This was another powerful and engaging episode of Laa. Every episode reveals something new about the characters in the play and the story is progressing slowly but steadily. Dilawar thinks that his wealth and status in the society would be enough to make Naina his “slave” forever but Naina’s answer to his proposal is Laa!! Naina may have let her parents decide who she was going to marry but she is not going to let her future in laws decide the terms and conditions under which this marriage will take place. I absolutely love Naina’s character; she is not swayed away by cast, social status or any of those things. She is liberal but spiritually enlightened. Dai Maa naturally wants a farmabardar bahu and not one who has a mind of her own. Dilawar is blown away by Naina’s beauty and he knows only too well that once she is married to him, he will manage to have his own way. This marriage does not mean much to him, he already has someone in his life who he considers his companion. Also, he is clearly one of those men who look at women as objects which they want to own and use according to their own wishes.

The way Dai Maa interprets everything that Naina’s father has to say to her said a lot about the kind of person she is. Dilawar knows how to manipulate Dai Maa and right now nothing means more to him then ensuring that Naina becomes a part of his life soon. The conversation between Dilawar and Dai Maa about Nazar ki raqam went to show how this drama is touching on different topics and is showing ways by which people like Dai Maa and Dilawar use people’s ignorance for their own benefit.

Not much happened with respect to Daniyal’s track in the first half of the episode but all that happened in the second half more than made up for it. Daniyal finally shares his secret with Laila and Naina also finds out the truth. Now Naina has absolutely no reason to go ahead with her marriage with Dilawar but the question is that does she have a choice? It is good to see that Daniyal’s parents are shown in every episode for some reason or the other. I am glad that they are not completely out of the picture and the entire development of Daniyal finding out about his past has been handled intelligently.

The preview of the next episode left me with a lot of questions; Is Daniyal Dilawar’s brother? Will Naina and Dilawar get married? Was Laila worth confiding in? Until now Laila seems to be a good person at heart. Sabreen Hisbani is doing very well in her role and this character is very different from what she has done already. Mikaal Zulfiqar owned his character as usual. Sadia Khan’s acting is not perfect but somehow her character has grown on me and I am actually finding the connection between Daniyal and Naina very relatable. All the senior actors are doing a commendable job; Rabia Noreen in particular has nailed her character as Dai Maa. I was blown away by tonight’s episode of Laa as usual particularly because I can totally connect to the characters and happenings without even making an ounce of effort.

Fatima Awan

Aqlan shaklan wale keetay ishq ne kamlay jhalay…..Love comes when you least expect it; Daniyal did not go out looking for love and winning Naina’s “love” was nothing more than winning a foolish bet. Just when Daniyal’s life has taken an about turn and he wants to focus all his energies on something entirely different his heart aches for Naina. No amount of reasoning can change the way he feels. Seeing Naina right there in front of him gives him a chance to plead his case but Naina is probably too scared of being hurt again so she is not willing to give him another chance. Sadia Khan may not be a brilliant actress but the on screen chemistry she shares with Mikaal compensates for her weak acting.

Naina may pretend to be content with her engagement but the fact is that she has a special connection with Daniyal; a connection that pulls her to him, a special feeling of attraction that cannot be explained but can only be felt. It is this strange and perhaps spiritual connection between these two individuals that makes this love story different and appealing. I would give full marks to the director for portraying it brilliantly in this episode in particular.

On the one hand Dilawar seems like a very genuine person when he is with Daniyal and on the other hand his views about marriage and the way he tries to convince Dai Maa to sign those papers went to show that there is more to his personality. Khalid Malik has done very well in this role so far. Dai Maa’s conversation with Dilawar reflected in a very clear manner the difference between the two generations. Dai Maa’s comment “tuu maa ke purze purze krke plazay banana chahta hai” made me laugh but it showed how she felt about moving to the city and changing her lifestyle.

Laila’s views about love were very interesting; will Daniyal be the person who changes the way she feels about falling in love? I can’t wait to find out! Just when Daniyal starts questioning Naimat Khan’s intentions, he “distracts” him by telling Daniyal that Dai Maa asked him to kill Daniyal but when he didn’t comply his daughter was killed as a punishment. It is not going to be easy for Daniyal to find out the truth but I have a feeling that his journey is going to make an engaging story. Dilawar’s engagement with Naina did not come as a surprise at all but the surprising part was Daniyal’s reaction. I was not expecting him to react like this. The first scene between Naina and Daniyal was very intense. In my opinion, tonight’s episode belonged to Mikaal Zulfiqar all the way. This episode was fast paced, touching, well written and very well directed. It was the best episode of Laa so far. I am in love with the OST of the play and the way it was played in the background in tonight’s episode was spot on.

The preview of the next episode showed that Dai Maa wants the marriage to take place soon but Naina is still not sure if she should go along with this marriage. Will Naina go ahead with this marriage? Does she have the option to call the marriage off now?

Did you enjoy tonight’s episode just as much as I did? Do share your thoughts about this latest installment.

Fatima Awan

The mystery element of the play along with the fact that for a change the central character in the story is not a female but a male and the story is not about a love triangle or about marital problems is what makes this play stand out in the crowd. Having said that I must admit that this may not be the kind of play that will hit a home run with the masses mostly because of its overall outlook. If the lighting and colors were slightly more alluring then it would have been a perfect package.

Daniyal is determined to find out about his background. When you find out that your whole life was a lie all of a sudden, some people have a difficult time coming into terms with the truth and they decide to go on with life pretending that they don’t need to know the truth but most often they react the way Daniyal did. He appreciates everything that his adoptive parents did for him but he cannot rest until he finds out about his roots. Daniyal’s entire personality has changed ever since he found out the truth. The carefree man who was full of confidence has been replaced by one who is lost and feels a great burden on his shoulders which will only be lifted when he finds out who his real parents were.

Dilawar’s character is a very interesting addition to the play. Dilawar and Laila both are not the usual characters with feudal backgrounds which we see on screen. Dilawar is a very likeable character and the way Laila helped Daniyal was either because she is a genuinely nice person or because she also wants to find out why Daniyal is looking for Peer Murtaza Shah…we will find out soon enough. The conversation between Laila and Dilawar about that piece of land he wanted went to show that Laila isn’t as “enlightened” or soft hearted as she appears to be.

Naina finds it very difficult to forget Daniyal but her mother is bent on getting her daughter married in an uncha khandan. The way Naina’s mother compared damaad and bakra was outrageous but then those lines portrayed her thinking perfectly. The turn of events in tonight’s episode were very intriguing indeed. Daniyal and Naina’s paths will meet yet again or maybe not! Will Naina end up getting married to Dilawar? She is definitely not the kind of girl who will let anyone else make such an important decision of her life but you never know.

I felt for Daniyal’s adoptive parents all through tonight’s episode. The actress playing Daniyal’s mother has failed to impress me with her acting, her dialogue delivery is very filmy. The story is unpredictable so far and the drama is moving ahead at a very good pace. I really like the OST; it is different and appealing but the background music can be a little too melancholic at times. It is good to see Mikaal Zulfiqar playing a different character. I am not a big fan of Sadia Khan ever since I watched her perform in Devar Bhabi but I must say that her acting in this serial is much better. Her performance is definitely not power packed but there are no glaring flaws in her acting either. In my opinion she needs to emote more.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

Hina finally found out that Daniyal is her son but that does not end her talash. She has a daunting task ahead of her now that she knows that she must do everything in her power to prove in the court that Daniyal is innocent but in order to do that, she must find Daniyal first. Proving in the court that someone like Dilawar is the actual criminal is going to be even more difficult considering that people like him usually do not get convicted. If Laila dies then Hina may not be able to save Daniyal at all. Daniyal, on the other hand is at his wits end, he is not even sure where he is or where he should go and since he is a fugitive he cannot possibly roam around freely. Dilawar’s empty threats to Naimat Khan are getting old and monotonous; the chooza seth is clearly no match for the daku! Daniyal’s secret is now officially out after Naina told her parents and Hina the truth about Daniyal’s identity and the criminal. I know this is supposed to be a very serious play but I cannot help but notice that everyone in this play is looking for someone; Hina is looking for Daniyal, Dilawar is looking for Naimat Khan and Daniyal both, Naina will set out on a journey to find Daniyal too and Daniyal is looking for a way out of this situation!

