Ohkay so, this episode of Sehra Main Safar was good because it showed how Iqra was getting back to normal & was picking up the pieces. The best bit about this whole phase that Iqra was going through was the support of her parents because without their support, she would’ve never been able to overcome this rough patch of her life.

I spoke about it before & I will speak about it again that I most certainly don’t understand the sudden realization Annie had. She knew all along that Shehryaar was married & was cheating on his wife with Annie, so when she was perfectly alright with the fact that she was dating a married man, why did she start having guilt pangs & all of a sudden felt the need to retract herself from this path? After shedding a few tears, she was perfectly fine with Sherhyaar being married so that’s why hearing her say that she felt cheated upon & felt deceived didn’t really make sense at all.

Ayaaz helped Iqra get back to normal because he knew that she was a victim & not the culprit in this relationship. It was good to see that Ayaaz felt for Iqra & understood her pain. Without an ulterior motive, he just wanted to lend a shoulder to cry on & it was good that Iqra without being skeptical or analytical decided to rely on him emotionally because Ayaaz proved it once again that he was there for her like a friend in need. Throughout the episode, I really liked how Iqra’s parents supported her & thanked her enough for all that she had done for them before getting married. Indeed, it was only because of Iqra’s financial support that her father could get back on his feet, start afresh & be in this position where now he could support her.

I really think Shehyaar as a dose of negativity was enough that now the introduction of Ayaaz’s Bhabhi; Nuzhat as a villain seems unnecessary & looks like a poor attempt of keeping the viewer’s interest alive in the show by relying on the typical mirch masala. All Ayaaz did was take a decision of not getting married to Nuzhat’s sister, so it doesn’t really seem necessary to be showing her spewing venom against him time & again. Seems like Ayaaz’s mother isn’t too happy with Nuzhat too & for obvious reasons because she has done everything to disappoint her mother in law by forcing Taimur to ignore Ayaaz & not making him his business partner. I really think the addition of Taimur & Nuzhat is a waste of screen-space in this drama because their track is boring, has nothing to offer & is typical where Nuzhat is your typical Bahu & now Jethani & Taimur is only getting paid to smile & nod at his biwi’s betukki suggestions like an obedient servant. I so wish they had ended the drama next week but the preview has left me in doubts where Nuzhat is all over the place & Taimur is not giving her a much needed shut up call!

I must say the scene between Iqra & Shehryaar’s father was very sweet. Iqra knew that she won’t be needing these things again & if she had got them back, they would’ve only reminded her those painful memories from her failed marriage, that is why she decided to help Shehryaar’s sister as she knew that his family was innocent & they were struggling too because Shehryaar was selfish as he only cared about maintaining his lifestyle & not much about fulfilling his responsibilities as a son & a brother.

I also must say that the conversation Iqra & Shazia had was really nice too because it showed that they both were the victim of circumstances & now when they were past that stage, they overcame their insecurities & bitterness & understood that their family never turned against them. It showed that they both learnt it the hard way but in the end they did realize that at certain point, they were wrong & they turned bitter whereas their family only loved them like they did before. Also, Ayaaz has finally told his mother what he wants & that is Iqra once again. It was good to see him showing full support to Iqra & not letting his mother state the otherwise because he knows that Iqra wasn’t at fault & it was Shehryaar who couldn’t value her presence in his life.

Overall, this episode was good because it showed some progress. The preview of the next episode left me disgusted because of the negativity that Nuzhat spread. I so hope that they end the drama next week & don’t prolong it to show how jealous Nuzhat is of Iqra. They can use the next & final episode for that & end it on a good note because this drama is past the stage where the chewing gum loses its elasticity. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Sehra Main Safar.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

PS: #PuphoKaBeta FTW!

Ohkay so, this was hands down one of the best episodes of Sehra Main Safar & I also must say that this drama has shown us probably the best closure to a messy relationship ever. This episode was intense, emotional & perfect in every aspect & what made it even better was Zarnish Khan’s phenomenal performance.

So, Ayaaz just knew what he was doing & also because he had a way of reaching out to Annie, he mustered up the courage & went ahead with his plan of informing Iqra about everything that he saw. It was quite intelligent of Ayaaz that he clicked Annie & Shehryaar’s pictures to be presented as an evidence to Iqra. Iqra would’ve never believed Ayaaz if it wasn’t for those photos but just because she herself saw Annie at Taimur’s wedding & saw the earrings she was wearing, Iqra had no choice left than to believe Ayaaz because she couldn’t help putting the pieces together & solving the puzzle immediately. Iqra’s approach was good where she wanted to have a conversation with Annie. Any girl in such a situation would want to do that but what made Iqra different was that she never wanted to meet Annie in order to beg her to leave her husband for her. She just wanted to get the confirmation in order to believe that both Ayaaz & Iqra weren’t mistaking the situation.

