Wow, another week and another interesting episode. Since there’s a dearth of plays that make sense to the viewers, it’s an absolute joy watching & reviewing Ishq Parast.

Well, Zohaib refuses to sign the khulla papers and decides to take it upon himself to free Dua of this relationship because that’s how Zohaib is- he loves Dua and genuinely cares for her and therefore, he doesn’t want any of his actions to affect Dua’s honour and reputation. However, I think many of us were not expecting Zohaib to take this decision just like that because considering how mature & levelheaded he is, he should’ve viewed the situation more practically. I think it would have been a little more realistic if he’d asked for some time to ponder over the whole situation or perhaps he could have asked Dua to give this marriage a chance because wasn’t Zohaib the one who had pointed out that Dua looked reluctant while handing over those khulla papers so where did the glimmer of hope disappear all of a sudden? I hope it’s not Muhabbat Khan’s words of wisdom that compelled Zohaib to let Dua go because no one trusts a random driver to this level LOL :p.

Its funny how Hamza keeps tabs on Dua 24/7 but he was totally oblivious of the fact that Zohaib and Dua have left for Karachi! Needless to say, Hamza feels cheated and he simply doesn’t believe in ‘moving on’. He needs some serious counseling and trust me, I don’t say that on a humorous note- I really do think that angry young men should consult good counselors so that they get an idea how to pour out their frustrations in a less destructive way.

The shopping mall scene went to show the stark contrast between Hamza and Zohaib. Unlike Zohaib, Hamza’s love for Dua is extremely selfish. He is a controlling and fervent lover who doesn’t care about Dua’s honour but Zohaib, on the other hand, won’t think of doing anything that poses threat to Dua’s reputation. Hamza’s love or ishq has different shades while Zohaib’s ishq has some entirely different shades to it and this is more of a proof that for a lifelong commitment like marriage, Hamza was never really a good choice. Dua’s flashbacks hinted that she too realizes who’s better for her and that scene was nicely done.

A different side of Arsala’s character was explored today. Behind the bubbly & carefree facade, there lurks a sensitive & caring sister who genuinely wants her brother to lead a happy & successful life with his wife. Right when I thought she’s about to throw a tantrum, I found her being considerate & thoughtful enough to sense that her brother’s upset about something and I found it so cute the way she forgot all about her narazgi and was more concerned about making things work between her bhai & bhabi. Zohaib is the only person she’s got and she is possessive of him too but isn’t it refreshing that Arsala’s character is a far cry from the usual overbearing nunds of our drama serials? I loved the way Arsala advised her bhai to spend more time with bhabi- I mean, all this time we have been watching plays that show conniving & scheming sisters in law. With a dream husband, sweet khala-saas and darling nund, Dua couldn’t have asked for a better family!

The confrontational scene between Dua and her father was spot on and I think for the first time in his life, Pasha Sahab had absolutely nothing to say. The decision Dua’s parents took for her may be for her own good but then again, the way this marriage took place has only spoiled the bond Dua once shared with her parents.

As usual, the performances were commendable. Jibran, Ahmed Ali and Arij Fatyma have been phenomenal since the beginning. I have a lot of questions in my mind as to what will be the next step of Dua, Hamza and Zohaib. What are your thoughts on the latest episode of Ishq Parast? Share your thoughts with us :D.

Maryam Mehdi

Sound direction, well-thought-out dialogues and commendable performances- Ishq Parast could’ve easily been a successful prime time play but then again, it seems like all the channels have lost their senses in this regard and the most ridiculous plays are receiving prime time & weekend spots.

I praise the writer for penning some simple yet beautiful dialogues and Zohaib’s character has been etched out impressively well. I was rooting for Hamza but after a change of heart, which doesn’t happen very frequently to me, :P I am all for Zohaib and Dua :D

The characterization has been spot-on and as surprising as it is, even Zohaib’s too-good-to-be-true nature makes some sense because I can totally understand how the death of his parents completely changed him as an individual. He dedicated his whole life to Arsala and in the process, he never pondered over what he wants from life and couldn’t pay attention to his personal life, dreams & desires. Mein ek achay bhai ko janta hun magar Zohaib kaun hai ussay nahe janta. Ya phir mujhay waqt hi nahe mila. It’s extremely pleasant to see that even though he is selfless & sacrificing, he is not a fool- he’s a level headed person who knows exactly what sort of approach is required to make this relationship work. He decides to extend the hand of friendship to Dua, ek aisa dost jo aap ko kisi baat par judge nahe karega. I really liked the short and sweet conversations between Zohaib and Dua, even though the latter didn’t say much. They don’t know each other much but in some strange way, they can connect to each other. Zohaib wants Dua to get to know him and then make up her mind about him because that’s the only way he can win Dua- mein insaanon ko dil say apnanay ka qail hoon.

