I have only one complaint with this latest episode – it ended too quickly! Mera Naam Yousuf Hai always proves to be very engaging and it always leaves you wanting more of the beautiful characters and their stories every time it ends. Zulekha has finally fallen for Yousuf. In the last episode most of us felt like Zulekha was being selfish but in this episode when Zulekha thinks of Yousuf right from their first meeting to the last one I was pretty sure that Yousuf was the person she had been waiting and looking for all her life. Zulekha told Hajra in one of the previous episodes that whenever she got married she would like it to be a love marriage, it was just a matter of finding the right person. The fact that Zulekha tried her best to stop this marriage but decided to leave things to fate when the marriage was inevitable made it easy for me to connect to her character. Zulekha is strong but she also knows when to surrender. That is probably the only difference between Zulekha and Afia Begum, both of them like to have their own way but unlike Afia Zulekha is not willing to put everything at stake.

Yousuf and Daa Ji’s plan was pure genius, I am sure many viewers like me did not see that coming at all. Ultimately what they did will land them in trouble but they managed to stop the marriage for now and the preview of the next episode showed that what Yousuf did will finally prove to Zulekha that everything that he said about loving Zulekha was true. Zulekha’s conversation with Hajra showed that she needed reassurance. She wants to be loved the way Yousuf loves her but she also had a difficult time accepting that his feelings for her were genuine. Yousuf’s conversations with Madiha went to show how different their views about love were. Yousuf believes that everything is fair in love and war but Madiha feels that putting someone’s life in danger is never justified which was the primary reason why she never told Yousuf about Zulekha’s nikkah. Madiha is a very sensible girl she tried to stop her brother from telling Yousuf what was going on but when it was inevitable she decided to tell him herself which I thought was a very wise move.

The scenes with Madiha and Daa Ji in them were touching as usual. The ” tumhei ami aba yaad aa rahey thay” was the perfect way to start a conversation which was not an easy one to initiate. Daa Ji understands what Madiha is going through and he feels helpless but at the same time he is also very convinced that Yousuf should be with Zulekha. Noor Mohammad’s ” kitne kaam adhure reh gaye” dialogue went to prove that he was looking forward to his nikkah with Bushra more than Zulekha’s wedding. Zulekha’s wedding was only important to him because that was the only way he was going to get married to Bushra.

The best thing about this play are the beautiful characters, apt portrayals and the perfect direction. I love the attention to detail; the samosas, the hot tea and the beautifully shot scenes kya baat hai! All the actors including Maya Ali acted exceptionally well in tonight’s episode. I missed Yousuf’s parents in tonight’s episode.

The preview of the next episode suggested that Yousuf is going to get into trouble once again but this time Zulekha will feel very differently about the situation. MNYH is the perfect play to watch on a Friday night when you want to relax, unwind and be entertained.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

This episode was picture perfect in every way, it is the sort of episode which you can watch over and over again because it keeps you at the edge of your seat. There were no major developments in tonight’s episode but whatever happened in this episode laid the foundation for one of the biggest twists in the story which we will see soon enough. I must say that until the last episode I wasn’t sure if I loved this play enough but after watching this episode I am convinced that MNYH will continue giving us wholesome entertainment. Imran Abbas owned this episode every step of the way. He is very convincing as the true yet naive aashiq, he makes you feel for him. Mansha Pasha (Madiha) is another actor who stands out more than any other character/actor in the drama. Honestly speaking sometimes I can’t help but feel that MNYH is probably more about Madiha and Yousuf than Zulekha and Yousuf.

While Yousuf’s love for Zulekha is very genuine too but Madiha’s love for Yousuf is more mature. Yousuf is learning to love, he needs guidance to figure out what he should do and what he shouldn’t. Yousuf had no idea that the way he had been openly declaring his love for Zulekha might damage her in some way but Madiha knows only too well where she needs to draw the line. Although for the first time we saw Madiha hiding something very important from Yousuf which would determine the fate of his love story but it was too obvious that she did it for all the right reasons. I really liked the way Madiha’s thought process was shown all through tonight’s episode. From overhearing Yousuf’s song to having the nightmare, everything was spot on. Usually we find ourselves wondering why certain characters took major decisions in dramas but there is no such confusion in this play till now. Understanding the characters and their motives has never been an issue because the characters are brilliantly etched-out and the director and the actors have done complete justice to them.

This episode had so many beautiful and touching scenes which were made even more appealing because of the eloquent dialogues! The way Daa Ji brought up the subject of Madiha’s feelings for Yousuf and the manner in which he reacted in front of his sister and behind her back was just what all of us expected from him. He loves Madiha and he wants her to be happy but he also knows that she has no future with Yousuf. He cried because he felt helpless!

Is Zulekha in love with Yousuf or is she only relying on him because Yousuf is her only hope? I kept on going from thinking that Zulekha might just have feelings for Yousuf to wondering if Zulekha was only using Yousuf! Zulekha came across as a very desperate person who would resort to anything at all in order to stop this marriage. She cannot stop this marriage herself because she does not want to put her father in a situation where he might feel insulted but if Yousuf does that dirty job for her she will not be blamed for anything. Afia Begum has given up hope too and she couldn’t do much when Noor Mohammad brought the suits for Zulekha to select. Noor Mohammad thinks his daughter has the right to choose what she wears on her nikkah but she does not have the right to choose who she ties the knot with! Noor Mohammad now comes across as a very selfish person who is using his own daughter to get what he wants.

The highlights of this episode were Zulekha realizing that Madiha loves Yousuf, that was totally unexpected but very convincing, Daa Ji sharing the discovery he made with his sister, the song of course which was picturized beautifully and last but not the least Madiha thinking things through. The preview of the next episode looked very enticing…will Daa Ji keep the secret Madiha asked him to keep because that is in Yousuf’s best interest? Will Zulekha get married to Imran Mugheez?

Just like all the previous episodes of MNYH this one too was a visual treat right from the get-go. The freshly painted red flower pots and Zulekha’s red duppata stood out along with many other beautiful colors throughout this episode which basically goes to show that the director and the director of photography put in an extra amount of effort in making this drama look good on screen and the final product clearly shows that their efforts paid off. Mehreen Jabbar has brought out the best in all the actors and every single scene has been directed with precision. Khalil-ur-Rehman’s witty dialogues and beautiful characters make this play entertaining. I must give due credit to the person in charge of make up and lighting because everyone looks their best in this drama. For me yet again this episode belonged to Imran Abbas and Mansha Pasha. Am I the only one who can’t help but root for Madiha and Yousuf more than Yousuf and Zulekha?

Do share your thoughts about this episode.

Fatima Awan

The story is moving forward smoothly and the genuine characters in the play remain the highlight of the drama. Yes! Yousuf’s love for Zulekha cannot be explained in a logical way but I have absolutely no trouble relating to how Yousuf feels for Zulekha. Imran Abbas has played his role really well, I felt for Yousuf every step of the way today. Madiha’s character is one of a kind since if this was any other play Madiha would have been utilizing all her energies into creating some kind of a misunderstanding between Yousuf and Zulekha that would completely destroy any possibility of them getting together at some point. Madiha on the other hand stays very neutral when it comes to Yousuf’s love for Zulekha. When Zulekha called her today I was expecting her to say something that would end this chapter forever but quite contrary to my expectations Madiha’s love for Yousuf is completely selfless. She has been yearning for Yousuf’s love and attention since her school days but she is not going to use any kind of unfair tactics to win that love. It is refreshing to see all these sensible girls on screen who are anything but desperate. Mansha Pasha has brought out the best in her character by not making Madiha look like as big a victim as we were afraid she might turn out to be the ultimate bechari. The character has been written in a very balanced way as well. Madiha is a brave girl who knows how to handle her feelings but you do feel for her.