I so wish they hadn’t shown Nuzhat as a negative character because she is at side-st of all the side characters, so her being negative didn’t really make an impact & seemed unnecessary. Yes, her link with Annie was believable considering how Annie works in a parlor so the way Ayaaz got Annie’s number through Nuzhat was convincing & realistic but other than that, the whole scene of Nuzhat telling Taimur to not involve Ayaaz in his business seemed forced. Anyways, Ayaaz got Annie’s number & Annie being her bold self not only agreed to meet him but she thought that introducing Shehryaar to a random guy would be a great idea too. I really liked how each & everyone was planning something on their own like Nuzhat wanted Ayaaz to get insulted, Annie wanted to boast about her boyfriend in front of a complete stranger, but it all turned out to be a complete package & that too in Iqra’s favor.

Coming to the show-down scene, I really liked the way it was written, the dialogues that were chosen, the way the entire scene was directed & how well it was enacted too. It was the most important scene of the entire drama & it was amazing to see them putting just the right amount of hard work that was needed to pull it off. Ayaaz knew that he’ll be able to get Annie’s confession about her relationship with Shehryaar but both Iqra & Ayaaz never really thought that Annie will take it a step further & invite Shehryaar to the shenanigans too which will serve as the the last nail in a coffin. Iqra found out everything she wanted to know & all the things she said to Annie were spot on. Annie really needed to know that Shehryaar wasn’t trust worthy & how he wasn’t even worthy enough for Iqra to be begging him from Annie. Iqra knew she was strong enough & she also knew that it was Shehryaar who needed her & not Iqra who needed a man like him. I loved how no further justification were needed & no explanations were made, Iqra walked out that instance as she was done with him. I call it a perfect closure!

I really liked how Iqra’s parents consoled her & showed her their support because at times like these, girls going through such a tough time really need a safety net to fall back on & her parents provided that for Iqra proving that their love for her was unconditional. Iqra didn’t even convince her parents & just when she said that she wanted a divorce, they agreed because they knew that their daughter wasn’t the one who was at fault & ending a messy relationship doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. I was pleasantly surprised actually that Iqra’s mother who was quite conservative was perfectly fine with her daughter’s decision & not only that, she told her that she will support her no matter what happens, which was refreshing to see.

I must say, I really really liked this episode because it was different & the treatment all the situations got was refreshing to see too, where the girl wasn’t seen thinking about forgiving her husband’s infidelity because she needed him, she knew her life was worth more than living with a guy who never really loved & respected her, it was also refreshing to see the parents being supportive of their daughter’s choices & decisions because they had this faith in her that she was better off without a loser like Shehryaar.

It was good to see the karma getting back at Shehryaar but even then he was worried about holding on to one of the ladies at least because both of them did some earning, so if not Iqra then Annie was still an option for him. I must say I had a laugh at the scene where Shehryaar was so frustrated but he couldn’t afford to throw his cellphone considering it was expensive & he was a miser. But yes, I must say, I most certainly don’t understand the sudden realization that Annie got & also her response didn’t convince me one bit because the way she seemed surprised at the things Iqra told her about Shehryaar were the things she herself should’ve had an idea about. Ohkay, I understand, she must’ve thought that Shehryaar was buying all these gifts for her from his own pocket but the way she was like ‘tum hum dono ko dhoka de rahay the’ seemed unrealistic because she herself knew that the guy she was dating was married & was mooching off of his wife in order to save up the money to get married to her in the end, so how come this thought never really crossed her mind that all the expensive things he started gifting to her ‘after his marriage’ could’ve belonged to his wife & also before this meeting she was totally cool with the fact that her boyfriend was married? Annie’s track & reaction was a little unconvincing but other than that, the entire episode was brilliantly done.

I must say, Zarnish Khan has impressed me yet again with her phenomenal & effortless performance, she really has given Iqra’s character her heart & soul & it obviously shows. The preview of the next episode didn’t promise much but yes, I don’t really get why’d Iqra want to visit Shehryaar’s parents house before leaving him, let’s see. Anyways, please share your thoughts about this brilliant episode of Sehra Main Safar & tell me how much did you enjoy watching it.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, I watched these two episodes of Sehra Main Safar back to back in a hope that they will progress the story & also so that I’d be able to remember everything properly but I was kind of disappointed to see that the story didn’t move forward at all. They still focused on how miserable Iqra’s life was & how worse it was beginning to get. However, the note at which the recent episode ended definitely seemed promising & showed that the focus would be on how Iqra will get out of this messy & abusive relationship that she shares with Shehryaar.

So, Iqra started working again in a hope that she will be able to please Shehryaar but she definitely underestimated his selfishness because the moment she took one step, Shehryaar forced her to take another. First he demanded that Iqra should resume her job, when she agreed, then he demanded that she should herself manage how to commute to the office & when Iqra accepted that too, Shehryaar further demanded that she should manage the household chores herself as well. Iqra really thought that doing this job will bring a change in her life & more so in Shehryaar’s attitude but she was mistaken. Iqra also kept the resumption of her job from her parents because she knew that they will question her husband & also will probe about the reason behind such a decision as if there was anyone after Iqra who knew how much she hated doing a job, it was her family!

