one hour daily from 9PM – 10PM to an issue which they consider of utter importance. Yes Geo TV has dedicated this one hour to dramas covering couples having issues of marriage or shaadi. In simple words this time can be called as ‘shaadi hour’ of Geo.
http://vimeo.com/95539296
But does it mean, that Geo TV is allocating rest of the time for programs other than shaadi. A glance at their programs tells Geo is already airing too much stuff related to weddings. Not even wedding there are plenty of plays covering divorces and halala, plus their recently halted morning show was like a wedding hall which also started the trend of remarrying already married couples. So is this one hour initiative is just another hoax as wedding and its issues are already aired 10-14 hours in a day on Geo TV.
Lets hope Geo TV limits this initiative only to weddings, how unpleasant it will be to hear about one hour specially dedicated to further issues related to wedding like an hour for divorce or ‘talaq hour’ or some other hour. Though anything is expected from this channel for the sake of publicity by looking at their past and recent practices and trends.
P.S. This whole post is a light satire on this advertisement aired by Geo TV, please do not take it seriously.
Geo TV and its production house A&B Productions are well known for taking women’s sufferings based dramas to new heights. They have added new meaning and dimensions to this aspect which no other can even think of.
Their upcoming drama Aap Ki Kaneez is another drama in this regard which is based on a story of marriage of elder man with much younger girl played by Ally Khan and Yumna Zaidi. The play will start from 26th May 2014.
Jackson Heights is an upcoming drama currently under production in New York. The play is Written by Vasay Chaudhry, directed by Mehreen Jabbar. Starring Noman Ijaz, Marina Khan, Adeel Husain, Amina Sheikh, Adnan Jaffar, Monsoon Bissel, Zenobia Shroff, Ahmad Rizvi.
Pakistani artists have always rendered their full support in humanitarian efforts and fund raising for a noble cause. Filmstar Reema Khan is in Lahore these days where she participated in an annual even of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital. Reema Khan has always been supportive for Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and other noble causes in her career spawning over two decades.
Advocate Tariq Asad, In his petition said that Geo was being targeted by other channels so that the channel’s reputation will go down. Other channels had also committed the same act but no one was even talking about what these channels had done. He requested that action should be taken against those channels too. Advocate Tariq also said that He further said that anchor Mubashir Lucman was engaged in a character assassination campaign against former chief justice of Pakistan Justice (r) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
According to the petition Qawwal Amjad Sabri and poet Aqeel Mohsin Naqvi were also to be held responsible for singing and writing the manqabat. The petition also said that the manqabat should be banned because it was controversial.
The case was registered under PPC’s sections 295-A [deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs], 295-C [use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Prophet (PBUH) ] and 298-A [use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of holy personages]. The suspects were also booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act [punishment for terrorist act].
As a result of the petition, the court issued notices to Federal Information Secretary, chief executive of ARY, anchors Mubashir Lucman, Nida Yasir and Shaista Lodhi, Amjad Sabri Qawwal, poet Aqeel Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and Chairman Cable Operators Association of Pakistan.
The newspapers, websites and social networking sites are full of rumors that Hamayun Saeed is taking very keen interest in the newcomer Ushna Shah and Ushna is reciprocating Hamayun’s feelings too. There was news in the newspaper few days back thatHamayun Saeed made a special appearance at the Bashar Momin launch. After the first episode of “Bashar Momin” went on air, people criticized actress Ushna Shah saying that Ushna would have been a much better actress if she had taken interest in her acting instead of the actor.
Ushna Shah said that her picture with Hamayun Saeed at the launch was photo shopped. This picture started the rumor so Ushna felt it was important to clarify her position.
Hamayun Saeed also said in one of the Morning Shows that people have a bad habit of creating these rumors about him whenever he gets his picture taken with someone. In other words he did accept that they got a picture take together.
The A & B Facebook page stated that the director and Faysal Qureshi were surprised to see Hamayun Saeed on the occasion of the Bashar Momin launch. Ushna Shah said in an interview that when the rumors started, she talked to Hamayun Saeed’s wife about it to avoid misunderstandings. She also said that Hamayun Saeed’s daughter designed her wardrobe for Bashar Momin and she has great respect for her.