Zulekha’s conversation with Madiha clearly showed that she only felt sorry for Yousuf because whatever happened to him was very cruel and unfair. She feels absolutely nothing for Yousuf and she most certainly does not want to lead him on. Zulekha’s father’s insecurities and his selfishness are getting frightening with every passing episode. Noor Mohammad intends to go ahead with his wedding and also that of Zulekha at all costs. This arrangement probably suits him more now that he has his mind made up that he will get married to Lubna. He cannot think of a better way to punish Afia Begum and fix his bruised ego. Noor Mohammad fails to see his daughter as an individual, that is the reason why even after Zulekha openly shared her thoughts about her future her father did not even give it a second thought. Like a dictator he felt insecure but he did not feel the need to pay heed to what Zulekha had to say. Zulekha’s sermon about democracy fell on deaf ears because people like her father and brother do not believe in democracy but they believe in dominating and dictating. The only reason Zulekha and her sister haven’t grown up to be docile girls without any opinion is because of Afia Begum’s larger than life personality who has managed to be vocal and confident even after being married to someone like Noor Mohammad for all these years.

The way the policeman who was incharge of making sure that Yousuf gets punished was convinced of his innocence reminded me of how Khalil always managed to win everyone over because of his genuine feelings for Shano. This love story however is very different from that of Khalil and Shano’s love story because for now it is only one-sided. There wasn’t much of Afia Begum in tonight’s episode and I definitely missed her witty dialogues in tonight’s episode.

The word yakhni was overused in tonight’s episode and the yakhni played an important role in making Yousuf’s step-mother figure out what was going on. We also got to see a nice close-up of the yakhni which was quite convincing;) Yousuf’s step-mother’s role is another character which breaks away from all the clichés that have ever exited about step mothers! It seems like Yousuf’s father got married only recently therefore Yousuf still is finding it hard to accept his father’s new wife.

Overall, this episode was not very happening but it was pretty decent. The story is moving forward gradually and at the moment it looks like nothing can keep Noor Mohammad from getting his daughter married. All the actors are doing complete justice to their characters but Imran Abbas and Mansha Pasha’s performances stood out in tonight’s episode more than any other. All the scenes were short, to the point and shot beautifully. This episode of MNYH didn’t have the dhuwandaar dialogues like the ones in the previous few episode so I definitely missed those but I am definitely looking forward to the next episode because I can’t wait to find out how this love story unfolds.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

Yousuf’s love story took a serious turn in tonight’s episode and it also became obvious that Zulekha does not feel anything for Yousuf, not even sympathy. Yousuf confessed that he knew that Zulekha did not even like him but loving her was not in his control. Zulekha’s sister’s character provided the comic relief which I am sure all of us needed tonight. I must say that her dialogues and her character is turning out to be extremely interesting.

Khandan ki naak lrkiyu k dil se kyun juri hoti hai! Everything that Zulkeha said to Imran Mugheez was music to my ears but apparently Imran Mugheez is nothing like Ali Hamza. The whole family was quick to judge Zulekha but no one questioned how wrong they were in getting this girl married to someone she was not even interested in. Girls in our society get married like this every day but no one questions these arranged marriages which do not include the consent of the girl. Zulekha is a girl on a mission but like she mentioned she does not want to see her father losing either. She is not doing this because she wants to hurt her father but she is doing this because she does not want to marry someone she does not like which sounds very plausible. Khala’s sudden change of heart was also an interesting development in the story! The dialogue ” khala chahey saagi hi kyun na ho bhanji ke character pe compromise nahi kr skti” was hilarious. I think the writer has questioned many of the norms of our society through these witty and fun dialogues. Many dialogues like this one are funny but ironic at the same time.

Yousuf’s father might be liberal but even he considers Yousuf’s love for Zulekha madness. He most certainly would have liked it if his son married someone he loved but if the girl does not love him back and she is getting married in a few days then he is definitely not going to allow Yousuf to indulge in such fantasies. Behroze Sabzwari has always been a very convincing performer therefore he had no difficulty in portraying the “other side” of Yousuf”s father. He showed that he is quite capable of telling his son off when it is needed.

Noor Mohammad is proving to be a big hypocrite. He won’t allow his daughter to have a say in her marriage but he thinks it is okay for him to have an affair and even get married to someone secretly. Noor Mohammad comes across as a very selfish person who wants things his way.

I am glad that Daa Ji found out today that Madiha has been talking to Yousuf and I want to find out what he does with that information. Madiha does not want to be involved in Yousuf’s love story in any way for obvious reasons. There wasn’t much of Madiha in tonight’s episode but I am really looking forward to seeing more of her.

This latest episode moved the story to the next level; Yousuf’s secret is out and so is Madiha’s. Just like all the previous episodes of MNYH this one too was directed very well. I must say that tonight’s episode belonged to Imran Abbas; he owned his character every step of the way. Yousuf might not be a brilliant student, he does qualify as a “lofer” too but he is innocent and genuine. Will Zulekha ever be able to love Yousuf the way he loves her? It seems most unlikely at the moment.

Do share your thought’s about tonight’s episode!

Fatima Awan

This latest installment of Mera Naam Yousuf Hai was just as refreshing as all the others. This drama is proving to be a breeze of fresh air mainly because of all the interesting characters and the quality of dialogues. I have praised the direction and picture quality of this play many times before but I can’t help praising it over and over again. Every single scene is beautifully shot with special attention given to detail. I am very certain that the colors which the actors were going to wear in different scenes were also decided after giving it a lot of thought because sometimes the similarity in colors and at other times the contrast makes the drama a visual treat. I watch this drama purely for entertainment and until now I see absolutely no reason to find logic in anything at all because doing that would I think ruin the beauty of the play. I absolutely loved the addition of different songs in the background, that was a really different touch, all of them are classics.

Yousuf is just plain adorable!! His love for Zulekha cannot be explained through reasoning but his faith in his love for her is admirable. I have never liked Imran Abbas more in any other character. Anyone who is a fan of Imran Abbas must watch this drama! Yousuf’s meeting with Zulekha was just what the doctor ordered. Our hero managed to make the most of the one minute which Zulekha gave him by convincing her that this marriage was not going to take place! Zulekha had already made up her mind that meeting her suitor was the best way to get him out of the way, she had done that once and she could do it again. Maya Ali is superb as the confident Zulekha. I like Zulekha’s confidence mainly because she isn’t invincible. She did give into her father at one point and she is very scared of him as well. Afia Begum constantly keeps on reminding her daughter that she cannot give in and everything that she said to her tonight worked like a charm.

Noor Mohammad and his love interest has to be my least favorite of all the tracks in this play. Noor and Lubna’s scene together showed that Noor like many other men his age is using his wife’s attitude as a tool to get sympathies from a woman and Lubna is just too eager to rekindle old flames! I have no idea where their track is going but I have complete faith in Zulekha! She will make sure that her marriage with Imran never takes place which means that Afia Begum is here to stay!

I truly felt for Madiha in tonight’s episode. Madiha has been in love with Yousuf since childhood but Yousuf feels absolutely nothing for her. The fact that Yousuf fell for someone he saw for the first time but never even had a soft spot for Madiha goes to show just how unlucky Madiha has been. Daa Ji is completely unaware of Madiha’s feelings for Yousuf but he does come across as someone who would stand by his sister even if he found out that she is interested in his friend. Daa Ji’s character along with that of Madiha and Zulekha’s sister has to be one of those very strong supporting characters who make you look forward to their scenes. I must say that one thing that stands out about Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s scripts apart from his dialogues are the beautifully etched out supporting characters. Whether they are positive or negative, they are all extremely important in their own way and together all these characters complete the drama.

I must thank the entire team of MNYH for a job really well done. Watching this drama till now has been a very pleasant experience. Really looking forward to what Zulekha, Yousuf and all the MNYH characters have in store for us next week.

I am really enjoying the ride till now, are you? Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

This episode of Mera Naam Yousuf Hai just like all the previous ones was filled with some very interesting conversations and some brilliant performances. The relationships of all the characters with each other and the chemistry between all the actors which is probably the result of Mehreen Jabbar’s direction makes every scene of this drama pure entertainment. The story has absolutely nothing new to offer but the way it has been presented on screen makes you look forward to more. The fact that there is nothing heavy duty about this drama at all till now makes it stand out.

The “war” between Noor Mohammad and Afia Begum which actually should have been Zulekha’s battle seems to be headed towards a draw! Both the parties are not willing to give up on their stance. Afia will leave Noor Mohammad the day Zulekha gets married to Imran Mugheez and Noor Mohammad has a plan of his own! Noor Mohammad has not been able to live in peace ever since he found out that his wife never loved him, he wants to teach his wife a lesson by getting married to Bushra who was introduced in the most interesting manner by Afia! Afia’s dialogues are hilarious! I know that I have praised her dialogues and the way Hina Bayat has translated this character on screen again and again but I think they deserve a special mention in this review as well. This woman either takes everything too seriously or she does not understand the gravity of the situation at all! Afia’s dialogues went to show that she was not willing to put up with Noor Mohammad having his own way any more! It is ironic that neither Zulekha’s father nor her mother cares about what their daughter wants!

Mansha Pasha’s acting was beyond brilliant in tonight’s episode; she portrayed Madiha’s fake enthusiasm and her real feelings in a superb way. Madiha did not play any games but went ahead and conveyed Yousuf’s message just the way he wanted it to be conveyed because she does not want him to commit suicide! Zulekha does not see Yousuf as an option at all at the moment although it was quite apparent that she had not forgotten him which means that one way or the other Yousuf managed to leave an impression on her. Zulekha knows that if she doesn’t get married to Imran, she will have to get married to Ali Hamza therefore she would much rather not fight her battle. All the conversations in tonight’s episode just like all the previous episodes were very political in nature. My favorite one had to be about the politicians who give statements which threaten United States in any way! Those were very bold dialogue but definitely very true as well.

Yousuf decides to give up his music which probably is his life after hearing about Zulekha’s wedding but his friend’s idea that he can still do something to stop the wedding clicks with him instantly. It remains to be seen just what Yousuf will do but the preview of the next episode showed that we will finally see Yousuf and Zulekha together. I must say that Mehreen Jabbar has brought out the best in all the actors. Yousuf is adorable even though he doesn’t have much going for him, Zulekha is cute even though Maya Ali has played this character many times before and all the side characters have a beauty of their own too. When this episode ended tonight I really wanted to see more of all the characters because all of them are interesting in their own way. MNYH is definitely entertaining and very well written. All the dialogues are brand new although the story is very old! Every episode gives you a reason to look forward to more. I am very happy with the way things are going so far and hope that this drama does not disappoint us.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

The opening scene of this episode was absolutely hilarious! I must say that Maya Ali is a pro at playing these characters now because she has played the girl who is an expert at making her suitors regret the day they decided to propose to her many times before too. Ali Hamza is no match for Zulekha, he does not even wish to marry her any more, in fact he feels for the person who will end up marrying Zulekha because her ideas about love scare him to death! The actor playing Ali Hamza has made his character come to life the way no one else could have. Zulekha wants to get married to someone who truly loves her and Ali Hamza is not that man. Zulekha recognizes love and she believes that she will get the “signals” when she finds someone who has that kind of love for her in his heart.

Afia Begum’s dialogues and the confidence with which they are delivered by Hina Bayat make her scenes a treat to watch. The conversation between Afia Begum and her husband are witty and intelligent. Afia is a go-getter and nothing that maulvi sahab says will make her back off. The way she kept on reminding her husband that it was 2015 and not 1915 was very refreshing!

Yousuf is lost in love and he could not care less about Madiha’s feelings for him. Mansha Pasha is doing complete justice to her role but I am not looking forward to all the rona dhona. I wish she hadn’t taken the rejection so seriously! Yousuf thinks that Madiha can help him get in touch with Zulekha who has been on his mind from the day he saw her. I felt for Madiha and also felt like Yousuf was using her without thinking how difficult all this must be for her. I am watching two dramas with Imran Abbas in them right now but I am never reminded of Haadi when I see Yousuf on screen not only because the characters are poles apart but also because Imran Abbas has translated them on screen very aptly too.

The relationship between Zulekha and her sister, Madiha and her brother and the bond between Yousuf and his sister is heart warming. It isn’t very often that we get to see such siblings on screen. The acting by all the actors playing the roles of the siblings is effortless and the chemistry between them all makes their scenes stand out. Yousuf’s scene with his sister showed that he is anything but a genius or that he is very distracted!

The dialogues in this drama have a very “political” tone to them which makes them refreshing and fun to listen to. Mera Naam Yousuf Hai isn’t a new story but so far the quality of script, performances, direction and the pace of the play has been top-notch. The picture quality of the play is simply outstanding, every single color comes alive on screen and it looks like the director of photography paid special attention to lighting and even the colors of clothes which the actors wore on the set. It is obvious that different shades of blue have been used to enhance the beauty of each scene and the idea has worked like a charm!

Did you watch this latest installment? Don’t forget to share your thoughts here!

Fatima Awan

Our hero managed to grab the attention of his Zulekha by his unconventional ways. Zulekha might not be consciously thinking about Yousuf but subconsciously he managed to make more of a place in her heart than any of her suitors. Zulekha has been brought up in a very strict environment but she has a very strong personality. She does not have the guts to show her disapproval for both these rishtas directly in front of her father in particular but she knows she can do everything she can in order to scare Ali Hamza away and she is going to do just that. Apparently every second man in Zulekha’s family is in love with her and will do anything to marry her. I must say that watching Maya Ali play a role she has played many times before too isn’t very exciting but watching the light/comic moments was definitely a relief. Maya Ali is somehow very often given roles in which she is a smart girl who is not interested in getting married therefore she has to look for ways to escape marriage. Ali Hamza was definitely not what I had expected him to be. There is a very good reason why Zulekha does not want to marry him. The actor who played the role of Ali Hamza was very convincing. It is really good to see new faces in this drama and also actors who act well but we don’t get to see them on screen very often.

Afia Begum has an agenda and she will do anything to ensure that her husband does exactly what she wants. In most of our dramas only the husbands threaten the wives of divorce (which is also very unpleasant of course and something I have criticized many times) but in Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s dramas we see the women threatening the men in this manner when they want to get something done. We saw Rasheeda threatening Amin with divorce and Afia did the same in tonight’s episode. Both characters are poles apart of course but both of them believe in having their own way. The way Zulekha’s father refused Ali Hamza’s rishta was very amusing. Zulekha’s father has already decided when he is going to marry Zulekha off. Waseem Abbas is playing his part really well.