I still am not convinced with Shehryaar’s planning though. He got a better job with an even better salary package but he kept it as a secret from his wife so that he can use that extra money to spend on his girlfriend’s demands of needless shopping? How does that make sense because all we know is that Shehryaar only has ‘savings’ & ‘financial security’ on his mind, so spending so much amount on Annie doesn’t really help his situation at all? Yes, the fixed expenses are now being taken care of through Iqra’s salary, so shouldn’t Shehryaar be saving his own salary so that he can achieve what he has always wanted? Also, I must add I get so annoyed every single time there’s a conversation that happens between Shehryaar & Iqra about ‘fazool kharchi’, like it is amusingly annoying that the moment Iqra buys or makes some dishes, Shehryaar lectures her about fazool kharchi. Why is he such a bigger ‘zanani’ than Iqra? Because usually girls are more into budget maintenance & savings but to see Shehryaar being so conscious about all this makes him look so unmanly!

Anyways, things got uglier because Shehryaar failed to respect & understand Iqra even after she was doing so much to make this marriage work. He not only insulted Iqra but her parents too & that forced Iqra to lose her cool. I really think they shouldn’t have shown even that much of an abuse but it was good to see Iqra pushing Shehryaar back. Well, after that incident it looked liked they hired another guy who was a doppelgänger of Emaad Irfani because that guy could actually act & his voice along with the dialogue delivery was different too & most importantly, he wasn’t wearing the orange lipstick that the original Shehryaar/Emaad used to wear all the time. Anyways, Shehryaar realized or posed to show that he was ashamed of what he has done, therefore he even got a food parcel from a 5-star hotel (implying that it must’ve cost him an arm & a leg) for his wife to make up for what he has done. It was sad to see Iqra settling for that because she still feels she needs to work a little harder to make this marriage work.

The only good twist that I found in the recent episode was when Ayaaz took pictures of Shehryaar with his girlfriend & not only that, he chose to let Iqra know about it too. Ayaaz could already feel that something was wrong but now when he himself witnessed what Shehryaar was upto, he chose to take charge of the situation & help her cousin in need. I really think it was intelligent of Ayaaz to click those pictures because I am sure Iqra would’ve never ever accepted that what Ayaaz was saying wasn’t a lie. Also, I think Iqra should’ve grown a little bit suspicious when her earrings went missing & she saw some random girl wearing the exact same set that belonged to her. Also, I think it was a bit of a loophole that Iqra & Shehryaar both saw Annie at Taimoor’s wedding but Annie never came across Shehryaar. Also, looks like Taimoor has only brought his wife in this home as a reminder of how important it is for Ayaaz to get married & have his wife take responsibility of the household chores because other than that, Ayaaz’s Bhabhi didn’t have anything else to talk about.

Anyhow, the preview of the next episode was really interesting & even these two episodes were good too because they realistically portrayed the events taking place in Iqra’s life & how she was falling apart but still was trying hard to fight all these tough circumstances. The way her parents feel for her & how she can not reach out to them is another reality that has been shown where the daughters are unable to say anything to their parents in a regret of their own decisions. I must say Zarnish Khan has acted flawlessly throughout the drama. She is such a naturally gifted actor & delivers every scene & situation flawlessly which actually helps in relating to her character more & leaves us feeling that all this is actually a reality. I think Zarnish Khan is a saving grace of this entire drama & she deserves more projects because she can offer variety in terms of expressions & overall acting in general. Please share your thoughts about these two episodes of Sehra Main Safar & let me know if you’re looking forward to the scene when Shehryaar will get busted. ;)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, these two episodes of Sehra Main Safar revolved around Iqra finding more & more about Shehryaar. I really feel the pace of the drama is quite slow & they really need to up speed up the process as they have a lot of story left to tell like Iqra getting divorced & then going back to where she belong; yes, to her Pupho’s house!

I really want to feel for Iqra but somehow I am unable to, not because I feel she is being rightly punished but because of the way the writer has introduced all these problems in her life through Shehryaar, as it all seems quite unconvincing & unnecessary. Like out of all the people in the world, Iqra had to be the one facing punishment for the things that she herself wasn’t responsible for. The changes in the circumstances turned her bitter & now she has to face the brunt for the rudeness of let’s say 2 – 3 months that she displayed? I am not convinced at all!

Shehryaar went on a trip with his friends & lied to Iqra about it being a job hunt that he really wanted to go for & honestly speaking, that’s what the problem is, the way Shehryaar dreams big & has so many bills to be taken care of, this sort of recreation didn’t really fit in & I found it a poor attempt by the writer to throw in this scenario because when Iqra agreed to find the amount Shehryaar needed, a guy like him would’ve saved it in order to get closer to his dreams but seeing him spending all that money for a short trip didn’t really make any sense. Shehryaar wants to get married to Annie ASAP & that is why he has been pestering Iqra to continue with her job, so it doesn’t really sync well with his mentality that he would want to spend the money for a getaway & not worry about Annie if not anything else.