I was very surprised to find out that Hina still hasn’t officially taken up Laila’s case because she has been holding press conferences and in the last episode she was on her way to the court when Daniyal was “kidnapped”. I don’t know the procedure for these things but it just doesn’t sound logical that a barrister who hasn’t even yet taken up the case is representing it on the media. She could have been going to the court only to hear what Daniyal had to say but everything else makes very little sense. In the opening scene when she is talking to her friend she clearly says that she isn’t sure whether Daniyal is guilty or not but when Naina comes to see her, she is on the phone saying that she wants a decision on the next hearing because she wants Daniyal to be punished for what he did! Decisions regarding murder cases in Pakistan or anywhere in the world are not taken so quickly and especially when the criminal is not even in police custody. I also did not get why Hina thanked Naina for saving Laila’s life. Later on we found out that someone tried to kill Laila in the hospital, when did that happen? I am guessing that Dilawar tried to get Laila killed in the hospital but Naina saved her somehow but why do we have to figure that out? I think whoever did the editing for this episode, chopped off some very important scenes.

Tonight’s episode’s main focus was Hina’s mental turmoil after finding out the truth. I must say that the focus on the details regarding Daniyal’s case; the statements, conversations and press conference was a little too much. The friendship between Hina and her colleague is heart-warming; I enjoy their conversations and the gentleman always gives Hina sound advice. This episode of Laa wasn’t as exciting as the last one but the preview of the next episode seemed interesting. I have a feeling that Laila will survive because we see a very worried Dilawar getting his seat for Dubai confirmed. Daniyal will make his way to Lahore, I hope the viewers will get to see how he manages to escape…a request to the editor – please have some mercy!

Don’t forget to share your views about this latest episode.

Fatima Awan

This was another exciting and happening episode of Laa which made up for the slow and disappointing episode of last week. The pace of the show along with a different storyline sets this drama apart from rest of the plays that are currently on air. The story is unfolding at a really good pace with every passing episode. Although, I was a little taken aback and disappointed with the developments in the last episode maybe because I was expecting something completely different but the fact is that this was the best way to take the story forward. Daniyal is dealing with murderers so he can’t just make them understand things the way he could have if Dilawar and his mother did not have so much on stake. Dai Maa will do anything to get hold of the Pir’s gaddi and jaidad, she tried to get Daniyal killed once and she will do anything to get him killed now too.

Naimat Khan was the one who brought Daniyal to his adoptive parents all these years back, which means they knew about Naimat Khan all along. Daniyal tells Hina that he is looking for his mother and for a little while Daniyal reminded Hina of her son. Hina also told Daniyal that Laila did not consider him just a friend but she was in love with him – that explains a lot! The only reason Laila put her life in danger for someone she had known only for a month or so was because she loved him. Dilawar proved that he isn’t such a chooza seth after all; he planned to kill Daniyal while he was on his way to the court but Naimat Khan who for very good reasons does not believe in the justice system decided to “rescue” Daniyal before Dilawar could harm him. I am glad that we were not shown the scene in which Naimat Khan’s men took Daniyal with them from the police because that scene would not have been any good unless it was very well directed.

I was waiting for Daniyal and Naina to meet for the past so many episodes but tonight when they finally met somehow the chemistry between them was just not the same. Sadia Khan’s acting was at its worst in that particular scene. That scene however was very significant because it gave Daniyal hope. Daniyal told Naina that Dilawar killed Laila and the only reason he is not telling anyone that is that he does not want Naina’s husband-to-be to be behind bars. The logic didn’t quite click with me because why would Daniyal want Naina to marry someone like Dilawar in the first place. Naina told Daniyal that she didn’t want to marry Dilawar which meant that he did not need to save him and which also meant that Daniyal and Naina could get married now. Dilawar saw the tape of the meeting between Naina and Daniyal and that is when he decided to take more aggressive measures.

Khalid Malik deserves tons of appreciation for playing Dilawar’s character with perfection. He depicted his anger and frustration in tonight’s episode so aptly. Mikaal Zulfiqar has been spot on as Daniyal too. The only weak link in the play is Sadia Khan. The preview of the next episode looked very enticing although I do think that it revealed a little more than it should have. Naina will tell Hina the truth about Daniyal’s identity in the next episode and I can only wonder where things will go from there. Looking forward to another exciting episode of Laa!

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

This episode of Laa was slow as compared to all the other episodes that have gone on air so far, since it did not manage to engage me the way all the previous episodes have, I couldn’t help but notice some of the loopholes in the direction and the narrative. The story took an ugly and unexpected turn today when Dilawar found out that Daniyal is his brother. Everything happened really fast but I must say that the scene in which Dilawar shot Laila could have been shot in a much better way. Surely someone like Dilawar is used to killing people or is he really a chooza seth? He looked terrified when he shot Laila like he had never hurt a fly in his life. Until now Laa did not give me much to complain about; I ignored the repeated coincidences, I have enjoyed the filmy feel of the play till now and a few loopholes here and there did not kill the overall feel of the play for me because Laa gave me something to look forward to every week and it has been very entertaining. This episode however was slow for my taste and much of what we saw in it made little sense. Firstly, a person like Dai Maa who has blood on her hands is not in a position to question her son for having an affair/affairs. I did not get how she concluded that one of Dilawar’s girlfriends must have told Laila what kind of a character he had. People like Dilawar take pride in having girlfriends and even mistresses, it comes with the status sadly.

Daniyal recalled being at Laila’s house when she went to visit her family but he was never shown in that particular scene in the last episode. In fact two minutes before that scene he was shown sitting with his father in Lahore and tonight he delivered the money to Laila’s house and went straight to the hospital which would mean that Laila’s family lives in Karachi or some place near Karachi. In addition to that Daniyal had more pressing issues at hand at that time with his father sick! Maybe I missed something, if anyone out there was able to make sense out of these two scenes please do enlighten me.

Laila’s character was getting more interesting by every passing episode, I would definitely want to see more of her. We got to find out more about the double life that Laila has been living all these years. Daniyal’s mother wants to hold on to her son therefore she is on a mission to find him a wife but his father on the other hand wants his son to find out who his mother is so that he can be at peace. Daniyal’s father has faith in him; he knows that he will still come back to them even after finding out who his real mother is.

Daniyal’s life has taken a turn for the worse because he has been framed by Dilawar (perhaps). The viewer’s didn’t get a chance to see why the police thought that he was the one who shot Laila but I am guessing that Dilawar must be behind this latest development. Daniyal and Hina will come face to face once again in the next episode but in the wrong circumstances. Laila and Dilawar are the only two people who know that Hina is Daniyal’s mother, Laila is fighting for her life and Dilawar would want Daniyal to be behind bars for the rest of his life.

Although this episode was strictly okay especially when I compare it with the sort of entertainment Laa has provided us with till now because the loopholes in the direction and narrative were too obvious this time around. The story still has tons of potential; if Laila survives, she will tell Hina the truth and Hina will fight her son’s case.

Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.

Fatima Awan

The pace of these two episodes continued to not disappoint. I found myself interested to see where the story is going for although we do have a fair idea of what will happen I am glad to say that at least the way the events are unfolding is convincing – and interesting – enough.