The opening scene of the episode revealed that Yousuf’s mother was not his real mother. The step-mother and step-brother jokes were really funny. It is good to see a step-mother who does not come across as a step mother at all. She is strict no doubt but I guess when you have a husband like hers you have to be strict in order to balance the situation. Yousuf’s father is an exact opposite of Zulekha’s father. He finds it exciting that his son is in love with someone and he can’t wait to know more. Yousuf is still in denial about his feelings for Zulekha, something which was quite evident from both the conversations he had with his friend. The conversations between Yousuf and his friend are definitely one of the best things about this drama so far. Yousuf’s best friend’s sister Madiha (Mansha Pasha) is in love with Yousuf. Her love for Yousuf is very different from Yousuf’s “love” for Zulekha. Madiha has fallen in love with Yousuf over the years while Yousuf’s love for Zulekha was sort of predestined. I wish the women in Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s dramas would stop getting physical with men in order to get their attention! The men feel uncomfortable but the women don’t! I love watching strong women on screen but this does not count as “strong’! This is the kind of bold most of us probably don’t want to see.

Yousuf’s dream sequence was really well done and it had to be my favorite part of this episode. There was a reversal of roles and situation in his dream which showed Yousuf’s wishful thinking and also that he could not get that incident out of his mind.

Mera Naam Yousuf Hai doesn’t have anything new to offer but it has been directed really well and it is not very heavy duty at least till now.

Do share your thoughts about this second episode, I will look forward to your feedback.

Fatima Awan

Am I the only one who felt like Yousuf was in a rush to move on? These new developments in Yousuf and Madiha’s track in particular would have been far more convincing if a few months had elapsed before Yousuf finally decided that he could “gift” Madiha her love even if he couldn’t get his. In a way Yousuf’s decision was in line with his character because it was an impulsive and emotional decision but it was definitely disappointing to see Yousuf acting on this impulsive decision this quickly. Zulekha was always sure that Madiha deserved and perhaps loved Yousuf much more than she did therefore the fact that she decided to let Yousuf be with Madiha although she could very easily be with Yousuf now did not come as a surprise but I must say that given the fact that Afia and her daughters are free of Noor Muhammad’s dictatorial rule now and Imran Mughees has divorced Zulekha, this was the perfect opportunity for Zulekha and Yousuf to be together. I was hoping all through tonight’s episode that Madiha will get in touch with Zulekha one last time and somehow she will be able to convince her that she belongs with Yousuf but that was not meant to be!

I must say that Afia Begum’s decision to walk out on Noor Muhammad and not giving him the satisfaction of having any control on her was the most gratifying part of this episode. Afia knows now that her son is by her side and she is no longer financially dependent on Noor Muhammad therefore it was far easier for her to move out of her house – something she couldn’t have imagined doing a few days ago! There are times in everyone’s lives when things start changing for the better and if Afia begum decides to stick to her decision her life will surely change in a good way.

With all the money gone, Noor Muhammad is no longer in a position to keep his new wife in a separate apartment and feels that he needs to mend fences with his other family. The news that Imran Mughees gave divorce to Zulekha was nothing short of a surprise and I must say that it entirely changed my perspective. Imran Mughees left Zulekha so that she could be with Yousuf but it is ironic that Zulekha is choosing not to be with him so that he can be with the girl who in Zulekha’s eyes is Yousuf’s Zulekha! Zulekha thinks that she can see something which Yousuf and Madiha both fail to see. Yousuf’s conversation with his sister in which she questions his state of mind was one of my favorite conversations from tonight’s episode.

I must say that watching Madiha and Yousuf getting married in the next episode while Zulekha sat right next to them was not something I did not want to see. I understand why all of these people are making these sacrifices but I can’t help but wonder if things would have been far more perfect had Madiha made one big sacrifice instead of two people sacrificing their love! I am still hoping for a miracle and although usually I am all for tragic endings, this time I would really want to see our lead couple together since there’s nothing that is stopping them except their own logics about love and how they see it!

This episode had some mind blowing dialogues as usual and I absolutely love the picture quality of this drama. All the colors have been used very intelligently by the director and highlighted aptly by the director of photography which make this drama a visual treat! There aren’t too many people who can make a pink gate mingle with the surroundings so well! Once again all the actors involved gave brilliant performances which never fail to impress you. Afia Begum was the star of the show tonight, it was refreshing to see a woman standing for herself and knowing exactly why she needed to do that.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

What an episode! It was spot on right from the get-go. The opening scene was the perfect start to another flawless episode. It is amazing how all these characters can read each other’s minds because they have been nothing but sincere to each other till now and also because of the connection they share. Madiha could tell that Daa Ji had done something he was ashamed of and she knew exactly why he did it. It was good to see Daa Ji sharing exactly what was going through his mind when he made that phone call. Whatever Madiha said to Daa Ji and what Daa Ji said to Yousuf clearly showed that Daa Ji did not make that phone call because he wanted Yousuf out of this turmoil but he wanted Madiha to get her happy ending. Zulekha was married now and this was the perfect time for Yousuf to see how much Madiha loved her. It was great to see Madiha speaking her heart out when she told Daa Ji that she knew exactly what he had done and why he had done it but she did not want all of this. This first scene set the stage for what was coming ahead and I must say that this had to be one of my most favorite episodes of this play. Daa Ji’s confession was totally in line with his character and one cannot blame Yousuf for reacting the way he reacted.

Watching Noor Muhammad taking his naye naveli dulhan to cinema did not come as a surprise at all since we already know the man has shocking double standards. He is pampering his new wife and playing a second fiddle to her gladly and Bushra is going to make sure that Noor Muhammad stays away from Phupo! Phupo has to be the real loser in this whole game till now; she has a bahu who she cannot control, her son does not listen to her any more and Bushra wants nothing to do with her. Noor Muhammad is getting exactly what he deserved. Wali Muhammad has proved that his mother’s upbringing didn’t go to waste after all. He finally realized how he had helped his father do something very wrong and in order to undo the damage he did exactly what needed to be done. Wali knows that Bushra won’t stay with Noor Muhammad for long if he did not have all this money. It was an absolute pleasure to see Noor Muhammad getting the shock of his life and I am waiting to see how Afia Begum deals with him once he goes to see her.

Like every other episode of MNYH this one too had many power packed scenes to its credit and some mind blowing dialogues but I must say that Zulekha’s determination, her dialogues and the way Maya Ali translated this character on screen had to be the highlight of this episode. Even when Afia Begum tells Zulekha that she had no choice but to spend the rest of her life with her husband she made it very clear that she was not going to live her life based on that dictum that aurat is a daak ka lifafa! We have finally come to the point where Zulekha’s character has shaped up in a way which is very refreshing and inspiring. There are times when Afia Begum loses hope for obvious reasons but it is plain to see that Zulekha knows exactly what she wants now and she is not going to accept things the way they are. She does not feel duty bound to live in the house and according to the rules of a man who could not even stay loyal to his wife. We also got to see in this episode why Imran Mughees had a change of heart. Zulekha showed him the other side of the picture and since he is not as blinded by malice as his mother therefore he was able to see what was going on.

It was also very nice to see a man’s perspective on being controlled. Imran Mughees’ response to his mother when she tells him “aik choro dus mil jayen gi” made me feel for him for the first time. He has also been controlled by his mother all his life just as much as Zulekha was controlled by her father.

MNYH never fails to impress, everything about this play is perfect; the characters, the direction and the performances. The fact that there is no ambiguity ever regarding the motives of the characters and everything is crystal clear yet the story has depth sets this drama apart from others and makes it a treat to watch. The way different tracks are gradually wrapping up indicates that we will get to see a very decent ending.

The preview of the next episode showed Yousuf proposing Madiha – which for me was shocking but I have complete faith in Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, I am sure that there will be a very good reason for that.