Once again, Shehryaar left the job & what for? It doesn’t make any sense at all. Yes, through all this, Iqra is being punished directly but again, if we speak about Shehryaar, he has always been a money-minded person, so why would he leave a job at such a crucial stage in his life where he plans on getting married to the love his life & also has a wife to be taken care of? Seeing everything, Iqra did agree to do a job once again but then again, how does it change anything in their life? They were on a single salary before & now after Shehryaar’s resignation, they’d be on a single salary once again so how will Shehryaar reach to his goal??? Somehow, I never was convinced with the way Shehryaar entered Iqra’s life & also the reasons behind it where he wanted to mooch off of her & Iqra was getting the punishment of hurting her parents & now with the latest developments I am totally of the opinion that all this twist was totally unnecessary & is now dragging a drama for no good reason.

Iqra got to find out the truth about Shehryaar’s background that his father is a pension holder & Shehryaar comes from a dysfunctional family. It was another one of those truths that forced Iqra to wake up that nothing, absolutely nothing about this marriage was what it was promised to be. There isn’t even a single thing that has worked in her favor & now she is trying to do the damage control in a hope that may be doing a job will not only change her financial condition but will change the attitude of Shehryaar towards her too.

So, Ayaaz has started making an entry into Iqra’s life once again but the process is slow & gradual exactly like the pace of the drama itself. Iqra can see how hardworking & simple he is & even though she doesn’t give it much thought but she has already started regretting getting married to Shehryaar for his face value. She wants things to get smooth & simple but Shehryaar wants to push her to the limit because of some really unreasonable reasons. Everything about Shehryaar was wrong but the one thing that was highlighted time & again about his personality was that he dreams big & wants to make a lot of money, so to see such an ambitious guy leaving a job & wasting his time in the parks on the benches doesn’t really make much sense to be honest!

Anyways, the preview of the next episode suggested that things will still remain a little edgy for Iqra & she still has a long way to go when it comes to finding the truth about Shehryaar as he has been hiding so much but yes, we all get it, Iqra is being punished because she chose the wrong guy for herself, Shehryaar is the worst man ever walked on the face of the Earth, Ayaaz is the best guy on the face of the Earth for Iqra, so can we get things moving? Please share your thoughts about these two episodes of Sehra Main Safar.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, what am I supposed to say about these two episodes of Sehra Mein Safar. I feel all the events that took place & all the things based on which the story is being taken forward are forced & unconvincing to be honest. The other day I read a quote which said “never underestimate a woman’s intuition because she can recognize your game even before you play it”, & here we have our dear writers who are bent on showing us such women who have nothing to do with a sense of intuition because they are either stupid or downright dumb or they become stupid & downright dumb the moment they meet their imperfect prince charming!!!

Iqra got married but yes, the conversation her parents had with her before they sent her off was emotional & done really well. All the girls go through that phase when their parents tell them about how special their daughters are for them & the daughters might misunderstand their parents but they can never evaluate the love their parents have for them. Iqra’s father told her about the savings her mother did for her & it was the first reality check that Iqra received which marked the downfall of her life hence forth!

Well, Iqra got married & was on cloud 9 because she got the man of her dreams only to find out that he was a man of her nightmares. Shehryaar didn’t take too long to leave an honest impression on her that he wants to have a smooth life filled with material & he wouldn’t mind getting a financial help from his wife. Like always, there’s this other woman involved in Shehryaar’s life too & as much as they showed they both aren’t married yet but Ainee (Anoushay) isn’t worried about the fact that Shehryaar has gotten married because it seems they both have a proper planning in their minds regarding their future & Ainee is ready to help Shehryaar in any way possible.

As far as I could deduce, Ainee doesn’t have a sound background too & she works in a parlor herself. Ainee believes that she can live with Shehryaar no matter what his financial status must be but Shehryaar tells her to wait for a little longer because he already has started working on the plan her has for their secure future, which I’m sure revolves around mooching off of his wife Iqra. Shehryaar doesn’t mind shamelessly stealing his wife’s phone & gifting it to his girlfriend Ainee to which she reacts like she has hit a jackpot. It is ridiculous that Shehryaar says to Iqra that he doesn’t believe in living a life of slaves where the husband has to do the heavy lifting & a wife gets to stay indoors & lead a comfortable life but can’t Shehryaar already see that his life will be exactly the same if he will get married to Ainee because she doesn’t seem educate enough to support Sherhyaar equally when they will get married.

Iqra gets another reality check when she finds out that Shehryaar doesn’t own the apartment where they live & has to pay installments for both the house & the car too. Iqra doesn’t want to continue with her job for which Shehryaar pressurizes her & Iqra comes up with a brilliant plan of selling her gold to help ease Shehryaar’s frustrations & not only that, she tells him about the savings her parents have done for her too, which again I found totally unreasonable & unconvincing. Iqra has worked in an office environment for a considerable amount of time & she has dealt with a lot of people too, so I find it immature of her to not being able to see where Shehryaar is headed with all the portrayal of himself as a halaat ka mara who is finding it hard to earn a decent living for himself & his wife? Iqra already has understood that Shehryaar kept her in the dark about a lot of things so how can she trust him with her jewelry & money that too so soon? Yes, she is acting like a good wife who believes in transparency between herself & her husband but then, why do the writers turn our female leads into dumb zombies who lose their brains & logic the moment they get engaged or married?

When Iqra cried & realized what she has done to herself, I really thought she will plan on helping Shehryaar by resuming her job because that’s what he was asking her to do but to see her coming up with such a ridiculous idea of helping him with her jewelry & money was totally absurd & unconvincing. How long does Iqra think this money of hers will last? How many installments would her jewelry & savings cover? Shehryaar has flipped immediately & everything about him has changed where he is telling her openly about how stingy he is when it comes to money, so why can’t Iqra see that there’s a major problem rather than trusting in him blindly? It was good to see that Iqra found out about another one of Shehryaar’s lies through Shazia that he hasn’t joined the office yet & I want to see if Iqra will continue to believe in him or not? The preview however did suggest that Iqra will find out more about Shehryaar & may be Ayaaz will pop out of nowhere to seep through the idea in Iqra’s mind that he is still available & is still an option that is left for her. Let’s see what more do they have to show us!

Well, I believe the story has gone from average to worse in these two episodes because the way the writer is ‘punishing’ Iqra for getting married to the man she loved against her parent’s wishes is so not justified. Iqra was an ideal daughter who helped her mother throughout her life where she never demanded anything unreasonable from her parents as she wasn’t indifferent to their financial status & then Iqra extended even more help to her father when his life hit the rock bottom, so I really find it bizarre that just because the writer wants to show that the best & the only suitable partner for a girl ever would be her pupho ka beta, she is punishing Iqra for going against the norms & choosing to marry a guy she loves who doesn’t happen to be her pupho ka beta unfortunately. I want the writer to know that not every working woman’s life is so messed up, not every working woman chooses the worst guy for herself & not every working woman has such low IQ where she blindly trust the wrong people. This drama sadly is so full of clichés that’s it is not even funny. Another great example of a clichéd punishment that the writer has picked up for Iqra is to show that her husband already has a girlfriend & he isn’t loyal to her…like seriously, all this is being showed just to make a point that Iqra is a transgressor who didn’t go with what her parents chose for her & sinned by choosing a husband for herself whom she fell in love with before marriage? I can already see that Iqra’s life will continue to get worse where she will be forced to divorce Shehryaar & marry the ideal Pupho ka Beta Ayaaz!!! Please share your thoughts about these two episodes of Sehra Main Safar.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, the writing of Sarwat Nazir, direction of Azfar Ali & the production of Momina Duraid; Sehra Main Safar is 10 episodes down & airs at 9PM every Friday on HUM TV. I binge-watched it because of a lot of recommendations & requests for the reviews. I must say, it’s a simple story that has been directed pretty decently & the story-line doesn’t have much loopholes but yes, for me, it is filled with a tad bit of cliches & at this point, after watching 10 episodes, I am not sure what the motive of the writer is & I will speak about it in the later part of this overview.

So, the story is of Iqra (Zarnish Khan) who happens to be a daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Farooq (Shehryaar Zaidi & Humera Zaheer) & is their eldest child. Iqra has a younger sister Aasma (Isha Noor) & they both have a great relationship with each other. Iqra is a very domesticated sort of a person who never stepped out of her home, she loves home-making & always believes in helping her family. Like any other girl of her age, Iqra also dreams of getting married & settling down with her partner but life has something else in store for her.

Farooq’s family goes through a financial crisis when his friends tells him to invest his lifelong savings & provision funds in a business owned by his cousin, only to find out later that they will commit a fraud & he will lose all his money. Farooq gets a heart & paralysis attack & that’s when Iqra is forced to wake up & smell the coffee. The same friend of Farooq then suggests that Iqra should do a job in order to help the family, therefore he arranges one for her & she gets a job too. That’s when Iqra is compelled to step outside of her comfort zone & she starts understanding that the world outside the vicinity of her home & imagination is completely opposite & harsh. Farooq also has a sister Fauzia (Lubna Aslam) who has two sons Taimoor & Ayaaz (Ali Kazmi). Taimoor resides in UAE while Ayaaz lives with his mother in Pakistan. Ayaaz is a graduate who hasn’t found his dream job yet, therefore he tutions students to fend for himself. Like always, Ayaaz is interested in Iqra & even though things look easy on the surface, they start getting complicated as their life progresses.

Before Farooq’s health problems, Iqra gets a proposal of Kamran who happens to be the brother of her neighborhood friend Shagufta. That is when Fauzia also puts forth a proposal of Ayaaz for Iqra but Farooq & his wife believe that Kamran’s a bit more eligible because he earns 80K a month. Ayaaz speaks to Iqra to confess his feelings to her & finds out about Kamran’s proposal, where Iqra only tells him that her parents are considering Kamran’s proposal & she will do what her parents will choose for her. When Farooq gets admitted to the hospital, Ayaaz goes out of the way to help their family & then Farooq & his wife get convinced that Ayaaz is better off than Kamran because his sister Shagufta didn’t even bother contacting them in this hour of need. In the meanwhile, Iqra starts her job & then Shagufta shows up only to tell that she was hesitant because of what their family was going through.

Iqra takes the responsibility of her family & that’s where her mother starts getting a bit too comfortable with Iqra’s earnings. Farooq always shows appreciation for what Iqra has done for their family but her mother at times seems concerned but at times thinks Iqra isn’t doing something that no one has done before. Shagufta once again approaches them but this time for Aasma because according to her, Kamran doesn’t like working women. Iqra’s mother accepts the proposal & convinces Iqra to help them even more by giving her a false hope of getting her married to Ayaaz the moment he finds a job. That’s when Iqra is reminded of what Shazia; her colleague always used to tell her that there will come a time when her family will grow indifferent to her feelings & she will be only needed when they’ll be in need of her salary.

This spin of life takes a toll on Iqra & from the one who loves her family to bits, she turns into someone who can’t relate to them anymore as all she notices is how they use her hard-earned money for their own needs & wants. Iqra tries hard to keep herself grounded & reminds herself not to misunderstand her family but Aasma’s wedding hits the nail in the coffin & she changes completely. That’s the point in her life when the entry of Shehryaar Ahmed (Emaan Irfani) as her co-worker starts affecting her. Shehryaar goes out of the way to let her know that she is needed in his life & that’s when Iqra decides to get married to him in stead of Ayaaz. Things are going to get even more difficult for her now, so let’s see what’s in store for her.

Honestly speaking, I enjoyed watching Sehra Main Safar till the 8th episode because after that the writer started introducing the cliches that highlighted the negatives of a working women in general. I was time & again reminded of Fareeda’s character from Digest Writer where she dedicated her whole life to her family & then her in-laws. Digest Writer showed a more balanced approach of the writer there but in this drama, looks like the writer is trying to punish Iqra because now she will go by her wish & get married to Shehryaar, that too after she has dedicated years to help her family in the darkest of times. Also, by highlighting the transition in Iqra’s attitude & personality, it looks like the writer is turning her into an example of how a working women shouldn’t be, which I find a little questionable. Iqra got pressurized almost to the point of choking by her mother every single time she chose to do something out of her free will, also, even though Iqra’s mother was thankful to Iqra but she started expecting a little too much from her & that thing had no stop, so I don’t think there’s a reason to show Iqra in a negative light. Also, it was her parents who who pushed her out to face the practical world, so if that has taken toll on her personality, her mother shouldn’t find it hard to cope with it. Even though I do believe it is a good drama but I do not endorse the writer’s approach here about working women that all the girls who step out to make a living are too head-strong & only do as they please.

Anyhow, I must say Zarnish Khan is immensely talented, the way she has brought variations in her dialogue delivery & her tone in different situations is commendable. She sounds authoritative in the office when she needs to be, then she sounds defeated when she shares her feelings with her friend. I really am enjoying watching her on-screen & she really has carried this drama on her shoulders. The rest of the cast has really done a wonderful job too except Emaad Irfani because his dialogue delivery is a bit too flat & he sounds robotic, however I must say I am impressed by the actress playing the character of Shazia, it seems that acting comes naturally to her. I think the director really has stayed true to his seat by getting the best acting out of all these actors. There are no flaws in the direction whatsoever & that is why, I take it as a good watch. I think this drama is better for binge-watching because now when I think of it, the pace is a tad bit on the slower side. I didn’t feel it that much because I covered 10 episodes in 2-3 days, but now when I’d have to wait for it every single week, I do believe it is going to get a bit too slow for my liking. So, those of you who want to watch it, wait for a few weeks & watch all the episodes together after it ends. Please share your thoughts about the first half of Sehra Main Safar.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, this entire episode was dedicated to Ayaaz, his insecurities & his jealousy. Honestly speaking, I would’ve gone easy on them in my review if it would’ve been the last episode because the note at which this episode ended seemed alright & they could’ve finished the drama off then & there but the preview of the next episode infuriated me & nope, there’s no scope of forgiveness left now because when they can show what they want to, then I can also say what I want to!

So, Ayaaz became the ultimate party-pooper because he was so insecure & jealous. Ayaaz wanted his Iqra back & he felt he lost his wife & his bachon ki amman because she was doing a job? I actually thought that he was joking but to add to my woes, he wasn’t. I actually couldn’t believe how much negativity was filled inside this so-called sugar syrup Ayaaz & I fail to give him a leeway that just because he felt useless, he became bitter. Accha, let me ask, who was the Iqra that Ayaaz was missing & wanted back in his life? That Iqra who would listen to her husband’s rants about how expensive the pampers have become or that Iqra who would always be tensed regarding how they will make the ends meet since Ayaaz was too happy with his scooty & wanted to escape his responsibilities of upgrading his income, despite knowing that it was he who upgraded the size of his family.

The initial part of the episode left me feeling disgusted because I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that in stead of breaking the stereotypes, the writer was feeding them to the the viewers even more. I know things got sorted in the end but that too only when Ayaaz fell in a deep pit. In stead of focusing on his burnt slice, when he had the time, Ayaaz should’ve sat down & should’ve analyzed how Iqra was doing everything to help her entire family. Ayaaz couldn’t congratulate Iqra for her car without taunting her about how she achieved everything only for herself. I was actually put off by the dialogues that were given to Ayaaz because a lot of time was given to the grocery items in this drama, so I so was not in a mood to find out the charges of the local plumbers or the prices of the kids’ toys.

Ayaaz couldn’t do anything in his life because he was too happy with how everything was & he didn’t want to step out of his comfort zone, at the expense of making the rest of his family members suffocated because of his incapabilities. All this while, we had only heard that Ayaaz wanted to ‘do’ something, he wanted to ‘give’ Iqra what she deserved but why was it that we didn’t see him ‘doing’ anything that he ‘said’? Looks like Ayaaz believed in theory more than practicality that is why it was easier for him to be wishful rather than moving a muscle to achieve what his family needed & wished for.

Well, Iqra’s boss told her that he will give her a week to sort her family issues but I guess in other words he was saying ‘ke app is 1 haftay mai dua karain ke appke husband phislain takay unki band aqal ke taalay khulain’ & voila, this is exactly what happened, Ayaaz injured himself & when he went from being partially useless to completely useless, he understood that he was wrong, how convenient isn’t it? Accha, let’s suppose that if that red van hadn’t hit Ayaaz, would anything in him or his personality had changed? I don’t think so! Why was it that when Ayaaz hit the rock bottom, he then realized that he was being selfish? Like wasn’t there a built-in switch of soul searching or self-realization in a selfless man like him? Well, even though we didn’t see who he was but I will have to thank the driver of the red van because he will remain the “unsung hero” of this drama because if it wasn’t for his negligent driving, Iqra’s life would’ve never changed & her husband would’ve always remained a party-pooper!

Well, everything was rosy posy at the end & I was happy for Iqra that she achieved what she wanted to, even got the car that initially became the bone of contention between her & her husband but the preview infuriated me so much. I guess this drama was about Iqra, so how in the world did the writer assume that we’d be thrilled to see how her kids turned out to be? Sorry, we’re not INTERESTED & chalo if the writer had shown her kids to be appreciative of what their mother did for them, it would’ve made sense but I guess the villains of this dramas get a lot of screen-time & keep on replacing each other that too for no purpose whatsoever. Now it is Ayaaz’s son, who definitely has inherited that unrequired ‘ghairatmandi’ from his father & will now make his mother realize that she wasted her life because she didn’t make the anday parathay ka nashta for his father herself & that according to Iqra’s son is a big no no, that is why even he is on a hunt to find a maid/wife who will take care of his & his parent’s anday parahtay ka nashta. Seriously, I think the note at which this episode ended was enough to conclude the the entire drama but not sure what made the writer think that we’re in a mood to see another short-lived villain, who will fall flat on his face like all the previous villains who made an appearance starting from Iqra’s mother, to Shehryaar, to Annie, to Nuzhat, to Ayaaz & now their son? LOL! Anyways, please share your thoughts about this episode of Sehra Main Party-Poopers!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, please correct me if I am wrong but did I just watch an episode of morning show dedicated to ‘gharelu budget’ that often Nadia Khan & Nida Yasir have dedicated their shows to because all the discussions in this episode revolved around those very nominal things & the dialogues at times seemed a little too petty!!! I seriously am so put off after watching this episode that I actually feel I have wasted my precious time. I really am not understanding the purpose of the writer here to be honest & it’s actually quite sad for someone like me who has a high regard for the work that Sarwat Nazeer has done previously.

I don’t really get why the writer here is trying to show someone like Taimur in a bad light. When I say someone like Taimur, I am talking about someone who makes a decent amount of money & has been able to maintain a decent lifestyle for his family. Yes, I do agree & I will say that again, I do agree & feel that Taimur is wrong in that aspect where he is ignoring his mother & her needs. He is also wrong where he doesn’t even put an effort to spend time with his mother but then, if he buys gifts for his wife & if he provides furniture or curtains for her, then what’s wrong with that & what is in it that makes him a bad guy or a bad son? I know he is just a side character but since his little family is getting so much of screen-time, I am forced to speak about it because if we look at it, Taimur spent a lot of time in abroad where he was making money & taking care of the household expenses on his own for a very long time & also when he returned he took care of Ayaaz & his mom for quite a while too, so now if I look through his perspective; living away on your own without your family, doing a job while managing everything on your own from cooking to cleaning to everything else which usually is the life that bachelors lead when they step outside of their country to make money, so if I consider all that, Taimur, in my opinion, didn’t lead an easy life too. Yes, he got lucky that he bagged himself a decent paying job, so now if he has settled in Pakistan & is doing these little gestures for his family, then why is he shown in a bad light here? It definitely isn’t Taimur’s responsibility to fend for his entire family all his life. Let me say that again, he is wrong for not being able to maintain a balance between his mother & his wife but apart from it, if he is providing a decent life for his family then there’s no point in showing him in a bad light.

Yes, the eyebrows are being raised on Taimur because of Nuzhat, but she is a whole different story & if she is like that, then let her be as she can’t change & her financial condition has nothing to do with how hard Iqra & Ayaaz’s financial stability is. I by no means am saying that I understand her character or I like her character, but yes, I think every wife is conscious about her husband’s pocket so if she asked for Ayaaz to bear half of the expenses then there’s nothing wrong in that as it wasn’t Taimur’s responsibility to provide for the entire family including Ayaaz’s wife just because he was making more money than Ayaaz. Also, it is a case in every single family where one brother makes a tad bit more amount of money than his other siblings, so it doesn’t mean that everyone has to rely on him for each & everything!

Also, another thing that I don’t really understand is the reason why Ayaaz’s job as a tutor is highlighted so much & it is made to show that he is the only guy on the face of the earth that is working so hard to provide for his family & is failing miserably? Another thing that I don’t really understand is that Iqra was the good child of her family & similarly Ayaaz is the good child of this family too, so why did the writer put these two awesome, good & pure souls into this never-ending financial misery which is taking them nowhere & is serving no purpose whatsoever? Like what is the purpose here, I am asking again? Ayaaz is taking care of his mother now so isn’t his mother’s prayer working in his favor that might turn his luck & bring him this jackpot that Sallahuddin hit in Mann Mayal, chalo if not something that huge but at least a decent ‘job’ where he would be able to buy his kid’s pampers the same day his wife reminds him about it?

Even a few episodes ago, all the conversations were making sense & had some meaning but throughout this entire episode where the focus was on grocery list & where all the dialogues included a mention of, kal ka bacha hua salan, doodh, anda, toast, paratha, gosht, bijli ka bill, puranay kapray, furniture, parday, pamper, tin food (which actually is known as a baby food FYI Nuzhat), baby’s formula milk, (hope I am not forgetting any item since it is so important) I was lost & couldn’t even bring myself to pay attention to their conversations or relate to how dire their situation was & how hard they were struggling because all these things are quite normal & nominal that every wife reminds about them to her husband so that he can fetch these things when he returns, so yeah, what’s the big deal about it? I was actually finding it hard to understand that someone could bring all these grocery items in a drama, not only write dialogues about it but also turn this non-issue into such a huge issue, like kya waqay hi hamare pass content ki itni kami ho gai hai? The way the grocery items are being discussed in Sehra Main Suffer, I fear that may be in upcoming dramas, we’ll also get to hear ke sabun, toilet tissues, toothpaste aur shampoo bhi kisi couple ke ghar se khatam ho jayeinge & they will end up fighting with each other!!!

Accha, I think Iqra’s ‘Sehra Main Safar’ refers to her job & career. She does a job & refers to it as Sehra as travelling in a desert is quite hard so just like it was made clear upon us in the beginning that Iqra finds it hard to work in an office, this is what her safar/suffer in sehra is going to be throughout her life where she will have to work time & again when she will succumb to the financial pressures instilled upon her by the writer, for no good reason. Sorry guys, this is just my honest opinion about these recent events that have taken place in this drama, however, I do understand that there are quite a lot of people who like this drama & for that, please feel free to disagree with my take on it & don’t hold back in sharing what you feel about it & how you find it realistic or good. For me, this episode was just like a morning show where the hosts & the guests do talk about a lottt of problems, but no one reaches to a conclusion. The preview also didn’t convince me with Iqra’s solution where she’d actually have to lie to her husband & work in order to make some money to afford the school fee of her kids!

Ayaaz is perfect in comparison to Shehryaar but seems like even he is unable to make Iqra happy. First it was Shehryaar’s beghairiti that forced her to do the job & now it is Ayaaz’s ghairat that is again forcing her to do a job & also lie to him on top of that? So, what’s the point here? Iqra was pressurized to work, by her father, her first husband & now because of the financial condition of her second husband, so what does it tell, like what’s the purpose of this drama here, ke larki ko job karni chahiye, nahi karni chahiye, husband jitna kamata hai us mai khush rehna chahiye yan har waqt muh phula ke rehna chahiye, husband push karay job karne ke liye tab nakhush rehna chahiye yan husband manah kare tab us se chup ke job karni chahiye aur us ke saath saath nakhush bhi rehna chahiye? Like crux kya hai bhai koi itna bata de bas??? LOL!!! Anyways, please share your thoughts about this episode of Sehra Main Safar (Sehra Main Suffer for me actually)!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

A little prayer to reach the finale of this drama quickly:
‘Kar Thori Meherbaaniyaan, Rabbbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa’.