I must say the way this script has been tackled by the director is commendable. I feel all the actors have done a brilliant job portraying the characters assigned to them. I think it’s been a long time that I saw a drama where I felt a thing for the characters but Marasim has it happening.
Gaitiara still tricked Daood into believing that there was a chance of his & Momenah’s reconciliation because she was ready to surrender to Sherbano but it was Daood himself who backed out. Till date she has not let go of her inner most guilt in front of her only son that she herself never accepted Momenah as her daughter-in-law, that’s why the moment she found the most-awaited opportunity of parting both of them, she didn’t let go of it. Even though the focus has shifted away from Gaitiara’s miseries & now she has taken a step against her own son’s will, I still don’t find her character objectionable or negative. She is someone who now wants things her way because she has spent a good period of time pleasing others & then getting belittled, so now when she has found the glory, she is making the most of it.
Just like before, I didn’t feel a thing for Sherbano this time around too. She admitted that she wasn’t ready to forgive Gaitiara but when she had a chance, did she apologize to Gaitiara herself? She never once apologized to Gaitiara how she mistreated her & suggested very easily that Gaitiara must move on & forget what had happened but Sherbano still hasn’t realized that a single apology of hers could’ve changed the fate of her daughter Momenah, for whom she is feeling so bad now.
Poor Momenah had to put up an act to keep her mother from breaking down because she knows how deeply hurt she is, but still being a daughter she has over looked her mother’s mistakes. Momenah may or may not know but whatever has happened with her makes her mother responsible for it too. She may not accept it but that is definitely the truth. While looking at the cold-shoulder Almas was lending to Nayab, it was upsetting to see that she couldn’t even understand her younger sister’s emotions. She is someone who couldn’t even offer courtesy to her let alone console her for what she has gone through. Almas has proved that courtesy is a big thing which shouldn’t be expected of shallow people.
Zaid has obviously taken his breakup way too seriously & is now suffering physically. It was sad to see him & his family suffering so badly because of Almas, as she is responsible of backing out of the promise her late mother made in regards to Nayab & Zaid’s marriage. Daood has agreed to get married to Nayab because of Gaitiara but he still has to come to terms with it & coming across Momenah every now & then doesn’t help him much either. The wedding festivity has begun but everyone is heart-broken; Daood, Momenah, Nayab, Zaid & Sherbano. The only two people who are happy over their win are Deeba & Gaitiara.
I must say Sonia Hussain stole the show in this episode as Momenah. Not only she looks beautiful & absolutely innocent, she has played the character of Momenah to perfection as well. I must say even though Ahsan Khan has earned himself a label of ‘nakaam ashiq’, he certainly has acted really well as Daood & makes his suffering a lot more real & relate-able in this drama. I think the credit goes to the director for all such brilliant performances by the actors because he certainly has brought out the best in them. I am glad that I decided to give Marasim a go because it certainly hasn’t disappointed & I am now finding it hard to wait to find out what happens ahead in this drama.
Share what you felt about the latest episode of Marasim.
Ohkay so this week ended with a mystery box challenge which also was an elimination round. I feel they have merged two separate rounds because normally in mystery box challenge, top 3 & the bottom 3 are selected. Later in the final cook-off challenge the bottom 3 tend to fight for the last time to keep their spot secured in the competition. In MasterChef Pakistan, they have rolled two things into one & mystery box challenge has been also used for the direct elimination. I feel a little change in the format is definitely required because I think those who don’t perform well in the mystery box challenge deserve another round to show their skills. Usually a celebrity chef is invited with their signature dish & the bottom 3 contestants are told to recreate the dish as close to the original one made by the guest judge. I feel this way whoever falls in the bottom 3 gets to prove oneself & the one who gets eliminated goes justifiably, but the way they have excluded this part from MasterChef Pakistan goes to show that randomly any contestant might end up leaving the competition no matter how promising they might be.
Coming onto the show, I must say the time to time short challenges that the contestants are being put up with are amazing. Initially the contestants had to make meringue by separating egg yolks & egg whites. Constant whisking was the key & Chef Mehboob demonstrated it to the contestants. The old-fashioned way to check whether the meringue is ready or not is to turn the bowl upside down, if it’s ready it won’t come off the bowl & if not, it would fall down. The contestant who won the challenge was Zain & he earned himself an advantage in the actual mystery box round.
The mystery box challenge began with some rules where the contestants had to at least use 6 of the ingredients given in the box & they had to make a savory & a sweet dish that too within the time span of 1 hour. The main component of the mystery box that had all the contestants shocked was the crab that too alive & kicking. A few contestants were scared & a few were excited but to make things easier, they also had chicken as another protein which the contestants could work with. I must say the cooking that surfaced was obviously amazing but a few dishes stood out the most.
Adnan came up with ‘Pineapple Steaks’ as a savory dish & he made ‘Pineapple Kheer’ as a sweet dish. Chef Zakir felt that he didn’t get the right combination in the savory dish plus the sweet dish had a burnt taste to it. Chef Khurram also commented on the burnt dessert, he said that the chicken was flat & the colors of the dish weren’t balanced right. Chef Mehboob said that it wasn’t a good effort. He said that the contestants must focus on making what is asked of them so that they can get the things right rather than trying to make more than what’s been demanded.
Anila made ‘Salty Creamy Chicken’ as a savory item & ‘Sweet Potato Kheer’ as a sweet dish. Chef Mehboob said that he expected something better from her. Chef Khurram commented that her dishes didn’t look appetizing & attractive enough. Chef Zakir asked her if she was satisfied with what she created & she honestly replied that she wasn’t.
Maryam created ‘Stuffed Chicken w/ Rice & Crab’ & a ‘Chocolate Tart’ as both the dishes. Chef Mehboob felt that the carrot puree didn’t compliment the dish. Chef Khurram said that he is upset at himself for selecting her & at her for creating such a dish. Chef Zakir felt that he had nothing to say about the dish.
Rayyan came up with ‘Capt. Saleem’s Crab’ & ‘Pineapple Upside Down Cake’ as both of his dishes. Chef Mehboob liked the food said he did a great effort. Chef Khurram appreciated the presentation but felt that the cake was a bit too sweet. Chef Zakir liked the cake but felt that the crab should’ve been presented differently because it was hard to eat despite having a good taste.
Zain created ‘Chicken w/ Egg Fried Rice’ & ‘Chocolate Brownies w/ Fruits’. Chef Khurram liked the savory dish but felt that the sponge of the dessert wasn’t cooked well. According to him Zain didn’t utilize his advantage properly. Chef Zakir felt that he isn’t taking the challenge seriously.
Madiha made ‘Chicken Rainbow Kabab’ & ‘Crab Dessert’. Chef Khurram liked the taste but commented on the lack of presentation skills. Chef Mehboob said that she took a calculative risk but she succeeded & got commended for it. Chef Zakir said he’d thank her for such a food.
Ali Shah came up with ‘Garlic Chicken Pasta’ & ‘Sweet Eggs w/ Nutty Chocolate Sauce’. Chef Mehboob said it wasn’t even a well-made dessert. Chef Khurram straight away said it was a disaster. Chef Zakir said it was an accident that happened.
Ammarah created ‘Crab Soup w/ Grillied Chicken’ & ‘Pineapple Pumpkin Cakes’. Chef Mehboob didn’t like her dessert. Chef Khurram liked her savory dish & Chef Zakir said he enjoyed the food.
Saad made ‘Crab Cakes’ & ‘Chocolate Tart’. Chef Mehboob appreciated him a lot. Chef Khurram said he liked his ideas & the presentation was good too.
A few contestants who got bad remarks were Iqra for only making Pasta. While explaining herself she got told off by Chef Zakir & he said after putting up a dish like this, she didn’t deserve to be in the competition. Khurram also got criticized for serving a raw crab. Gulnaz was told that if she had opted for some other technique, her dish would’ve been better.
So, those who stood out the most & made it to the top 3 were Rayyan, Madiha & Ammarah but the winner of Mystery Box Challenge was Madiha. She impressed the judges the most with her technique & the risk she took. The bottom 3 were Anila, Ali Shah & Adnan but seems like the announcement will be made in the next episode.