Honestly speaking this drama deserves all the praise in the world and more. It contains some very strong messages but is thoroughly entertaining at the same time. The performances are always up-to-the-mark, in fact there have been times when some of the actors have outdone themselves in this play. I can’t thank MNYH team enough for giving us one of the best plays of this season.

Don’t forget to share your thoughts about this drama:)

Fatima Awan

Daa Ji might have fooled some of the viewers but he most certainly did not fool Yousuf for a second. Everyone does not have the courage to face what Yousuf has been facing for a very long time. I was most certainly not expecting Daa Ji to do something like this but it looked like part of him genuinely wanted Zulekha out of Yousuf’s life so that he could finally move on. Daa Ji’s decision might be partially influenced by his concern for his sister. He looks at everything impartially, he can see that Zulekha is married now and Noor Muhammad can even kill Yousuf to get what he wants. Daa Ji’s betrayal was absolutely wrong but even then somehow I can’t help but think that he had Yousuf’s best interest at heart. He had no right to make this decision on Yousuf’s behalf but he probably thought he was helping him by doing so. Daa Ji has obviously had a change of heart because there was a time when he would do anything to support Yousuf but things have most certainly changed now and there is no definite way of telling why this change of heart occured. It could be because of all the circumstances that Yousuf has been facing or it could be because Zulekha is married now.

Imran Mugheez proved today that he is a much better person than Noor Muhammad and Wali Muhammad. The way he looked at Daa Ji when he came to take Yousuf to the hospital showed that he did not want to be a part of any of this. Imran Mugheez can obviously see that Zulekha is a living and breathing human and not a piece of object which he can own and keep in his house without taking her feelings into consideration. Watching Noor Muhammad get exactly what he wanted at the expense of his wife and daughter’s happiness was painful! It made me think of all the men who manage to get away with all of this and more in real life and their women can do absolutely nothing about it no matter how intelligent, beautiful and brave they are. The way Noor Muhammad openly declared that he did have an affair with Bushra before the wedding was cringe worthy and the way he let his new wife brag about her ex-husband was even more so – shocking double standards! Afia said only once that she never loved him and he went all out to make sure he hurt her but he had nothing to say to his new wife. That particular scene showed what Bushra is capable of which made me think that Noor Muhammad deserved her!

The highlight of this episode had to be the scenes in which Zulekha told her Phupo and her daughter loud and clear what she was capable of doing and this time she meant it! Also the scene in which Afia reminded Wali that this was her home and he was not welcome to stay in it was just what the doctor ordered. It looks like the women in this play are finally going to do something which will make the viewers believe that they are much more than just talk. If I had to pick one favorite scene from tonight’s episode which was perfect in every way, it would be the one in which Hajra rushes to tell Afia what had happened and Afia gets up as if there was something she could do to change things but very soon she realizes that all she can do is pray! It was a perfectly timed scene, beautifully directed.

It is funny and ironic how scared phupo is of other women. She sees every strong woman who can in any way influence the men who are related to her as a threat. She wants to be the only woman telling all these men what they should be doing with their lives – phupo does not like to share!

Yousuf’s stepmother tried to reach out to Madiha, hoping that she will share her true feelings with her but Yousuf’s love for Zulekha will never let Madiha do that. It isn’t easy spending your life with a man who you know loves someone else and Madiha obviously is not ready for that kind of a commitment.

I was expecting this episode to be nothing more than just plain sad but yet again the team of MNYH gave us an episode which was emotional, entertaining and very filmi. I absolutely love the song that played in the background when Zulekha reached her Phupo’s house and Yousuf was out looking for her. All the actors just like always gave brilliant performances but it was Imran Abbas (Yousuf) and Hina Bayat (Afia Begum) who made me feel for them the most. Even after doing everything he could and more Yousuf could not combat his “bad luck” and for that he holds himself responsible. Yousuf’s father’s continuous support for his son is also very touching. It must be very difficult for someone like Waji Ahmed to see his son going through all this but even then he manages to buck Yousuf up every step of the way. Maya Ali was flawless as the fearless girl who knew exactly what she wanted.

The preview of the next episode looked very promising, looking forward to it already.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

“Bahadur lurkiyan buzdil lurkon se shadi nahi krti”…. This was yet another episode of MNYH which had so many meaningful conversations and powerful scenes to its credit. I am having a very tough time deciding which scene was my favorite because all of them added something amazing and unexpected to the story. Tonight’s episode opened with Yousuf and Zulekha’s conversation in which Zulekha made it very clear that she was not going to be with a man who was not brave enough to protect her and all of us are very well aware by now that Yousuf is anything but a coward! The scene between Zulekha and Yousuf was dreamy as usual – very filmy and touching. In the last episode we saw Mahrukh rooting for Madiha, asking her to marry her brother but in this episode things had changed dramatically. Mahrukh can clearly see now who Yousuf wants to be with and because of her love for her brother more than anything else she probably cannot help but fall in love with Zulekha as well.

The fact that Madiha wants to get married to anyone at all before Zulekha and Yousuf get married goes to show how scared she is of facing that moment although she never lets it show. She has always been very supportive of Zulekha in particular and she does it because she knows what it feels like to be in love and since Yousuf is in love with Zulekha she knows just how much he will hurt if he does not get to spend the rest of his life with Zulekha. The change in Daa Ji’s behaviour towards Yousuf was more apparent today than ever. Daa Ji obviously feels that Yousuf should stop trying to win Zulekha and he should see the love that Madiha feels for him. He wants his sister to be happy and he cannot see his friend ignoring everything that Madiha feels for him. He feels the pain that his sister is going through even though she makes it a point to never make it obvious.

We found out today that 25 years back Noor Muhammad left Bushra for Afia and now he has a complete change of heart. The conversation between Noor Muhammad and his sister had to be my least favorite one from tonight’s episode because it sounded repetitive and it was too long for my liking. This conversation of course led to what happened in the end.

“Yeh tu mujhe buhat baad mei pata chala k aap murdo ne buzdali ka naam gherat rukh diya hai aur aise moqu pe jaan churane ke liye ghairat se bara bahana koye nahi!” Yousuf’s step mother like always kept on reminding Waji Ahmed what he should be doing in the given circumstances but Waji Ahmed is incapable of taking that kind of a stand. He has enough courage to let his only son go after the love of his life in the middle of the night even though it could mean that he could get into a lot of trouble but he does not have the courage to do anything more than that. I must say that Behroze Sabzwari makes you understand Waji Ahmed’s fears and insecurities with his body language and expressions more than his dialogues.

“Science ne tu abhi buhat taraqi krni hai. Na jane kya kya ejad ho ga magar na judai ka ghum jaye ga, na hi bicharnay ka dard. Is ki na koi dawa banti hai na hi milti hai. So saal baad bhi log bicharney pur usi tarah roya karei gi jis tarah so saal pehle roya krte thay.” If I had to pick my favorite conversations from tonight’s episode they would definitely be both the conversations which Madiha and Zulekha had. Zulekha understands Madiha’s love for Yousuf but at the same time I felt like she feels threatened by her. She thinks that even if Yousuf does not have her in his life he would still be able to live without her because Madiha is the antidote which would put an end to all his miseries. I love the relationship between these two women, it is very unusual yet extremely appealing. When Madiha told Zulekha about the stories of her neighbours she was clearly trying to ask Zulekha if she could live her entire life being loved alone – what if she got nothing more, would she still live with Yousuf? Madiha’s concern for Yousuf always takes me by surprise. Even though she is planning to move on but she cannot help but look out for Yousuf in whichever way she can. The way Khalil-ur-Rehman has rightly interpreted the whole concept of a girl leaving her house for a just cause was another superb part of this episode. No one stops for a second to reflect why a girl had to leave her house but saying that “vo bhaag ke aye hai” pretty much does all the explaining for most people and puts the blame on the girl.

Afia begum yet again proved that she will not let anyone deter her at this point. While Waji Ahmed even after all those years sat and questioned what people would think if he gave Zulekha shelter, Afia Begum does not care what anyone has to say about Zulekha’s decision to get Khula. It was sad to see Noor Muhammad taking Zulekha with him and the preview of the next episode was even more upsetting. At this point I don’t see Zulekha and Yousuf’s love story ending happily.

Overall, this episode had so much going for it – the powerful script, superb direction, outstanding camera work and power packed performances by everyone involved. Thank you team MNYH for giving us something amazing to look forward to every week!

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode and I would love to know which was your favorite scene from this episode.

Fatima Awan

“Beti se itni nafrat na karo ke vo mohabbat ke liye bhagti phere!”

The women in this show who we look upto proved tonight yet again that they have more of a ‘zarf’ than all the men in this play combined together. Yousuf’s mother’s constant and unconditional support for her step son who does not even acknowledge her presence, Afia’s concern for her unfaithful and unreasonable husband and Zulekha’s protective instinct towards a brother who does not even deserve an ounce of sympathy said a lot about all these women. All these women are strong, they most certainly know right from wrong but they are not ruthless like the men in their lives. Even when they are in a position to harm these men who don’t think twice before hurting them they choose to take the high road. On the one hand there are women like these and on the other hand there are women like Phupo and Bushra who are just as bad as men like Noor Mohammad and Wali. These women only feel the pain of their sons and brothers and fail to feel anything for anyone else.

Noor Muhammad’s larger than life ego was hurt badly when he found out that Yousuf was the son of the man who he had ‘defeated’ a long time back! It was actually good to see that there was something in this world that could shake a person like Noor Mohammad too. Although the sense of failure did not last very long but the few seconds of watching him in that defeated position was definitely a treat! “Doosri aurat se mail milap rakho, baat karo, mauj manao magr us k bharosey hath mut uthana warna chunti ke hatho marwa day gi tumhei!”  The confrontation between Noor Mohammad and Afia Begum was the highlight of tonight’s episode. Waseem Abbas and Hina Bayat own their roles and they never fail to impress. Afia Begum’s past shows that she was always a very courageous woman just like her daughter but she was not brave enough to break free from this marriage once it took place that is why she thinks that it is very important that Zulekha should not make the same mistake she made. Noor Muhammad’s hatred towards his daughter is repulsive and scary at the same time. It is men like him who kill their wives and daughters in the name of the honor. It is men like him who think that their wives and daughters are the ones who can keep or ruin their reputation but they do not think that these wives and daughters deserve to be treated honorably!

Afia and Waji’s story is gradually being unraveled and every detail is connected to Zulekha and Yousuf’s story in some way or the other. Twenty five years back Afia Begum left her father’s house in the hope that Waji will take her in his nikkah but that did not happen. Like Yousuf’s step-mother said this was the time to undo the mistake that was made so many years back. The conversations between Waji Ahmed’s and his wife was beautifully written, acted out and directed.

Yousuf shared his feelings with Daa Ji in tonight’s episode and for the first time Zulekha and Yousuf spent a great deal of time together. Zulekha’s honesty regarding her feelings for Yousuf is one of the reasons I find it very easy to connect to her character. It is very difficult for a girl in her situation to be sure that she really loves the man who changed her life altogether but one she knows very little about. She has so much to deal with that falling in love might not even seem like an option at the moment. Zulekha’s question from Yousuf’s sister about who she liked more however went to show that perhaps she did not think of herself worthy of taking Madiha’s place in Yousuf’s life. Although Yousuf does not love Madiha at all but Madiha has been loving Yousuf since childhood and she is very close to his family therefore Zulekha isn’t sure if she deserves to be in Yousuf’s life more than Madiha. Maya Ali performed really well in tonight’s episode and no one could have played Yousuf’s character better than Imran Abbas. He makes me feel for his character and he makes Yousuf’s character very likeable.

Overall, this was another intense episode of MNYH with some very powerful performances and mind blowing dialogues. I love the variety of background score unlike most of the dramas in which most often few parts of the OST are played over and over again. This episode mainly laid the foundations for what is coming ahead. Will Yousuf and Zulekha have a happy ending? I really hope so!

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

It is usually said and many of us believe it too that a woman makes or breaks a house but while watching tonight’s episode of Mera Naam Yousuf Hai I couldn’t help but think that in a household like that of Noor Mohammad there is very little that a woman can do to ‘make a house’! Noor Mohammad could not stop blaming the women of his house for everything that went wrong in his life and not to mention for being ‘kamzad’ because they could not live their lives according to ‘shariah’! And he did all that judging while he made plans to run away with Bushra if that is what was needed for him to be with her. It is ironic that someone like Noor Mohammad who believes in going all out to get the woman he loves from making plans to elope to taking help from police would think that a man much younger and more ‘qualified’ to be in love deserves to be punished in the worst way possible. Everything that Noor Mohammad does in some way has God’s writ – something that he uses to justify all his actions. People like Noor Mohammad must think that they can fool God too!

We saw Noor Mohammad literally pleading Bushra and Tehmina’s case because he understood so well why they would have to resort to extreme measures but he fails to understand the women in his house because understanding them would require going against his wishes. The fact that Noor Mohammad gives Bushra and his phupo so much respect and has absolutely no problem kneeling down to their demands goes to show that he is perfectly capable of letting women take the lead but that is a rule that does not apply in his own house. It was gratifying to see Afia taking a stand for her daughter in a way that will actually help make a difference in her life. Zulekha taking refuge in Yousuf’s house wasn’t exactly the best course of action since the police was bound to look there before any other place but since she wanted to buy herself some time therefore the seemed like the only place she could go to. The scene when Hajra is leaving with the police and she asks her mother to give her her blessings was heart wrenching. Afia cried because Hajra needed her blessing not for a happy life but to face what was coming ahead.

Everyone in Yousuf’s house wants to see him spending the rest of his life with Madiha and for the first time we saw someone talking about it directly with him. On the other hand Daa Ji’s question from Madiha about how she was treated in Yousuf’s house also went to show that he might be thinking on those lines too. Madiha has let her brother down once and she does not want to do it again therefore she wants Yousuf to stay away from them. Madiha and Daa Ji’s conversation like always was short, sweet and touching. The honesty with which these two share their feelings with each other is what makes their conversations and their relationship so special. Madiha’s dialogue “tum is tarah pooch thaaj krte ho na tu lgta hai k mei achi lrki nahi hu, baar baar tumhara itemad tootta hai tu lgta hai mei achi behan bhi nahi hu” was exceptional. Only a very sensitive writer could write something like this because you wouldn’t expect a man to understand how a girl feels when she is questioned the way Daa Ji questioned Madiha and later on his reaction must have made her feel even more guilty.

Noor Mohammad’s conversation with the policeman was one of the many interesting conversations in tonight’s episode. The way the policeman interrogated him because he found it hard to believe that someone would want to do all that he was doing to his daughter and the manner in which Noor Mohammad answered him made for a conversation that said a lot about both these characters. Noor Mohammad obviously thinks that he and his “pakka Musalman” beta are out to wage jihaad against the “kamzad aurtei” who did not have any respect for the rules set by Shariah! That would be height od being misguided!

I would give full marks to Imran Abbas especially for those expressions which he gave when his step mother showed her support for Zulekha. Maya Ali’s expressions when she unveils her face in front of Yousuf’s house were priceless too. Hina Bayat’s acting has been flawless throughout the play but her expressions in the scene when Hajra is leaving with the police were spot on. The music in the background just added to the intensity of that scene. All the actors have done a commendable job which makes everything look so real.

The preview for the next episode made me sad except for the part of course when Zulekha hits Imran Mugheez and Yousuf’s father shows Noor Mohammad what a father should do for his children!

I don’t see Mera Naam Yousuf Hai’s story as a love story any more but it is more of a battle between good and evil. It is most certainly the good people – their honesty and their relationships with each other that keep me hooked to this show. A special thanks to Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar for a beautiful script, Mehreen Jabbar for the brilliant direction and all the actors for giving their best performances in this drama.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

” Aba jeet gaye betiyan haar gaye…tum meri baat likh ke rukh lo 3015 mei bhi aba jeet jaya karei gay aur betiya haar jaye gi”

This episode was very disturbing especially the part when Noor Mohammad hit Zulekha. The helplessness of all these women despite of their intelligence and confidence is a very sad reality of our society; everything that we saw in tonight’s episode was very real perhaps that was more of a reason why it was so upsetting. All the women living in Noor Mohammad’s house are more enlightened and sensitive than the man of the house but because they are women therefore when they express their opinion they are considered insolent. Noor Mohammad keeps on blaming Afia for ruining his life even though he is the one who first married her against her wishes. He knew she loved someone else but he did not care about her feelings and is now having an affair. Afia Begum’s threats of divorce were only threats just like Zulekha she is incapable of acting on anything she said. It is sad that men in our society can get away with ruining a marriage because there are absolutely no legal rules to protect the women financially in case of a divorce. Also, the society will always blame a woman even if the man is as unreasonable as Noor Mohammad. When this drama started I tried my best to be very understanding of Noor Mohammad’s behavior in the initial episodes but the fact is that there is absolutely nothing likeable about his character. He is a representative of a very ugly face of our society which everyone knows about but no one wants to do much to change it. Our society if full of Noor Mohammad’s and Bushra’s too! She is the other woman who does not think twice before breaking someone’s house.

Zulekha’s nikkah with Imran Mugheez was completely unexpected but if we see things from a realistic angle than she did not have much of a choice either. Even now all of Zulekha’s threat carry no weight because we all know that her father will make sure that she does whatever he wants her to do. I wish Afia Begum would have come to her daughter’s rescue earlier; it was heart wrenching to see Noor Mohammad hitting Zulekha like that and I could not help but feel for all those girls out there who have to live under such conditions. This drama goes to show what a big effect a father has in making or breaking the spirits of his children. On one hand we have Yousuf’s father who is always supportive of him and understands him and on the other hand we have a very unreasonable father whose sole purpose in life is to belittle his wife and daughters.

I was really looking forward to watching Daa Ji make an appearance today but even though he was there in tonight’s episode but he was definitely not the focus of attention in any way and neither was Yousuf. I would have liked to see a conversation of the two friends in which Yousuf could have shared something about how he felt about Zulekha’s nikkah. Yousuf’s release from the jail came at a very heavy price which effected everyone in the drama. Madiha’s guilt was justified because she was the main reason why Zulekha felt she needed to do something to make sure Yousuf was out of the jail.

Unlike all the previous episodes of MNYH this one was very heavy duty, it was like a reality check. All the other episodes gave us hope that things will get better for Yousuf and Zulekha but now we know that there is no hope for them. Watching a girl like Zulekha giving up and being hit by her jahil father proves that what Zulekha said was right daughters are helpless most of the times. Dialogues like the one I quoted in the begining make you think about where we are headed and where we are standing now. While watching this episode I forgot that this was meant to be a love story but my heart went out to all those women who put up with abuse at the hands of their men and they have no other choice but to continue living with them. We live in a society where most often women are taken for granted.

Like every other episode of MNYH this one too had some really intense conversations, the most powerful one was the one between Zulekha and her mother when Afia Begum says to her that she did not look like Zulekha at all…..“Zulekha hi tu lag rahi hun, dekhe tu sahi qaid mei pare Yousuf ko kharid kr reha kr diya. Apne aap kp ko beech diya meinay.”

I must say that Waseem Abbas has done a really good job of playing the unreasonable father and person who deserves to be hated! I have absolutely no complaints with Maya Ali’s acting in tonight’s episode but I wish we didn’t have to see all that hitting because it was awfully distressing. All the actors acted brilliantly tonight just like all the previous episodes; the acting and direction is so good that I tend to forget that I am watching a drama!

Am I the only one who really needs to watch something fun now in order to cheer myself up? This episode has left me shaken to the core!

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

“Sur mu ki chotei dekho tu lagta hai mohabbat ke oonchay minar se mu k bal gira hai”…I can watch Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s plays only for these mind blowing dialogues that are simply soul-stirring. Every dialogue leaves you spell-bound, you’ve not yet recovered from the way it touches your soul when another one is waiting to take your breathe away. The fact that this play has been directed so perfectly and the actors have given it their best just makes you fall in love with it over and over and over again. (thewriteofyourlife.org)

The story is moving forward at a steady pace but do we really need to worry about the pace here when every single scene has so much to offer? Leave Yousuf and Zulekha’s heart wrenching love story aside for now let’s talk about all the other things that this drama has to offer. How often do we see a mother asking her son not to bully his sister? It was very refreshing to see Afia telling his son off when he tried to show his “superiority”. Being a man does not automatically make you “in charge” of all the women in your house. When your sisters asks a valid question and speaks for her right a man whether he is a brother or a father has no right to treat her the way Noor Mohammad and his son are treating Zulekha. The highlight of this episode most certainly had to be Zulkeha’s new found confidence in her love for Yousuf. Zulekha is no longer afraid of standing up for what she thinks is right and her maulvi father seems to be clueless; Noor Mohammad did not have any logical answer for anything that Zulekha had to ask because what he is doing is wrong.

Could a step-mother’s meeting with her step-son be more touching? I love the bond between Yousuf and his step-mother, no matter how hard he tries to push her away she keeps on proving to him that she will never allow him to change how she really feels about him and his father. She told Yousuf the bitter truth because she knew it needed to be done and Waji Ahmed could probably never tell Yousuf about the history he shared with Afia Begum. The timing of the OST being played in the background in this scene was spot on and the way the news was broken to Yousuf was beyond brilliant. What better way could there be to explain the history of Waji and Afia than to tell Yousuf that Afia was Waji’s Zulekha. This was the sort of love that never faded away, Waji is still holding on to Afia’s memories and we got to find out more about Noor Mohammad too. “Mohabat ka khoon krne ki un ki purani adat hai”…Noor Mohammad knew that Afia and Waji loved each other but he considered it his duty to make sure that they never get to spend their life together. Now we know why Noor Mohammad took Afia’s statement about not loving him so seriosly. Noor Mohammad’s idea of marriage and love is very twisted indeed! He married a woman who was already in love with someone against her will of course but expected her to fall in love with him. Afia Begum might have been duty bound to spend the rest of her life with Noor Mohammad but it is quite apparent that she does not love him.

Just like the previous episode I felt for Waji Ahmed every step of the way. When he told Yousuf how he felt about his only son going through so much agony I couldn’t help but blame Yousuf for putting his father through all this but the next minute when Yousuf opened his heart out to his father it was plain to see that Yousuf wasn’t doing any of this on purpose. The attitude of the policeman involved in the case yet again had to be one of the most depressing part of this episode; he wasn’t the least bit bothered about the consequences of his actions because he was so sure that no one could touch him.

Madiha has played a very important role in making sure that Zulekha does her bit. The conversation between Zulekha and Madiha on the phone was perfect, it probably helped Zulekha make her final decision not that this decision was what I expected from her but it was a way to get Yousuf out of the jail. Zulekha’s dialogues about Madiha taking it easy was a nice addition to an otherwise serious conversation. Afia Begum’s sarcastic smile when Noor Mohammad’s phone rang early in the morning was also a very meaningful addition to that particular scene; it went to show how Afia Begum felt about Noor Mohammad’s double standards.

I can’t help but love everything about this play; every episode makes me fall in love with it a little bit more. The performances, the characters, the picture quality, the direction and the beautiful dialogues make MNYH a treat to watch. I am looking forward to Yousuf getting out of prison soon, I am waiting to find out what he plans to do next and I most certainly want to see Daa Ji again.

Do share your thoughts about this episode.

Fatima Awan

After watching these 11 episodes of Mera Naam Yousuf Hai I have come to the conclusion that emotions reign supreme in this play just like all the other dramas written by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar. These emotions outpour in every single scene irrespective of which character or situation that scene focuses on. Every character has a story to tell which is unraveling with every passing episode.

Honestly speaking I felt for Yousuf’s father more than anyone else in this episode. Behroze Sabzwari is absolutely flawless as the soft-hearted caring father who tries to put some sense into his son when its needed but when that doesn’t work he is more than willing to go the extra mile to make his son happy even when the odds are completely against him. There is no logical reason why someone like him would go ahead with everything that Yousuf wanted him to do except that he does not want to cause any more pain to his son or perhaps because he knows only too well what it feels like to love someone the way Yousuf loves Zulekha. Or it could be destiny which lead him to Afia’s house so that their paths could meet once again. I got the feeling that Waji Ahmed did not go to Zulekha’s house to talk her out of this relationship but when he saw Afia he realized that his son couldn’t possibly get married to Afia’s daughter. We know that these two share a history and that everyone related to them knows what happened between them but the details were not revealed in this episode except that it was a “ghalti” which everyone knows about. How dark is this secret? And why does everyone know about it? I am waiting to find out!

Afia Begum seems like all talk for now, the poor woman can only wage wars, she has the will to fight but in the end it seems like she is quite helpless. Zulekha is like her mother too, she does not have the guts to take a stand in front of her father. She wants to be different but she lacks the courage to put her plans into action. Yousuf on the other hand is willing to do anything for Zulekha even though right now whatever he is going through for her doesn’t seem to be getting him closer to her.

The two conversations that stood out in this episode more than any other were the ones which Madiha had with Zulekha on the phone urging her to do her bit and whatever Hajra said to Waji and his wife about what she had learnt about marriages till now. Hajra’s tone is always humorous but she says things which go to show that she is very mature. Being the youngest in the house she keeps on observing the things that are happening around her and whatever she has to say about these things is always spot on. Is it really that wrong to give a man who loves your daughter a chance? On the contrary like Hajra says the man who loves your daughter becomes your biggest enemy and you get her married to someone who does not even love her and keep on hoping and praying that one day that marriage will be successful! How ironic is that!

Madiha continues to be a very positive character played flawlessly by Mansha Pasha. The writer and the director both deserve due credit for exploiting the potential in Madiha’s character to the maximum by letting her be much more than just a victim. I must applaud the writer for showing that love can be this selfless and the director has done us a huge favor by keeping the rona dhona to the minimum. Maya Ali seems to be very comfortable in her character and I am liking her more with every passing episode. Imran Abbas is in full form ever since he made a comeback so no complaints there!

Overall this episode had its high points as usual but I must say that the part in the prison is not exactly something I look forward to or am enjoying watching. The preview of the next episode quite clearly showed that whatever happened between Afia and Waji is so deep rooted that even someone like Waji is unable to show flexibility in the matter. Will Zulekha finally take a stand for Yousuf? The Policeman suggested that if the girl involved gives a statement that favors Yousuf in the court he will be free of all charges. Am I the only one who wants Yousuf out of jail and I don’t ever want him back there again? The scenes are becoming repetitive and are definitely not my favorite part of the drama.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

“Tum shadi ko buzurgu ka khel nahi samajti aur laga ke tum beti hu, rassi se bandhi hui bakri nahi ho” I love the way this drama questions the age old tradition of forced arranged marriages. Many of the dialogues in tonight’s episode made it quite clear that the writer is out to prove a point! In this day and age forcing girls to marry men they are not even remotely attracted to and expecting girls to fall in love with men who are just not their kind is something which is actually expected from numerous girls in our society and many of them like Afia Begum spend a lifetime with men like Noor Mohammad. Afia Begum’s conversation with Zulekha in tonight’s episode revealed a side of her which we had not seen till now. All this time the viewers were made to believe that Afia was dead against Zulekha getting married to Imran Mugheez only because this marriage would have hurt her ego but that is not the case. Afia knew that her daughter couldn’t possibly fall in love with someone like Imran Mugheez and she did not want Zulekha to lead the life she had been living.

Imran Abbas has been brilliant as Yousuf so far, he is very convincing and makes Yousuf’s character very likeable. Yousuf’s expressions when Zulekha called him and his dialogues later on in the restaurant went to show that he is an ordinary man who only has all this confidence because he is in love. Yousuf’s confidence was boosted even more when he found out that Zulekha loves him as well. Yousuf’s reaction when Zulekha says “hamare pass” was spot on, it was almost as if for a second he couldn’t help but wonder when did Zulekha and Yousuf become “hum”! The pauses all through their conversation on the phone and Imran Abbas’ expressions showed just how “heran” Yousuf was. Daa Ji and Hajra’s presence in the scene made it even better. The fact that our hero and heroine have these two wonderful people in their lives who they can depend on makes everything even better. When Yousuf and Zulekha met Hajra’s expressions said more about the consequences of what Zulekha was proposing than anything else. Zulekha knows that her father will never agree to the proposal but she still wants Yousuf’s parents to visit just once. Yousuf and Hajra however seem to be dead against any other options. The dialogue “court mei marriage nahi hoti zillat hoti hai” pretty much summed up how Yousuf feels about that option.

I am not a big fan of Maya Ali but I thought she acted really well in the previous episode and in this one too. I like Zulekha much more now that she is in love with Yousuf, we all know that she is not using Yousuf but really wants to be with him. Dialogues like “waise mei kisi ko takleef nahi de sakta lekin Imran Mugheez ko kidnap kiya tu laga koi sawab ka kaam krne laga hu.” “jis ko mohabbat kehte hein na Zulekha vo mard ki nasl dekh kr hoti hai shakal dekh kr nahi.” have Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar written all over them. The way Imran Mugheez acted after gaining consciousness was hilarious. It is not easy to shoot such comic scenes but Mehreen Jabbar and the actors involved did complete justice to it. Afia Begum wants Ali Hamza out of the way now that he is not needed any more. The way she asked him to leave was not very polite but then I didn’t expect anything different from Afia! Yousuf’s step mother’s character is anything but stereotypical which is very refreshing. Although Yousuf is not yet convinced if his step mother genuinely loves him but it is plain to see that she wants to see Yousuf happy.

This was another engaging episode of Mera Naam Yousuf Hai that makes you happy and sad at the same time. There were scenes that made me laugh and others which made me wonder where Zulekha and Yousuf’s love story was headed. Yousuf’s conversation with the policeman definitely reminded me of Khalil!

The preview of the next episode looked very interesting. I am eagerly waiting to find out how Afia and Yousuf’s father are related to each other.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan