Chalo is drama mai aur kuch mile na mile ye jawab to zaroor mil gaya ke Maria Michelle ki hi saggi behan hai kyunki wo usi ki tarhaan bewaqoof aur kam-aqal bhi hai. I really thought she will knock some sense into Michelle after she will hear the truth from Rizwan about Jamshed but too bad, she also got tricked into believing that apparently Rizwan is up for no good & Jamshed is Michelle’s well-wisher. If Maria’s doubting Rizwan, she should doubt, blame & question Michelle first for being friends with such a bad guy for so many years. As far as I remember, both Michelle & Rizwan have known each other for 15 years & oh boy, it only took an incident of 15 seconds to turn Michelle against her best buddy? Why didn’t they show that Michelle still tried to give him a benefit of doubt or on her own she tried to re-evaluate what might’ve happened by at least giving a thought to another possibility? Why is Michelle so comfortably dumb? I must commend Vasay Chaudhry for coming up with a bunch of stupid characters who’re mentally challenged, one after another & the best thing about this script is that they don’t cease to surprise us with their stupidity because just when we think they can’t be more stupid than this, they prove us wrong in the very next episode so for now I really am enjoying this element of ‘stupidity’ in Jackson Heights & now I have pretty much understood the purpose of this drama & script; which is to show that people become STUPID with the passage of time.

I am glad that there were a lot of scenes of Imran & his family because I forwarded those as I knew they were up for emotional atyachaar & I wasn’t in a mood for that. I really want Naani to wake up & meet her son who has come all the way from Amreeka to see her & that’s all that can be said about their track. I really can’t imagine how one-dimensional all these characters are, like why do they always show one side of theirs? Imran’s bhabhi was mean, is mean & she will be mean no matter what but like why is that? The problem with Jackson Heights’ script is that all the characters will only have one side dominant in their characters & nature; if a person is good, he’ll be toooooooo good & if a person is bad, he’ll be tooooooo bad & surprise surprise, if a person is ‘stupid’ (which most of them are) he’ll be tooooooooo stupid.

Chalo shuker hai, Salma ko zubaan to lag gai but abb kya faida? I mean when she has pretty much settled there, she should accept it because this is what she chose for herself & this is what she inflicted upon herself, so why is she on a taunting-spree these days? She is clearly unhappy with Sikandar & his mother, so why is she making sure they know about her feelings because she looks stupid as they know she’s not going anywhere, so her rants & taunts won’t really make a difference in their lives as she is still taking care of them & the household expenses, so her taunts don’t really matter, what matters is that she is making a fool out of herself by saying ke mai jaoongi bhi nahi but rahoongi bhi yahin wo bhi na khush ho ke!?! & is it just me or Imaan’s coming across as a very irritating girl who’s acting like a toddler daddy’s-girl that too at the age of 15? LOL, I mean PHULEEZ!!!

Jamshed, I have a good idea, appne valimay ke khanay mai se 2 – 3 botiyaan Rizwan ko bhi de dena, because Rizwan really doesn’t have a life of his own & he is sooooooo eager to prove that he’s got one, which clearly isn’t the case. Like, how much humiliation is he ready to deal with when it comes to the matter concerning Michelle? Rizwan bhai, appki dost pagla gai hain, so when she is ready to jump in a deep pit, why are you trying so hard to stop that because YES, I know you’re a good person & trying to be a better friend but trust me mere dost, it looks like you really have got no life of your own, so you better search for one & leave the jumping to Michelle because burhapay tak anay ke baad bhi aggar kisi ko aqal na aye to us banday ka phir Allah hi Hafiz hai & oh, how stupid was that India Pakistan ka match dialogue was, LOL! I couldn’t stop laughing at that, like seriously jaisay Michelle na ho gai koi Match ho gai. LOL! Anyways, share your say about this oh-soooooooooo perfect episode please & yuppie, the preview of next episode hinted that it might be the last episode, which I soooooooooo am praying for!!!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Haha, this drama has come to such a point where now we are bound to enjoy its episodes because deep down we know that it’s going to end pretty soon & this is the reason why I believe this episode was good as I know that they are wrapping the story up but I must say, the idea of this drama having 24 episodes was excruciating but to see it being stretched till 27 episodes is awful & I am still not sure if it ends next week or not! I can’t stop wondering what an amazing drama it could’ve been if they had wrapped it up within 16 episodes but all we can say is; *sigh*

Ohkay so, any guesses about what Michelle’s favourite song these days must be? & yes, you guessed it right, it’s ‘Vay Main Lutti Gai Aan’ (I got robbed, looted & what not) LOL! Now ask me if I felt anything for her when she broke down? Nope, I didn’t because even then what she said wasn’t making much sense because seems like she knew what she was doing but she still was ready to take a leap without thinking much about what she was doing with her life. Michelle said she herself heard the messages Jamshed’s family left for him but no matter how mean or selfish Jamshed might be, Michelle seemed equally selfish too because despite knowing that Jamshed’s grandmother has passed away, she didn’t show any signs of distress & was absolutely happy & ready to go ahead with the marriage plus why is it that just when she actually found out about his scheme, she decided to rub his Naani’s death & his family’s messages on his face? I am not saying that she should’ve confronted or fought with him before she received that call but at least she could’ve spoken to him about that subject & could’ve asked the reason for which he was hiding the news of Naani’s death from Michelle because before Jamshed got exposed, Michelle seemed completely normal as if she never learned about Naani or felt something odd about him hiding the truth from her? I was amazed that even after so much had happened, she was still questioning Jamshed if she was a soft target or not? I mean woman, you just got fooled & you’re still in a denial? You got a clear cut answer & you still feel the need to ask those questions? I liked her conversation with Rizwan afterwards because she admitted that she falls short on brains & I couldn’t agree more but no matter what happened & even though Michelle’s khuwab of becoming a baby bride was ruined, I must say she (read Marina Khan) looked absolutely delightful & elegant in that simple white dress which I really liked as well.

Really sad about Naani’s death but then I knew it was coming. Bhatti’s life has become stagnant & more than that; purposeless. He struggled so hard to get a green card but he was unable to because he couldn’t afford to stay in the US due to his mother’s condition, then he left everything for Salma but he couldn’t get her either & that really makes me feel sad for him that all of a sudden looks like he has lost everything & he can’t undo any of that.

I must say it was a relief seeing a smile on Cathy’s face because I was pretty sure that she was incapable of experiencing the specific emotion of happiness but I am glad that she proved me wrong. Cathy actually loved Bhatti & that’s why even though she knows he never loved her, she still wants to see him happy as she knows what his mother meant to him & how special Salma must’ve been for him because of whom he left everything as he just wanted her to be by his side & he just didn’t give importance to anything else when it came to this decision. I so wish that now when Salma has found out so much more about Bhatti & his ultimate love for her, she sits down with Daddy’s girl Imaan & puts forth all the facts in front of her. Well, even though I feel something for Bhatti & Salma after this scenario, I still can’t get over the fact that Bhatti gave 25 Grand to the goons that too not for Salma but for Salma’s shohar Sikandar!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! As far as I remember, when Cathy asked him about paying the lawyer, Bhatti Sahab said he’d have to save $1500 & he will do it later so I’m having a hard time digesting the fact that he paid such a huge amount because as much as they showed us, Bhatti had so many expenses to take care of so I really don’t think he ever got a chance to save so much for himself alone?

So, finally, Rizwan was hell bent on not eating botis of Jamshed’s valima so instead he figured a way to turn things around which could possibly allow him to have botis of his own valimay ki dawat & hurrah for Rizwan, he was able to save the day, so good for him but I must ask, why is Jamshed so awfully evil & badtameez? All Javed did was give him the news of his Naani’s death & instead of mourning over her death, he misbehaved with him? I mean what has he achieved in life & what has he done so far that gives him such an edge to be so rude to people? Ohkay, I get it, he was just trying to cover up his anger, frustration & his own disappointment on himself for not being able to be with Naani when she was on her death bed but phir bhi itni badtameezi? & because of that attitude, later when he was crying buckets, I felt like pouring that on him because he deserves to drown in that chullu bhar paani anyways!!! So, there you have it; my take on this episode of Jackson Heights so please share your say & pleaseee make me happy by telling me that the next episode is going to be the lasttttt!?!?!?! Phuleeeeeeeeeez!!!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Oh, they promised us something else but went out of the way to ignore it because they thought they were giving us some out of the world sort of a drama that they didn’t want to end too soon, LOL! Aur kitna khoon choosna hai bhai hamara?

So, supposedly Jackson Heights had 24 episodes but they decided to drag it because they wanted to show us a tundi selfie of a tundi family after 23 weeks as if our life wasn’t complete without it & we were missing out on something huge!?!?! Like seriously, after 23 episodes where they should’ve been ending this drama they thought we’d rejoice by seeing that Michelle mommy is taking good care of her son-like husband-to-be Jamshed by cooking his favourite dishes like Pulao jiss ka swaad us ne kharab kar diya ye bol ke ke mummy mummy mujhe aur bhi cheezain khani hain. Yes, I will admit that I have no complaints whatsoever when it comes to their performances but the execution of the play & story has been so bland, boring & mediocre because of which we haven’t been able to enjoy this drama as we thought we would.

Once again the whole tu illegal Pakistani mai Amreekan citizen Indian debate was forced into this episode whereas when the drama began we saw all the Indian & Pakistani cabbies co-existing so well with each other & they all shared a great bond which I thought was a good way of telling that Pakistanis residing outside Pakistan get to share a good wavelength with people of different ethnicity, so to give that touch of Indian/Pakistani animosity to this drama is such a childish approach. So, our supposed Indian Rizwan says ‘sir pe talwaar latak rahi hai’ & last thing I know no Indian from Bombay is so profound in Urdu & I say that after a personal experience because I know their linguistics, their tone & their accent exactly.

The episode had so many repetitive scenes where Imran was crying because of his mother’s condition, Jamshed was trying to trick Michelle, Rizwan was trying to put Jamshed down & what not. Just when I thought Salma will finally take a plunge out of this hell-hole, she was seen there, embodying a pain on her face (which I can’t stand) with a side braid (which I can’t stand either) telling Aliya how hard Sikandar was making it for her to leave? Like seriously? This lady ain’t going to come out of her deep slumber so we shouldn’t expect anything better or good to happen to her because she doesn’t want it herself.

Michelle (read Marina Khan) seemed so opri (Punjabi word for odd) when she was yelling & telling Rizwan as to how much he has hurt her because he was supposedly her friend & that’s when I wanted to say to Michelle that Mummy jaan, jaag jayein, sehri ka time ho gaya hai, pulao to bana liya abb parathay bhi bana lain. She has also gone on a dream trip & she ain’t waking up. Jamshed was lucky like always because things got favourable for him & he finally managed to part Rizwan from Michelle. Ohkay so, your kal ka aya hua boyfriend files a case against your bachpan ka yaar & you stand there like a statue thinking things aren’t under your control anymore. Michelle has put all the newborns to shame when it comes to IQ & that’s a shame.

Chalo jee, Imaan ke khulle baal aur 2 3 ansoo were enough for Salma to unpack her bags & tear her ticket to Pakistan. She just couldn’t see Imaan all teary & sad so hmmm how about Salma should’ve grabbed Imaan’s hand & had tagged her along because anyways, her Daadi is despicable & her father is useless, so instead of staying there to bear their expenses, she should’ve convinced Imaan to come with her because seems like Imaan can’t stay without her mother so yeah, why not? Anyways, share your thoughts about this blunder oh I mean blockbuster please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, before saying anything about this episode, let me just say that the preview of next episode suggested it might be the end of this drama & for my sake, I really hope it is. Coming onto this episode, well I found it interesting & fast paced. I really think that if it ends this week, they will be able to put an end to this drama on a strong note because we’re done with their half-baked stories & tracks & want to see them all reaching the finale in some happening sort of a way!

Well, Jackson Heights dekh rahain hon aur buray surprises na milain, aisay to halaat nahi! This episode started at a good note where Salma slapped some reality on Sikandar’s face but it got ruined because all of a sudden, Imaan, who was completely indifferent to her father all this while has become a daddy’s little girl & for his sake she is ready to exchange jeenay marnay ki kasmain with Salma just to bind her!?! I really believe her reaction to the whole Mommy-Bhatti relation was overdone because Imaan now says she hates him whereas she was the one who had memorized his date of birth & gave a card to him too. Imaan has always been a calm & composed person who always stood by her mother no matter what her own father & grandmother said, but now suddenly she thinks her family is going to become picture perfect & Salma is ruining that photo? Was Imaan gone on a sleeping trip like Sleeping Beauty or she was living in a hostel that she didn’t know what has transpired in that house lately? Chalo, if she would’ve been a 7 y/o (I don’t know how many times I’ve said it) her reaction would’ve looked justified that she didn’t know the details about what her daddy’s been up to, but I really can’t imagine that Imaan being a 15 y/o (?) is actually oblivious to what Sikandar has done all this while like gambling, stealing, getting beaten up by the goons & oh his latest adventure of trying to kill someone! I really liked Imaan’s character because she always sounded reasonable & she seemed mentally mature but then how can Vasay Chaudhry allow us to enjoy a female character that’s brainy & intelligent? Obviously, he couldn’t keep his hands off & had to ruin Imaan’s character too by making her look utterly dumb & immature & I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive Vasay for this!!!

Oh boy that whole tu Indian, mai Pakistani, tu Hindu, mai Musalmaan conversation was so forced & seemed completely out of the line making it look like they ran out of dialogues so us time pe jo muh mai aya bol diya. It’s like the writer himself forgot that Rizwan was supposedly an Indian given how his perfect Urdu’s been putting all the Pakistani characters to shame, so he decided to refresh that fact for us. Jamshed is cunning so I really think he that could’ve come up with a better argument than just to taunt mindlessly like a 3 y/o about how Indians are jealous of Pakistanis (like seriously?) & oh Rizwan’s comment about not being a Hindu was equally petty as well. I mean like seriously, he couldn’t think of an appropriate comeback too? C’mon Rizwan I thought you could do better but I must say what’s funny is that this whole fiasco is being nurtured for the sake of a Christian; Michelle (not generalizing, just giving a comical angle to it). LOL! I am sure ye khichri kisi beemar ko bhi be-swadi lagaygi, haha!!!

Whoop! There was so much rona dhona in this episode that I just couldn’t help looking away. This is not exactly what you want to see first thing in a morning. This drama has been pretty serious but to actually induce more gloominess into it wasn’t an intelligent choice. Yes, Imran’s mother is not well but if he is so worried, he should just book his flight without putting a lot of effort into making Jamshed look like a villain because when it comes to Naani, both of them are equally at fault. Amidst his depression, Bhatti couldn’t stop putting blame on Jamshed but mamoon jaan, bhanjay ki duty ho gai 15 saal tak, abb appki baari hai!!! & oh, look at the way Nadir pops up out of nowhere after a million episodes so I think to reciprocate his generosity, we can go around ignoring him easily as well!

I think Michelle must’ve done something good in her life that she’s automatically getting rescued by this trap that Jamshed has set for her but then she doesn’t deserve it given how stupid she has been acting lately but I am glad that Rizwan’s slip of tongue was enough to get Maria all excited & now she has asked them to postpone the wedding which is exactly what Jamshed can’t afford. I just hope he gets exposed ASAP & this ridiculous track is wrapped up soon but I must ask, isn’t it amazing that Maria & Michelle complement each other so well as sisters because they both fall short on brains?

Does Sikandar really think that after what he has put Salma through, he can win her back by doing a few dishes? The way Salma responded to Sikandar was enough to show that she’s had enough of him but then I’ll ask again, what’s holding Salma back? I don’t think she should allow Imaan’s selfishness prevent the happiness & peace that’s coming her way because this family’s not worth it. Going by the preview, seems like Salma’s departure won’t be easy as she’ll be emo-blackmailed by her MIL too. I just don’t get how suddenly these guys switch their attitudes? Trust me they flip faster than a coin. First Cathy, then Imaan & now it’s going to be Tai Jee who will all of a sudden realize how precious her kamau-poot bahu is. Anyways, share your thoughts about this episode please!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

To be honest, I just want this drama to end ASAP. Even though I know that we’re left with 2 more episodes of Jackson Heights, I just want to get over with this because they have seriously tested our intelligence & our patience enough & now I feel that I ain’t left more of it to go through these ‘torturous’ last two episodes. The thing I said last week, I’ll say that again ke hadh ki bhi hadh hoti hai!

Now when they should be wrapping this drama up, they tried really hard to make us feel something for all the characters by making everything even more melodramatic, as if the lighting & the pace wasn’t enough. Even though I really like Naani’s character despite the fact that she hasn’t offered much ‘like everyone else’, I feel her sickness has come in at a wrong time because I couldn’t feel a thing about the whole situation at all. Yes, she was suffering but who’s to be blamed here? Iqbal or Imran? We know that Imran’s bhai & bhabhi are vultures but like seriously, he couldn’t cry at his mother’s condition but the hospital bills reduced him to tears? Imran has made his mother wait for a span of 15 years & still he was having second thoughts about visiting her that too after he personally had a conversation with the doctor? Yes, Imran has understood that it’s only the money that matters to his brother back-home but shedding tears & giving up on a situation which already had a solution came across as such a stupid scenario. Imran himself knows that the green card’s not worth it, to phir intezaar kiss baat ka hai bhai, ticket lo aur wapis jao! Plus it was so mean of him to ask Jamshed to go to Pakistan on his behalf. Imran should’ve known better that when he wasn’t around for 15 years, Naani spent that time with Jamshed, so now she needs her son & not her grandson, who just left a few months ago!

Oh ho, last week I asked whether Salma was a human being or an angel but I think I need to change my question & now it’s going to be ‘kya Salma insaan hain yan doormat’? Appna jawab hamain likh ke zaroor bhejiyega, hamain parh ke khushi hogi. Like seriously? Salma you’ve found a way out of this mess but seems like you don’t want to come out of it? Miraculously, the zevar she had, gave birth to more zevar & she sold them for good 19 grand but now when she was left with nothing, she was worried about how she will take care of another $25K which were to be paid to the goons? Why was she worried bhai? Sikandar aur uska karza, Sikandar aur wo janay! Like Salma has no feelings, nothing at all for Sikandar but seems like she wants to take care of everything before she leaves as if she is guilty of something, which she clearly is not! IF she would’ve been someone with brains, she would’ve left him the minute he showed up with a gun but then why are we expecting Salma to act sensibly? Remember, the writer has poured all the stupidity into the female characters of this drama. & Oh!!! Poor Imaan thinks unke daddy jaan bilkul change ho gaye hain & just this statement was enough for Salma to have second thoughts about her future plans with Bhatti? Please don’t tell me that ‘this’ is the change in Sikandar Salma used to talk about & she was waiting for because it already makes me want to throw up!

Finally, I am glad that before the drama ended we got to see the mysterious sister of mystery-gone-wrong Michelle. I was afraid that the way things have unravelled in this drama, going by that she would’ve made an appearance in the 25th episode (note: the drama ends at 24th episode). In just one appearance, Maria hit the bullseye by saying that even the ‘teenagers’ don’t act the way Michelle has been acting, but too bad Maria, hum bhi kab se yehi bol rahay hain but appki baby behan oh sorry, baby appa sunti hi nahi. :/ Seems like Rizwan got in contact with Maria but forgot to give her the details of infant of a husband that toddler Michelle has found for herself. Rizwan jab itni mehnat ki hi thi to puri mehnat hi kar dete so that Maria could’ve stopped her sister from committing such a big mistake but the way she just shared her disappointment, made it look like she had no issues with this marriage at all & she wanted to be an active participant of this shindig. Too bad Maria, just by showing up one time, you’ve enrolled yourself into the list of ‘senseless females of Jackson Heights’, but then there shouldn’t be any list because it’s a known fact – if you’re watching Jackson Heights, you’re only going to meet the most stupid women ever seen!

I just want to ask what Salma’s waiting for? Is she waiting for the drama to end, then only will she take a decision or she is just doing this all to drag the drama so that she can snatch the last drop of patience we’re left with? Now that Sikandar is out of the hospital & she has taken care of everything necessary, so, what’s holding her back? I also want to ask why is it that Michelle can’t smell the mystery that Jamshed’s been reeking of? He is forcing her to keep this marriage a secret from her sister & she is agreeing to it, but what for?

I so want to believe that what Salma said to Sikandar by the end of this episode was actually a truth but I think she just wanted to get a reaction out of him just to check whether he has changed or not, but then I am sure she will go back to being normal, she will push his wheelchair, give him his medicine, will take care of everything related to her husband darling because…she’s Salma!!! Anyways, share your thoughts about this episode of Jackson Heights please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

My Goodness! Excuse me for saying this but Jackson Heights is turning out to be such a drama that I regret watching because the plot is weak & the characters are weakest. I really tried hard, I really did but now I feel like I can’t bring myself to lie about it because I am not at all enjoying this drama & looks like when it’ll end, I’ll have nothing good to say about it at all & just because of this episode, I’ve decided I ain’t going to sugar-coat things because hadh ki bhi hadh hoti hai!

So, Mr. Writer must’ve gotten an ego boost once again by showing another independent woman crying & in literal sense begging a man not to leave her? Let me just ask was this shot in America trying to show independent American women or was it shot in Dhok Hassu where women are told to stay dependent on men all their lives (not generalizing but just being metaphorical). I really wanted to feel something for Cathy but truth be told, she came across as just another psycho on the loose who kept on changing her emotions & expressions. I mean when she pleaded Bhatti to stay, she didn’t make sense because she was least bothered about him when he was around & later when she threw a hissy fit, she once again made herself look mentally challenged because she just couldn’t bring herself to one conclusion & that was whether she loved Bhatti or not, because if she did, she would’ve been happy seeing him happy & would’ve allowed him to leave easily. One of our readers pointed out last week that every other woman in this drama is shown weak & frankly speaking ‘stupid’ & when I pictured Salma & Michelle, that term seemed right but after looking at Cathy’s reactions in this episode, I can undoubtedly say that this is exactly what the writer here was trying to convey that Pakistan ho yan Amreeka, auratain mardon ke baghair ghuzara nahi kar saktin beshak wo kitni hi independent kyun na hon? I mean what Cathy did was so unlike her because she was actually headstrong & didn’t like Bhatti’s interference in her life at all & as much as I know about her, Cathy would’ve been the one initiating the divorce after feeling that this marriage wasn’t working but then again, writer just wanted to make his male characters superior to women beings & that’s why if we take a good look at all the female characters, they’d come across as weak, naive, gullible & inferior to men because there’s Salma who loves getting exploited by a ‘man’, then there’s Michelle who’s acting like a high-schooler because supposedly a charming ‘man’ has successfully wooed her & then there’s Cathy who didn’t have much self-respect & begged a ‘man’ to stay. I am glad that Aliya wasn’t involved with any ‘man’ in this serial because I am sure if she was, she would’ve sold her Haseena beauty paarler to please her ‘man’ as well. Wow! What a ‘man’-ly script depicting a typical ‘man’-ly mentality!

Accha bhai, we know that Imran’s elder brother & his bhabhi are putting vultures to shame, they’re the worst people ever & only Imran’s return to Pakistan can ease out his mother’s khansi, but then, were those scenes necessary? Nope, not at all! We’ve seen Ma Jee’s ‘khansi’ getting more coverage & have understood it’s nature better but I so wish if they had shed half as much light on shaping the real natures of all the characters then it would’ve helped us in forming some sort of a bond with all of them.

So, Jamshed decides to threaten Rizwan just when he knows that Michelle is right in the kitchen & she can overhear him, but nothing of that sort happens because looks like Jamshed’s love is also preventing Michelle’s hearing sense from working too. I mean, in ‘normal’ situations, a girl (I’d call Michelle a girl because even if she’s not, she’s acting like one) would always be interested to listen to what her man & her best friend are talking about? She would love to see the two men who mean a lot to her are bonding well or not so wouldn’t she be curious to eavesdrop or even if not eavesdrop in literal sense, she would at least try to overhear what sort of conversation are they having? But we saw Michelle walking with a chai tray in her hand as if she was gone out of that apartment to fetch a tea & had nothing to worry about.

I must say the director really tried to make this episode a lot more happening than it actually was but just because we had nothing to carry forward with us, nothing in this episode seemed right. The whole cheekhna chilana of Cathy was enough of a shocker for me to actually digest how Jamshed fixed his wedding date. I mean he’s so lucky that he can just emphasize on the I (immigration) word right in front of his audience (Rizwan) just after his proposal & Michelle doesn’t seem to notice.

Allayyyy, Michelle tow choti shi baby hainnnnn, wo shulplizes ka shun ke booottttt khush ho jati hainnnn, ishi liye wo chahti hain ke unki behan ko wo shadi kal ke shulplize dainnnn ke shuno shuno Maliaaa, meinne shaaddiii kalllll liiii….khekhekhe, accha mujhe bataowww tumhe mele bete ki umal jitna mela hushbanddd kaishaa laga? Ouch! I mean, I so wish Vasay had used Imaan to play a role of Michelle, I must say it would’ve looked a lot more convincing because the way Michelle has been reacting, it’s making me cringe. They could’ve easily shown that Imaan’s (supposed Michelle’s) parents had left her with a fortune & she was an heiress, so Jamshed easily trapped her, matlab jab tuk hi chorhni thi, to aisi hi sahi, kam az kam tuk mai kuch tuk to nazar ati.

Accha, can someone tell me if Salma is a human being or a farishta because I’m seriously confused!?! A guy can hit you repeatedly, can almost strangle you to death, rushes with a gun in his hand to kill the ‘man’ you love & there you are; touching his feet to ease his pain, selling your jewellery to clear the hospital bills, popping pills from the bottle kyunki sartaaj ki dawaai ka waqt hua chahta hai, listening to his mother’s taana’s, going to work to earn the bucks to feed them, carrying a painful expression on your face thinking you’re trapped & after all that you just can’t walk out on these miserable parasites because you’ve gotten used to being mistreated? Salma learned that Imran has already taken a major step in his life & he is ready to give away the dream of getting a blue passport & then there she is, can’t seem to make up her mind to pack this mess & throw it out of her life (Imaan excluded). I still can’t digest the fact that Imaan doesn’t know what’s going on between her mommy darling & sweet Bhatti uncle? I mean they could’ve shown that Imaan sensed it the moment she saw them together & had supported them actually because that would’ve made a lot more sense to say the least.

I really tried to keep an open mind about Rizwan/Michelle relation & I even remember saying this in one of my previous reviews that their age difference does not matter at all but the way Michelle is making a fool of herself, the way she is following Jamshed blindly & the way she is allowing him to use & betray her, I just can’t forget the number that’s also known as biological age – her age!?! I mean if at heart Michelle feels she’s still a 16 y/o getting married to the love of her life, that’s fine by me but Michelle trust me – you can run, you can hide but you can’t escape the biological clock, my friend (& by the looks of it, it’s pretty evident that that you’ve escaped the brains if not anything else)!

Share your thoughts about this episode of Jackson Heights please!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, this episode was interesting in regards to the story because we saw some developments & finally the characters are paying heed to their future & making plans to shape it up. Even though this episode still had some to the point scenes, honestly, it seemed never-endingly long. I just don’t understand why there’s always something that doesn’t allow me to enjoy this drama? I just don’t get what it is that makes it’s episodes a miss every single time?

So, the truth is out, what Bhatti & Cathy had was not a marriage but only a deal that they both made just so that they could favour each other. Bhatti wanted to get citizenship through her & in other words, she earned the money on her American passport. Now that I know the reality about their relationship, I am still going to question whether to reveal this important detail after 19 episodes was a good idea or not? If Bhatti & Cathy had spoken about it initially, it would’ve made a lot more easier for us to understand why there was nothing but a void in their lives but to show them indifferent & now all these sudden moves of Cathy where she is acting like a possessive wife seem baseless to me. Yes, it’s understandable that she might’ve fallen for him but now it looks like she’s doing it for the sake of her ego because later she also swore to make his life miserable as she just can’t handle seeing him walking out on her. Cathy has been the weakest character written by the writer here because what she does & how she reacts is downright ridiculous. She has spent years & years with Bhatti, so when he was fulfilling his promise of paying her the money that she needed, the least she could do was to treat him respectfully but even though she knew that they both had kept their options open, why is she now making such a big fuss over it because she was never in love with him to begin with? I really believe that if this track had been tackled attentively, they could’ve made it a lot more realistic & convincing. Yes, it’s real, people, in fact Pakistanis do get married to every other girl for the sake of nationality but then did they show us something that we didn’t know about? I just don’t understand how adding such an already-known fact in a story made this drama interesting? Any justification, anyone?

What Sikandar said to Salma was nothing but a lie to weave the trap so that he could reach Bhatti & allow Salma to witness it herself. Too bad, what Sikandar planned for someone else was exactly the thing that was planned for him. No sympathies whatsoever for him, his mother & even Kashif but now looks like this is exactly something that Salma needed to come to a final decision. Even though they tried to create some drama but they somehow failed because a lot of things just didn’t make sense. Salma was seen oblivious of the fact that Sikandar had no medical insurance but all this while I thought she was one running things in the house? She was well aware of what was going on under that roof & here we’re shown that she didn’t know about such a basic thing. Is Salma dumb or what to be even asking this question or had forgotten whether Sikandar was paying for his medical insurance or not because the last thing I knew, Sikandar was in jail & ever since he was released from prison, he was jobless & I think medical insurance is the last thing on a felon’s mind!

Imaan & Daadi’s confrontation was done well. At least Imaan is logical & she knows how to take a stand for the right. I do like Imaan’s character & I think in the supporting cast, she has outbid all the other supporting characters. At least, Imaan is the one who is standing by her mother but what she said came as a surprise to me. Imaan is a 15 year old girl who lives in an American society, studies in an American school & is surrounded by Americans, so why did they show that it was so hard for her to understand what was going on between Bhatti & Salma? Imaan was seen asking this question to Salma so innocently whether Bhatti was Salma’s boyfriend or not because in American society, this thing is a norm, so why is Imaan clueless about a thing which should’ve been nothing but a normal deet for her? Ohkay, if she had been a 7 or an 8 y/o, it would’ve made sense but she’s a teenager & girls of this age especially who come from a dysfunctional family are a lot more intuitive but even though I like Imaan for her innocence, I don’t think showing her so clueless was right!

Chalain jee, Jamshed is on a trip of his own where he has bagged a financially stable lady & thinks nothing can go wrong but the funny thing is, nothing is actually going wrong in his life because Michelle is babysitting him & protecting him like a fairy Godmother & Rizwan seems intimidated by him. I am sure Rizwan just doesn’t trust him but for Michelle’s sake, he has decided to back out too as he can clearly see how much Michelle loves Jamshed. I am sure he won’t sit quietly & would do something to expose Jamshed, I mean I hope he does it but the way he lied & sugar-coated things in front of Michelle after Jamshed misbehaved with him; indicate that Michelle is already doomed & her friend might not come to save the day!

This episode was partially a hit & partially a miss for me, but I am glad that this serial is coming to an end & now we can just hope that they wrap it up nicely because we can’t hope for anything else, other than that. Share your opinion please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Hmmm, so after two good episodes back to back, this one seemed a lot less interesting. Except for a few bits & bobs, I didn’t enjoy this episode much as it now seems repetitive & looks like there’s nothing much left in this drama.

Is it just me or Michelle looked really stupid when she went on & on & on about how good Jamshed was & how perfectly she knows him in & out because I still believe that if Michelle was a 20 y/o, it would’ve made sense that she was incapable of judging people accurately but unfortunately, a women of her age doesn’t look good being so desperate that she didn’t even resist or didn’t think things through properly before going out with a guy half her age. Rizwan told her to be free but he didn’t advise her to become stupid. Yes, we understand that Jamshed charmed his way into Michelle’s life but I still don’t find it realistic that it only took him a couple of months to woo Michelle so easily that she now can’t see through his cunningness. In the beginning I thought there was something mysterious about Michelle’s character but as the episodes progressed & now when the drama’s about to end, I am pretty sure it wasn’t a mystery but is a clear case of lack of substance because the writer didn’t add any detailing in her character. Was it really necessary to show that any random guy can have an upper-hand in fooling any woman & she will blindly follow? I expected better from Vasay Chaudhry!

Another superficial & bland character of this serial is Cathy. We have no idea as to why she was so ticked off with Bhatti initially when he was still loyal to her & now why does she want to bind him in a relation when he has actually fallen in love with someone else? Either she clearly has some mental issues or she’s a victim of bad script writing as well. There was absolutely nothing in this whole serial that could’ve given us an insight into their actual problems but we all had to do our guesswork & it still doesn’t seem to be working because we don’t know what her issues were/are? She is now trying to walk an extra mile for Bhatti when she has seen that he’s slipping away, so why didn’t she show a little bit of interest in him or in their relationship before? By the way, any idea where Mark or Lizzie are? What was their contribution in this serial? I am sure if they had subtracted Cathy’s children, it wouldn’t have made much difference because she wasn’t clearly interested in what her kids did nor she was interested in what her husband was up to. She failed as a mother & a wife – for the reasons best known to the writer of course.

Finally, fortunately & thankfully, Salma has found a much needed strength to deal with the parasites in her life. She sat down, took a moment & tried to figure everything out because it’s a high time she does that. Yes, Aliya must take a bow for helping Salma understand the situation better because she has given everything she could to Tai Jee, Sikandar & even Imaan but now it was important that she gave herself a priority & took a few necessary steps. I just don’t understand what Tai Jee’s issues are, is she blind to see what sort of a human being her own son is, that she goes around judging Salma? I am actually surprised that people were rejoicing seeing Nilofer Abbasi playing a role in this drama but excuse me for saying this; not only her character is bad, her acting’s equally bad too & her odd monotone doesn’t help either.

The only scenes that I enjoyed watching in this episode were of Bhatti & Salma. I can clearly say that Amina Sheikh & Nauman Ejaz have been the saving grace of this drama because they got proper characters to portray & play whereas others’ are quite confusing & aren’t well-written. Salma’s character took it’s time to unfold but after knowing her & her story, I do feel for her. Salma’s excitement in explaining what she did was spot on, she actually achieved something because what she did was so unlike her & Bhatti’s presence caught her off guard otherwise she wouldn’t have brought herself to admit that to his face. For the first time in her life she understood what it means to be loved by someone who is ready to do everything for you. Bhatti happens to be the first person who made Salma feel special by taking a stand for her in such a way which she couldn’t have thought of in her wildest dreams & this was enough of a push for her to just go with the flow & accept what has come her way. I loved the subliminal conversation both of them had because in very simple words, they solved a very complex conundrum, I must say that conversation was well-written & those scenes were done beautifully because they managed to stir a smile on my face & yes, I’m totally rooting for Bhatti & Salma.

Yes, even though I really hate Sikandar’s character (which is supposed to make us feel that way) but I don’t really get his purpose, his story & his character. Why did he turn out to be like this? What made him become such a burden on Salma? Why did he choose such a path in his life that too after he had a daughter & married twice? That’s another character which lacks detailing in Jackson Heights. Anyways, the only interesting factor of this drama for me is Bhatti/Salma’s relationship & their track, the rest are pretty boring & have had nothing to offer right from the beginning till the end. Share your thoughts about this episode please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Can someone tell me what has gone into Michelle? She told Rizwan that she has let go of the fear of being deceived but now when I come to think of it, she was better off with that fear because she saved herself from a lot of hassle that’s now ready to make its way into her life. I mean I seriously cannot relate & understand the reason why Michelle fell for a guy like Jamshed. He had an ulterior motive of trapping her, we know that but what did Michelle see in this guy that she couldn’t see in Rizwan, a guy that’s suitable for her & compatible with her on so many levels? Like I always complain about the lack of emotional quotient in this drama, these recent turn of events in Michelle/Jamshed track force me to say that again. They haven’t given us anything which can convince us or let us know the reason behind this level of trust Michelle has in Jamshed? She is choosing to ignore her two loyal long-time friends Rizwan & Adnan for the sake of a guy who just made an entry into her life may be a month ago? Everyone else can see that Jamshed isn’t as nice as he poses to be but why is Michelle so blind? I mean if she was a 16 y/o I would’ve given her a benefit of doubt but a divorcee in her 40’s who has gone through a bitter betrayal in her life is turning out to be so naive & gullible that it just doesn’t make any sense.

Finally, Bhatti let the secret out. He is in love & he is not ashamed of admitting it. I am glad that he took situation in his hands & gave it back to Sikandar because he deserved it. If Bhatti had spoken to Salma without doing such a thing, she would’ve shooed the thought away but now when she saw how Bhatti had taken a stand for her & the trouble he went through just for her sake, it was enough for her to realize how serious he is for her. Amina Shiekh has for sure surprised me with her effortless acting. I am glad that the emotionally incapable Salma isn’t now afraid of letting go of her emotions, she cries, she complains, she reasons & she gives words to her thoughts, which is exactly what I wanted to see in her character & now I like her character a lot because I feel now I can connect to her.

Too bad that Cathy is now trying to salvage the already wrecked marriage because it’s too late. Once again, I don’t understand why is she doing this because to be honest, I didn’t understand what her issues with Bhatti were to begin with? Ever since the beginning, she was unhappy & indifferent but all of a sudden, just a sight of Bhatti & Salma in one frame shook her so bad that she has completely changed & that doesn’t make sense at all. Why she was like that before & why is she trying so hard now? All I knew about her was that she didn’t love her husband but to see the emotion of love, affection & concern she is showing for Bhatti just doesn’t come across as genuine as it should’ve been because we haven’t seen proper ground of her story.

I am glad Aliya is there to knock some sense into Salma. Yes, Salma is afraid of burdening herself more because she already has a lot to deal with & she is fine as far as she knows that being in this relation stops people from being judgmental. Salma is well aware of the fact that this marriage has given her nothing but she is happy with the tag that has come with it because it somehow makes her feel protected. Yes, Salma is independent but she just doesn’t want to get judged, which is why just the thought of her being with Bhatti reduced her to tears as she thinks she doesn’t have any courage left in her to deal with this. I feel the conversation that Aliya had with Salma will prove to be a turning point in her life because it will compel Salma to think on those lines that she has been trying to avoid.

Yes, the episode was interesting & somehow happening too. Isn’t it odd that Marina Khan’s hair colour keeps on changing; in one scene it’s her natural grey hair & in the other it becomes brown which is more like an attempt to make her look younger in the frames she share with Jamshed? I wish the drama makers had taken care of such a basic thing because it somehow sheds a light on lack of attention to detail may be? Anyways, this episode was good & I am glad to know that the drama will end after giving us some good episodes. Share your thoughts please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay, so I must say this drama is now getting interesting. I feel that the drama has had a proper start since last week because the pace of both these episode was good & finally they are giving us a lot to discuss now.

So, Salma thinks ‘mayoosi gunnah hai’ but just when I thought she was being stupid, Bhatti did the honours for us & told her straight away that ‘mayoosi aur bewaqoofi mai farq hota hai’. I loved their conversation & finally, Salma has opened up just because she has no other option left than to confide in Bhatti this time. I am sure if he hadn’t broken the ice about Sikandar, Salma would’ve kept her personal life hidden from Bhatti but luckily she now knows that she has a friend she can openly discuss things with but for Bhatti, Salma is more than just a friend.

To be honest, if Cathy had invested her time & love in this marriage, I would’ve felt for her but now it’s too late. She never got along Bhatti & treated him like a doormat, so now when he has befriended Salma, why is she reacting so badly? Yes, she is still his wife so naturally she must be having some sort of feelings of affection for her husband but then why was she never seen doing anything for him? Bhatti loves Salma, he has even confessed what he actually thinks of her but he has never once said that he wants to leave Cathy. It’s her own insecurity & to an extent her own self-realized truth which makes her firmly believe that he is going to leave her, but then she should question herself for what she has done to save this marriage? What her contribution has been all these years?

Oh just in case it’s not clear, let me just say it; Jamshed is EVIL. It’s so obvious that Rizwan’s mention makes Jamshed uncomfortable. I am sure he dreads that Michelle might leave him that’s why he decided to hit the nail in coffin by proposing marriage to her. I thought may be Michelle’s plea of not betraying her would change Jamshed but he is so blinded by his motive that he effortlessly brushed it under the carpet & is still working on his Mission America. He knows he has a responsibility of Naani which is why he’s in a hurry to make such moves that will make him stay in USA. I must say Adeel Hussain has done his job really well. I love the way he worked on the transition of Jamshed’s character. Initially, he was just a struggler & it was written all over his face but ever since he got promoted, the boost of confidence is quite evident in his body language & personality. Jamshed now knows that nothing will go wrong & he has finally achieved what he wanted to. What he did to his cousin was obviously wrong but then that’s Jamshed for you. He’s someone who never forgives & forgets that’s why now when he saw that he was in a position to avenge the humiliation his cousin put him up with; he didn’t miss the golden opportunity.

I am not sure how long Jamshed’s time of glory would last but he certainly has attracted some attention on him. Adnan thinks he’s very lucky, Jamshed thinks he has everything under control & why shouldn’t he believe that? Obviously, the way Michelle has naively trusted him & has almost handed over her restaurant to him; it’s not a conundrum as to why Jamshed feels that way. Not sure if Rizwan has some more role to play but I have a feeling he might expose Jamshed & rescue Michelle from his evil plans because Rizwan was MIA & all of a sudden he has reappeared.

What happened to Salma was disturbing. I must say Amina Sheikh acted so well that she actually left me speechless. I just can’t believe how Salma allows this to happen to her time & again. That whole scene of abuse was intense & done really really well. All the actors made it look real but for Salma’s sake, I am glad Imaan intervened & saved her. I know what Salma went through was shocking but then how many more reality checks does she need? What is Salma waiting for? I think with this, Salma must understand that Sikandar can never give her an ounce of respect she expects from him. He never changed & he never will. I liked the confrontation between Salma & Tai Jee too. Yes, it’s a high time that Salma shuts them up & shows them their right place because if they can’t respect her & appreciate her for what she has done for them all these years, then there’s no point in tolerating them & their rubbish.

It was a great episode & I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I hope apart from being concerned for Salma – Bhatti actually takes charge of her situation & helps her getting through this mess. The preview of next episode seemed promising too, phew! Share your thoughts please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

To be honest, I would’ve been so happy if this had been the 8th episode & I’d known that we’re now left with 8 more episodes. Yes, this episode was very interesting with a very nice pace but I now feel it has been very late & I also dread tuning to Jackson Heights next week because this has been the pattern of this drama. It will give you one good episode & after that the next 3 – 4 episodes would be slow & dragged. So, as per my ‘assumption’; (as we all have been assuming here a lot) 20th episode would be good. Anyways, this episode was good for sure & probably the first one that had my undivided attention because it was quite happening also the scenes were short & to-the-point too.

Finally, after 15 episodes we now know for sure that Jamshed has been trapping Michelle all this while but I must commend him for that because Michelle was a hard nut to crack & he succeeded effortlessly. I must say that specific smile of Jamshed was so evil because it carried a clear answer to all of our questions. Yes, it wasn’t a coincidence, it was all a plan of Jamshed but he has been very lucky, he found just the right person to use in order to achieve his goal, which was a permanent visa to Amreeka.

Yes, Jamshed has been mean & he has been plotting it since the day he arrived but the way Michelle opened up to him & told him the exact reason for her detest & hated for Desis, Jamshed started having some thoughts. May be he just wanted Michelle to do him a favour but I think he will eventually fall for her because he knows that Michelle doesn’t deserve to be deceived again. Anyways, coming onto Michelle, I really expected better from her. She has nothing but a baggage of bitter experiences & going by what she revealed today, her own uncle & cousin betrayed her, so how could she easily trust a young stranger? I don’t understand why Michelle was never seen asking herself a question like how could a young guy like Jamshed fall for a woman of her age? This is exactly why I find this script so weak that we have never seen an emotional quotient here. It’s just a basic on-the-surface sort of a story without any depth to it. We have such characters that aren’t in touch with their emotional side, which is why I have never been able to connect or relate to them.

Bhatti finds himself at peace whenever he discusses everything with Salma. Yes, he has confessed that he is getting used to her. Salma often reads between the lines but Bhatti always confesses his inner most feelings effortlessly. Even though it’s only Bhatti who speaks when they’re in a conversation but seems like Salma also loves spending time with him. It’s like he makes her forget her of the duties & responsibilities she has & with him, she is just a friend who is lending a shoulder to another friend. I was glad that it was their conversation at which the episode began but I am also glad that Bhatti found out it was Sikandar who tried to mug him. I loved the way he was being inquisitive about Salma’s husband as he couldn’t believe that Salma was living with such a dangerous person who does such sort of things for living. Bhatti exactly understood why Salma never told him anything because she had nothing good to share with him. It was good to see that he chose to be upfront about Sikandar because he wanted some answers. I think it’s another good thing that happened because now Salma knows that she can depend on Bhatti in more such ways than she had thought of.

The preview was interesting too because now looks like Bhatti will be on Sikandar’s case but sadly Salma will face the brunt. Cathy will be at her usual best because she will be bickering with Bhatti & Jamshed is going to get married & that was quick. I read an interview of Mehreen Jabbar where she spoke about a limited budget, I certainly understand but what I don’t get is, were they so short on budget that they couldn’t afford 2 – 3 options of night suits for Salma? She has only been wearing peachy/orange sleepwear throughout the drama, which really is, I wouldn’t say disappointing but…meh! Anyways, share your thoughts please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Chalain jee shuker hai, finally the drama is picking up the pace & the episodes are coming across as a lot better than the previous ones. Even though, I still have an issue with how things are unfolding between Jamshed & Michelle, rest of the tracks are doing just fine.

It really surprised me that it only took a few days for Michelle to come out of her shell that she was used to for so many years. It only took a few sweet-talks from Jamshed & Michelle forgot all about those boundaries that she set around her? I have no issues with their relationship & even their age difference doesn’t matter but what matters is the missing depth from her story. I think it would’ve been a lot better if they had shown what her ex-husband did to make her so bitter & what she faced all these years that made her so isolative? If they had shown some sort of transformation in her emotions like what allowed the flamboyant stranger to sweep her off her feet; I think that would’ve made a lot more sense. One day they weren’t talking & the next day; they’re holding hands & strolling in a romantic park; all this makes it look like the scenarios have been flipped & there was neither any flow in the scenes nor any growth in her feelings, in fact there weren’t any feelings to begin with & they’ve been forced point-blank to fall for each other & have no other option.

I didn’t see the necessity of Nadir’s call to Jamshed as well. Why was he acting like he was guilty or something because Nadir & Asma took that decision without worrying about Jamshed for a second, so they should just stick to it now. Why did Nadir feel that he owed some sort of an explanation to Jamshed, whereas he on his own was pretty sure that Jamshed wasn’t his friend anymore? Jamshed’s blunt & honest reply to Nadir for the first time revealed that he has been hurt a lot more than he expresses & maybe that’s why he has stopped thinking from his heart & has now adopted practicality in life.

Another shock that I got in this episode was the way Cathy behaved after she saw Bhatti & Salma sharing a conversation over a cup of coffee. Why is it that all of a sudden Cathy’s acting like an over-possessive ‘wife’ because otherwise, she has been very practical. has always been indifferent to her husband & it’s more like she has pretty much grown out of this relationship. Once again, they never showed what Bhatti did to tick her off. They never really showed Bhatti & Cathy spending a good time together or having a normal relation like any other married couple, which is why Cathy’s reaction didn’t really seem justified. Cathy’s on a trip of her own where now she has started to dread that if Bhatti gets the citizenship, he will walk out on her. Does this mean that she never really bothered to care about him just because he was an illegal resident & she knew he had no escape & now that when there’s a chance that he might become an American national, suddenly she has started to have some sort of a realization that she needs to work on her marriage? I don’t think there was a need of showing Cathy as so shallow that her husband’s immigration status affected the way she treated him.

Finally, Salma managed to salvage herself from further loss & this way, she saved our eye-brows from rising too. Just in the nick of time, she overheard what Sikandar was saying to Kashif & understood where he was getting with the whole ‘zewar check karwa lo’ act. For a change, it was good to see her standing up against Sikandar because it’s about time he reaps what he sowed & more than that, it’s about time that Salma realizes how she’s being played upon. Sikandar is despicable, there’s no questioning in that but the way Tai Jee shows her deep concern for both Sikandar & Kashif, knowing their dirty moves is also detestable. Sorry to say but Tai Jee is just a hypocrite who doesn’t leave an opportunity to belittle Salma & Imaan but has always been overprotective of her son despite knowing how he always falls short on morality. Yes, there was a moment where Salma once again tried to convince herself in denial that she might be misunderstanding Sikandar but thankfully, Aliya saved the day.

Just when we thought that their paths might never cross, I see something of that sort happening in the next episode where Sikandar & Kashif will try to rob Bhatti & then I feel somehow Salma will get involved too. Seems like the drama has hit the right track & pace, so hanging in there to watch what happens next. Share your thoughts as well.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, Jamshed is a lot smarter than we give him credit for. Even though he knows his straight forward approach to his & Michelle’s relation has put her in an awkward position, still he has not only confessed his love but isn’t even ashamed of it because only he knows what’s on his mind. Jamshed saw how uncomfortable Michelle was & somehow she wasn’t coping with it well but he still stood by his stance without worrying much about what she must be thinking of him. Michelle got to talk to Rizwan because that’s what she needed but too bad for him, he didn’t know he was stabbing himself by telling her to follow her heart. So, with this, Rizwan is finally going to go out of the picture because Michelle will obviously choose Jamshed over him. I still didn’t get any such vibes that Jamshed was sort of trying to trick Michelle because he seemed pretty well aware of what he was getting into & in that sense, he looked sincere. Somehow, I now get where Michelle is coming from but I can’t say that about Jamshed though. Michelle is tired of being lonely but what made Jamshed fall for Michelle is still a mystery.

Bhatti felt bad that Cathy sort of insulted him in front of the kids but doesn’t he know it’s been a while she has been treating him like that? Cathy is always rude & misbehaves with him in front of his kids, that’s why Isabella doesn’t care much about what he thinks & she seems pretty indifferent to him. As much as Bhatti tries to be like a father figure to them, Isabella doesn’t allow that to happen because she knows even her mother doesn’t take him seriously. Finally, Bhatti stood up for himself & that left Cathy speechless. I think it’s about time he makes some decisions & starts running things in that house, otherwise there’s no point in sulking without taking control.

To be honest, I am tired of Salma’s Sikandar-nama. Sikandar ne nashta banaya, Sikandar ne paani pilaya, Sikandar ne Imaan ko drop kiya, Sikandar badal gaya hai, Sikandar ye, Sikandar wo, Sikandar bla bla bla bla bla bla. I have really started to doubt her intelligence because can’t she see; last time she got an omelette from Sikandar costed her $4000 so now this time around, for a plate of scrambled eggs, a walk in a park & a home-made biryani, she will have to pay a price of good $25,000. I hate to see how Tai & Sikandar are ganging up against her just so that they can snatch away the jewellery she has kept for the sake of Iman’s education, but more that than I hate to see Salma being so naive to an extent of being mentally challenged because she can’t seem to put two & two together even after spending more than a decade with him & that makes her oblivion look very unrealistic.

This episode was still better because the scenes were short & to the point. Salma dodged the bullet by managing to keep Bhatti meeting with Sikandar but seems like Cathy is going to learn the truth about Bhatti’s new found friend Salma pretty soon. Let’s see what happens next. Share your thoughts please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, this episode marks the first half of the drama & now we’re moving onto the 2nd half. I’d say after an interesting previous episode, I was expecting a lot from this one in particular because I thought may be the story has picked up the pace but I think it wasn’t supposed to be like that. Even though this episode had a lot of scenes too which revolved around the relationships that are evolving but somehow I still found it very slow.

So, Sikandar has lost all the money in gambling that he borrowed from Salma. I don’t know why but the blind trust Salma has on Sikandar really makes me question her intelligence. She’s a strong & independent woman, well she may not look like it but mentally she is as she’s dealing with so much harshness in her life so calmly but what makes me doubt her is that she knows what her husband has been up to & has even gone to prison time & again, so is it ohkay for her to remain oblivious of Sikandar & his activities? How can she trust him so easily that he asks for a good amount of money & she lends it to him just like that? Why isn’t Salma worried, why isn’t she cautious while dealing with Sikandar because that man doesn’t have a clean slate? I am not saying that she should be very alert (which sounds like a good idea) but at least if she would keep a check on her husband, it would spare her from some problems at least. I think Salma has already understood that her life is not a fairy-tale, so are we asking a lot from her if we expect her to keep her eyes open while dealing with Sikandar? I am not sure if we’d get to know more about her background & how she ended up at this stage but as much as I know her, I think she’s blameworthy for what has happened to her because Salma thinks going to prison is a normal thing, which actually came as a shock to me. I think this level of comfort, trust & assurance that Salma has extended to Sikandar has lead him to what he is now because he knows, he has Salma who’d take care of him & his family no matter what, so when he takes her for granted, looks like Salma likes being taken granted for as well.

So, there was some sort of development in Bhatti Salma track. Aliya obviously has been joking around lately about how they both are compatible & how they make a nice couple but as usual Salma takes it as a joke & forgets but it was somewhat good to see them depending on each other a lot more in comparison to how they used to before. Bhatti has started sharing his family issues & even confessed that he likes spending time with her, which is the case for Salma as well. She walks an extra mile to compensate for ruining his birthday, goes for a lunch break & spends time with him, which obviously shows that they now share a connectivity which they themselves aren’t aware of as yet. Even if it was a slip of tongue, Salma admitted that she was on a date & Bhatti used that opportunity to let her know how his heart has been skipping a beat lately whenever he’s with Salma. I think I’d like to see them end up together because they both deserve to be happy.

Hmmm, so Michelle goes out of the way to grab jalebies for Jamshed & still she gets awkward when he shamelessly flirts with her. What is she expecting? Obviously, she’s spending a lot more time with him & there’s got to be some strong reason behind it, so why is she trying to ignore what she has been feeling & what Jamshed’s been saying? He has given all sorts of signals to her & I think considering Michelle’s age & experience, she can clearly understand what Jamshed’s trying to say. Not sure if he is sincere or something but I still want to know what has gone into Michelle that she has taken a 180⁰ turn so quickly & is not how she used to be. Ohkay, if she was someone who didn’t get a male attention for years, her inclination towards Jamshed would’ve made sense but she just rejected a suitable proposal for odd reasons & then here she is, hopelessly falling for a guy she knows nothing about, so yeah, let’s see what happens to them.

I must say, as if Cathy wasn’t enough that Isabella has been introduced as a nightmare part 2 in Bhatti’s life. I really want to know what Cathy & Isabella’s issues are because every conversation they have with Bhatti end up with a taunt of him being an irresponsible, conservative Pakistani holding Pakistani values, which most of the times sound too forced & uncalled for. & oh, once again, Sikandar is trying to sweet-talk his way into deceiving Salma so that he can grab the money he has to pay off but I am sure Salma won’t resist in helping him as she’s on a trip of her own where she is in denial & thinks everything will sort out on its own if she continues to trust her conniving husband blindly. Let’s see what happens next.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Oh ohkay, so finally after a long long time I had a good time watching Jackson Heights because this episode had a lot such things that I wanted to see in this drama. I’m pleasantly surprised & I hope we; the viewers keep on getting such nice surprises till the drama lasts.

Even though the scene between Salma & Sikandar was done well, I still knew he was putting up an act because it had Fake written all over Sikandar, haha. We all know he’s a con-man & he’s helpless when it comes to being himself, which is being a conniving person who only thinks of himself. Sikandar obviously made the wrong move at a wrong time because he wanted to ask for a favor from Salma afterwards but he knew that now he has hurt her, the best way was to touch her feet & make her an omelette because Salma is gullible. As much as I give full points to Sikandar for being a clever person, I am still having a hard time feeling anything for Salma because she has allowed all this to happen to her; herself. I think the span of 12 years is a good time to understand a person in & out but to hear her say time & again that she is ready to give her husband a chance to change is nothing but a portrayal of her weakness. I completely agree with Aliya on this that all those argumentative logics Salma tries to present in order to defend her husband & her situation are irrational.

So, the Gabru Birthday ‘BOY’ Bhatti Sahab, who carried 2 phussofied worn out balloons & had a hard time sitting at the wooden bench for 6 hours was throwing a tantrum at Salma for not showing up, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Bhatti obviously was in a bad mood not because he was hurt, but because he didn’t like the fact that Salma backed out on the plan, which seriously tells that he has started to feel for her a lot more than he realizes for now & the same goes for Salma who only thought of earning Bhatti’s apology even if it meant standing in the middle of a footpath. I actually really like these two characters when they are together & finally we had some good moments that they both shared. I definitely think they both have a soft corner & a lot of respect & liking for each other which they’ll be able to explore once they both are out from the misery they deal within their lives.

For the first time I enjoyed the conversations of Jamshed & Michelle as well, because they spoke on the emotional lines. Who would’ve thought that as much as Jamshed seems immature, he isn’t. No one would’ve thought that losing his parents at such a young age actually taught him some serious lessons in life. May be his indifferent & least-bothered attitude was more like a cover & a facade that he carried. May be it was more like a defence mechanism in order to protect himself from his Uncle & his wife. For the first time I actually felt for Jamshed a lot & yes, it was good to see Michelle being easy on herself & the people around her too. The credit for this obviously goes to Jamshed but I still want to know how can a person in such a short span of time have such an impact on a rigid person like Michelle, whereas Rizwan has been trying his luck since ages? May be Rizwan only saw her from the surface but Jamshed has been able to decode her personality & this is what has impressed Michelle the most? Chalo, for a change it’s good to see that Michelle is allowing someone to steer the wheel for her whereas she has taken a back seat & is allowing the change to happen as she herself is enjoying it.

It was a good episode & the preview gave me a good reason to look forward to the next episode. Let’s see what they have in store for us. & is it just me or Jamshed actually referred to him as ’20 saal ka larka’. I really didn’t know he was so young obviously because he doesn’t look like that. Share your say please!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Hmmm!!! This episode started off at a good note but as usual, it got lost somewhere in between. Like I’ve said the pace is my only issue but yes, I’d say that after watching the preview of next episode, I am definitely looking forward to it, which is a good thing. This episode was good in bits & pieces & finally I caught a glimpse of some insight into the characters, which is what I wanted to see the most.

One thing’s for sure, Salma is just a cash cow for her in laws & sadly they are not even ashamed of it. I think the beginning scene of this episode gave an insight into Salma’s character that she is someone who knows how to take a stand for the right. I thought she has started to understand that allowing her in laws to run over her isn’t justified but that thing subsided pretty quickly & we later saw her falling weak for no good reason. Where at one hand Salma politely made her MIL understand that she can’t go around asking for loans, for which she herself got blamed for not helping Sikandar financially, on the other hand she was there; yet again, justifying Sikandar’s behaviour in front of Aliya. I am not sure what she’s thinking but is she afraid of confronting her innermost feelings? Because it looked like that. It’s pretty evident that Salma is in denial & she’s living in a fool’s paradise to think that Sikandar has changed but then once again, the question remains, why is she so comfortable in this uncomfortable situation? Why is she so calmly living such an awkward life? She is independent, she is the one who is supporting her husband, his family & even his kid, so why is Salma so indifferent to all these unusual circumstances? What has happened in the past that has made her so numb & what’s holding her back to take a step out of this mess?

Jamshed has pretty much started to make an impression on Michelle & everybody around him. Is it just me or the phone conversation with his mami was more like a déjà vu? I kind of enjoyed his part of the conversation with Michelle because she didn’t have anything to contribute to it but yes, seems like now Jamshed will help her understand how she should live a life which I think is unfair for Rizwan. He has spent years & years with her but couldn’t convince her to wear a ‘pink’ whereas Jamshed’s single statement was enough to convince her. To be honest, after watching her smiling all by herself gave me a feeling that even before Jamshed does, Michelle will end up falling for him because he’s like a fresh addition to her boring routine & may be she was looking for a change but was too afraid to experience it but now seems like Jamshed will unwillingly help her to start afresh, which is good. As much as I am keen to see how the track of her present & future will unfold, I also want a scoop out of her past as well to understand her better, but yes, I do think that the whole issue of ‘ye color bohat loud hai’ was forced & pushed to make a scene or two out of it & even the dialogues were same, which once again screams the lack of content the team had, to work with.

I was sooo looking forward to Bhatti & Salma’s meeting that too on his birthday but too bad it wasn’t mean to be. I really wanted to see how he’ll celebrate & what conversation they would have but it just didn’t happen. Even though it was very sweet of Imaan to remember his birthday but when she met him, she seemed kind of disinterested in what conversation he & her mother were having. Imaan didn’t even speak to him properly so of all the people, for her to remember his birthday was kind of random & yes, Cathy didn’t even remember his birthday & later very conveniently pushed it on him that he doesn’t have a time to spare for his family, whereas she never made any efforts in the first place, so may I ask once again, what’s wrong with her? Why’s she so miserable in this relation & treats him so badly?

To be honest, I was put off by Aliya’s comment in regards to the Islamic school & hostel. According to Aliya, Sikandar was being a ‘jahil’ when he expressed his wish that Imaan should attend an Islamic school & yes, once again, everyone seemed so reluctant at the idea of Imaan going to an Islamic school. I really think they pushed it the wrong way here & there’s no excuse that can justify that. I really agree to Aliya in this matter that Salma was giving a baseless argument in defence of Sikandar that all she has to do is put up with a couple of taunts & this will make him change? Like I said, what makes Salma so positive & hopeful about her felon of a husband, that too after he treats her like a nobody? & yes, like we all sussed, Sikandar resorted to domestic violence, the scene was intense & well-directed but even as much as I want to feel for Salma, more than that, I want to know what her thoughts, after this, will be? Will she still remain indifferent as if nothing happened? Is she still going to defend him? Is she still going to put up with all this or will she take a decision with finality? Aliya kind of joked about Bhatti & Salma’s wedding, which I hope happens but before that I want to see Salma giving her in laws a piece of her mind.

This episode was a lot better than the previous ones & I think next one will be more interesting. However, I still felt that there was some sort of chemistry missing between all the characters in this episode too. Nilofar Abbasi may be a good actress but she seems bland while delivering her dialogues & that is why in all of her scenes, there’s always some sort of a hindrance more like a timing error in between the dialogues of all the actors. Share your thoughts please!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, after 9 episodes, I now get it. Jackson Height’s is just a story of a few people & their daily routines because apart from that we haven’t gotten anything so as to connect to our characters & relate to them like we would’ve liked to. By saying this I am by no means belittling the efforts that the entire cast & crew has put in to make this project but seems like this script lacked the wow factor to begin with.

In order to watch this drama you need to know that you’re just going to encounter what the characters in their daily lives are facing because apart from that, there’s no detailing & no depth in the script at all. I believe those who have a busy schedule do always get some time off in a day where they sit back & reminisce about different journeys that they have made & what brought them to this point in their lives, so I wish that if we had been shown that sort of a detailing & background of each & every character, it would’ve helped us a lot in relating to them & understand their feelings a bit better. We get it, it’s a story of desis living in America & almost all the desis can agree to it that it’s a very realistic portrayal of how tough the life is for them in the US & for that I give full points to the team but other than that, I think there isn’t much left. To be honest, discussing Jackson Heights is like discussing a daily routine of a few people & the happenings that they’re experiencing & ta-da, you’re done.

So, seems like everyone in Jamshed’s family knew that he was interested in Asma & just like how it should’ve been, they all seemed pretty ohkay with the fact that Nadir took his spot & got engaged to Asma. I actually think Jamshed’s mamu was right that if he had stayed back in Pakistan, he would’ve done something for himself because Jamshed has only been a burden on people around him. It was good to see that Nadir & Asma took a moment to clarify things that might haunt them in the future & that mutual link was Jamshed. Asma clearly looked heartbroken but she manages to grab all the sympathies because she has been in such a tough position where she knew that letting go of Jamshed was the only option left & I can’t emphasize enough that genuinely Asma is the only character I actually feel for because Rida Isafahani has done her bit extremely well. She really makes us all feel her pain & distress.

Finally, Jamshed has come out of his preconceived notions of America (which he has been trying to from the last few episodes) & he has understood that his struggle has begun and that’s why he settled for a $6/hour job. As much as I think it’s good to see him taking the first step, his approach seems really immature where he tries to rationalize his illegal actions. It’s like Jamshed would love to work in America even if he becomes illegal but he wouldn’t settle for a government job in Pakistan without having to worry about all these never-ending & dodgy immigration procedures.

I so wish they hadn’t given so much coverage to Iman’s dance classes & also I so wish they hadn’t spoken about Islamic School in such a stern way as if it was something highly unappreciable. I agree with Salma’s notion that Islam needs to be practiced to be preached but then where on one hand she seemed quite reluctant on the mention of Islamic school, on the other she was being overly supportive of the dance class to a point where she resorted to lie to her husband so that Iman could enjoy what she likes & that puts it in a wrong perspective altogether. I so wish they hadn’t done that.

Not sure about others but I am getting tired of Cathy’s indifference towards her husband Imran. Like I said, we don’t know what lead them to this point to clearly understand what Cathy’s issues are. Imran Bhatti has been a very considerate person, who takes care of people around him so it’s like a done deal that he took care of Cathy & her kids too, so what made them both grow out of this relation where Cathy has no time for her husband & there’s isn’t much of a relationship left anyways? She clearly seems ticked off with her husband’s desi-ness but then wasn’t she aware of what desi men are like when she decided to get married to him & after that I don’t think Imran has given any reason to her to be so mad at him all the time so yes, what’s her issue? Any background story please?

Sikandar’s character (not the actor) failed to leave a mark. Obviously, he likes to be in control of the situation around him & he thinks people should treat him as an incharge of their lives without expecting anything from him in return. Sikandar himself has done nothing to earn the respect of his wife & his daughter but then again, I hope his story does get some coverage where we find out more about his character & his relation to Salma. As much as I want to feel for Salma, I can’t bring myself to it because she never complains & we haven’t found out what she’s feeling or what she thinks of the circumstances she’s facing. Yes, she does talk every now & then to Aliya but ends up defending her husband’s family, so you really don’t know what she’s going through. Mostly the topics that Salma speaks on revolve around her MIL or Iman but what she feels is untold & the big question is, what does she feel about her husband being a felon? Isn’t she scared, doesn’t she want to walk out of this marriage? Salma seems awkwardly comfortable in this relation whereas clearly there’s nothing left between her & Sikandar, so this makes her character kind of lifeless I’d say. All we know about her is that she works at a parlour & takes care of Iman who happens to be Sikandar’s daughter but other than that, no light has been shed on her emotions, which I think is definitely important to feel for a character.

Jamshed & Michelle’s meetings were done nicely however I found Michelle’s reactions a bit odd. She’s someone who knows the art of snubbing yet she was becoming speechless & uncomfortable in front of Jamshed. We’ve seen the way she easily ignored Rizwan’s proposal so I believe a bunch of flowers couldn’t have moved her the way it was shown. Once again, we know nothing about her past & we know nothing about her feelings as well. All I’ve ‘heard’ about Michelle is that she’s a divorcee & is anti-social, but what she feels, how hurt is she, what makes her sad, what makes her happy, all such details are clearly missing, not from her character but from all the characters except that of Asma & Jamshed’s because he often voices out his disappointments & this is what it makes me hard to connect to most of the characters of this drama.

I think 9 episodes are enough to develop the nature of all the characters but here it’s like we’re seeing such characters that’re living the life without actually living it; because they’re emotionless, feeling-less & because of this I also feel there’s some sort of a chemistry missing between them all too except Bhatti & Salma of course. Share your say please & feel free to disagree!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so thankfully things are falling into perspective. I think the pace of the play is picking up & let’s see where the story will take us. I am glad that this episode in particular had smaller & a lot of scenes which made the episode a bit interesting & happening. Even though the drama makers have taken a lot of time in unwinding the story & we still are looking forward to see what’s in store for us, I feel the cast should be given the due credit for enacting their roles brilliantly. I must say even though we haven’t seen Ali Kazmi in this drama before, but he made his presence felt in those limited scenes too which is commendable because it seems like he’s so much into his character like everybody else (excluding Marina Khan).

So, now we know where Salma’s husband Sikandar (Ali Kazmi) was. Obviously we don’t know the reason & the whole story behind but he was serving his time in prison while Salma was working hard to take care of his mother & his daughter that too on his behalf. Now we know that Salma got married to Sikandar when Imaan was just 3 y/o & she has been in this relation for like 12 years but I didn’t really get the wishful thinking that Salma shared with Aliya & I couldn’t really connect to the glimmer of hope that Salma spoke about that may be Sikandar has changed because she found him calm this time around. I guess the span of 12 years is enough to know a person in & out so what really made Salma say that? Obviously for now Sikandar has contained himself but I think it won’t take him too long to flip to his real self as his mother started doing what she was waiting for & that was to brain feed Sikandar against Imaan & Salma. Even though Sikandar is trying to be calm & composed but I think it’s just a facade that he’s carrying which he will let go of pretty soon.

Is it just me or Jamshed’s joblessness is becoming bothersome? Yes, we know that he’s trying his luck but why is he always looking for short cuts? He depended on his Mamu & now he is depending on his relative to help him out? I think Jamshed should’ve understood by now that when his Uncle couldn’t help him, why would a distant relative do that? I must say even though the whole issue was repetitive, I giggled a lot at Jamshed’s fight & the things his relative said to him in return. To add more to his woes, he got to know that Nadir has decided to get married to Asma & I think Nadir made the right decision because Asma’s a very decent girl & she certainly deserved better. I must say the actress who has played the role of Asma has been brilliant because no matter how short her scenes are, she always makes me feel for her a lot.

Oh yes, once again, Bhatti found the chance to spend some time with Salma & they both are unaware of the fact that unconsciously they have started to enjoy each other’s company. Bhatti was honest about why he wants to befriend Salma as he really yearns to have a desi friend but Salma, no matter how much she resists, always ends up spending some time with him because he makes her laugh & they both share a certain wavelength which can’t be described. Obviously, even if they’d try to give some reasoning for it, they won’t be able to come up with a decent explanation as to why they share a conversation over a coffee or why Bhatti always grabs an opportunity he gets to have a heart-to-heart talk with Salma, but I guess these meaningless meetings & candid conversations will help them both develop an understanding over the time. I must say my favourite part of the whole episode are the scenes of Bhatti & Salma because they genuinely look like they’re in need of a support system & they need someone to be ears to their innermost feelings. Apparently, Salma has a lot to hide in comparison to Bhatti but it’s just a matter of time when they’ll end up discussing everything with each other I suppose.

I am glad that this episode had very limited in fact lesser scenes of Michelle/Marina Khan. I think Jamshed will end up working at her restaurant & now when he knows that Asma’s not a part of his life anymore, he’ll obviously get infatuated with her. Let’s see what’s yet to come. I am wondering that Salma suspects Kashif for always keeping an eye on her; he still hasn’t found out that she has been spending some time with Bhatti lately? & oh yes, I had a good laugh at Bhatti’s comment on Aliya & her English, it was funny. :) Share your thoughts please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Chalain jee, shuker hai, this episode took me back to the initial couple of episodes where we all were excited & couldn’t wait to explore more. The pace of this episode in particular was really good & the scenes were short which made me enjoy this episode for sure.

I think Jamshed has pretty much understood that he isn’t in Pakistan anymore. Even though he was ready to embrace the change but he obviously didn’t expect that the world won’t revolve around him & no one would pay attention to him like the people back-home used to. I kind of found his transition interesting where he felt he could speak to his Mamu on those lines about his work issues & the things he has faced in America. The one night which he had to spend on his own really gave him the insight that was essential to change his perspective about things, that’s why he could really relate to what Imran Bhatti was going through & which also made him conscious that he couldn’t afford to become a burden on him anymore. Jamshed really was just ready to earn the money but I think this was much needed for him to understand what really happens in America before he had started earning the dollars because then he would’ve never gotten the reality check that he needed to stay on the ground. I think he will evolve a lot more because he knows things won’t be the same & nor would be the phone calls back-home because everything comes with a baggage & may be people have started to expect a lot more from him than he realizes.

I kind of like that Bhatti & Salma at least connect with each other & share this wavelength where they can share what’s going on in their lives. This episode in particular made me kind of look forward to their story because I think they both deserve some sort of happiness & a timeout from the struggle that they both are indulged in. If this means that they can be together, I think it would be justified because for all that they’ve faced, they really deserve a fresh start. Salma deals with a lot in her life & so does Imran Bhatti, so now after going through it all, when they both will come together, they will definitely have a healthy relationship with each other (if that’s meant to be).

I am sorry to say but Michelle & Rizwan’s track didn’t appeal to me at all. Michelle just wanted Rizwan to break the ice & even when he did; it just didn’t make any sense. She got back to being her old self where she just wants him wrapped around her finger without worrying about giving anything back in return & this trait about her character really bothers me. As much as they’ve tried to show that they both connect & are friends but I have a hard time relating to their characters. I think now with him gone, Michelle will definitely get some time off & unwillingly she will keep on stumbling upon Jamshed & that will result in an interesting development but I am more eager to see what Jamshed does instead of Michelle to be honest.

Ohkay, this was really a surprising revelation that Imaan is not a bio-daughter of Salma because the way Salma has been protective of her & the way she has been taking a stand for her really showed that she actually holds Imaan dearer to her like her own daughter but the way her Tai questioned & taunted Salma that too in the presence of Imaan showed that she also knows that Salma is not her real mother. This really makes me look forward to her background & story.

The preview of next episode also seemed interesting & I think like Mehreen Jabbar told us in the previous review that these couple of episodes will really take things forward & I actually see that happening, so I am glad that this drama has finally kick-started. I hope the pace stays the same because we really need that. Next episode will mark the entry of Ali Kazmi & going by the intimidated look on Salma’s face after seeing him really makes me wonder what their story is & oh yes, who was the other guy that showed up right at the end of this episode? I think it’s about time that the new characters are involved & more secrets are revealed. So, I’d definitely say I enjoyed watching this episode because it was quite happening, share your thoughts about this episode of Jackson Heights please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

A tad bit interesting episode with depiction of daily struggles of the characters once again. I must say the conversations between the characters have been written nicely & they make you relate a bit to their stories at times but other than that, I really wish we come to a point where the story kick-starts & gives us something very interesting to look forward to.

Rizwan decided to propose to Michelle but just like that she walked away without sharing any thoughts with him. No one really can tell what’s going through Michelle’s mind & for that the element of mystery in her character that I once referred to has turned into blandness. Obviously, the walk off was a conveyance of strong rejection but other than that, what made her do that still remains a secret. Even though Michelle has shared her feelings with Tanya that she takes Rizwan as her friend but I think some actual justification would’ve sufficed. Why is it that she’s at her best around him but still treats him as a friend? Why is it that so many years have passed & she hasn’t thought of him as someone more than a friend?

Jamshed’s struggling on his own because he has freshly arrived in America. From sleeping in a store room on the floor to doing the laundry by himself, he’s tasting the life of America & sadly for him, he cannot share his feelings with his people back home because they know too well how much he was eager to come to America. I really like the character of Asma & I think the actress has done her bit really well. She’s sad & she wants some sort of assurance from Jamshed because she has pressures on her as well. Let’s see what decision Jamshed will take in regards to Asma because right now he’s frustrated & a bit too pre-occupied in adapting to the massive change in his life.

Finally, we got to know a bit about Salma. She lives with her Tai, who happens to be her MIL as well. Obviously, her MIL is very dominating & likes to see things happening her ways. She’s pretty rooted that’s why she wants Salma to train her daughter Imaan like a typical Pakistani too. Salma definitely knows what her daughter wants & for that she is ready to take a stand to show support to her daughter. Once again, the short conversation between her & Imran Bhatti was done well & it was good to see Imran Bhatti taking care of Salma’s daughter. That whole scene was really sweet.

I am not sure why but I am getting ticked off with the forced I-don’t-care-attitude of Imran Bhatti’s wife Cathy. She’s a dictator & we know it, so can we move ahead & see what else’s in store for us especially when it comes to Bhatti-Cathy life? I think pretty much everything’s been revealed about the characters till now so I’m ready to see what brought them to this point in their lives, some background, some past & future stories & some progress in the plot, please? Seems like some developments might be shown in the next episode so, with this hope & based on the previews, I keep on watching this play thinking we’ll have something or the other that will actually draw my attention but so far, it hasn’t really happened. So, let’s see what happens next & yes, I’d definitely say that I fail to understand why would a restaurant owner go to a local laundry booth to do her laundry? As we saw in the initial episodes, she lives in a pretty decent apartment, so why’s it that she was seen doing her laundry there? Share your thoughts please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Hmmmmm, I am not sure what to say but I have mixed feelings about this episode & this project altogether. Even though it has an amazing cast & has been executed appropriately, I still feel there were certain limitations in the script. Even though it’s realistic & based on what usually happens with desis in America but I really would’ve liked if they had shown the background of all the characters so that we could’ve understood them better. It’s like the story began with a bunch of people with problems but apart from that, no insight into their lives, no background knowledge as to how they ended up at this stage, no base to begin with, makes it kind of harder to relate to the characters. I still find them all very real & genuine but I don’t feel for them like I was expecting in Mehreen Jabbar’s project, except for one & that is Imran Bhatti. May be because his problems get a fair share of screen space & we get to see how he deals with it all & how, at times, he gets affected on top of it as well, but others for now are looking like mere fillers without a story & that disappoints me.

I was thinking maybe we’ll get to know about our characters as the story will progress but we’re 5 episodes down & still have no idea why Michelle ended up like such a person who has a dual personality. We get to find out in the 5th episode that Salma’s a mother & has a teenage daughter, which really makes me question the pace of the play.

Apart from Jamshed’s arrival nothing else was really interesting in this episode to be honest. It was good to see that Jamshed has finally made it to America & a few reality checks were waiting for him post his arrival. He wasn’t welcomed by his Imran Mamu as he was expecting & then a series of revelations made him understand that he has finally landed in America & it’s nothing like the lala land that he had imagined. I am glad that at least Jamshed’s issues & his thought process got a decent coverage in this episode because that actually helped us in understanding what he’s going through & also made us feel for him as we’ve seen how eager he was & how much he was anticipating visiting America. So, the bubble Jamshed was living in burst quite quickly because at first he saw how people sacrifice their luxuries to provide their families with some; back home. He got to know that his Mamu doesn’t own any company but runs a cab himself & he also got to see what happens inside his Mamu’s house. I liked the phone conversation between Jamshed & his Naani because as much as he wanted to tell her openly what he was going through, he chose to stay quiet & that silence said it all.

I am really thinking about the importance of Michelle & Rizwan’s track in this play. I really think Marina Khan had a hard time playing Michelle because she does an amazing job by being that strict businesswoman but when she has to act all casual & herself in front of Rizwan, we can really see her struggling. Especially in the birthday celebration scene, she clearly looked uncomfortable playing the chirpy Michelle & it was evident that she couldn’t bring herself to act all goofy in front of her friend Rizwan which actually made their scenes look too long, turbulent & falling short of finesse.

Apart from this, nothing much happened in this episode & seems like even Imran Bhatti’s not providing much entertainment for now but yes, few of his one-liners can’t go unnoticed, so we’d have to do with that much for now. I know people in North of India; especially Delhi are profound in Urdu & even people of Bombay are good at it, but I really wish they had worked a tad bit on Rizwan’s Urdu to make him sound like he belongs to India because no matter how good the Urdu of any Indian might be, there’s still some difference in the accent for sure but here, all those pickup lines that Rizwan uses to start a conversation give away an impression that his Urdu is better than the Pakistani Michelle herself. Share your thoughts please & yes, you’re free to disagree as well. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay, before talking about this episode, to be honest I’d straight away say that I am looking forward to the next episode because the preview seemed a tad bit interesting. I think the director & the writer have taken a lot of time in unwinding the plot & right now it’s only coming across as if they are focusing on the issues people face in their day-to-day lives, without moving the story forward.

The only subtle revelation in this episode was about Salma where she clearly looked uncomfortable at the mention of domestic violence & later avoided the conversation about the subject, which was enough to let us know that she must be facing more or less the same situation in her own personal life. Salma has actually started to enjoy the conversations she once in a while has with Imran Bhatti because till now as much as she knows about him, only she was able to understand that he didn’t seem himself & was actually engrossed in his own thoughts.

Jamshed finally managed to arrange his trip to America & it was kind of heavy seeing his grandmother seeing him off. All her conversations only depicted how sad she is & how much she misses her son Imran but she’s helpless & can’t do much about it, that’s why the least she could do was to bind Jamshed in a promise of his return so at least she can have a sense of assurance of some sort.

Tanya was pretty direct in speaking to Michelle about her future plans but surprisingly Michelle bluntly told her that Rizwan is nothing more than a friend to her, which I doubt because whenever he speaks on those lines; instead of snubbing him right away she comfortably ignores those hints & that doesn’t do any good because if we go by their age, I really don’t think Michelle is at that stage in her life where she can dodge the bullet by keeping those things unanswered. As much as we’ve seen her, she’s very straight forward & doesn’t believe in beating around the bush, so why is it that despite knowing what Rizwan feels for her, she hasn’t been able to give him a clear cut answer in negation? I think Michelle’s being unfair to Rizwan where she isn’t giving a name to their relation & yet she expects everyone to see them as just friends.

Imran Bhatti’s obviously dealing with a lot in his personal life too & yes, he’s clearly stuck with Cathy because her testimony also counts in the hearing for his immigration. For the first time, instead of random babbling, he gave voice to his problems in front of Salma by sugar-coating a lot of things that Cathy puts him up with. I thought his mother doesn’t know about his marriage but to my surprise, seems like she not only knows but has accepted Imran’s marriage to a an American woman & a mother of two.

The good part about this episode were the conversations where they tried to show that no matter how hard people try, the life in such countries is a lot more difficult but people back home hardly understand the pressures their family members are facing while making a living in such a place. Each one of them seems to be occupied in some sort of a struggle but they try to snatch every possible moment that gives them relief & is a chance to unwind with a new-found or an old endeared friend. Share your thoughts on this episode please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Hmmm ohkay so, this was just what you need after a long day; a good episode with some witty one-liners. Even though there hasn’t been much progress in the story so far & we’re still getting to know about the characters but I still feel there’s something very appeasing about the whole Jackson Heights’ experience. It takes you to the world of its own where you can actually relate to the characters & want to understand them better. This episode did just exactly that because after a busy day, I really wasn’t sure if I’d be able to review this particular episode but I am glad, it gave me a lot of giggles to get me going.

I loved how Imran Bhatti became a partner-in-crime of Haseena Beauty Parlour’s owner Aliya, even though Salma was hesitant but Aliya; being an opportunist, grabbed the opportunity to use Imran Bhatti & his contacts to expand her business. Imran being Imran, hopped on board the moment Aliya told him the actual plan of stealth marketing. Just because he felt so much at home knowing that he had to do some off-track work where people were supporting him for ambush promotion, he felt it was his responsibility to help the parlour in need. I must say the way he carried out the marketing were the best bits of the whole episode for me undoubtedly & I feel we all can’t thank Nauman Ejaz enough for breathing life into this character.

Jamshed continued being unreasonable, harsh & at times hopeful but just like they say, the moment you stop thinking about something, it happens & in Jamshed’s case, this is exactly what he experienced. Just when he felt that he couldn’t cope up with the insults he has to face & just because he was done explaining himself to each & everybody over & over again & just when he thought may be moving to America wasn’t meant to be, he got the news of his life.

This time around the focus was definitely more on Michelle & her friend, even though she had somewhat selective scenes in this episode but it still gave us a bit that we were looking for. Michelle’s divorced & her friend is heart-broken but he still feels she isn’t ready for another relation that’s why, just like an obedient admirer, he is waiting for her. Michelle is not new to his family as everyone pretty much knows everything about her, so she feels really comfortable around her friend & his family, but what is it that’s stopping her from making another commitment? I am definitely interested to find out.

I think it was great to see Salma actually getting candid with Imran Bhatti because it was probably the first time she didn’t just ignore what he asked but felt like she wanted to answer him for all his questions. Imran’s definitely dependent on his wife for his immigration that’s why he’s putting up with her tantrums & dealing with all the negativity he has to face frequently. I think there isn’t much to his & Cathy’s relation anyways so maybe he’ll come to a decision after he’d get what he wants?

It was an interesting episode but I must say I love the casualness in all the conversations, for which after the dialogue writer, I’d give credit to all the actors for making it all seem so effortless & REAL. I enjoyed watching this episode for sure & hope you did too. Share your thoughts please.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

PS: Can someone please tell me the name of Adnan Jaffar’s character in this drama, as I can’t find a single scene where Michelle conversed with him using his name?

& oh yes, I wish Eid-ul-Azha Mubarik to all my dear & awesome readers. :) 
Musalmanoooonnn TIKKAY lagaoooooooooooo! :D

Alrighto, this episode was more situational which gave us some insights about the characters & their backgrounds a bit more. I think the story will progress in the upcoming episodes but I am glad that the director is not rushing with the story by sacrificing the time needed to establish the characters properly.

This episode did focus more on Imran Bhatti’s life or to be precise; his personal life. Imran Bhatti; who comes across as a carefree person who’s always ears to other’s issues carries an emotional baggage because he has to deal with a lot in his marital life. Being married to an American & being a step-father of two; it definitely takes a toll on him because he doesn’t get a fair share of respect that he deserves. Even though he doesn’t regret marrying Cathy but he is still unhappy with the way he gets treated by his wife & kids. Imran is someone who’d never ever share his personal problems with anyone but shed off his burden by spending a time with himself while sipping a cup of coffee.

Imran definitely doesn’t know what his mother has to put up with because of his sister-in-law but at least luckily for Imran’s mother, Jamshed is there to protect her. Even though he is the main reason of his Maami’s agitation, he still knows how to take a stand for himself & his grandmother. Jamshed is still living in a fool’s paradise where he thinks things will become much easier the moment he’ll step out of Pakistan but he seems so indulged in the future that he has forgotten to worry about his present & for this he’s unable to understand that his unemployment is taking a toll on him & to some extent; on his grandmother as well. I really liked the conversation Jamshed had with his friend where she tries to make him understand how he could do well by being in Pakistan but just because Jamshed happens to have a lot of misapprehensions about American lifestyle, he chooses to ignore the advice given by her. That conversation shed a light on such basic suggestions that people convey to those who do happen to live in some sort of imaginative bubble. I must say the relation Jamshed shares with his grandmother was really sweet. The way she understands & protects him goes to show that she takes Jamshed as someone who compensates the absence of her daughter & her son Imran.

The character of Michelle still remains a mystery & I am interested to find out more about her. Even though Michelle runs such a business where every single day she has to deal with a whole lot of different people, she is still an introvert at heart who shies away from a social contact because she feels she wouldn’t fit well in that circle. It felt like Michelle & her friend are dodging their feelings for each other because even though they both had a misunderstanding, they sorted out pretty quickly because they both are used to being together. One interesting bit that I noticed was that it was the same Michelle who was being stern with her subordinate while complaining about food but the very next second, it looked like she was an entirely different person, who was easy-going & knew how to smile as well & that was only because of her best friend. I don’t know why but I feel there’s a lot more to discover particularly in Michelle’s story.

The most enjoyable scene was once again of Imran Bhatti where he staged a meeting with the ladies of Haseena parlour. Imran is someone who lives in the moment because he knows he has so much to deal with, so he seizes every single opportunity to connect with new people & desis in particular for the obvious reasons. A little light was shed on why Imran’s stuck with Cathy because of some legal issues related to his immigration, so I can’t wait to find out how he takes control of his life henceforth.

2 episodes down & the excitement is still intact. I really enjoyed the conversations in this episode & feel like I know a lot more about the characters than I knew about them in the previous episode. I just can’t wait to find out more about each one of them & their stories. Share your thoughts on this episode of Jackson Heights.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, Jackson Heights, production of Six Sigma, writing of Vasay Chauhdry & the direction of Mehreen Jabbar was one of the most anticipated play of this season & finally, it hit our TV screens tonight which had the quality work & name of Mehreen Jabbar written all over it. Even though this was an introductory episode, it was scattered all over the characters but aptly so.

Set in New York & a desi hub named Jackson Heights, this episode showed a few people struggling in their own orbits to make a living, a few for themselves & a few for their people back home. The narration said it all & I think it was a perfect way to open the drama just to let us know what Jackson Heights is. Salma, an apathetic yet cautious & the most sought-after beautician emerged as a hard-working young girl, who doesn’t leave an opportunity to earn some bucks because she’s bound to support herself. Michelle a Pakistani by origin but someone who has cut ties with Pakistan, owns & runs a restaurant but just exactly knows how to differentiate & maintain a balance between her professional & personal life. Imran Bhatti, a cab driver who is contend with what life has given to him reciprocates it by being a strong support system to those who may or may not need him & to those who definitely depend on him. Jamshed, a young enthusiast who thinks an opportunity will present itself to him on a golden platter the moment he will step in the USA because he has an example of his Uncle Imran Bhatti who he thinks is enjoying his life while earning a considerable amount of money to support his family in Pakistan.

Even though this episode focused more on telling us a bit about all the main characters on the surface, there were a few intricate yet well-done moments that appealed the most & made us understand the underlying story behind all the characters. For me, Nouman Ejaz stole the show as Imran Bhatti. Even though he might come across as an easy-going person, somewhere down the line you can see-through the loneliness he feels deep within. It’s been 15 years since he first arrived to America & hasn’t gone back yet as clearly he’s bearing the expenses of his family, still their demands do not end but the most genuine & selfless demand came from his mother where she wants to see her son again.

Another character that seemed interesting to me was of Michelle played effortlessly by Marina Khan. It’s like she had two modes where at work she’s like a strict businesswoman who doesn’t care about anything else but her work & then on the other hand, she has an endeared friend played by Adnan Jaffar with whom she’s at such a comfort level that she unwinds & is like an entirely different person who even makes her laugh & is ears to all her personal thoughts.

I feel for now Adeel Hussain’s character didn’t give away much except for the fact that he just can’t wait to get away from Pakistan but then I am sure once he will realize what he has gotten himself into for the sake of making money, his real ordeal will begin.

I actually enjoyed the scenes of Imran Bhatti a lot because I think Nouman Ejaz nailed his bit. His & Salma’s conversations & coincidental meetings told they both are two different people who’re poles apart & they had nothing to offer except misunderstandings to each other but then luckily for Salma, he rescued her at the right time which will definitely change her perspective about Imran. The ending scene definitely took me by surprise because I didn’t see it coming, so yes, I just can’t wait to see more. The camera-work & direction was brilliant & the acting was top-notch but then what-else can you expect from such a brilliant director & the cast! As always it was pretty evident that Mehreen Jabbar made sure all the actors enacted their characters effortlessly. I really liked the soundtrack & the instrumental score gave away a very familiar feeling to the rest of Mehreen Jabbar’s projects. I’m sure we’re in for some real drama & the expectations have skyrocketed already. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for us & can’t wait to discuss every aspect of it. Please share your thoughts on the very first episode of Jackson Heights & tell us how did you find it? :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

PS: I’d request all the readers to avoid any spoiler alerts at least under the review discussions because I avoided even watching the promos as I didn’t want to get hints of anything about the story. I’d much appreciate if the synopsis & details about the drama & it’s plot aren’t discussed because I am sure a lot of people like to take what’s given & don’t really fish for what’s going to happen in advance. I hope you understand & yes, thanks a lot. ;)

The day must’ve been a bit sad for Pakistani Cricket supporters but I am so glad that mine ended at a good note because Jackson Heights ended tonight. Well, to be honest I am happy that this drama has had a decent ending & Mehreen Jabbar actually managed to finish it off nicely.

Frankly speaking, I do feel that this drama had a lot of potential because of such an amazing star cast & such a credible director but somehow the script was very weak & what ruined everything was the channel’s demand of stretching it till 27 episodes. When Jackson Heights began we all thought we finally found something different to watch because a lot of Pakistanis residing abroad could relate to it but since then, alongside the drama, our wait began too where all the viewers kept on waiting for the story to actually kick-start & pick a momentum but it just didn’t happen. It was too obvious that a lot of episodes were more like fillers & didn’t offer much. I remember the director telling us personally that after the 8th episode the story will shift into the second phase & the drama will become interesting but to be honest, it never happened because the pace & the story seemed one dimensional & sadly it has ended that way too. The team has worked really hard despite a limited budget & I am not taking that away from the team but I feel the writer & the channel people are solely to be blamed for not doing justice to this drama. Now when I have invested 27 weeks in this drama (probably the longest after Shukk) I think it’s pretty obvious that the story was not meant for these many episodes. I can’t imagine what a great & happening drama it would’ve been IF it had been wrapped up within 16 – 18 episodes but sadly the craving for ratings ruined it & it actually frustrates me that why do the channels these days ONLY think about themselves & not about the viewers? Zaroori hai ke aik drama ko chewing gum ki tarhaan kheeeeennnnnchhhhhhhna ke end mai aa ke toot jaye aur dustbin main phenkna paray?

Well, I have always liked one character & that is Bhatti because probably he was the only vocal guy in this whole drama. I liked him for the fact that he always spoke his heart & mind out which actually made us feel for him & we all related to him more than any other character because the rest came across as lifeless & emotionless robots who were just living a mechanical life without giving voice to their emotions whereas Bhatti seemed like a genuine human being who was dealing with a lot of issues in his life & because of that we all could understand him, we all could feel his struggles, we all wished for him to be happy & to be honest I think Bhatti’s was the only character that the writer himself had a ‘clear’ idea about. It was too obvious that Bhatti’s character was the main reason behind writing the story of Jackson Heights & the rest were just used as fillers to make the drama a bit more happening because I just didn’t see this much clarity in any other character as much I saw in Bhatti’s. I remember when the first episode came out we all got an idea about how generous & bighearted Bhatti was & that thing prevailed till the end because his character started off with definite & clean idea but to be honest, as much as I haven’t been able to connect to the rest of the characters, I still feel I don’t know any of them because their characters didn’t give us ‘anything’ as a base to form our opinion about them in the initial episodes. I feel that’s the exact & important time for every character to make a mark in order to make the viewers form a connection with them & I think the writer should’ve worked on etching out the characters properly because I remember even when we were halfway through the drama, I still didn’t understand what did Jamshed actually want? What thoughts were going through Salma’s mind & what did Michelle want out of her life? Even now when the drama has ended I am still clueless about WHY & HOW Salma was so comfortably numb with Sikandar by her side? Why didn’t she show a sign of distress in his presence at all? Why did she trust him so much & never questioned him even after he gave her a lot of reasons to doubt him? I remember speaking about a mystery in Michelle’s character that I wanted to see unravelling but sorry, that curiosity turned into a big question of disbelief & disappointment that is still unanswered. How could Michelle change so quickly & WHAT actually made her fall for Jamshed? After Bhatti, we can say we have a little more idea about Jamshed that he was an opportunist as he led a very unfulfilling life so now when he got the opportunity he wanted to make the most of it but Michelle? Seriously what was she thinking?

Anyways, after Bhatti, the only character that I liked was of Naani but too bad she didn’t have much to offer except a few phone calls every now & then. I felt for Bhatti actually during his phone conversation with Salma. Yes, it was kind of mean of her to not call Bhatti on her own & she actually had to be reminded by Aliya to do that. May be Salma was ashamed for what Bhatti had done for her because by then she had learned the truth about Bhatti paying the gamblers off so courtesy always overtakes hesitance but in Salma’s case it didn’t happen until Aliya knocked some sense into her.

Acha, now that we’re through this drama, can someone please tell me ke Rizwan ka kya role tha is drama mai siwaye different jagahon ki coffee peenay ke aur different jagahon ke khanay try karne ke? Probably he was only introduced into the drama to keep the Indo-Pak rivalry going on – lol, because apart from that I saw nothing in his character, absolutely nothing & what made his character a bit more bland & boring was Adnan Jaffer’s stiffness to be honest. I have always commended him for his acting but here, he just didn’t seem comfortable in his skin & it seemed that as much as he tried he couldn’t give his 100% when it came to acting but then may be it has to do with the childish dialogues that were written for him!?! Perhaps!

Another wasted couple of this drama & century was of Imran’s Bhai & Bhabhi. They proved the proverb that I use a lot which says ‘once a vulture always a vulture’ but then wasn’t the writer himself tired of making all these characters so so so one-dimensional? The good ones were toooooooo good & the bad ones were tooooooo bad, like he could’ve shown some hints of positivity in the negative people too just to show that they were humans & not only vultures? To be honest, in this episode I actually wished that apart from some taunts, Bhatti had actually smacked his brother & had wiped that meesni look off his face but sadly, Bhatti gave him what he wanted, so it was a win win situation for the meesna couple.

The whole Imaan-Salma scene was done well & was actually very touching. Finally, after losing a plot for a few episodes Imaan came back to her senses & decided to be rational about it because she had a life of her own planned for her so she decided to break Salma free from all the obligations she inflicted upon her. I am glad Imaan restored my faith in humanity because I had actually lost it due to Urdu1’s mean approach in stretching Jackson Heights. Last but actually the least, what happened with Michelle, Rizwan & Jamshed just didn’t excite me & left me unbothered about them. Michelle ko aur time chahiye, Rizwan to waisay hi suited booted faarigh admi hain aur Jamshed acha wala bacha ban gaya, ta-da!!!

Anyways, I am glad that this drama has ended. I think Mehreen Jabbar did well on her part & did as much as she could to tackle this script nicely but the whole blame for sure goes onto Vasay Chaudhry & to be honest I’d suggest Mehreen Jabbar to go on a marathon the next time an opportunity of working with Vasay pops up in front of her. The acting was effortless as usual which is always a perk when watching a drama directed by Mehreen Jabbar, that’s her style & it was pretty evident. I think no other actor could’ve done justice to Bhatti’s role & Nauman Ejaz fitted into his character seamlessly. Marina Khan & Nilofer Abbasi were disappointing to say the least. I am glad Adeel Hussain tried something different this time & he did well in a negative role too. Amina Sheikh; she was good when it came to her acting but her styling…the less said the better, I mean 27 weeks of surviving a side braid, she must be commended for her consistency. Meher Jaffery was good as Aliya & she should thank her stars for getting to play a role of an only mentally stable & sane girl in this drama where every other female was turned into a senseless headless chicken & oh this reminds me of Cathy & in my opinion she was ohkay too. The girl playing the role of Imaan was good & so was Ali Kazmi….hmmm aur kaun reh gaya? Ohhhh!!! Adnan Jaffer hahaha!!! Aisi achi Urdu bolne walay Indian to meinne India mai bhi nahi dekhe, I think I’ll definitely take some Urdu classes from him because apart from his profound Urdu vocabulary & immaculate accent, he didn’t offer much & oh yes, the guy who played the role of Bhatti’s friend Javed did better than Adnan Jaffer because he had some meaningful scenes & good dialogues to his credit.

I for sure think that there was no need of adding so many characters in this drama because the writer obviously couldn’t do justice to each one of them. I really thought that their paths will cross & their stories will be interlinked but that didn’t happen. It’s like the writer had two boxes so he threw Bhatti, Salma, Sikandar in one & Jamshed, Rizwan & Michelle in the other. Jamshed & Bhatti obviously climbed the walls of those boxes once in a while because they were related. Another thing that the writer actually disappointed us all with was how he made all the female characters stupid & all the male characters sane & brainy. I really feel he degraded & underestimated the women in this drama by making them seem absolutely clueless & directionless in their lives & the way he showed their dependency on men in general, which I wasn’t expecting from a refined person like him!

Anyways, I am glad that the drama ended nicely, too bad that apart from a handful of episodes, the drama on the whole couldn’t leave a mark but I must say this drama gave a considerable amount of recognition & limelight to a lot of footpaths & coffee shops of NYC for sure, which is a good thing. ;) In the end, I thank all you awesome readers who stood by my side & gave me a much needed support while I was reviewing Jackson Heights, phew!!! Share your thoughts bhaiyon aur behnon! :) 

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.