I was highly sceptical and cringed thinking seriously, is this how predictable and annoying this drama will be when Aina leaves for Islamabad and Imran gives up his mobile phone that they will be unable to get in touch which will lead to misunderstandings ending with disastrous results. I was glad however when Imran learns from Aina’s friend that she has left for a few days and when she returns she goes to the flat and thankfully Imran is home. I can not stress enough how that raised the drama’s worth in my eyes at least for the done to death, no communication ka rasta or Imran leaving the flat to run an errand when Aina arrives would have done my head in. While the drama may not be rid of such clichés later on, I will give credit now for where it is due. I do wonder though at the 1990s style of ‘dumb calls’ when Imran being so rich could have given Aina a mobile phone that he could reach her on. Obviously before he was stripped of his own belongings but even if Aina was all about ‘I am not after your money’, I am sure a simple phone to be able to contact each other would have been a wise idea but oh well.

Aini too surprised me when she announced enough is enough and broke off the engagement. Eyebrows went further up when she said Aina’s family should be paid a visit and I thought, good stuff! But while Aini may think of herself as a competent player so to speak, Imran’s father is the true puppet master and knows when to pull which chords. He knows his son well and knows he will return once left to fend for himself. Seems like Aini is back on board too.

Aina’s fiancé is far from impressed by Aina’s ‘reserve’ and I have to say I really like Faraz’s character where he has been all understanding about Aina’s heartbreak and also encourages her fiancé and her to have a few moments together. It is good to see the writer presenting a male character with a broad mind but a sensible one for either they are too conservative to the point of being manic or there are the truly liberal ones with the fake English accents, huge cigars and drink in hand. Faraz is a character I can really understand and like – till now at least. I also liked how he did not fly off the handle when he came upon Aina and her fiancé and also later how he stresses how Aina is unhappy with this upcoming marriage.

While Huma Nawab’s acting leaves a bit to be desired, her character does pinch at my heart especially when she says how Imran is not worthy of Aina and his parents refused to come and take her ‘izzat se’. I am glad to see a level headed sensible family that cares about each other and is not out to manipulate each other which is why Aina’s actions seem even more, deplorable for lack of a better word not because I am judging her for marrying against her family wishes but for pulling the wool over her mother’s eyes who has trusted her and devoted her life to her children and even agreed to meet Imran’s parents. I keep repeating that I know, but while Aina is worried now it is because the fiance’s family wants to move ahead with the wedding not how she has let her mother, Sajal and Faraz down. I can see why she would not care about Mohsin, LOL.

So Aina from sweet loving Aina is fast becoming Manhoos Aina in Imran’s mind. While it is admirable and definitely much more fascinating when the rich boy leaves his family in the name of love and makes his way in the world, portrayal of a character like Imran has also been very realistically done. It is true that he has never had to worry about a single aana – I could not resist substituting dime with aana with all the Aina-Aini going on, LOL. There is that old saying, when poverty enters the door, love goes out the window. Imran blames Aina for all the hardship coming his way and now that things have been laid out in the open at his end he wants Aina to rush things at her end. I could see how he wanted her to also come clean and move in and while Aina said he could barely fend for himself she did not want to add on her own burden, I felt it was more because she lacked the courage. I wonder why she went ahead with the nikkah anyway and even if she did, then the very obvious would be to sort of avoid starting a family until things had settled between the families? Methinks so! But then all those fainting spells, bar one drama (Teri Chah Mein) – spell out only one thing – a pregnancy! How are the women in our dramas always so clueless that they never realise they are pregnant until they faint?! I would honestly love to know if that has happened to women in real life. Yes the odd few maybe, but routinely?!

There have been a few negative comments regarding Naveen Waqar’s appearance and while I totally get how a certain actor or actress can put you off from watching a drama and I agree that her fringe is distracting, her acting so far has been realistic enough. I feel her despair, I dislike her for being selfish and I find while Aina may end up being the victim, Naveen’s portrayal of the character has been such that you feel the ‘victim’ sort of brought this upon herself. Imran’s character is wishy washy where he grows a backbone and then loses it the way a lizard may lose its tail and grow one back. I am pleasantly surprised at Mirza Zain’s acting and how he seems to be comfortable in his character. Faraz is the only sensible one so far and I hope he has a sensible plan of action rather than letting Aina flit round the streets again trying to sort things out. I like a few dialogues of this drama too especially the scene between Imran’s parents when his father says that why do mothers assume fathers are unfeeling. A father’s stern attitude for the long term benefit of his child can be viewed as unfeeling at times when it is not. While I may not agree with his tactics for bringing Imran back to him or forcing him into a marriage with Aini, I could understand the underlying anger when he wonders how Imran thought he could have fooled his own father. His father is an arrogant man who believes he knows what move to make when and till now things have panned out favourably for him.

Next week’s preview shows Aina paying her in laws a visit and although I suppose Imran and Aini have gone to Dubai to shop, Aina will meet Imran and given the direction he is headed, seems like he has had enough of her. I wonder if Aina’s mother survives the heart attack and what is in store for Aina now. Sorry, no screenshots today as my daughter is a bit poorly. I would love to hear what you all thought of these episodes though and any guesses whether Aina’s pregnancy will bring a change of heart in Imran or will he not be told?

Kunwal Javid

And I proudly (umm) present to you the latest twist in our dramas! You know how there is the ever present eavesdropping scenario, or the ‘daydream’ sequence, or the saas/nand/bhabhi saazish, stalkerish other woman, etc – now a new trend seems to be picking up where the father of the ‘hero’ threatens to divorce his wife if his son does not agree to his demands. This tactic was used in the recently concluded drama Yeh Chahatein Yeh Shidatein which aired on GEO (I know, I know, I have no idea why I watched it but I did and no I do not recommend it!) and now Imran’s father used the same to get Imran to give up Aina. Is this is a spin off from the ‘tumhari tarbiyat fell flat’ taunt or what?

Anyways, as the previous few episodes, these two were well paced and interesting too. Aina agrees to meet Imran even though she feels he has let her down and her family by not having his parents show up with the proposal as promised. Imran however tells her his hands are tied and when she leaves him at the park we are given the impression that she had ended things for good. I liked how Faraz went out to look for her and how he cares about Aina as probably Mohsin does too but Faraz tries to understand where she is coming from and help her see the light whereas Mohsin is waiting for her to take a wrong step and at the same time trying to prevent that from happening not purely because he worries for her welfare but because he feels what she may do would go against his sense of what is right and wrong.

Sajal and Faraz are married and under the pretense of leaving to go pick up Sajal’s jewellery Aina has arranged to meet Imran instead and marries him. When he comes to her house he is somehow able to convince her that he can not be without her and a secret nikkah for the time being is the solution. I wonder if the nikkah was to make Aina believe his intentions are true for since they are both technically engaged to others and not eloping, I did not see the need for this urgency otherwise. Aina manages to make it back in time for Sajal’s wedding and makes an excuse about the taxi breaking down which her family accepts.

Aina’s character seems to be the key one in this drama and a complex one. I can understand her agreeing to go ahead with the engagement and making peace with it all thinking that things with Imran have ended and she has disappointed her mother and should begin to move on. I thought that was possibly the sensible step forward too except I did agree with Faraz where he felt that Aina should not be rushed into another relationship and given time to absorb what has happened. I could however also see where Mohsin was coming from given that he has an unease about Aina and does not trust her and felt she should not be given time to complicate things. However, Aina’s mother is on Mohsin’s side and both feel the wedding should take place as soon as possible.

Back to Aina, however. She loves Imran and although she felt let down, she believes what he says when he comes to see her at her house. That too was believable. Aina is impulsive but she cared about her mother and worried about her not forgiving her so what is she thinking now? How can she possibly believe that both families will accept this marriage? Imran’s family for one, went to all lengths to play out a whole drama where they went ahead with Imran’s engagement, then emotionally blackmailed him into accepting it all and insulted Aina’s family in the process. Mohsin and Aina’s mother are angry with Aina and what did actually bother me was that her mother chose to be sensible and agreed to meet with Imran’s family so it was not as if she turned a blind eye to her daughter’s wishes. But then the fact that they did not show up and then landed her beloved nephew in jail was enough for her to want nothing to do with Imran and then she beseeches Aina to forget him. How Aina could see past that to only Imran probably shows that while Aina may seem to love her family she is ready to lose all for the sake of Imran which is what she says actually when she says ‘sub kashtiyan jalla kar ayi hoon’. Aina is foolish in thinking she can have her cake and eat it too but oh well.

I like the way things are moving forward. I wish Naveen would stop widening her eyes at the drop of a hat for, forget Mohsin, she is making me uneasy too. Thankfully Emmad Irfani did not have to squeal, I mean shout in these episodes and his constantly exasperated expressions seemed convincing. Nadia’s (Mohsin’s wife) expressions make me laugh and feel for her at the same time when poor thing is an easy target for everyone’s anger or snide comments, especially Mohsin’s. Her expressions remind me of Nasreen’s, LOL (Nasreen of Rahim Pardesi fame if any of you have watched his videos). I am beginning to warm up to Faraz’s character and Mirza Zain Baig has actually done a decent job in this drama portraying the character of the sensible, level headed brother/cousin which is what a lot of our real life brothers are like. Who actually care for their sisters and believe it or not, do not believe a woman should be bullied into each decision they find fitting. I wish the writer had chosen a different name for Imran’s cousin for he calls Aina ‘Aani’ and if Aina and Aini were not a bit too close for comfort, Aini and Aani most definitely are! Also, why does the background music sound familiar? I am sure I have heard it in another drama – can someone help me out here?

Overall, these two episodes were good to watch. It seems inevitable that Aina will be left to face the music and she and Imran will part ways. What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

So my best friend rarely watches dramas. Yes, I know – we made our peace with that, haha. But with her mother in law visiting nowadays and the TV tuned into dramas more often, she mentioned how she was watching Kuch Na Kaho and when I said I review it she asked ‘oh so what’s the deal with Aina? She’s married with a kid but where’s the kid and why’s she with Mohsin?’ When I briefly explained how it happened her reaction (which is the reason I am mentioning this in the first place) made me pause and reflect. She said ‘No way – dhoka!!’ And I thought, wait – dhoka indeed. For us viewers who have seen Aina suffer and Mohsin’s tantrums, although I did feel Aina should have told Mohsin about her past and not kept him in the dark, I somehow did not in my mind view it or word it as a dhoka but in retrospect, it is actually a dhoka – isn’t it? And although I feel at some point Aina’s past will catch up with her and everything will be out in the open and all hell will break loose, even though Mohsin would be justified in his anger, yet I never cared much for his feelings, and how he would think he has been duped and betrayed by not being told of such an important part of Aina’s life.

But having said that, Mohsin’s attitude and behaviour does sort of make you not like him much. His faulty genetic wiring which does not let his mind get in sync with his heart, where he feels he loves Aina and cares for her but does not care to admit it to himself or her or show it was becoming a bit exhausting. It irks me twofold when Mohsin does not trust Aina for yes, she is loyal but the fact that she did actually pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, details of which Mohsin is not exactly privy to, makes me uncomfortable for her and him both. Not judging Aina, whether what all she did was right, wrong or whatever – but oh well.

Aina’s retorts when she twisted her ankle actually made me laugh and her outburst also made me think that she has not totally lost her spirit. Mohsin’s apology (after his conversation with his nicer alter ego) made me hopeful but fast forward, eighteen years and things do not look as rosy as they seemed to make me believe they may be. When Aina looked at Mohsin’s bent head and thought iss ka saath dhoop aur chaoon ka saath hai – jalaye ga bhi aur saaya bhi day ga I thought how apt! Years pass by and either Aina has compromised and mellowed or finally given in and let go of who Aina originally was. Mohsin however seems to be as angry as ever and I winced and muttered ‘oh how low’ when he flung Aina’s past and mistakes in her face and especially the statement of Aina wanting Taabi to make a mistake so that she may fling it back in Mohsin’s face was really below the belt. Even though Aina is not these children’s birth mother, she has done everything for them that a mother can do and it seems like Taabi will be held back for fear that she may repeat what Aina did in her youth (half of which Mohsin is not even aware of – sigh!). Sins of the mother and all that.

I am glad that the time hop has been brought in quickly and I hope whatever is to unfold next is done as skilfully as the director has been dealing with the drama so far. Well, for the most part. Naveen Waqar has totally won me over with her acting and what I can not help but mention is how genuine her expressions and feelings seem to be when she interacts with the children, whether they were babies or grown up now. Also, so relieved to see how wonderfully an older Aina was presented without having to show a dupatta on her head, with the pearl necklace and grey hair which seems to be the go to idea of an older woman in most dramas. The glasses are there, but the parting of the hair, the mellowed nature – I really liked it. I am not the sort to gush over these things but I liked how the director kept it real for Aina was quite young when she married Mohsin so would seem absurd if she was suddenly old and grey.

What I do not understand is how in this day and age Aina has not seen Maaz in so many years. Skype? Whatsapp? I know Mohsin runs a tight ship but surely Aina has a mobile phone now. Or wait, does she?! I can only think that Sajal has deliberately kept Maaz away from Aina as she has not overcome her insecurities but oh well. Did you watch next week’s preview? The new young male character – is that Maaz? I sure as hell hope not – he did not seem very ‘nice’ and poor, poor Aina to have raised three children so well and to have her own child turn out, well not so well! Is it Mohsin’s sister who has come back – maybe he is her child? When after quite a number of episodes, a few new characters are introduced in a drama I often lose interest or it spoils the charm of the play but I am glad this episode did not make me feel that way and looking forward to seeing what happens next week and if Maaz is finally to appear before Aina soon. What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

Well, I really enjoyed watching these two episodes. Mohsin’s attitude – not as much! Probably being the oldest in the house has made him the way he is where he thinks he has the final say and the most authority. Did not help matters much that Nadia never stood up for herself either and he continued to be the bossy one. I was honestly beginning to get a headache with his behaviour where he oscillates from being lovely and almost romantic to his usual screaming self. It is almost as if he has one of those split personality disorders and sadly I can almost begin to identify when he switches from maanoos Mohsin to kharoos Mohsin the way he cocks his head to one side, eyes widen and head wobbling he begins to yell!

Sajal and Faraz finally took their leave and it was actually heartbreaking to see Aina part from her child. What I have always loved about this drama is how easy it is to relate to most of the characters, their thinking, the way their lives unfold. Aina had given her child to Sajal but being physically apart broke her and eventually made her collapse. When Mohsin brought the twins home, I felt for Aina where in her mind she felt that Maaz had left but this child would fill the void in her heart that was created by Maaz leaving.

I am also glad to see that bar, the jadoo scene with Sajal, Khala seems to be a positive character who has her heart in the right place. The way she told Mohsin off and helped Aina realize she needed some domestic help showed she meant well and did not show up merely to see how Aina was faring so she could gossip about it. I am a little taken aback by Mohsin’s attitude though where he expects Aina to take care of three children all of a sudden and not expect to take any sort of hit in his routine or his duties. He does seem to come round though as he gave in to Aina’s demand for a maid but then his extreme anger over her cooking was out of place. I am glad to see Aina finding her tongue again and managing to speak up for herself and that makes me think that this story could go either of two ways. Either this is what Mohsin needs, someone who can love him but also will not take his unrealistic demands lying down or maybe the fact that Aina speaks up for herself and does not say yes to everything Mohsin says will sour relations between them.

I have to say, I love Naveen Waqar’s acting. I feel when she cowers in front of Mohsin it seems a bit odd but other than that, her flippant responses and especially the way you could see her glow when she handled the children was so real and I have to hand it to her for portraying Aina so well. I feel bad for Aina where she hit rock bottom thinking that she should accept everything coming her way as a penance for the mistakes she seemingly made but then she manages to connect with herself, the old Aina and says what is on her mind. I was glad to see less of Sajal and more focus on the relationship between Mohsin and Aina and although it is tiresome how Mohsin gets angry at the drop of a hat but then again that is who he has always been so I suppose if he is to change then it needs to be shown eventually for it to seem realistic.

I did not think that the drama would extend to the time when the children grow up but comments from last week have led me to believe that is the case. I can only say that given how the director has managed to keep us engaged even 27 episodes down, bar a couple of episodes here and there, I hope the same can be said moving forward without making a huge khichri of the plot! Next week’s preview also reminded me that Mohsin still does not know Aina had married Imran and that Maaz is her child and given how Aina is shown to attach herself to the twin she feels will take Maaz’s place in her heart, makes me think there is definitely quite a bit more to come. I am quite curious to see how things develop between Mohsin and Aina, do they meet halfway or will their relation become bitter trying?

What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

There is something about this drama – the treatment it has been given, the portrayal of people and characters whose stories actually seem relatable and yes the acting that keeps my interest engaged all the while the episode is playing. Conversations and moments where we are shown what a certain character is thinking also helps one understand what is going through everyone’s minds and although a few things seemed a bit out of place, on the whole I like how the story is moving forward and am interested to see what happens next week.

Sajal and Faraz’s showdown eventually managed her to snap out of her silly antics and rants and thankfully the two seem to have sorted out things between themselves. Aina’s and Mohsin’s reluctance to get married was totally understandable and I was surprised initially to see Aina give in easily. While I know most of us would love to have been able to see Aina stand up for herself and make a life for herself and Maaz, I do also appreciate that not every woman has the courage or the luck to make it happen. Probably the accusation Sajal hurled at Aina regarding Faraz was the last straw for her and although she has never been fond of Mohsin what Aina says later seemed to make sense for the way she said it made me think she believes what she is saying. Having been left in the lurch by the man she thought loved her, moments of weakness or desperation leading to her handing over her child to Sajal and now seeing how Nadia, who Aina had been fond of has left three children behind, she feels this is her place. She can not tag along with Faraz and Sajal forever, apparently has squashed the notion of making it on her own so Mohsin’s ‘name’ can give her the security she wants and looking after his three children can help cover the void to an extent that giving Maaz away has left. Her words, not mine.

Anyways, while Aina has wholeheartedly decided to make this marriage work, Mohsin has grown even more unbearable. I can not help but mention how refreshing it is to see a character like Aina who, if has made up her mind to see a marriage through, is giving it her best rather than resorting to tantrums. She seems to have let go of her past but I am also glad to see that although she has her moments where she is cowering in fear (a bit extreme in my opinion) she can not resist the flippant remarks that come naturally to her or the raised eyebrows at Mohsin’s comments. Even Mohsin is finding it hard to stomach this ‘agreeable’ Aina and knowing about Imran makes it harder for him to trust her.

Another thing I breathed a sigh of relief over was the treatment of ‘halala’. Hopefully this idea will not make an appearance later on for I would have spoken too soon but I was extremely glad to see how Aina balked at the idea and made it very clear to Imran that he was delusional to even think such a thing. This ‘halala’ issue has been done to death and when talks of Aina marrying Mohsin arose I thought this might come up but I am glad that Aina seems to think it absurd. Also, even though Ainnie was able to drive them apart, Aina has no false impressions of how Imran might be innocent for she despises him for being the weakling that he was and nothing can really change that fact. It made me laugh how even his own mother threw that in his face, about him being weak.

One thing that does bother me, and I have to keep reminding myself, is the fact that Mohsin still does not know that Aina married Imran and is also Maaz’s mother. When Aina had such a clear mind about everything else going into this marriage I would have hoped she would have told Mohsin the truth. I do not stomach the thought that she was so desperate that she let this all go although yes if Mohsin had known this then he would most likely have not married her for he already thinks less of her for having ‘liked’ Imran, let alone having secretly married, divorced and also given birth to a child!

Ainnie and Imran’s marriage and the ‘games’ Imran plays with her make no sense to me. I do not even find it convincing that this is the only gratification he feels, that he can make Ainnie suffer the way he has. I was happier to see less of both of them and although Ainnie seems to have had a moment of regret, she bounces back, teeth clenched and seems like nothing has changed there. Yawwn.

Mohsin is one hell of a ‘sari mirch’ – maybe a lal mirch since with the taunts there is also the ever present rage boiling over! Fine, we get he does not trust Aina yet but she seems sincere and also says as much to him so maybe not give her the ‘Nadia treatment’?! Even though I am glad to see Aina has not totally lost her spunk and although she was very outspoken and impulsive earlier, I would hate to see her become totally docile and a whimpering, agreeable wife to please Mohsin. Likewise would love to see Mohsin show a nicer side – the exasperated, indignant looks he gives with his lectures mirror the expression on MY face over his attitude!

Still waiting to see the twins back home. Also a little less of this khala that shows up to do nothing else but cause trouble! I wonder if Faraz and Sajal will leave with Maaz without Mohsin learning of the truth? Or will Aina be able to tell him herself?

Although Naveen and Emaad overdo the eye widening a bit and Aina’s cowering seems a bit OTT sometimes, but otherwise I find that Naveen has made Aina’s character very interesting and the drama very watchable. Mirza Zain has made Faraz such a likeable character and when he calls Aina ‘Aani’ and speaks to her it is almost as if he really is a ‘normal, concerned’ older brother. Yes the drama has its dramatic moments, such as the whole maid kidnapping scene and Mohsin appearing at the right instant and the incident serving as a catalyst to move the marriage along and Sajal’s moaning did do my head in but honestly I feel what is this drama’s USP is the fact that it portrays a story and characters that you feel may actually exist in real life. Along with the characters are their flaws and their moments of self reflection which is nicely done such as Imran being weak, Aina learning to move on, Sajal accepting she became overly bitter and so on. While Mohsin seems naturally to be the way he is, the moments where we see how he thinks that he wants to be close to Aina and say something else but ends up blurting the opposite or that he feels he may be betraying Nadia’s memory did not make me understand him totally but did make me feel generous enough to give him some time to get over things and become nicer. I do not know know why, maybe because it was different and finally not cliche but I loved how Aina replied to Mohsin’s ‘aurat ko bhataktay huay dair nahin lagti‘ comment!

Looking forward to seeing how things develop between Mohsin and Aina and how and when Aina’s past catches up with her. What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

I should keep a log. Or Mohsin should get a hobby. A new hobby that is. For now, he seems to have not much else to do but find new adjectives for Aina – none of them flattering. Along with Mohsin, Sajal should also find herself a hobby. She does seemingly nothing all day except pop up unannounced behind Aina with her ‘tum manhoos’ rant. Actually scratch that. For when she let her focus shift from Aina to someplace else, she has ended up with the ‘jaadoo tonay’. Sigh.

So quite a bit has been happening at Mohsin Villa. Tempers flaring, accusations being hurled and meltdowns. When Aina started telling Noman about her past, she barely got the beginnings of her story out and it was too much for Noman to handle. I am glad she decided to come clean and good riddance to Noman! Mohsin and Sajal are united in their despair for they were hoping to offload Aina on to Noman but she thankfully had the sense to see that hiding something big as this only for it to raise its head after marriage would worsen matters. Aina had begun to find a bit of her spark again for I loved the raised eyebrow and face she made when Mohsin said that accepting anything from her would be haraam for him. Seriously?! But the maid’s antics which led Sajal and Mohsin to blame Aina sent her back to being mazloom and weeping round the house. Sajal’s mindblowing latest accusation obviously was the last straw and sent Aina over the edge and although the whole scene in the rain was a bit dramatic it did not seem overly so especially as I could feel Aina’s frustration. She feels she is to suffer for the ‘mistake’ she made but there is only so much someone can take and with all the negativity coming at her from each direction, for Sajal to make a mockery of the one solid relationship in Aina’s life would send her over the edge.

I thought Mohsin was just a stern, negative man but I am beginning to feel that the background ‘evil’ music that plays when he is around is certainly befitting! When he walks up behind Aina when she is crying I wanted to scream, nahin bhai, Nadia nahin hai, and thankfully he heard me, haha! But what is with the uncontrollable anger and name calling. He is like Sajal where he shows up to throw in his two cents, his taanas and screeches and disappears again. He and Sajal seem more saggay to me – he and Faraz can not be brothers really!

Even though Sajal is negative as, well negative as negative goes and she is really crossing the line with throwing accusations left, right and center sometimes her comments made me laugh. For instance, when she said about Faraz wanting dinner, that ‘girlfriend nay lunch karwa kar nahin bhaija?’. Then when Aina said Mohsin does not eat ‘baasi khaana’ (food cooked in the afternoon – baasi? Really?) and Sajal quipped that now Mohsin will eat whatever is prepared for really with his wife gone and his ‘wonderful’ attitude, Mohsin is expecting a bit too much I would say! Her reaction to meeting Sabrina was so immature, I guffawed and even more so after Sabrina’s ‘tumharay shohar ko bulaoon gi’. What was that about, by the way?

Faraz seems to be the only one with a very sensible head on his shoulders. His shocked expression when Aina was blamed for the stolen money, his comments to Sajal and Mohsin and the way he tries to raise Aina’s spirits make me feel he is going to realise very soon that things need to change or I think Sabrina may just look like a very attractive option to him – job,Amrika and taana-less, the whole deal!

With emotions running high and Aina and Faraz beginning to lose their patience too, throw in the maid’s plans and it seems like there will be a huge explosion soon and I am looking forward to it. Next week’s preview showed Aina had more to say than just cry and suffer silently and I hope this does not blow up in her face and Mohsin and Sajal finally do back off. With so many people in one house and nobody having a life outside those four walls, it is hard to find time alone but seriously they should all start watching their backs – literally – from Sajal when she is pouring all that sugar in the tea/milk, to Aina when she is standing weeping in corners and even the maid when she is stealing!

Naveen Waqar continued to be impressive as Aina in these two episodes. The scenes where she has a breakdown and screams were done really well for she was screaming but it was not the shrill, unbelievable type, rather one could feel her desperation. I could not help being reminded of Sara from Humsafar though in the scenes where Naveen was wearing that black outfit when she speaks to Noman. Sajal reminds me of Tweety bird from Sylvester and Tweety who shows up big eyed everywhere gloating in her own goodness. I think all Faraz needs is to be taken by the hand towards an open door and be told something along the lines of ‘ja Simran ja – jee lay apni zindagi’ and Simran/Faraz shall gallop! I could understand Mohsin better if we were shown moments of slight regret of how he treats Aina and puts it down to his grief but his anger seems to know no bounds and I am not sure where all of it is coming from. Also, Emaad Irfani can not pull off the angry look so he needs to get past it and move on and start being nicer to Aina so that we can be nicer to him too.

Anyone else wondering how Aini and Imran are faring? LOL. Also, I guess baba ji is not very authentic for Faraz drank the ‘sugar-ed tea’ and Aina the ‘sugar-ed’ milk and both seem to not be very fond of Sajal anymore, ha! What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Celebrities React on Mohsin Abbas Haider Wife Fatima’s News

Kunwal Javid

Manhoos, bechari, ayah, goongi – and now besharam. You name it and Aina is it! With the death of Nadia and seeing Mohsin crumble (quite literally I have to add), Faraz quits his job and decides to stay on in Karachi. Since Aina and Sajal’s childhood home is now up for rent, the whole tabbar is staying at Mohsin’s house and for the meantime helping out with Tabinda. Mohsin’s hysterical reactions made me shift uncomfortably in my seat because normally you do not see men break down on screen like that and even if that was the intention, to show how grief has overwhelmed Mohsin, well Emaad Irfani’s acting was actually a bit on the comical side and secondly, it was hard to link this broken front to the man who was always putting his wife down. Yes, in the last few months he seemed a bit gentle in a couple of scenes but I could not help shake my head when he yells out (after her death) about Nadia not ironing his clothes properly. Poor Nadia!

Sajal and Faraz. Sigh. Do I have to talk about them? Okay, quickly then. Sajal is still spewing venom and is quite resourceful for she is still after Aina’s case but now is also ‘onto’ Faraz and keeping tabs on him. Faraz’s friendship seems innocent enough for now but I wonder if Sajal’s attitude will make him think otherwise. You know how earlier a woman would rarely have makeup on etc and come shaadi and she is always dolled up? That is the case with Sajal – in a different way. She was nice, sensible, warm – till she got married. This negative, wailing, self pitying woman is doing my head in.

As for Mohsin. He does not even know about Aina’s marriage, divorce and baby. Phir bhi the way he treats Aina is insane! Imagine if he found out all she has been up to. I found Aina’s cowering before him a bit odd but then maybe she is trying to be accepting since he has suffered such a huge shock but it is disappointing for I was happy to see Aina get a job and begin to look out for herself. But with this episode, the fringe was back in place as was poor, bechari Aina who now has a very desperate Noman trailing after her, making Mohsin think she is besharam for stringing him along and letting him speak to her and visit her! Noman is also a weirdo, for he happens to be everywhere – catching Aina on the streets, then watching her get hit by the car, visiting Mohsin at work. Yes, yes we get how angry his family is – I would lose my mind if I heard that line one more time.

And no, I have not forgotten the most important and extremely creepy scene. I say creepy for it creeped me out more than the movie Conjuring 2 that my husband had on TV while I watched these episodes on my laptop in an attempt to block out the horrifying screams from the TV! Mohsin mistaking Aina for Nadia and the way he poured his heart out and she just stood there – if that scene was meant to touch us, or be emotional in any way it really did not. Maybe if there had been some beginning of romance between the two, or they had been married or something – but Mohsin and Aina like that was too soon and too weird! Especially as it seems that neither of them is going anywhere anytime soon.

While I get Mohsin is grieving and everyone is trying to make sense of their lives, I wish Aina would bounce back and not take Mohsin and Sajal’s negative attitude anymore. Haye, Sajal really needs to get out of everyone’s life, mine included! It looks like Aina and Mohsin are meant to be spending more time together so then please let us get on with it and hopefully see more than a rerun of Mohsin-Nadia again with Aina cowering this time, instead of Nadia! I am curious to see Mohsin’s reaction when he learns what Aina has been through and whether Aina will come across Imran any time soon. I will be honest, not many dramas on air, save the truly amazing few are holding my interest nowadays and I did not really enjoy these two episodes much either. I do hope the constant negativity is sucked out soon. What did you all think of these episode? Please share your thoughts.

Celebrities React on Mohsin Abbas Haider Wife Fatima’s News

Kunwal Javid

The questions! I watched one of these episodes with the kids around and the baby crying caught their attention and forget Sajal worrying about society’s questions, my kids had loads – why is the baby crying? Why is the mama just standing there? Is she naughty? Ohhh, why does the Khala have the baby? Is Khala naughty then? Ah – bingo! Khala is definitely ‘naughty’! Naughty being a milder version of the words that should be actually used to describe Sajal. She has convinced herself that Aina is manhoos and yes we had been dealing with that the past few episodes and although these also swayed in that direction, death of poor Nadia Bhabhi in the end took the focus off Aina and her manhoos-ness!

Even in her shock and depression, it was absolutely deplorable and unforgivable of Sajal to throw out her pregnant sister like that. Thank God for her neighbour who seems to be hanging around Sajal’s house more and well, good for Aina that she does for she manages to take her to the hospital in time. Sajal has a momentary twinge of guilty conscience or wait – was it because she was more concerned about the baby that she was adamant to pass of as her own? I was a bit upset when Faraz seemed to be a bit fed up with Aina in the previous episodes but I am glad he is sane and worries about her and has not begun to sing the same tune as his wife!

It was actually heartbreaking how Sajal does not want Aina around herself or Maaz and minces no words or misses no opportunity in making her feelings known. I liked what Faraz said about how they were daughters of one mother and to give up on the manhoos rant but Aina has become manhoos, bechari and now ayah Aina. I suppose one of the good things about this play is that where I had resigned myself almost to seeing Aina constantly in that light, I was pleasantly surprised to see how her neighbour managed to drill some sense into Aina. Till now Aina had accepted she had made a mistake and then was just going with the flow, patiently taking Sajal’s spiteful comments in stride but she seemed to rouse out of her slumber and went about looking for a job. I also liked how she gave Sajal the shut up call when she was ironing her clothes. Good for Aina!

I have to say this ‘when my wife is pregnant’ Mohsin is quite a pleasant man. He won me over with the ‘don’t cook, I will order something’. A man who makes that offer himself wins some serious brownie points in my opinion, haha! He has always been quite short with Nadia but I am glad that she felt loved these last few months. There is no love lost between him and Aina and while Sajal’s anger is a bit blown out of proportion, I sort of like how Faraz, Mohsin, Aina and Nadia’s personalities in relation to each other have been presented. They are family and have grown up together and raised by the same woman (well minus Nadia),so while they have their differences, nobody is out to cause any serious harm or grievance to another. The way Aina jumped in to help with Nadia’s situation and Mohsin is shown to worry about Aina being on her own just made the characters more relatable to me.

Poor Faraz – he should just not answer his mobile phone for each time he does it is only bad news. Once with Sajal’s fall, then Aina in the hospital and then Nadia. He should probably just give it to Aina who still does not have mobile phone I could not help notice! If she had rung Imran’s mother from her own phone, then when bari bi got off that bed in her sari to fetch the number she could have given Aina’s direct number and saved Imran the confusion caused by the housemaid answering the phone. Also, Aina could have avoided overhearing what Mohsin said when Nadia answered the phone thinking it was Sajal.

It would seem obvious now that Aina will step in or be thrown in by an eager Sajal to help take care of Mohsin’s children. I am honestly quite interested to see how things fare between Mohsin and Aina for I can not seem to recall any one on one interaction of the two and even amongst a crowd, Mohsin was always quite exasperated and far from fond of Aina and she did not seem to like him much either. Hoping to see much less of Sajal – this character has so much negativity that I am amazed Faraz still declares to be in love with her! Even before she was dealt the blow about not being able to conceive she has only constantly been mean to Aina and her self pity and self importance are getting on my nerves!

With Imran and Aini, I do not know, nikkah nama na hua tau magic wand ho gaya that as soon as they get married, their roles are reversed and Imran has the upper hand. Imran acts like he was bullied into a corner and finally gave in but now is seeking some pleasure from his spiteful acts but he fails to impress me. Definitely not rooting for him to patch up with Aina at some point and want to send him a virtual slap when he sinks into ‘I was made to give up my muhabbat’,etc!

I will be honest when I say the constant crying in the past few episodes had dampened my interest in this drama a bit which is also why I was not really eager to watch these episodes but they drew me in and I am glad to have the drama pick up again. I like Naveen Waqar as Aina because I feel she has portrayed her character really well. Sajal’s psychotic attitude must have rubbed off on me because I actually thought Emaad Irfani acted well in the hospital scene and I even shed a tear or two when he sat at Nadia’s deathbed. But jokes aside, I felt he was able to present a mellow, caring Mohsin much better than the head wobbling and about to blast off, angry Mohsin in the earlier episodes. I also like how Aina’s makeup and hair seems to be in line with her scenes where she is not heavily dolled up when she was in the hospital for instance. The simplicity of the clothes the characters wear, something which I would normally not notice, blends in nicely with the portrayal of a seemingly normal middle class family. I will miss poor Nadia for she was such a positive, pleasant character – but then lif moves on,eh?

What did you all think of these two episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

So I had been praising this drama from being free from cliché situations or scenes and while for the most part it continues to be entertaining these two episodes had their fair share of typical dialogues and situations which moved the story forward same and also made it run round in circles like a cat chasing its tail.

Aina as we had earlier established has become manhoos Aina. Before I get into this drama, what is with this constant manhoos aurat scenario? It is in some form or the other in the dramas but so many names such as Kambakht Tano, Bechari Mehrunissa, Mariam Kaisay Jiye – I mean seriously what makes anyone think people may jump to watch a drama named like that? Or do they?

Anyway, back to bechari and manhoos Aina. Sajal has become seriously sari huee jal !!- I am not sure if this is the same mild natured, loving sister we were introduced to in the earlier episodes. Yes, Aina’s news gave their mother a lot of grief, yes she died, yes Sajal had her rant and blame game full force but really how long does that last? Aina had been selfish but she has learnt her lesson and when Sajal and Faraz take her to Islamabad I would have thoughts things may become to settle. Firstly, I do not get why they had to keep up with the farce in a new city. Why not just introduce Aina as the divorced and pregnant sister and get on with settling in a new city and meeting new people. Khala had made Faraz promise he would keep things to himself but she has assumed that Imran was ready to accept Aina and the baby and now that things had clearly spiralled out of control, common sense would be to tell Mohsin the truth and then take Aina with them to Islamabad. I was given the impression there was no other family and as for what society thinks, well then I guess that is what Sajal took to heart a bit too much for she could have stuck to her story of Aina being divorced and pregnant and just moved facts around a little such as saying after her mother’s death they did her nikah without a lot of fanfare etc, Man, I feel they should have consulted with me how to handle this, LOL!

Well, between Sajal constantly spewing venom and Aina constantly taking it all with a lot of patience, Sajal does get pregnant and loses her baby. I think the change in Faraz’s character has been brought on by the baby where I could still understand that he was more concerned about his own child than Aina and very happily accepted Aina giving her child to Imran’s parents. Mohsin with his bobbing head and quavering voice has cut off ties with everyone and although I felt bad for Nadia for taking the brunt of his anger it seems he does possess a gentler side which has appeared with news of Nadia expecting twins herself.

Imran’s mother’s conscience tagged along with her all the way to America and she finally told Imran the truth. While Asad Zaman Khan’s acting in that scene was really good, the way the situation evolved after that was insane. When he asked his mother for the number I thought oh no, she left her phone in Karachi, oh no she will slip when she gets off that bed to fetch her phone but no she manages to give Imran the number only to have the housemaid tell him madam has lost the baby and he assumes it is Aina and that is that! Uff! I was curious to be honest to see how things are between Aini and Imran now but there was not much save a couple of scenes which did not really tell us much except Aini’s amusing statement where she says to Imran’s back, ‘jahanum mein jao’- little knowing (or not acknowledging) – he is already in a living hell.

One thing that bothered me about Aina was her statement to Faraz and Sajal about how she wanted to give birth so that the child may grow up and question his/her father. Really? There was no outburst of how she could be expected to kill her own baby etc – except the wild look in her eyes as she explains why she wants to have the baby and I thought oh wow, really? I was a bit taken aback also at how casually abortion or the concept/thought of it was treated in these two episodes, firstly with convincing Aina to go ahead with it and then Sajal announcing the same only to save face from society’s prying eyes and comments when nothing illegal or immoral had happened. I am not judging the concept of abortion here, rather how casually it was used for it is not a seemingly common jump – to solution in the families in our dramas.

Sajal’s constant mean comments and wallowing in self pity are getting a bit irritating and ridiculous and I hope there is an end to all of that soon either with her realizing she needs to stop being mean which does not seem likely or Aina leaving their home. I found Naveen Waqar acted well and while I wish she and Emaad Irfani would rely a little less on eyes widening to uncomfortable proportions, she has managed to make me relate to her character. I have not watched any drama with Asad Zaman Khan in it but I can safely say I would definitely be interested to see him again. With so many characters intertwined with each other and each having a story to tell, the drama is far from boring but I do hope the focus moves away from Sajal now. What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

Well. Pretty happening two episodes these were. A death, a wedding, a divorce and a failed suicide attempt! While most of the events and emotions running in these episodes were realistically presented, a few seemed a bit far fetched but overall the play managed to hold my interest for yes, we have in our minds established that Imran and Aina are to part ways but I like how the ‘parting’ is not brought about in a predictable manner.

The fatal heart attack was clichéd though but I liked how Aina’s mother asked Faraz to make sure that Aina be with Imran now. Given that Aina and Imran are married and she is now pregnant with his child it does seem like the only logical thing to do and she makes Faraz promise that he will make this happen without creating a fuss. Little do they all know that things are not that simple. While I could understand Sajal’s anger and blame game I could not accept her continued animosity towards Aina for she has been shown to be a caring and mellow person and if Faraz can be level headed and sensible about the situation and worry about Aina I could not see how Sajal could not get over her anger. Yes, Aina has dug her own grave so to speak and her actions were selfish but it is clear she is falling apart and even the suicide attempt does not melt Sajal’s heart. Her speech about Aina living as a second wife or like a maid shocked me as much as it did Faraz.

Mohsin knows something is amiss but can not get down to the root cause. I have a feeling that as Sajal fears it is Nadia who will innocently come across the truth and then all will come out in to the open. While Emaad Irfani’s wobbling squawk takes the edge out of the scene, still his words made me feel for Mohsin a bit when he is hurt that Sajal should question his say in their lives. Aina’s mother has always treated him as a son and yes he is overbearing but it is quite obvious that he has played the role of older brother and his khala’s advisor. Anyway, while Mohsin nurses his wounds, Faraz does his best to take matters in to his own hands but he is not able to get through to Imran either.

You hear about love making someone crazy, figuratively yes, in books or songs but this drama has taken the meaning to a new level literally where Ainni bhi junooni and now Aina bhi! At least Ainni is consistent in her madness, but Imran and Aina are quite confusing characters. Imran has succumbed to rich boy pressure and has married Ainni but thinks he is very clever for she may have him married him but will never own his heart. My own heart skipped a beat in that scene for knowing how crazy Ainni is I thought she may just stab him in the heart there and then! But nahin, while Ainni and Imran play out Mean Girls (‘you’re so mean, so are you’ – seriously?!!), kaatna peetna in this episode was for Aina and she slit her wrist. I am not sure if we were meant to feel for Aina and her helplessness but she was creeping me out myself with her mad dashes in the city, yelling at the guard and then messing up Imran’s room. I suppose we are meant to see how she has hit rock bottom with news of the marriage and then divorce and while she seems to be still crying and moaning endlessly I hope this is to help her sit up and try to sort her life out especially as she now has a baby to think of. Given the immaturity and selfishness of her nature, coupled with the bouts of self pity, denial and madness I do not suppose she will change overnight but I am curious to see what she does next.

Poor Faraz gives me a mental image of those messengers in the olden times who read from scrolls the way he comes upon the pregnancy report and then the divorce deed. I am amazed at how Mirza Zain Baig has comfortably fit into the character of Faraz and made us really like him. Asad Zaman Khan as the buzdil, spineless Imran has been believable, it remains to be seen whether we can relate to this new side he has shown after marrying Ainni. I have to say this little talaaq ki talwaar that Imran’s father uses to keep hanging over his wife’s head is as menacing as Ainni’s clenched teeth – there but ridiculous! Imran’s mother’s conscience is silenced with the threat of divorce where earlier the threat had been issued to Imran if he did not listen to his father. I was actually looking forward to Ainni being able to ‘take away’ Imran from his parents as in one scene she is shown thinking mockingly towards Imran’s mother if for no other reason but for Imran’s father to suffer for his manipulative ways but seems as if the tables have turned and Ainni’s ruffled feathers can not do much except stay in those flouncy tops.

I am really enjoying Kuch Na Kaho till now. I like how each character has a role to play and you do not feel that some scenes are fillers or dragging the story. It is fast paced and I actually will not mind if it slows down a notch or two for a couple of episodes only for at the rate things are happening, a sudden end will not make sense either. Does Imran plan to get in touch with Aina now – I really hope there is no ‘halala’ scene in this drama. Will Aina step up and try to be a responsible adult now that she has her child to think of? What did you all think of these latest developments? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

Directed by Ilyas Kashmiri and written by Rahat Jabeen, Kuch Na Kaho airs on Monday and Tuesday on Hum TV. The cast comprises names such as Huma Nawab, Emmad Irfani, Naveen Waqar and Mirza Zain Baig and while I have nothing personally against these actors and actresses their acting has failed to impress me so I have no idea why I decided to give this drama a go anyway. What has surprised me is that these very actors have given decent and convincing performances in a drama which may not be unique as far as the storyline goes, especially with the promos and OST giving pretty much of the story away but nevertheless, I found myself enjoying the first four episodes.

Kuch Na Kaho introduces quite a few characters within the very first episode. Huma Nawab is the widowed mother of two, Aina (Naveen Waqar) and Sajal (Shazia Naz). After her sister’s death, she also raises her two sons Mohsin (Emaad Irfani) and Faraz (Mirza Zain Baig). Mohsin is married to Nadia (Zainab Jameel) and has a daughter. While we are still getting to know everyone here, I may as well add that Sajal and Faraz are engaged to be married and Mohsin and Faraz have a sister who has not been introduced yet but is married to Nadia’s brother. Phew!

Mohsin is shown to be a conservative man who although is respectful of his aunt, loses his temper easily. He is not pleased about his girl cousins venturing out of the house for education or work. Sajal is the milder natured sister however Aina often speaks out against Mohsin and his restrictive ways. Aina is interested in Imran (Asad Zaman Khan) who belongs to a richer and influential family and he wants to marry Aina. Step in the evil cousin. Why is there always a desperate, stalkerish, on the verge of mentally unstable woman who will stop at nothing and then less to get married to the man who very clearly loves another. We have one here too in the form of Imran’s cousin Ainnie (Hira Adnan).

Mohsin sees Aina when she is out with Imran and drags her home and although reluctant, eventually agrees to meet Imran’s family. Abid Ali plays the role of Imran’s father and wants Imran to marry Annie so that all the business and property etc may remain within the family. The whole engagement scene was very weirdly played out but I suppose they got their point across to Aina’s family and Imran is now engaged to his cousin. Realizing he has been made a fool of, he tries to reach out to Aina and her family but is sent away.

The promos of this drama seemed strange with Naveen looking quite odd playing hide and seek and making faces underneath that fringe. I wondered if this was a drama tinged with mystery but the drama’s initial few episodes gave a different picture. The other two dramas penned by this writer that I know of are Karb and Mere Humnawa and both were not very interesting but I am unsure whether it is because of the acting and direction rather than the story itself. HUM TV serials are generally very pleasing to the eye aesthetically and this drama too has good production values. So far the pace of the story has been decent and since it airs twice a week, I hope it continues to be fast paced.

So far Naveen’s character is that of a bubbly, headstrong girl and she seems to portray that well on screen. Emmad Irfaani’s acting is often found to be lacking – I run for cover here for I know there are many of us who find him extremely pleasing to the eye and while I may not argue with that, his dialogue delivery and expressions often miss the mark. He is however pretty convincing as Mohsin except in his immense anger scenes when he screams at the top of his lungs, rolling his eyes and I found myself holding my breath for he looks like a wound up toy gone berserk and ready to explode! We get he has a temper, he needs to tone down the acting though, LOL. I was fed up of Huma Nawab playing Inspector Gadget and negative roles in every other drama so I was pleasantly surprised to see her play a different character here. Ever since she has made her comeback she seems to be uncomfortable with the characters she plays but if I am not being too critical I think she has done alright so far. Hira Adnan is a new face and I felt her to be the weak link for her dialogue delivery fell flat.

It appears Imran will try his best to convince Aina and her family that he loves her. His father seems confident he will be able to keep Imran away from Aina and marry Ainnie, but will he? I find myself looking forward to the next episode and that is reason enough for me to tag this drama as worth watching – for now. What did you all think of Kuch Na Kaho? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid