Yayyy, I knew it, the thing we wanted to see the most would be covered in this episode & luckily, the whole episode revolved around our favorite Annie & Rohaan, so once again like I always say, I’ll say it again that I enjoyed watching Shanakht tonight. :)

As usual, Rohaan mother continues to be unreasonable because she thinks her son & her DIL (daughter-in-law) are being disrespectful towards her & her feelings just because Annie doesn’t agree on removing her Hijaab & Rohaan supports her. The way Rizwan gave in while speaking to her also went to show that she has always been irrational & just because she has had a submissive family, she has become a control freak who wants to control everything that happens under the roof of her house but little does she know that Rohaan has changed & he will always stand by the right, irrespective of what his mother would want.

On the other hand Huma’s also being stern on Rohaan as well. Till date she thinks he isn’t suitable for Annie & to add to her woes, she saw how Annie was left behind but being a mother I feel all her worries do seem realistic & rational but I also wish that she starts looking at the other side of the picture as well where she understands Rohaan as a person & sees through him keeping his appearance out of her mind because till now, as much as Amjad appreciates Rohaan, Huma still seems a bit uncomfortable at Rohaan’s mention & she still hasn’t come to a point where she’d praise him for all the efforts he has put in.

I must say the best part of the whole episode for me were the little conversations Annie & Rohaan had with each other. Even though it was obvious that Annie will never speak up for herself but at least what surprised me the most is that when it comes her Hijab, she does share each & everything with Rohaan about what she feels, how she doesn’t mind people’s comments & what’s going through her mind. I also liked to see how Rohaan is constantly being attentive towards his wife & making sure that she feels comfortable. Even though Annie doesn’t say much to him regarding the behaviour of his family but the way he apologizes to her for the things she has to face goes to show that deep down he’s well aware of the fact that his mother’s being rude for no good reason but all he can do for now is to stand by his wife & be patient at his mother’s irrationality.

Even though I am glad they didn’t delay the story by unnecessarily focusing on Kashaf’s wedding, but the opinions of Annie’s in-laws did contribute to the story as they clearly seemed ticked off as to how Kashaf was having a grand wedding whereas Annie didn’t, but just because Rohaan took all the blame on himself, it shows that Annie doesn’t need to worry much about what her in-laws think because now she has Rohaan’s back & he’ll support her no matter what.

Few of the bits that I enjoyed particularly were the way Annie got awkward when Huma directly asked Rohaan about the honeymoon plan. It was really cute followed by another perfect scene where Rohaan & Annie openly discussed how their mothers are being staunch but they’ll do whatever it takes to change their opinions. I love Rohaan’s easy-going take on such matters because he knows that being rigid would only make things difficult, so all he has to do it work towards it light-heartedly with a lot of patience. This episode gave us a feeling that as much as Annie & Rohaan are getting to know each other, they are respecting each other more. I loved how Rohaan continuously kept on telling her how much he felt sad in her absence. I also loved the conversation where Annie shared the things her father said about Rohaan, it showed that as much as she was thankful for having such a good husband she was proud of the fact that Rohaan’s a great human being too.

I must say even though Rohaan’s sisters didn’t have much to contribute to the story till now; I am glad that the writer/director has used each & every character with a lot of planning where everyone has to offer a thing or two to the viewers. Till now I found his sisters just as fillers in the story but seeing the trouble Zubia got herself in & the way Annie got to see her, I am sure Annie will play some sort of a role that will make Zubia regret what she used to feel for Annie & how she misjudged her.

I also appreciate the director for the fact that even though Hashim, Shireen & Ahmad don’t have much to do now in the story, they always have a scene or two just to show they’re also a part of the play. I am glad that Rohaan called Hashim, which shows that his friendship means a lot to him but I still feel it’s the only flaw in the story that Hashim hasn’t yet found out that Rohaan’s married to his cousin Annie, that too when we know that Rohaan is Rizwan’s son who happens to be a business partner of Hashim’s father. I mean being the only son, Shireen has always shared each & everything with Hashim, so I feel it’s highly unlikely that Shireen didn’t share details with Hashim about who Annie got married to, what was the name of her husband, what’s the guy & his family like, that too especially when they knew Annie was lucky enough to have found a guy who matched her mindset, so all the more reason to be more elaborate about Annie’s husband. Nevermind, other than that it’s a great drama & I want to know what would Hashim’s reaction be like when he’ll return to Pakistan to find out that Rohaan’s the one Annie has gotten married to. I hope the way Huma has such high regard of Hashim, he convinces her that Rohaan’s a gem of a person & Huma gives in.

I think it was once again a mistake on the editor’s part where they kept on showing the mean things Haris would say as the upcoming bit but seems like that scene will be a part of the next episode. I really liked the way Rohaan covered up what Haris said about music. I am looking forward to that conversation for sure. I must say I am glad that Kashaf still has good feelings about Rohaan & she respects him because she knows that Annie’s happy with him.

So, this was it from my side, once again a review full of praises for such a nice drama & a beautifully executed episode. Share your thoughts on this episode please & let me know how much you enjoyed/loved watching it? :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, another one of a good episode with some great developments in the story. The pace is just perfect & I hope that it remains that way because apart from all the other great things, the pace is what’s keeping the interest of the viewers’ intact. As usual, where there were some sweet moments of Annie & Rohaan, there were a few thought-provoking bits too & for this, I absolutely love watching this drama.

I don’t want to demean women here but I definitely feel the fathers take the crown for being rational & logical. I give full marks to the fathers for giving Annie & Rohaan’s wishes a consideration & going with the flow for how the bride & groom wanted their wedding to be like. I know this idea may have been done in other dramas as well but I think very subtly they touched it this time around & without making it preachy, they told how weddings can or should be like. The mothers & even the sisters of the bride & groom wanted an elaborate wedding to express their happiness, which they thought could only be measured by how much money’s spent rather wasted on the wedding functions, how loud the music is or till what hour the gathering lasts. I know what they showed were some basic feelings that all the family members tend to have if any member of the family is getting married but on the other hand it also showed that no matter how liberal you become, you’re always enslaved to boundaries that you impose on yourself, that’s why Rohaan’s mother felt she didn’t enjoy the wedding one bit because she had quite a lot ‘armaan’ regarding Rohaan’s wedding & when things went against her imagination, she flipped out & didn’t seem to budge at all as she was so engrossed in what she thought was a right way of celebrating a wedding. Similarly, the long list of complaints was also ready by Huma which she kept on discussing with Amjad but I liked that this time around Amjad not only supported Annie but also showed how much he respects Rohaan as his son-in-law by putting a stop to Huma’s rants, making her understand just as much as Haris was dear to her, Rohaan was special for Amjad as well.

As much as I feel the beginning of Annie’s wedding life was sort of dramatic & a tad bit unrealistic because no matter how much you dislike a person, you do extend some courtesy towards them but then if we keep the drama out of mind, what they showed was a depiction of some sort of complex that a mother-in-law often harbors when she sees that her son likes his wife & has gotten married to her against the wishes of the ladies of his family. Rohaan’s mother seemed irrational obviously but how she reacted portrayed the right picture of such mothers in law who have a hard time accepting their daughters-in-law only because they know that their sons have a soft corner for them in their hearts. Annie got a very insensitive welcome by Rohaan’s family & even the sisters gave her a cold shoulder which I am sure won’t last for too long but to see it all happening definitely made me feel for both Rohaan & Annie a lot more. I also found Huma & Kashaf’s attitude a bit odd as well because it doesn’t matter if her in-laws weren’t around that just didn’t mean that Huma found a chance to start voicing her disappointments the very next day she went to see Annie for the very first time after her wedding.

Another thing that took me by surprise was to see the coverage Kashaf & Haris were getting. I definitely thought they’d get married & their story wouldn’t have much to offer but I think it was a very well-thought plan to give them the screen-time as well to juxtapose the difference between Haris & Rohaan as well. I know this doesn’t look too new but the way Haris came across, it was clear that he’s ceasing every opportunity to exploit Kashaf’s parents through her just because he knows that his fiancée loves him & she’d do anything to make him happy. Amjad’s restlessness also showed that just because of Kashaf’s unreasonable demands he was forced to think how much ease he felt while getting Annie married to Rohaan. Once again, very rightly they showed that just when Kashaf thought after 99 fulfilled wishes, another unreasonable one at that wasn’t being considered; she used Huma as a pawn to convince Amjad which usually happens in most of the families.

Time & again both Amjad & Rizwan seemed to have run out of words in front of their wives but luckily for Annie & Rohaan, both of them stood by their decision & didn’t let the ladies interfere, which was perfect. I definitely liked a few scenes of Annie & Rohaan but I do wish we get to see more of them, like how they both are understanding each other, what commonality do they both share. Actually, I want to see how their relation develops because to see the families getting more coverage, I dread seeing it turning into a saas-bahu saga anytime soon. The latest developments especially keeping the weddings of both the sisters in mind, I was reminded of Mirat-ul-Uroos a lot but the difference was the addition of Islamic view point, which definitely was a bonus.

Even though Rohaan didn’t have many scenes but he didn’t fail to leave a mark in those few scenes as always. The very first pleasant thing to see was when he speaks to Annie about what plans she had in her mind regarding her wedding & after he gets his reply, he doesn’t sit there to speak to her more, showing the respect he had for her & didn’t want to make her awkward as he himself was conscious of her hesitation while he was around. Another good thing to see was how calmly Rohaan reacted to Huma’s complaints & gave her a fairly decent reply of how he’ll learn to maintain a balance between his mother & his wife, showing that he was ready to accommodate every single person that now is a part of his family through Annie. As always, the episode ended at just a right note where they left something for us to look forward to once again. I actually want to see how Rohaan’s mother will react at Rohaan’s support of Annie’s Hijab & how will he talk her out of the new-found fixation of taking Annie to a dinner party without her headscarf.

As always, the acting is top-notch & the direction is perfect. The scenes are just spot-on where not even for a second you feel bored or want to jump to the next scene. I must say both Fahad Mirza & Maya Ali have done a commendable job in this drama & I am sure if it wasn’t for them, this drama wouldn’t have been such a treat to watch. Share your thoughts please. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

OMG! I can’t praise this drama enough; I think I just cannot. Of all the episodes we’ve seen so far, I think this one was the best because it was filled with so many epic moments one after the other, but I am sure there would be a lot more such episodes that will make your heart actually feel for all the characters & give you something very positive by the end. :)

Just when I started watching this episode, I was reminded of the scene from the drama ‘Mai Abdul Qadir Hoon’, where after a strong opposition, there comes a time when Abdul Qadir’s mother admits & confesses that after her son decided to walk on the religious path, he became a very good human being, so somewhere down the line I actually wanted to hear exactly the same words about Rohaan from his mother as well, but to my surprise, it happened way too quickly. No doubt, for now it was Rohaan’s sister who acknowledged that the change in Rohaan is not only confined to his appearance but he also has had a change of heart & nature, which I am sure is just a beginning because fortunately at least one of his family members noticed the positive changes in him & it won’t take too long for the others, especially his mother to acknowledge & more importantly realize it too.

Luckily for Rohaan, Eesha & her parents called the engagement off as they were intimidated by his appearance but the best part of that whole scene was the ‘Allhamdullilah’ gesture Rohaan did when the guests just left, haha. As much as his mother wanted him to get rid of the thing he loves the most, I think Rohaan made her understand laying bare his true feelings which left his mother speechless too. I just love the fact that Rohaan actually opted for the most genuine expression to make his mother understand what his identity & his beard means to him.

I actually liked the fact that Kashaf & Annie both got engaged at the same time because this way Annie was able to seek help from Kashaf in this regard. Kashaf seemed totally happy & acted exactly like any girl who’d be ecstatic to be getting married to the guy she loves. Annie took Kashaf’s advice & even though she wasn’t interested in understanding Raheel better, she thought it was just the right time to show him the truth about her personality. I think this was one of the best scenes of this episode for me because even though people might think girls who opt for Hijab can be soft targets & can be treated like a nobody, Annie made a very strong statement about who she was & no matter how soft-spoken she might be, she still knew how to raise her voice, protect herself & take a stand for her beliefs when someone’d attack her identity. To her, nothing but her Hijab mattered the most & the best part was that she took a decision all by herself because she knew exactly what she wanted & that was an out from this engagement as she judged Raheel in a jiffy that someone who doesn’t respect her appearance won’t respect her as a person too. By the way who loved Raheel’s expressions after he got slapped & a hard one at that? ;)

For a change, it was so good to see Huma & Annie having a candid conversation where Huma gave Annie a chance to explain herself. I think it was a lot easier for me to understand & connect to Huma’s character, because for once she decided to lower her voice a couple of notches. Even though Huma also conveyed what makes her worried for Annie, Annie knew just exactly what she had to say to her mother because it’s a high time Huma understands her daughter & respects her decisions. I really love that not even for a second Annie shows some signs of distress when her mother is constantly yelling at her & dissing her for being a Hijabi. Annie always speaks to her mother very gently because she understands Huma’s point of view as well. Just exactly what I want to hear from Rohaan’s mother about him, similarly I hope there comes a time when Huma also realizes that becoming modest has made Annie a better human being.

At first I thought Amjad might be upset for what Annie did but he wasn’t. Being a father, he was naturally just worried for Annie but once again, that father-daughter conversation was heartfelt & seemed just so real. Annie knows exactly what she has to do & her focus makes her a very likeable & a strong personality. In Annie’s opinion, she feels she has a duty to let the people around her know that covering her head doesn’t mean she can limit herself to her home, she can work just like anyone else & change the notions that people might form about girls who choose to dress modestly. Annie wants people to see her as a dynamic person who’s capable of a lot of things & not just confine their opinions to a piece of cloth she wears to cover her head.

Finally, finally, finally, that moment of magic happened when Rohaan & Annie came across each other (where I couldn’t stop smiling to be honest). Even though it was a very short meeting but Rohaan just couldn’t take his eyes off her. I think the best part about the whole proposal was that the fathers decided to take the case in their hands & dealt with it because the ladies would’ve one way or the other opposed to it. Rohaan’s father acknowledged Annie’s talent & the wisdom with which she has been working devotedly at her father’s office which obviously came as a surprise to Rohaan’s youngest sister. Rohaan felt he found exactly the right partner he was looking for. Even though Annie showed submissiveness to her father’s decision but deep down her satisfaction-filled smile showed that she herself was ready to form a relationship with Rohaan. All the dialogues in this particular conversation that Amjad & Annie had were absolutely sweet & touching.

The episode had short, to-the-point & a lot of scenes which kept the pace of the episode perfect. A lot of things happened in this episode & I am glad they have not dragged any aspect of the story till now. The preview seemed interesting because seems like Hashim is going to regret his decision of rejecting Annie as he seemed disturbed hearing about Annie’s marriage. Even though I myself dislike the continuous rants of Huma but oh boy! Rohaan’s mother takes the crown for being a despicable person. Huma’s just a mother who often tends to get agitated as she’s worried for her daughter but the negativity Rohaan’s mother has been spreading is a whole new level. I think soon after the wedding Annie will have to face the ordeal in the form of Rohaan’s mother but luckily for her, just because she & Rohaan share the same ideology of life, he’d always protect her & take a stand for her. I can’t wait to see how they form a relation & how the end up changing everyone’s perspective about themselves. Please share your thoughts on this perfect episode. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

…& the awesomeness prevails. Another interesting episode & still the element of curiosity exist. I think this time the director (who also happens to be the writer) deserves to be given a due credit for tackling this script with such intelligence. I definitely want to see moreeee!

Ohkay so this time around, Rohaan & Hashim parted because Rohaan was planning his return to Pakistan. All that he said to Hashim about his fiancée showed that he wasn’t being judgmental at all, which was a very good thing to see. Just because he got engaged to a very liberal & modern girl didn’t mean that he decided to call the engagement off & in fact he felt that being a spouse, he’d try to mould her & if that wouldn’t happen, then he’d have to come to terms with her lifestyle, which he actually was ready for to some extent as well. I actually liked the fact that even though Rohaan seemed worried, he didn’t judge Eesha at all & rather thought of a solution instead of complaining.

Rohaan returned & as expected, he got a very cold welcome because his ‘huliya’ as they said came as a shock to his father, mother & sisters. To them, without a further a due, he became no one else but a ‘molvi’ & just because they were more worried about what people might think, Rohaan’s beard was a major issue. All this while, his mother & sisters definitely had a hard time seeing the change in his personality & more so in his appearance but it was only his father who may not have accepted the change in Rohaan but he pretty much understood that there was nothing he could do that would convince his son as he knew that Rohaan would have a more valid argument that too with the backing of Quran Majeed & Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (SAW). His mother felt that he was still a Muslim when he didn’t have a beard but Rohaan explained that he was still striving to become a better one & in clear words he told her that he would do anything for his mother but would never get rid of his beard because he was determined & nothing could undo that.

On the other hand, where Kashaf did feel sorry for the things she said to Annie & even apologized for her rants, once again earning the points, she convinced Annie for agreeing to their mother’s wish as well. It’s like everyone in the family was ready to use Annie for their benefit but weren’t ready to accept Annie for who she has become. Kashaf wanted her to get rid of the scarf so that the proposal doesn’t get rejected & she can marry Haris. Huma wanted Annie to get rid of the scarf so that she could get the perfect damaad she has been dreaming of. I know, to see what Annie did keeping the wishes of Kashaf & Huma in mind wasn’t appeasing to see but it was actually very realistic as well. This shows the mindset of those people who’d want their daughters to pretend to any extent just so that they can bag an eligible bachelor. This also depicts the conservative mindset that often people make it just so hard for you to follow what is right & force you to opt for something wrong & something that you don’t agree with. Annie half-heartedly submitted to her mother’s wishes but the way she broke down actually showed that she felt cheated & that too because of her ownself as she couldn’t do justice to the decision she took. It showed that removal of her headscarf affected her more than being forced by her mother to treat herself as a showpiece, which also was clearly visible in the glances she gave to her parents while sitting in front of Raheel & his mother.

Fortunately for Huma, Annie got engaged & Amjad didn’t have any objection to Haris’s proposal for Kashaf too. Huma feels she is lucky enough to have two perfect sons-in-law but she has yet to find out that her perfect damaad Raheel is far from being perfect. The new entry in this episode was Faryal (Kanza Wayne) who happens to be a university fellow & a good friend of Hashim. Seems like they both will have a relationship because Faryal seemed really interested in him. I know the acting skills of Kanza Wayne are kind of limited but at least to see another uncommon face in the drama feels like a breath of fresh air & for this I am ready to put up with her mediocre acting as well.

All in all, it was a great episode & the preview of the next one seemed far more interesting as well. Isn’t it amazing to see that both Rohaan & Annie are going through the same phase & facing the same situation in their lives? I am sure this will make them cherish each other a lot more & will make their relation grow stronger. Can’t wait for it to happen. Share your thoughts please! :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, it was another one of those interesting episodes. No matter what they show, I always feel I want to watch the whole serial in one go. It’s totally amazing & what adds more to it are the characters. For a change, I really feel that the uncommon cast has done wonders & I truly appreciate the casting director for going for all these actors because I am sure if it would’ve been let’s say a few of those actors that frequent our TV screens regularly, it wouldn’t have made such an impact & for this I am glad that Maya Ali, Fahad Mirza & Noor Hassan opted for this script & are doing their job really really well.

Finally, Hashim broke the ice & shared all those preconceived notions he had about Rohaan & people like him but the best part was that Rohaan took it very lightly because for him, what he heard from Hashim was nothing new. He knew that people end up judging those who choose to look religious therefore, he laughed at it & made him understand that not everyone’s the same & there’s no probation on enjoying the life within certain limits (by the way I loved the PG13 statement of his).

Hashim & Rohaan’s friendship took off really well because both of them took steps towards each other. Rohaan made sure he helped Hashim in understanding him better & Hashim felt he was misunderstanding Rohaan all this while. I truly enjoyed their conversations & the best one & the most realistic one for me was when Rohaan told Hashim about why he chose to endorse the Sunnah of Nabi Mohammad (SAW). No matter what it is, but it is the truth that people often tend to mistake Muslims as Non-Muslims because they don’t look like it. I liked the fact that very subtly they touched the point that as much as it’s important to be a good Muslim, it’s equally important to look like a Muslim too so that people can instantly figure out what your true ‘identity’ is.

Both the families of Rohaan & Annie are worried about their proposal that’s why where Huma is trying her best to get Annie married to a guy of her standards, Rohaan’s mother ended up choosing a girl according to her criteria too. Huma may come across as someone who’s (not so) cool & (not so) yo, but she certainly is very conservative when it comes to her daughter’s proposals. She thinks that those who’re religious are very rigid but she forgot that she being not so religious is quite rigid too. I didn’t really understand why Amjad gave in & allowed Huma to do whatever she deems fit in Annie’s case. All this while he was pretty much supportive & appreciative of Annie’s choices but now seems like he’s also worried about her proposal & he is tired of seeing people rejecting Annie left, right & centre because of her Hijab, so is that why he decided to side with Huma as well?

Seems like Kashaf & Annie’s relation has hit the rock bottom because the rejection of Annie is somehow affecting Kashaf too. Even though Kashaf is considerate to make Haris wait for her proposal because she wants Annie to get married first but she can’t seem to cope well with how Huma starts considering every single proposal that comes for Kashaf after they end up rejecting Annie. For Kashaf, the best thing for Annie to do is to get rid of her Hijab so that people show more acceptance towards her. Even though Annie takes all of Kashaf’s rants really well on the surface, but deep within she feels hurt & depressed especially seeing how her family considers her wrong & end up being unsupportive.

Annie did the best thing to bring the families of Amjad & Ahmad close again. She made sure to make Huma understand what she was doing wrong & for a change it was good to hear Huma appreciate Annie’s thoughts because she made her realize that breaking the ties with the relatives wasn’t the right thing to do. Huma knows how positive Annie’s attitude is, but she still can’t seem to come to terms with her Hijab, which I hope, happens soon & Huma accepts Annie for who she is & what her choices are.

It seemed like Hashim was kind of missing Annie that’s why he spoke about her to Rohaan because I think now when he has gotten a chance to be in the vicinity of such a person who is also religious & modest, Hashim will now kind of understand Annie & her mentality a lot better. I liked the fact a lot that even though Rohaan has made Hashim comfortable, he still doesn’t forget to share his inner most feelings regarding the religion with Hashim, which makes it a very casual conversation & doesn’t seem too preachy. These little conversations on such lines will help Hashim understand the religion a lot more & I am sure will help him in changing too. & yes, like I said, the reason for which Rohaan was avoiding the video chat sessions with his family was because he doesn’t want them to see the change in his appearance now as he knows that his family will flip out. It was kind of hasty on Rohaan’s mothers part that she got him engaged without even bothering much about her son’s choices. I am sure that when Eesha & her family will get to meet Rohaan in person, they’ll call off the engagement because of Rohaan’s get up as Eesha’s family seemed pretty liberal & materialistic.

The attack on Rohaan was another portrayal of the real & dark picture that Muslims tend to face in the name of racism. Where Hashim thought Rohaan shouldn’t have reacted, the argument Rohaan presented was justified as well where he thinks enduring the wrath proves that you’re a coward & Rohaan knows that he’s anything but that. Being a peace-loving Muslim doesn’t mean that you allow people to walk over you & for this, he thought he was justified in retaliating which he definitely was.

This episode was a treat to watch because a lot happened this time around too. I totally enjoy the pace of this episode because even for a second it didn’t lose the grip of a viewer. Even though what they showed in the preview was kind of what we’ve seen before where Kashaf & Huma will be angry at Annie, I actually want to watch what Rohaan will say to Hashim. I think this time around may be Rohaan will return to Pakistan & his ordeal of judgments will begin by then.

I know it’s a random thought but I really like the way Fahad Mirza says ‘Ya’ after every sentence of his. I’ll see you ‘ya’, I’ll call you ‘ya’, have food ‘ya’. Haha! Can’t wait to find out more & please share your say on this episode of Shanakht & do let us know how much you’re enjoying watching this drama ‘ya’. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

I really don’t want to sound monotonous but every single time I tune to this drama serial, I always have a pleasant smile on my face. I love Annie’s character & everything related to her, which means all the characters of this drama who are directly & indirectly related to Annie have a very positive impact on the story & have something or the other to offer. The best thing about this drama till now is the unusual reactions & unpredictability in certain situations that are shown every single time. I think that’s more like an added bonus while watching Shanakht.

What I really liked about Annie’s take on Hashim/Kashaf’s proposal was the way she tackled it. We never saw her sobbing her eyes out just because she faced a rejection from an eligible bachelor, in fact what hurt her was his views on her Hijaab & that’s it. She got hurt but she gathered herself & moved on & that’s the reason when Huma asked her if she was ohkay with Kashaf & Hashim’s engagement, surprisingly Annie showed no signs of distress & in fact made Huma understand in clear words that Hashim has a right to choose his life partner as well.

Even though Haris (Kashaf’s friend) is not in a position to make a commitment to Kashaf right now because of his father’s health & the financial crisis his family’s been dealing with, he promised her that he’d speak to his parents as soon as he feels the time is right. Kashaf for a second blamed Annie for all that she was facing as she got pressurized by both Huma & even Amjad to agree for Hashim’s proposal, but even though for a split second Kashaf’s utterances hurt Annie a lot, she still didn’t harbor any grudge against her & understood that her sister was worried. Annie tried to make her understand but never once she forced or blackmailed her to think about khandaan or anything else. Even though Annie knew that Kashaf was interested in someone, she felt it was her duty to convey the message of her mother to her younger sister. After Kashaf’s blunt refusal & despite knowing the reason for which she wasn’t interested in Hashim, Annie told Huma about Kashaf’s feelings without making it obvious that Haris was the reason behind Kashaf’s refusal.

I enjoyed watching Kashaf giving it to Hashim. This is what I like the most about her character that even though she’s the youngest & still has some sort of immaturity to her character, she’s honest & upfront. The way she dealt with Hashim & even made him guilty for using the car he got as a gift was interesting. Hashim’s ego got hurt & he returned the car which obviously resulted in drifting of the families but that thing proved beneficial for Kashaf as Amjad straight away rejected Hashim’s proposal.

Hashim’s gone to UK for his studies & another pleasant surprise in this episode was the introduction of Rohaan’s character played effortlessly by Fahad Mirza. Rohaan who happens to be a son of Hashim’s father’s business partner (which he doesn’t know of yet) is also a roommate of Hashim in the UK. Going by the flashback that was shown & the conversation between Rohaan’s mother & sister, it showed that Rohaan has also gone through a transition, he has gone from saying ‘Hi’ to ‘Asalam Alaikum’, I know this was a very intricate detail but I think it added a lot to Rohaan’s story, but one thing that appealed to me about his character the most was that even though he has had a change of heart, he is still the same old Rohaan that her mother & sisters know, he’s still as friendly, as happy & as easy-going in his life as he used to be. There was also a lot of emphasize on Skyping by Rohaan’s mother but then I guess there’s a reason why he has been avoiding it & that is to keep his family oblivious of the changes he has made in his appearance because the way Rohaan’s mother reacted to Annie’s Hijaab, she would’ve never done it if she had known about Rohaan’s beard too.

As usual Hashim imbibed some preconceived notions the moment he stepped into Rohaan’s apartment. To him Rohaan was once again a nobody but a Molvi & once again he was unable to see the cordial welcome Rohaan gave to him. I think living with Rohaan as a housemate will prove to be an eye-opener for Hashim because then he’ll be able to see through his misconceptions about those people who choose to live their lives modestly.

What I loved about this episode were the reactions that were totally unpredictable. Annie’s acceptance towards Hashim’s marriage to Kashaf, which I thought might make Annie uncomfortable but it didn’t happen. Annie’s way of seeing Hashim off with a big smile when he came to meet her family before leaving for UK showing that Annie always took him just as her cousin & a friend. Kashaf’s way of giving Hashim a reality-check despite having a serious conversation with her father about the proposal where I thought she might submit to her father’s proposition also came as a surprise & most importantly, the slight introduction of Rohaan’s character & the coincidence of Hashim being his housemate was an interesting development in the story too. Even though Rohaan didn’t get such an elaborate introduction but it still told a lot of things about his character. They have managed to build up the curiosity once again & I am sure the story has a lot to offer, so for that, I am so looking forward to the next episode already as the preview was great too. Hashim & Rohaan will have a lot of conversations, will form a bond & Hashim will speak about the misapprehensions he has about men like him & Rohaan will do everything to surprise & educate Hashim about his lifestyle in the course of time which might help Hashim in choosing the right path too.

Once again, it was a great episode backed by some brilliant performances which I enjoyed watching thoroughly. Share your say on this.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Aw! It’s such a nice drama. I don’t know how to put it but it has a very appeasing feel to it. The way all the actors have acted & the way the director has taken the story forward is really nice & makes it look very realisitic. I know this family especially Annie will go through a bit of a tough time henceforth but I am sure the story has a lot to offer.

The episode began with Hashim’s birthday gathering where Rohaan’s family got to have a good look at both Annie & Kashaf too but simply for Rohaan’s mother & one of his sisters, Annie’s Hijab was an element of conservation but the only person who seemed to have liked Annie was Rohaan’s father. As much as Kashaf tried to find out what Annie feels about Hashim, Annie made sure she didn’t lay bare her feelings in front of her younger sister even because like Annie said, she’d only feel love for her husband & before any official decision, she restrained herself from thinking on those lines about Hashim. Even though she felt an ounce of excitement, she didn’t showcase in front of anyone & I guess that happened for the best.

Finally Huma & Amjad’s bubble burst when Shireen & Ahmad spoke about Kashaf. As much as they wanted to sound sweet, Ahmad ended up telling the truth that Hashim doesn’t want a Muhajjaba as his wife & he feels that they both are two different people. Annie took it well but what shattered her most was the reason for which she was rejected as Annie now knows that she’ll be the one who’d have to face all the criticism for the choices she has made.

Very conveniently, Huma got another reason to blame Annie because she thinks so high of Hashim that for Huma, her own daughter is the culprit. I think even though Kashaf has a side role to play but her character has a lot of importance. It was so good to see that she was the one who understood her sister & took a stand for her. For Kashaf, Hashim is a hypocrite who deceived Annie. Even though Kashaf is seriously involved with a guy who is ready to get married to her & even though Kashaf has that as a solid reason to reject Hashim’s proposal but keeping that aside, she has clearly mentioned that she will never get married to a person who has double standards & for this reason, Hashim is unacceptable to her.

Hashim for now comes across as a very indifferent person who has no thoughts of his own. Even though he wasn’t happy about Annie’s Hijab, he took his friend’s advice way too seriously & even though he confessed in front of his parents that he just wanted to escape a relation from Annie, he took Kashaf’s name. It shows that he doesn’t even like Kashaf but for him the best way to avoid a commitment from Annie was to treat Kashaf as a scapegoat.

Sadly for Huma, Hashim is too precious to let go of therefore she thinks ignoring Annie’s feelings is the best thing to do. She has a lot of fears when it comes to her daughters proposals & that’s the reason she thinks it’s best to get married one of her daughters to Hashim as they know the family too well & Huma takes Hashim as her son. It was disappointing to see Shireen react so badly to the changed attitude of Huma & Amjad, she should understand that as much as her son means everything to her, Annie means something to Amjad & Huma too. As much as Shireen thinks her son’s happiness is important, she should give a benefit of doubt to Amjad’s family as well.

I must say the star of this episode for me was Kashaf. She not only shares a very good relation with her sister but she understands her well. She isn’t so engrossed in her own life that her sister’s ordeals do not affect her. Kashaf has proven to be a strong support system to Annie & the way they both communicate & share their secrets with each other; I must say it’s refreshing to see such a nice bonding between the two sisters. & yes, I totally feel that the girl who has played the role of Kashaf has done a very good job as all her gestures & expressions look so real. She is an effortless actress & that’s a bonus.

I really feel that for a change Shamim Hilali should opt for different kind of roles. As much as I have seen her, she always acts like a manipulative sweet-cutter where she will always act very nice & sweet with people but will harbour grudges in her heart & will make sure she mends the situation to her benefit. Malal, Shukk & now Shanakht. She is a phenomenal actor but I wish she really opts for one-sided roles where either she is negative or she has a positive attitude.

Once again, a pretty decent episode with an amazing amount of acting to see from all the actors. Maya Ali has played her bit really really well & so has everyone else. Can’t wait for the next episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, we’re done with the second episode of Shanakht & I can’t wait to see more. The way the story is unfolding, they have managed to stir the curiosity & for all the right reasons. I must say, I am totally impressed by the acting of all the characters (minus the over-actor playing the role of Hashim’s friend) because they all look so real & have given out the genuine feel to their characters. The direction has been great without any such evident loopholes that can’t be ignored. I am hooked to the show & can’t wait to find out what happens next.

This episode revolved around the ordeal Hashim felt when it came to the point of giving his & Annie’s relation a name. Subconsciously Hashim grasped all those notions that he might’ve come across regarding Annie’s choice of Hijab. Apparently, Hashim himself was the one who helped Annie convincing her family when she decided to go for Hijab but no matter how supportive he was of his cousin or best friend, he still can’t seem to come to terms with the fact that he wants to spend a life with a girl who shares a different mindset & has her own ideology. Hashim may respect & put Annie to a high regard, but he certainly doesn’t think she’s worth spending a life with. I must say, the opinion Hashim shared was quite unpredictable. Like Hashim’s mother Shireen said, she thought he’d jump with joy at the idea of his & Annie’s marriage, but what took her by surprise was an unexpected hesitation that he showed.

Annie on her own was struggling to maintain a balance between her mother & her endeared friend Ayesha. Ayesha has been the one who has tried to help Annie the best way possible but for Huma, Ayesha is just someone who has made Annie disrespectful & rigid. Annie for once didn’t understand the reason why Ayesha was keeping a distance but after finding out, Annie respected her friend’s confession & made sure she didn’t do anything that would upset her mother because her friend Ayesha helped her in understanding her mother’s point of view a bit better. Annie didn’t show any signs of disappointment but deep within she felt ashamed for the things her friend had to go through.

The focal point of this episode was the potential marriage of Hashim & Annie, where Annie deep within showed acceptance towards it because for her nothing more than her family’s happiness matters anymore. Even though Annie decided she should’nt think too much about it, she understood that even if it happens & the elders decide their marriage, she’d be pretty happy with it because Hashim has always been a supportive figure & a friend to her.

Hashim really was torn between his choice of a partner & his parent’s choice but he wanted to make up his mind & a visit to Ayesha’s home gave him a decisive push that he was looking for. Sadly for Hashim, a guy with a beard is no one but a terrorist. A simple household is nothing but an exhibition of backwardness & regression. Hashim was so blinded by his hatred that he forgot to see how cordially he was welcomed by a stranger in his house. How nicely he was treated but just because Hashim wanted to see & hear what he wanted to, he decided that he can’t put up with Annie’s choices too.

All the conversations were done beautifully & I really liked the conversations between Hashim & Annie. As much as he wanted her to convince him & even a little sign on the lines that he wanted to read would’ve been enough for Hashim but just because Annie decided to stick to the truthfulness without giving him any false hopes that she’d change herself for him, Hashim heartbrokenly decided the otherwise. Annie has decided something & she wants to stick to it no matter what & this gives her character an edge of a head-strong girl that we all wanted to see. I love Annie’s character for the fact that she’s determined & strong-headed yet very soft spoken, which puts her in a very positive light.

Annie’s parents are pretty happy about Hashim & Annie’s marriage but they really don’t know what’s yet to come. For a change it’s nice to see a good sisterly-like relation that Annie & Kashaf share. Not sure what might happen between them when Hashim’s parents will give a proposal for Kashaf instead of Annie but for now, their little conversations seem real & very genuine. Interestingly, a new family of Ahmad’s business partner was introduced & luckily they are searching for a prospect wife for their son Rohaan. I think we all can predict what will happen when they will get to meet Annie at Hashim’s birthday gathering.

So my verdict is it is so far so good. Can’t wait to see more. I think Maya Ali looks simple yet gorgeous & she has played her part as Annie way too well. I think the casting was done to perfection & everyone fits in their roles really really well. Share your say on this episode of Shanakht.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, Shanakht, new drama of Hum TV, written & directed by Amna Nawaz Khan is off to a good start. I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode because I didn’t find any loopholes in the execution & the story so far. The story of Shanakht has touched a very sensitive topic of Hijab & the difficulties Muhajjaba’s (ladies who wear Hijab) have to face. At first it might come across as a bit unpleasant to see how they have shown the derogatory remarks that people put forth about someone’s choice of Hijab, but then if we look at with an open mind, they have showed it just perfectly as to how people become judgmental towards other’s choices. I think this story will inspire us all in a different way & I can’t wait to find out how.

The story is about households of two brothers Ahmed & Amjad (Mohsin Gillani). Ahmed & Shireen (Shamim Hilali) have a son Hashim (Noor Hassan) who happens to be interested in Quratulain/Annie (Maya Ali), who’s a daughter of Amjad & Huma (Sabahat Bukhari). Annie is their first born & she has a younger sister Kashaf (Sadia Faisal). Both these families are very close-knit & they believe Hashim & Annie’s marriage will further strengthen the bond between them.

What appealed to me throughout the episode is Annie’s character. Even though she is a centre of worry for her mother & people around her just because she chose a path that goes parallel to the society they move in, she is something more than that. She is talented, she is intelligent, she is wise, she’s groomed, she’s mature & most of all, she is trying to lead a life in a certain way which appeals to her. People around her might be judging her just because she chose an added piece of cloth to cover her head, but what I liked about her character is that despite all the objection she faces every now & then, she is sticking to her decision & that shows that she’s also strong headed but rightly so.

Huma definitely blames Annie’s friend Ayesha for transforming her into a ‘mulani’ but fortunately for Annie, her father Amjad is very supportive. Huma’s perfect idea of a daughter is definitely Kashaf, a care-free teenager, who Huma might never feel ashamed of because she’s just as modern & liberal as her mother. Even though Shireen loves Annie & knows that Hashim has always liked her as well but she also feels a bit sceptical thinking Annie’s choices do not go in accordance to their social class & circle, but despite all that, Ahmed still believes that Annie’s too precious to let go off because firstly Hashim likes her & secondly, she herself is a very nice person.

In this episode, every now & then the issue of Annie’s hijab came into limelight, where it was shown that Huma accepted it the hard way that her daughter has chosen to cover to her head, she definitely gave her a tough time in the beginning. Even though Hashim has always had a soft corner for her & likes her a lot but to some extent he also doesn’t respect her choices, therefore he kind of ridicules her idea of going to university on her own because she feels Hashim is still a na-mehram to her. Annie herself knows that her family will flip out because she revisits those harsh words she had to face when her mother found out about her decision of wearing a headscarf.

Finally, as for Huma & Amjad, they wanted Annie & Hashim’s relation to officially begin but were kind of hesitant being a girl’s parent but luckily for them, Shireen & Ahmed were thinking on those lines too & they planned that the best gift they could give to Hashim on his upcoming birthday would be an announcement of his engagement to Annie. I think for everyone, this engagement will bring in a lot of joys but for Annie, who is already struggling with the candidness Hashim shows towards her, she will face some hardships when Hashim will try to treat her like a mehram & will expect the same from her.

So far, so good. I really enjoyed the first episode & I hope the pace & the execution of the story stays the same. Even though I have no complains so far but one thing that really bothered me was Sabahat Bukhari’s haircut. I think she is also becoming a ‘Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ where she is finding it hard to accept that the number of her age is ascending, hence the failed attempts of looking younger. I really wish she accepts the truth & starts staying true to her age, which would really suit her. Noor Hassan has acted really effortlessly & for a change, that looks really nice. Maya Ali looks sweet & I am glad she changed her dialogue delivery. She is definitely looking good as Annie. Can’t wait to see more. Share your thoughts on the very first episode of Shanakht.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.