Once again, I felt that the judges were pressurizing the contestants a bit unpleasantly. They held back a lot when they had to appreciate the contestants but when it came to dissecting the dishes & giving a negative feedback, they were a lot more vocal & comfortable about it. Another thing that I noticed was that if the judges felt someone was behind the others during the task, they would call out their name in front of the whole crowd which I feel gets a little demeaning. I think there are other ways of bucking up a contestant & encouraging them but this hasn’t been happening in MasterChef Pakistan. I’d restate that the judges need to act a bit more relaxed & friendly with the contestants especially Chef Zakir. Being such a successful & renowned celebrity chef, I feel he should be a lot more candid & act like a secure senior who is helping the newbies that are stepping in this industry, rather than snubbing them. Take it easy judges. :) Rest’s all good.
Finally ARY films has announced the release of its first film in 2014, which is Tammana to be released on 6th June 2014. ARY Films has released a press release regarding screening of this film.
Tammana is produced by Sarah Taseer and directed by Steven Moore. Its main cast consists of Mehreen Raheel, Salman Shahid, Faryal Gohar and Omair Rana.
Sheharyar Munawwar is quite popular these days which is evident from the endorsements he has signed. A clothing brand Edenrobe has signed Sheharyar Munawwar as its brand ambassador. The details and duration of endorsement deed are not disclosed.
Official contract signing event with Sheharyar Munawer and Marketing Director Fahad Dandia
Salma Agha is a british pakistani who has worked in both indian and pakistani films as a signer and actor. Salma’s duaghter Sasha Aagha has also worked in few bollywood films. Now son of Salma Agha, Ghulam Ali is also receiving offers of films in India.
Salma Agha has recently shifted to Indian city of Mumbai with her family. Her son Ghulam Ali has also joined the family in Mumbai after completing the education. Both Sasha and Ghulam Ali are from Salma’s second wedding with famous Squash coach Rehmat Khan. Both Salma Agha and Rehmat Khan are quite optimistic about filmi career of their son Ghulam Ali.
Hum Sitaray is a sister entertainment channel of HUM TV. Its program ranges from dramas, style, music, sitcoms, foreign dramas and foreign reality shows. Tera Woh Pyaar is an upcoming drama on channel Hum Sitaray starring Babar Khan, Mahjabeen and Madiha Iftikhar. The drama is expected to start till end of May. The play is written by Haseeb Ahmed.
Jeeto Pakistan is a new quiz/game show which is starting from 18 May 2014 on ARY Digital. The show is hosted by Fahad Mustafa. From highlights it seems to be inspired from a similar recently concluded quiz/game show ‘Inaam Ghar’ of Geo TV. As per Geo TV/Jang Group, the show ‘Inaam Ghar’ has broken all records of viewership, so it might have encouraged the ARY Digital to come up with a similar show.
Kaneez is an upcoming drama of A-Plus featuring queen of punjabi cinema Saima Noor. The drama is directed by Syed Faisal Bukhari who is famous for making some really loud commercial dramas. Apart from Saima Noor, Asad Malik and Arjumand Rahim are in leading roles in this drama.
Here is the first teaser of Kaneez. The drama is based on oppression against woman in feudal system.
Geo TV and Jang group of publications is in news for a segment in morning show which has resulted in nationwide grief and anger. Today Jang group has published a formal apology in their Urdu Daily Jang. Being a forum where point of view of all parties in a matter is presented, the apology published in today’s Jang paper is added here to post the Jang/Geo’s stance.
The matter is also in courts and under consideration by PEMRA the regulatory authority to see the affairs of channels.
An Indian film titled “Children Of War” has been made by the director Mrityunjay Devvrat. The story of the film is based on the mayhem that ensued as a result of the 1971 war between the West and East Pakistanis. The film focuses on the sufferings of the civilians during this nine month conflict. “The film looks at human stories and personal stories of how they suffered. It is a largely fictional film made up of true stories,”said director Mrityunjay Devvrat.
The film makers largely relied on the facts and figures that were been giving out by Bangladesh. The film shows how children suffered during this conflict. “Not many people know much about Bangladesh or care about it….The aim of ‘Children of War’ is to change that and make people understand, among other things, why there are so many Bangladeshis in India,”The director added, who spent some time in Bangladesh while his parents were working there.
Pakistanis are not happy with the film because they think that it is an attempt to malign the image of Pakistan in the International community. “We will not allow its screening in Pakistan if it is against Pakistan and its armed forces,” said an official from the Central Board Of Film Censors, Islamabad.
“I think no one has the courage to show such a film in Pakistan. How could we approve a film which is based on one-sided Indian propaganda?” he added
Mausam is a new drama replacing Mohabbat Subh Ka Sitara Hai on HUM TV starting form 23rd May 2014. Ahsan Khan, Hareem Farooq and Yumna Zaidi are in lead roles. The play is directed by Roomi Insha and written by Aaliya Bukhari.
Both writer and director are not new names to viewers. Aaliya has written serials like Dil-e-Muztar and Mere Qaatil Mere Dildaar. Roomi Insha is son of famous writer Ibne-Insha (Late), earlier he has directed Najiah, Madiha Maliha, Tair-e-Lahoti, MAstana Mahi, Manchalay and Mohabbat Rooth Jaye To.
Upcoming film The System is due to release on 30th May 2014. Some parts of this film are shot in Norway. Its cast consists of Shehraz, Nadeem Baig, Kashaf Ali, Shafqat Cheema, Irfan Koshart, Kashaf Ali, Ejaz Nayyar, Rabia Tabassum, Saleem Shah, Saima Saleem, Mariyam Ali Hussiain, Saira. The film is produced by Ghuffoor Butt and directed by Shahzad Ghaffoor Butt.
Music of the film is already released which consists of four songs in which Komal Rizvi is also singing first time for a Pakistani film.
Here are the official videos of three songs of this film from their official channel on daily motion.
This was one good episode of MasterChef. Right from the beginning till the end it was a treat to watch because the execution has been perfect. I liked the introductory part of the episode a lot where all the contestants got to share their excitement of stepping into the MasterChef Kitchen for the very first time. They all seemed really excited & were totally in the mood to face the challenge which was great to see.
Coming onto the MasterChef Kitchen, I must say I am totally impressed. The quality of the Kitchen & the Pantry was brilliant & the finesse was evident. The project managers of MasterChef have really outdone themselves & have done justice to the name of the franchise by living up to the standards.
The episode consisted of 2 challenges where in first challenge the contestants got the core ingredient set by the judges themselves, which was an ‘egg’. The contestants had to use it & make it shine through their dish in just half an hour. The access to pantry also had a time limit but I feel in such a pressure, the time limit shouldn’t be there.. The contestants are already under so much pressure & to test it more is equal to making them a lot more confused. Like I have seen usually in the MasterChef shows, the pantry stays open through out the challenge & the contestants get enough time to think about the dish they want to create, later it depends on how much time they take because it affects the challenge time which in other case is again a time-management test for them so I feel that way it’s still another good option to check how the contestant performs.
I was impressed to see the quality of cooking in the first round too but the judges had to pick 5 dishes that appealed to them the most in the presentation. Without tasting the dishes the judges chose Maryam, Rayyan, Zain, Saad & Amna & Maryam was declared a winner. She got an extra minute in the pantry for the next round as an advantage of winning the first challenge.
The real cooking began when the contestants had to present their signature dishes. Some were outstanding & some looked like it but weren’t impressive in the tasting. Those contestants who made it to the bottom 3 were Ali Shah, Anila Kamar & Iqra Yasin because Ali Shah’s dish wasn’t presentable, Anila Kamar’s was too simple & wasn’t up to the mark & Iqra Yasin’s main ingredient of the dish was tasteless as remarked by the judges. There was a planned elimination which had to happen in this episode but it was dropped by the judges because they felt it was too early to let any contestant go as they didn’t get a decent chance to prove themselves. The top three were Rayyan Durrani, Mudassir Ilyas & Ammarah Noman. The winner of this signature dish challenge not only won a chance of getting the signature dish’s recipe published in the MasterChef Cook Book but also the immunity for the week & it was Ammarah Noman who won the challenge.
I enjoyed watching the episode a lot but I feel the editing once again had a few hit & a miss moments because the dishes of those contestants who were selected in the top 3 in the signature dish round weren’t covered except of Rayyan’s, but we have no idea what made Muddasir & Ammarah the winner because they didn’t show anything related to them.
I am definitely rooting for Khurram, Rayyan, Saad, Zain & Madiha Javed. All the other contestants are great too. Rayyan got the chance to stand out in the couple of first challenges. Let’s see how he performs ahead. Ammarah Noman seems like a strong contender too & so does Maryam.
Coming onto the judges, even though they are being extra cautious in the food judging, which is obviously required but other than that I feel they are being a bit too stern. It’s like they haven’t really made an effort of bonding with the contestants & are being too reserved & serious. Most of the time it felt like they were the teachers dictating the students of 5th standard like telling them to raise hands after the cooking time ended. I feel the judges should ease a little & make an effort of having a healthy & casual chemistry with the contestants so that the contestants can learn more from them & the judges can share their experiences with the contestants as well. Other than that, I totally enjoyed the episode & can’t wait to see the next episode which will feature an elimination of a contestant in the typical MasterChef style Mystery Box Challenge.
Geo TV has realized that the mistake that the team of Utho Jago Pakistan committed is not going to be forgiven by the people therefore the Geo TV administration suspended the entire team of UJP including the host Shaista Lodhi. Geo TV has also started on a probe to find out who was responsible for what happened on the show.
Shaista Lodhi joined Geo TV a few years back when she left ARY. She has enjoyed much limelight while she worked for both the channels. Shaista Lodhi apologized to the people but the apology was not accepted by the public. Shaista says that she is afraid that someone might try to hurt her children or her therefore she is going to leave the country until things calm down.
Meanwhile religious scholar Aamir Liaquat who is also working for Geo TV has requested people to forgive Shaista and her crew because things can get even worse as someone can get hurt too because of the rising sentiments.
This time again we had a heavy dosage of Sajeela and Mazhar and less of Aiman and Haider. I always want to see more of Aiman,Haider and Taufeeq Kamal scenes and I sincerely wish that from next episode,we would see more of them. Because Sajeela and Mazhar track has nothing new to offer. Wohi typical story..
Anyhow, Sajeela came to know that Mazhar is already married and she reacted just like the way she should have reacted. She was completely shattered because it was Mazhar for whom she went against her loving and caring father – father who always put Sajeela first in front of whole world.
Haider is trying every possible way out to make Aiman feel comfortable while living at his place but somehow, Aiman is still unable to come out of the shell and to make herself feel like home. Major reason for Aiman’s discomfort is nothing but the class difference. She comes from a lower middle class family where she always strived for even basic necessities of life and now that she is a part of rich high class ,she is finding it difficult to transform herself into a completely new and different Aiman.
All we can observe is that Aiman is under sheer inferiority complex after stepping into a completely new world where everything seems perfect. She was right to the extent that everything that belongs to Taufeeq Kamaal is more than perfect even his friend,Haider,is a graduate from Harvard University. Relating everything to what her mother told her , she got so worried whether her father will accept her. Because for her, she is neither intelligent nor is she beautiful so how will her father react after meeting her ?
With heavy heart, she woke up and it was really nice to see how Haider tackled her. The way he admired Aiman’s intelligence told that he is really concerned for her and is trying to be her mentor; He really want Aiman to not under estimate herself merely because she is from lower middle class. Haider knows really well that its Aiman inferiority complex that is not letting Aiman live happy and satisfied life. But he did not know that it is so hard for Aiman to come out of all this – she grew with these complexes as a part of her life as if she inherited them from her mother.
Mazhar is finding it really hard to make Sajeela realize that he is loyal to her and will never leave her. But Sajeela has turned evil this time; She knows that it was due to her financial help because of which Mazhar’s family is living a luxurious life. After a certain point, I second to Sajeela’s thought that Mazhar married her because of her wealthy background. But when I see him trying so hard to cheer up Sajeela, I change my mind. Whatever the mystery is, it will be revealed in upcoming episodes.
Preview of next episode looks very interesting and I think from next episode, this drama will be on a completely new track; It will be more about father-daughter relationship and I would absolutely love to watch that.
I am completely enamored by the splendor of Adhura Milan. The contrast between the haves and the have-nots is evident in the display of opulence versus basic necessities. Tabrez finds himself trapped with the burden of his status and the accompanying responsibilities- Mein zindagi guzaartey huey bhi zindagi ko isteefa de chuka houn! Aren’t these the silent musings of women who are helplessly caught in the vicious cycle of situational circumstances? How often do we see a man who feels subdued in the presence of a woman? But then again, Bibi Jaan is no ordinary woman- she is a woman who is clearly in control and doesn’t let him forget it- Hum tumhe bholney ki ijaazat bhi nahin detay! Samina Peerzada continues to impress and leaves a lasting impression. Bibi Jaan is not only his first wife, she is also his mentor. She is all about keeping up appearances and riwayat– something Tabrez has a difficult time adjusting to. His second wife voices her frustrations against Tabrez’s apparent devotion to Bibi Jaan and misses no opportunity to snub him. But Tabrez isn’t one to get affected by her rants- Unko apni haisiyat mein rehney do aur tum apni haisiyat ko girney se bachao. Not exactly a union of the minds here!
Sultanay has the audacity to tell his wife that he is marrying Nayyab- she reacts as any woman would and goes to confront Nayyab, accusing her of trying to steal her husband. Nayyab, shocked at her chacha’s decision, fakes a suicide attempt and seeing no way out, her chachi tells her to run away. Nayyab crosses over to the other side and ends up collapsing near Tabrez Alam. Despite the villagers admonishment, Tabrez decides to take Nayyab with him. There is something about this mystery girl that reminds him of his past- we get further insight into his love interest and their last meeting before she agreed to a marriage arranged by her father. Was Tabrez as sincere as he seems or did she agree to the marriage to let him off the hook knowing that he was incapable of taking any decisions on his own?
We are introduced to another new character- Jana Malik. Her relationship with Dilawar is still unclear but she lives in his home. A wife maybe? But he referred to another woman too- does he also follow the same tradition of multiple wives? Dilawar is the exact opposite of Tabrez- he’s ruthless, dictating and a feared tyrant. His past horrors have shaped him into the man he is today, but Tabrez has had his share of misfortune too. Yet both these men have reacted differently and conduct themselves in entirely contrasting ways. While the villagers respect Tabrez, they live in fear of Dilawar. Next week should be interesting as we will get to see ho Bibi Jaan reacts to Tabrez’s decision of bringing Nayyab. What did you think of Episode 2? Is this on your Friday watch-list yet?
Naheed Sultana Akhtar is a fiction writer perhaps from Islamabad. She mostly writes for Urdu Monthly Pakeeza. The fiction writer of female digests are sometimes termed as digest writers too. Since its inception PTV’s management had not produced any drama written by a digest writer for almost thirty years. Novels of female novelists like AR Khatoon and Zubeda Khatoon were adapted but they were never a digest writer. As far I knew Naheed Sultana Akhtar was the first digest writer ever to write a drama for PTV in 1993 breaking the decades old tradition. The experiment yielded tremendous success and paved the way for other digest writers too as drama writers. In fact these days the dramas are dominated by digest writers while specialized drama writers are almost extinct.
Naheed Sultana wrote many dramas (mostly based on her novels) for PTV and NTM (Network Television Marketing the first private channel in Pakistan) in the decade of 90’s most of which were successful. Her dramas were mostly limited to social subjects i.e. marriage, family politics like a regular digest writer. But unlike most digest writers her writing style has depth and diversity thus proving successful in drama writing. Strangely despite being a pioneer and most successful digest writer in 90’s, she has not written any drama for in recent year; an era when drama writing is being dominated by female digest writers.
The dramas of Naheed Sultana Akhtar are discussed here in this article. It is worth mentioning that her dramas were followed by audience of all walks of life even male audience unlike other regular female digest writers which is indeed a distinction of Naheed Sultana Akhtar.
Aanch
Aanch in 1993 was the very first drama ever of PTV to be written by a digest writer. Based on novel ‘Behtay Paani Pe Makan’ by Naheed Sultana and directed by Tariq Jameel a relatively new director at that time from PTV Karachi centre. The case was a mix of senior and new comers, Shafi Muhammad Shah and Shagufta Ejaz were in leading roles. Sami Saani, Mehak Ali, Shehla Solangi, Ayesha Khan, Mehmood Ali, Qaisar Naqvi, Farheen Nafees, Kunwar Nafees and others were in supporting roles. The drama enjoyed tremendous success and following in every way. Shafugrat Ejaz who earlier appeared in supporting roles became famous overnight. The drama also earned considerable revenue for PTV at that time. Interestingly despite such huge success PTV never opted for Naheed Sultana Akhtar as a writer in its own produced dramas after Aanch.
She Jee
Seeing the success of Aanch, Network Television Marketing (NTM, the first private channel of Pakistan) instantly produced the second drama written by Naheed Sultana Akhtar named She Jee in 1994. It was a mini serial (7 episodes) and proved successful too. Rubina Ashraf, Shakeel and Babar Ali were in leading roles. Zeenat Yasmeen, Qazi Wajid, Nighat Chauhdary, Jamshed Ansari and others were in supporting roles. At that time NTM was only available in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad so this drama was not aired nation wide.
Yeh Zindagi
Yeh Zindagi is a drama aired on PTV in 1995 written by Naheed Sultana Akthar and directed by Sultana Siddiqi. It was produced by Moomal Productions. Mahnoor Baloch, Qaisar Khan Nizamani , Nauman Ejaz, Humayun Saeed and Mona Jonejo were in leading roles. Jahan Ara Hai, Rizwana Ahmed, Dr. Imrana Maqsood, Badar Khalil were in supporting roles. The drama enjoyed huge success for its unique subject being the first one to discuss sensitive issue of ‘Halala’ but in a responsible and restricted manner. The OST ‘Zindagi Ke Sab Lamhay Yaadgaar hotay hain’ was popular too sung by Mehnaz, composed by Javed Allah Ditta.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y48FIREoaN4
Saibaan
Saibaan in 1998 was also aired on PTV was a private production. The drama was aired at 10PM after khabarnama (news bulletin at 9) due to which it was not followed widely. Laila Wasti, Adnan Siddiqi and Shehla Qureshi were in lead roles.
Wafa Ke Mausam
Wafa Kay Mausam was produced by Moomal productions and aired on PTV in 2001. Written by Naheed Sultana and directed by Sultana Siddiqi. Samina Peerzada made a comeback on television screens after a gap of six years from Wafa Kay Mausam. Samina Peerzada, Khalid Ahmed, Nauman Ejaz, Marina Khan, Safiya Kheri, Nida Pasha, Kunwar Nafees, Mona Liza and Behroz Sabazwari were in prominent roles.
Doosri Aurat
Doosri Aurat was produced by Abdullah Kadwani and aired on PTV in 2002. Abdullah Kadwani, Ayesha Khan, Saira Khan, Aijaz Aslam, Layla Zuberi and Shakeel were in main roles. It was a high budgeted drama and was one of the successful dramas of 2002.
Hawa, Rait aur Aangan
Aired in late 2000’s on PTV, it is to date the last drama by Naheed Sultana Akhtar directed by Ali Rizvi. It was a private production starring Sania Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui,Asad, Badar Khalil, Shakeel, Zeenat Yasmeen, Shahmir,Lubna Aslam, Rubi Niazi, Ayesha Gul. To date it is last drama by Naheed Sultana Akhtar
Till mid 2000’s; many private satellite entertainment channel strengthened their viewership and PTV was no more the first choice of Pakistani viewers. In this new age of drama, many female digest writers earned fame and success. For past many years drama writing is dominated by female digest writers, but ironically the first one who started this trend is missing from the scene. Before Naheed Sultana Akhtar, there was a myth that digest writers can never be a successful drama writer due to limited subjects and vision. But Naheed proved this myth totally wrong by providing powerful social dramas and made her own place in the list of classic drama writers.
Do share your thoughts and experiences regarding contributions of Naheed Sultana Akhtar.
