This week’s episode revolved mainly around Natasha and Aaliyan and the focus was more on their relationship. There was not much progress in the story, but overall it was a good episode. I thoroughly enjoyed watching all Dudi and Aaliyan’s scenes.  Qudsiya and Aaaliyan both are comfortable with Dudi and I guess, so far (ironically) this is the only thing common between them!

The only one who understands Qudsiya’s situation clearly is Dudi. Qudsiya has told her everything that her family is going through at the moment, and what would be their reaction when they hear about the divorce. Even her own mother and sisters are not ready to understand her position and Qudsiya had to turn to Dudi for advice who could understand the situation she was stuck in. Dudi always gives the most genuine advice and is very practical in her approach. She wanted to meet Qudsiya’s parents to make everything clear to them, and from the looks of the preview for the next episode, she is going to realize what Qudsiya has been telling about her father was 100% true and not at all exaggerated. So far, she was not too much worried about the situation but now after seeing everything with her own eyes, she will definitely be tensed and worried about the mess that Aaliyan had created.

For most part, the episode focused on Aaliyan and Natasha. If Aaliyan is careless, then Natasha is clearly very immature and I doubt such a combination can work. Aaliyan is trying his best to explain the situation to Natasha, but every time some thing or the other happens that again brings doubts in her mind. I do not understand how Aaliyan is able to handle her tantrums though. He somehow keeps calm during her tantrums and then once her anger has faded away, he easily manipulates her. He really knows how to handle Natasha! This time Natasha had to go against her father to side with Aaliyan, and what I found surprising was that he did not care if her father was upset or was against their relationship.

Aaliyan and Qudsiya’s cute interaction in the car was as usual very entertaining. They both are complete opposite of each other. Qudsiya is practical, realistic and has a sober and reserved nature. Aaliyan, on the other hand is care free, full of life, and has a highly impractical approach towards life. This contrast makes their interaction even more interesting to watch.

‘Shaadi Ko Maante Nahi Per Kaam To Saare Shoharon Wale Karte Ho’

Dudi could not help but tease Aaliyan who openly says that Qudsiya does not mean anything to him, but he always ends up helping her in one way or the other. After Qudisya and Aaliyan scenes, it is Dudi and Aaliyan scenes that I look forward to. Also, the scene where he comes in her room and complains that Qudsiya had practically kicked him out of her room was simply hilarious! Even Dudi could help but smile at his words.

Qudsiya had taken Dudi’s advice very seriously and when Aaliyan came to her room, she rudely told him to get out! The poor guy had come there to return her earring and Qudsiya realized her fault a little too late. The next day, he made it absolutely clear how offended he was by his behavior. His adorable expressions was definitely a treat to watch.

Adil and his mother scheming was one part of the episode that I wanted to skip. Adil wants to get married to Qudsiya’s sister because of Qudsiya’s relationship with Aaliyan’s family. This track in my opinion is completely unnecessary. They should focus more on Qudsiya and Aaliyan’s story now. I am still waiting for Emad Irfani’s entry. Hope he makes an entry soon!

Share your views about the episode!

Till Next Week!

Mariam Shafiq

From this episode onwards I would be reviewing Shukk for you. I hope you would like my reviews. If not to g jo karna hai kar lena,mein naheen jaan chornay wala! Also, beware that I have been quite inconsistent with my earlier reviews of the two dramas that I was reviewing. But I intend to do this one till the end warna sub ko galliyan parain gee including me. Why did I decide to review this drama (I know nobody has asked me, phir bhee bataunga bhayiyon aur behno because I am the reviewer here! ), I found this drama very real and not over the top like other dramas on air right now so couldn’t resist reviewing it for you people.

Coming to today’s episode, it started with Maham urging Atif to find out where Sehrish is busy these days. Sorry if anyone’s offended but each time Mr. Atif appeared on screen I felt like you could fry an egg over his large bald head (ahem,what about my own hairfall,never mind!). Somewhere Maham’s voice sounded like someone else’s to me, maybe Ainee Jaffri but I could be wrong. Off course to err is human and going by this definition I am super human.

We also got to know in this episode that Sania and Ehtisham were once engaged but then this engagement was called off. The reason for engagement being called off wasn’t revealed. We just got to know that Ehtisham always liked Sehrish and got engaged to Sania on his mother’s pressure. In future, this would prove to be a reason for ‘Shukk’ or doubt by Sehrish on her loving husband Ehtisham and on Sania by his husband thanks to his mother.

The difference between the two mother-in-laws was brilliantly depicted. Sehrish’s mother-in-law is sweet and understanding. She doesn’t blame Sehrish for not bearing her grand children and attributes it to Allah’s will while Sania’s invalid mother-in-law not only curses and abuses her but talks negative about her to her son who’s working abroad. She also tries to create rift between Sania and her son Rumi.

Rumi has got a liking for Sehrish maybe because of the tense environment of his house. He threw his ball constantly inside Sehrish’s house which landed each time at Sehrish’s mother-in-law’s feet who wondered whether the ball had springs as each time she threw it out it landed back. This scene was especially very cute and nicely done as Sehrish got that it was Rumi who’s behind the ball trick and brought him inside. They had such a good time that they didn’t realize that Rumi hadn’t informed his mother or grandmother about coming to their house. When they took him back, Sania was quite rude to them and her mother-in-law also shouted from inside on which Sehrish went to her and khoob lattay liye us ke (sorry couldn’t find a befitting English word for it so thought thoree see English kee tang toroon jaisay aj ke dramas mein actors Urdu kee tang tor rahay hain!)

Because of Sehrish’s outburst, Sania’s mother-in-law ended up in the hospital leaving Sehrish quite guilty. It was another cute scene where Sehrish and Ehtisham were going to the hospital in their car and Sehrish was praying loud to Allah Mian to save Sania’s mother-in-law. However, once in the hospital Sania was quite rude to Sehrish who was making all sorts of offers of help to her. Later, Ehtisham confronted Sania about her rudeness to his wife on the road. Sehrish saw them from her window, seeds of doubt begin to take root. Hats off to Ehtisham’s mother who understood on her own why Ehtisham and Sania were having a conversation on the road even though she got to knew about it from Sehrish.

The episode ended with Sania indirectly taunting Sehrish about not knowing about children as she’s childless and Sehrish walking out of Sania’s home. It might herald a new beginning of friendship between the two and off course thicken the shadows of doubt already there.

Overall the acting of everyone was upto the mark. Ayesha was brilliant as she confronted Badar Khalil (Sania’s mother-in-law), when she was angry even while back home, the way she prayed for Badar Khalil in the car, the way her expressions changed in the last scene when she’s reminded me of being childless. Adeel was equally effective as the loving husband, Shamim Hilali as the good natured mother-in-law of Ayesha and Sanam Saeed as the subdued wife who is at the receiving end from her mother-in-law’s side. Badar Khalil was however, over the top and loud. I personally didn’t find her part convincing. The child who played Rumi was also cute.

I also lament the screen time devoted to the nosy couple Atif and Maham. I understand they are there for a purpose but need they be present in so many scenes. They aren’t exactly eye candy you now plus their irritating tactics. The one-location where Ali, Sania’s husband talks on cell to his family also stuck out like a sore thumb (off course they didn’t want to shoot abroad but why just this strange looking room as one location, it’s as if Ali had nothing else to do than to sit in his room all day, waila like me!).

Now that I have said all that I wanted to say this week, I hope that this review turns out to be every reviewer’s dream. Maximum comments, maximum and unlimited praise in simple words and words for which you need to open Oxford dictionary, no one disagreeing with me and people saying ‘where were you earlier’. O God I need to open my eyes now, I have rolled much far on the floor after having fallen from the bed. O no Masi, don’t broom me, I can bath, I assure you!

Haseeb

This latest installment of Numm was much better than the last few episodes primarily because unlike the previous episodes, there were scenes in which I felt that connection with the characters which seemed to be completely lost before. The scene between Wali and Neelam in which they shared past memories with each other was very sweet. Sadly, the sweetness did not last for long! I find most of the romantic scenes in this play extremely nauseating; the scene between Wali and Neelam in which they are discussing their honeymoon plans was anything but cute.

I must say that until now my favorite characters in the play have to be Bare Sahab and Amtul. I find the way Bare Sahab treats Wali rather amusing. He doesn’t take anything that Wali says seriously and rightly so too. Wali may claim to be in a very unfair situation but there are times when it seems like he is making the most of it. Mahjabeen was the flavor of the month when Neelam was away and now that Neelam is back, Wali thinks it is more convenient for him if Mahjabeen minds her own business. Unfortunately, I find the leading characters of the play least likeable. There is absolutely nothing about Wali’s character that would make the viewers think that he is a good person. Mahjabeen has failed to gain my sympathy because I just can’t seem to relate to her character at all. A few more flashback scenes and a more convincing narration of events would have helped build up the character. Neelam’s character has been etched out nicely but Kanza Wyne’s acting proves to be highly “distracting”.

I must applaud Farah Shah’s brilliant performance right from the start. She has breathed life into a very difficult character and has made it stand out. The relationship between Amtul and Neelam is one of the best things about this play. Neelam and Amtul both are outcasts and victims in their own way. Also, the only time I truly like Neelam’s character is when I see her interacting with Amtul; she knows that Amtul can give her absolutely nothing in return for all the time she spends with her but she cannot help but love her anyway. This goes to show that Neelam is a good person at heart.

Amtul and Wali’s interactions today went to show that there is a tension between the two. The reason for that possibly could be that Mahjabeen is Wali’s Vani or maybe something else. I am sure we will find out in the next ten episodes or so since the mysteries don’t get solved too quickly in Numm, which basically kills the spirit of adding the mysteries to the play. The curiosity to find out what actually transpired almost dies by the time the truth is unveiled.

Wali, like a spoiled kid is looking for “hobbies” to keep him away from the politics in the house. Bare Sahab had a long list of options, non of which sounded even slightly inspiring but then Wal is not looking for inspiration!

Numm is incomplete unless someone makes some kind of a reference to Mahjabeen’s hair. In this episode as well, once again Mahjabeen sits in front of the mirror, looks at her hair and thinks of the way Wali looked at her when she dyed her hair. The fascination with the hair is beyond me!

Although, I really liked the scene between Wali and Neelam because that scene went to show how they were slowly coming closer to each other but at the same time it was a little confusing. Neelam said that Wali’s father only went to talk to Mahjabeen’s family but in one of the flashbacks we saw that he left home with the intention of killing someone. Maybe that is what Wali’s family told their relatives and friends.

The background music was very loud and ever present like always. Numm is a difficult play to review because you need to watch it several times in order to make out what is being said. Overall, a much better episode but not the sort that makes up for all the previous boring and dull ones that the viewers had to put up with. A few more episodes like this one and maybe I will have a reason to change my mind about Numm but the next episode’s preview showed more cat fights so it would probably be back to Neelam and Mahjabeen’s fights and who Wali supports *yawn* !

Fatima Awan

Finally the moment that we all dreaded was here & we had to see the last episode of Aunn Zara. Of all the dramas that I have reviewed, I have enjoyed this one the most because I myself am a fan of this drama. Things winded up perfectly but it did leave me feeling that it ended up way too quickly. Thursday’s are going to be empty from now on.

I loved how Jamshed brought up the conversation of him being alone & Nighat for the first time had no considerable answer. She ran out of words before too when Jamshed rejected her on her face in front of the whole family but this time he once again caught her off-guard with the sudden proposal, which left our Nigho speechless. I thought that Jamshed would ask Zara for it but to make things a bit more perfect, he did the honours himself.

It was just so natural that Husna & Daadi didn’t quite understand when Nighat herself testified in front of them about Aunn being the culprit because none of them thought of their ladla being the (excuse my words) kamina. Loved how they continued to complain about Zara but Aunn tried to twist their words once again just to show that he ain’t going to care for her any more, which was his way of dusting off the grudges.

There were a few very nicely done moments, one of them was Zara-Jamshed’s conversation, he looked adorable when he sheepishly told her of the proposal he had extended to Nighat, the other one was seeing them all re-unite & how the elders showed their wisdom was commendable by ignoring Zara’s try of exposing Aunn then & there. At first I did find it unfair because I was expecting wawela from Daadi & Husna’s salees Urdu ke tanay but Nighat & Zara’s conversation afterwards made things perfect because it was another good reality check for Aunn to know how much Daadi & Husna cared for him & didn’t want to make things awkward for already-awkward Aunn but personally I do think he got away with his kartoot way too easily. ;)

Ohkay, I must say, I loved the way Jamshed looked at Ansa Nighat Parveen & what’s more cute was how she left the biggest chunk of laddu & settled on a smaller piece of mithai, t’was enough of a clear notification of her consciousness & her flourishing feelings which she had for her husband-to-be. Finally, Jamshed’s Mohtarmma & Nighat’s Kharoos are going to be together. I know things would’ve become too explanatory but I did expect to see them together like may be a small ceremony or just both of them happily ever after!

I missed Daadi a bit in this episode but it was justified because there were a lot of other aspects which had to be covered & especially Aunn had to be exposed. Accha, who would’ve thought that Aunn will ever stand up for his family? I think the whole Father thing had a perfect closure & the way Daadi supported Aunn & encouraged Husna to see the brighter side was brilliant. Finally, Aunn accha wala bacha ban hi gaya. :)

Lastly, a shout out to the whole team – from writer to the director to the actors & every single person involved, THANK YOU all for giving us a masterpiece with the name of Aunn Zara. Hope to see another venture of all of you together & special thanks to Osman Khalid Butt for making Aunn our special ladla. :D

& special thanks to all the regular readers & supporters,
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

What a beautiful piece of artwork today’s episode was. Flawless direction, spot-on dialogues and above all tremendous performance by each and every artist in this play.

Pari’s “chachundar” Azam (Danish Taimoor) made his entry today .Despite of least expectations from him,I was eagerly waiting for his entry in the show. The reason of least expectations from him might be because I have never seen him performing serious roles. And now that I have seen him, I must confess that I am truly impressed by his charismatic personality, expressions and dialogue delivery while doing his job as Azam.

Pari and Azam’s first encounter was quite interesting. At first, she seemed comfortable with him but her insecurity for Rukayya is upheaving to maximum with every passing day. And for that when she observed  Rukayya engrossed in chit chat with Azam all the time, she felt as if she was getting ignored by Rukayya. Consequently, developed a sense of envy for Azam.

It adds another level to the show whenever there is heated exchange of words between Pari and Azam; Pari being ultra-insecure of Azam while Azam enjoying every word that Pari utters and responding calmly and intelligently.

Salma’s part is always fun to watch. Her ever confused nature, silly reasoning with Aapa Bi always put a smile on my face. It’s solely because of her husband’s death that she never seemed to be satisfied and happy. Her husband’s death mystery is still an unsolved riddle for all us and I hope when it will get revealed it won’t be of “Khoda pahaar nikla chooha” kind.

Pari took it as her insult when she was asked by Rukayya that she owes an apology to Azam. How can our Rukayya Aapa tolerate that her very own Pari is not ready to talk to her. At the very moment when Pari was upset, Rulayya went to her ,tried to make her move a step ahead of what she was feeling about Azam and every word that came from Rukayya’s side worth million dollars. “Pari mai kya houn terai lyai,koi khilona houn jis sey na tu khud khailti hai,na kisi ko khailnay daiti hai”. That whole scene was the most intense scene of the episode and in true meaning was “Moment of The Episode”.

Aapa Bi is getting more and more worried and concerned about Rukayya’s marriage with every passing day. At one side Aapi Bi cannot bear Naseeban interference in her family matters but on the other, she knows that no one can fill her space in their family. I found Aapi Bi and Naseeban’s interaction really touchy and the way Naseeban got convinced to go back home proved that she values Aapa Bi and her family more than anything.

Azam is not at all fond of his mother because they have nothing in common.Azam is completely family oriented person whereas his mother is fond of partying and hanging around all the time.For her, PR values more than her own son. With all that, her complains that Najma (Azam’s step mother) is applying some cheap tactics to snatch away her son are not at all justified.

Indeed,it was a well packaged episode with a blend of emotions, shades of love and what not.Kudos to the whole team of Sannata!

Rabia Basharat.

Kiran’s reaction to Adnan’s proposal was nothing short of a very pleasant surprise for me since I was not expecting Kiran to react in this manner. Kiran deserves to be happy and there is no other man who can give her the kind of affection that Adnan can. Having gone through a very traumatic experience already, Kiran has her doubts about the authenticity of Adnan’s claims but is willing to give this relationship a chance because she has always had a very high opinion of Adnan. Apart from that, these two always shared a special connection. Kiran always felt that Adnan was merely looking out for her all this time, but now she knows better.

Arzoo got rid of Kiran’s parrots, convinced her mother that it was okay for Kiran to get married to Adnan and left no stone unturned to convince Sikandar that Kiran wasn’t the ideal woman he always thought she was but the fact remains that Arzoo has not been able to fill the void left by Kiran in Sikandar’s life. Sikandar’s attitude towards Arzoo maybe cold and rude but he has not hit her yet. The reason for that could be that he does not feel the need to control her. He is not as possessive about her as he was about Kiran. Or maybe because this time around his mother made it very clear to him that she is not going to back him up if he does something like that. Arzoo’s attitude made me wonder whether she was putting on an act because she loved Sikandar or only because she would do anything to prove Kiran wrong.

Adnan let Rukhsar stop him from getting married to Kiran once but this time around he did not want to lose Kiran for a second time. It was quite apparent that Rukhsar could not stand the fact that her brother was dying to get married to Kiran. Rukhsar’s attitude shows how jealous she is of Kiran. Also, Rukhsar’s situation goes to show how working women are exploited especially in lower middle class households. The only time when I felt for Rukhsar was when she was having a conversation with her colleague. Rukhsar is very sensitive about her own problems but does not think twice before judging others. The way Rukhsar’s mother praised her daughter’s in laws and assured Faiqa that Rukhsar was very happy was rather ironic. She always had so much say when Kiran’s mother did the same and wondered why she couldn’t be honest.

Kiran and Adnan’s conversation was sweet and touching. Hassan Niazi and Sanam Baloch have amazing on-screen chemistry which makes their track totally lovable. The honesty with which Kiran and Adnan share their true feelings with each other was truly refreshing. It is plain to see that Rukhsar and her mother are bound to create problems for Kiran. How will she cope with the situation?

This latest episode was very slow for my taste. Kiran’s story is moving forward nicely but Arzoo and Sikandar’s track is getting very monotonous. The play really needs to pick up pace now so that the story can be wrapped up decently without putting the viewers to sleep.

Fatima Awan