Hamza is so faarigh and I am beginning to worry how on earth does he take care of his expenses! He’s like, constantly prowling around and his appearing-out-of-nowhere entries are still a mystery! Oh and by the way, any idea how does he have access to the keys to Dua’s hotel room? Alright, now that he knows that Dua was forced into this marriage, he is on Mission: Dua ki tala’aq karwao! This guy may be jobless but seems like he’s resourceful- he had the khulla papers ready within a day!

Hamza tells Dua the truth about her father’s fake angina attack, okay here comes my turn to react- it was a, say, 15-sec call and Rida didn’t even explain ‘how’ she came to know that Pasha Sahab was faking his bemaari. Dua put two and two together and realized that yes, her parents were lying to her all along. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I really wanted Dua to know the truth but I think there could’ve been a much better way to reveal the truth.

After realizing how her father was lying to her all this time, Dua found the courage to hand over the khulla papers to Zohaib. I must say that the whole scene was done beautifully and Armeena and Jibran acted really well. It’s evident that Dua is reluctant about this divorce thing and I think she is in a queer state of confusion because even though she loves Hamza, she has developed a liking for Zohaib. She knows how much of a gentleman Zohaib is and now that he has admitted it aloud that he has feelings for her, it’s difficult for Dua to make up her mind about leaving Zohaib. I do feel that a few more scenes could’ve been added to show Dua’s change of heart a little more clearly.

My heart cried out for Zohaib- he clearly is heartbroken but he knows only too well that Dua doesn’t wholeheartedly want a divorce so that means there’s a light at the end of our tunnel, right?

Haha, I actually thought that Muhabbat Khan (the driver)’s appearance was a one time thing but seems like he is a local marriage counselor with a PhD in love because he knows all about making relationships work LOL! He is over-chatty and all but the actor playing his role is effortless. Asal kamyaabi uss shakhs ko haasil karnay mein nahe balke uss ki muhabbat paanay mein hai! His dialogues are well-written & witty and I am so with him when he says, ”Yeh aap sheher kay loag har baat mein logic dhoondta hai!”

I have talked a lot about Asad in my earlier reviews and I will mention him again because I really like his character. It’s just that I feel our plays should show such level headed teenage guys more often. I liked how Asad proved to be a voice of reason and instead of fueling things up, he actually tried to convince Hamza to return so that things don’t get worse for Dua.

So, what do you think of the latest installment? How do you want things to turn out for Zohaib and Dua?

Maryam Mehdi

P.S: I apologize for the late review, fellas! Thank you so much for reading the reviews :) This means a lot!

Dekho mujhay, tumharay saamnay khara hun, bilkul akela. Bechara tou mein hun. Mein bhool gaya tha kay jab meray maa baap meray na hosakay tou mera dost aur meri muhabbat kis tarah hogi. Before saying anything else about the latest turn of events, I must acknowledge that Ahmed Ali has nailed it! Since I have only seen him playing the junooni guy, I can’t tell if he’s versatile but when it comes to Hamza-like roles, he knows how to pull it off big time! With Dua’s marriage to Zohaib, Hamza’s character has taken a dark turn but to be very honest, the best thing about this play has been the fact that I can feel for all the leads: Hamza, Dua and of course, Zohaib.
The circumstances in which Dua was, I feel that she had no other option but to succumb to her parents’ pressure but I would have to say that the events leading to Dua & Zohaib’s marriage have been unrealistic and lame beyond belief. First things first- Dua and Hamza’s communication gap has been the biggest loophole for me. Look, we all know that Dua’s mobile had been confiscated but if Dua had half the brains I was hoping she had, it would have dawned on her kay meray ghar mein ek adad landline bhi hai! Instead of searching for her mobile in the middle of the night, she could’ve called Hamza to let him know about the horrible turn of events. Moreover, Dua is considerably modern but she doesn’t have a computer? She doesn’t have access to the internet? I refuse to buy that! An e-mail to Hamza could’ve saved the day because he was more than willing to fly back to Karachi- all he needed was a signal from Dua! But khair, a few loopholes here and there have actually led to Dua and Zohaib’s marriage and there’s nothing we can do about it.

And I can’t even begin to describe how dramaybaaz Dua’s parents are! I mean, I can’t believe I actually fell for the angina ka attack story! Pasha resorted to the only thing parents in our plays go for when they want their children to accept their decisions- emotional blackmailing! The dialogues delivered by Dua, Khadija (Dua’s mom) and Pasha were simply pathetic and the fact that Pasha could stoop so low to force his daughter into marriage to someone of his choice was revolting. I think Dua remained persistent and strong for as long as she could and even though the lack of communication bit is difficult to relate to, I definitely don’t blame her for doing what her parents wanted her to do- she didn’t have a choice.

I don’t doubt Asad’s intentions one bit but I think it was extremely stupid of him to keep Hamza totally oblivious of the fact that Dua’s parents are pressurizing her to marry someone else because even though he’d been unable to contact Dua, he was very well-aware of the fact that Dua is worried about a certain proposal so he should’ve taken Hamza into confidence. Hamza feels betrayed by the two people he trusted the most: Dua and Asad. Muhabbat dagha derahi thi tou tu dosti ka bharam tou rakh sakta tha! Hamza’s reaction may seem very harsh and unfair because he has labeled Dua as, ‘bewafa’, despite knowing her for all these years but considering what Hamza’s been through and the sort of family background he comes from, it’s only natural for him to react this way- it’s revenge on his mind! On a side note, I really like the supporting characters, i.e. Hamza and Dua’s friends because they’ve always been very sincere to the duo. I liked the way Dua’s friend tried to make Hamza view things from Dua’s perspective and it was nice to see Asad stopping Hamza from creating a scene at Dua’s house. I love to see genuine friends on screen :)

Mein nay uss ka waada zaroor tora hai lekin usay bhulaya nahe hai. Dua is Zohaib’s wife but for now, she is definitely not ready to let go of her past. On their wedding night, Dua chooses to be honest with Zohaib and the latter accepts her without further questions. Bus yehi kharaabi hai mujh mein kay main kisi ka dil nahe tor sakta. If Syed Jibran wishes to shed off Numair’s negative image, he is doing a perfect job because Zohaib is a true gentleman- too good to be true! He  willing to give Dua the time and space she needs. I am soo excited to see how their relationship takes a sweet turn and whenever that happens, I’d give the whole credit to Zohaib :) I don’t know if it’s just me but for a girl suffering a major heartbreak, Dua looked strangely normal at the breakfast table the very next day. It’s refreshing to see a sister in law who wants to form an open & friendly relationship with her bhabi and to my pleasant surprise, Arsala and Dua are getting along very well.

Hey, call it deja vu or what, I saw Jibran in another ARY play, ‘Woh Ishq Tha Shayad’ and there again, the girl he gets married to confesses her love for someone else and cries while narrating her dukhi love story ;P

To be honest, the whole honeymoon scenario is full of flaws. As far as I can recall, Arsala wanted Zohaib and Dua to fly abroad for honeymoon but seems like that’s not the case anymore. Since it’s not a significant detail, I am willing to ignore that :P. Then there was this irritatingly chatty driver who went on an on about his honeymoon. And lastly, I get it, Hamza is stalking Dua but if you ask me, his sudden entry could have been a whole lot more natural & realistic, I mean he literally appeared out of nowhere!

As you guys must have guessed, I was rooting for Hamza all along and I sympathize with him too, however, Hamza has always been a fervent lover- he’s impulsive, over possessive and short-tempered and these traits don’t exactly make someone a good husband. While there’s no doubt that Hamza truly loved Dua, I think Zohaib makes a much better husband because he is definitely a better individual with a balanced personality- he is caring, compassionate & understanding so as sad as I am feeling for Hamza, I guess fate did have something better in store for Dua.

The pace of the show is simply perfect. I am enjoying the steady progress and all the actors are doing a great job but I expected Armeena Khan to perform better in the last couple of episodes because sometimes her expressions fail to hit the mark which is strange as I have never had a problem with her acting before now. I really like her wardrobe and she looked beautiful on the wedding day. Jibran & Armeena share nice on-screen chemistry and I want to know how things turn out for them. Ahmed Ali has raised the bar high and a few days ago I saw him in film Ho Mann Jahan’s trailer which goes to show that he has a successful career ahead of him.

I am so sorry for the late review, friends! What do you think of the latest developments? Share your thoughts with us!

Maryam Mehdi

And that was one pleasant and enjoyable episode of IshqParast. I like this show for the fact that when it starts, you just have to sit back and enjoy it because it doesn’t involve much heavy-duty developments- at least that’s how things are for the time being, baqi ka, you never know :P. There’s just one thing- while watching tonight’s episode, I had to ask myself over and over again: kia larkiyon kay rishtay waqai aisay hotay hain?

I am really enjoying Dua and Hamza’s track. The bond these two share is sweet and cute and I look forward to watching their scenes. Hamza finally flies to Islamabad but he doesn’t have a very good feeling about his decision, probably owing to the fact that while he was just a kid, his father left the country and never returned so that explains why he believes in the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ scenario. ”Jaisay hi do logon k beech faasla ajata hai, teesray ki jagah khudbakhud banjati hai.” I liked the way Dua didn’t allow her emotions to take over during the pre-departure time because had she done that, Hamza would have wavered from his decision to go to Islamabad. And the way she broke down after he left was sweet and relate-able too. I enjoyed Hamza’s friend, Asad’s scenes because it’s actually refreshing to see a friend who’s loyal to his ‘jigar’ in the true sense LOL :P

Turns out that Hamza’s departure was actually very unlucky for the duo because Zohaib’s proposal has marked its entry and Dua’s mother is pretty happy with the whole package. Umm, I think these two tracks could’ve entwined in a tad bit realistic manner because call it my lack of exposure to the rishta maamlaat or what, I haven’t really seen parents welcoming a bunch a people who just spotted their daughter in a shopping mall. Pasha (that’s exactly what we’ll be calling Dua’s father) kind of under-reacted when he saw this bin bulayi rishta brigade because given his aggressive nature, I was expecting him to have some doubts about the whole shopping mall scene and a man like him would have thought of something fishy going on between Zohaib & Dua but thankfully, he didn’t and to be honest,his approach towards this proposal makes a lot more sense that that of Dua’s mother. Also, I don’t get why Zohaib’s Khala was so okay with the idea of asking for Dua’s hand just like that and it was only Zohaib who could sense kay their position was very awkward! By the way, Armeena looked stunning when she entered the room and the change in Syed Jibran’s facial expressions & body language was commendable, haha!

About Arsala’s character, I guess we have no other option but to ignore her occasional OTT-ness. In contrast to the first two episodes, I have to admit that her scenes were a lot more enjoyable & lighthearted in tonight’s episode and Arij Fatyma looks ravishing. Jibran and Arij share great chemistry and the teary-eyed moment the two shared was well-directed.

The circumstances Dua finds herself have ‘been there seen that’ written all over them because we have witnessed it loads of times in our plays how the leading lady is in love with someone else but this picture perfect proposal swoops in and she finds herself trapped between her walid muhtarram ki naak par betha ghussa and the love she has for her aashiq. Dua’s mother is very much satisfied with Zohaib’s proposal and that’s when Dua decides to spill the news about her relationship with Hamza. Dua chooses not to reveal all the facts to Hamza because he is plain impulsive and when he loses his temper, he’s a force to reckon with!

I am actually thinking of writing a letter to Waseem Abbas, just to share a little something about: 101 reasons why anger can be disastrous for a) your personal health b) the mental health of those around you! Seriously, some of the taunting dialogues today could’ve easily been excluded and please do sympathize with me- I have tolerated him all the way through Main Bushra too! :'(

What are your thoughts on tonight’s episode? Are you enjoying this play?

Maryam Mehdi

Flashbacks, rona dhona, some more flashbacks, some more rona dhona, and that, folks, is what the latest installment was all about! And I can’t help mentioning that this week, the episode started at 10:20 p.m. but oh well, I have already given up on ARY so by now I should be familiar with the art of letting go, right?

I was able to sit through Arsala’s ‘rukhsati‘ and that, I tell you, is an achievement because with Khala crying hysterically and Rahat Fateh Ali’s ultra depressing alaap playing in the background, it took me everything to fight back the urge to switch off the TV and I am sure even the happiest person alive would have sunk into depression after watching that scene so those who actually made it through, Mubarak hoo!! On a very serious note, I strongly feel that our drama makers should give Ustaad Rahat and his voice a rest because the overplaying of his saregamapa does absolutely nothing to save the day!!

As much as I hate to say this but the last few episodes have convinced me of the fact that Zohaib doesn’t really care about his sister because had he been sincere, he wouldn’t have let her go. I think by now it’s no secret to Zohaib that Hamza can go to any lengths to destroy Dua and everyone attached to her and Zohaib is also perfectly aware of what Hamza is capable of doing and yet, he is okay with the idea of Arsala living all alone with no one but a rapist by her side? In the initial episodes, I was in awe of the relationship this rare pair of siblings share but now, with 21 episodes down, I hate to admit that I was wrong, wrong, wrong! I get that Zohaib is not in the right state of mind, he feels cheated, helpless, hopeless but I think it’s a high time he took charge of the situation because at this point, being the man of the house (really???) he needs to extend his support to Dua, Arsala and Khaala.

And it is with a heavy heart that I announce how this episode marked the end of Pasha Sahab’s character. As if the writer hadn’t given us enough reasons to despise Hamza, he is now responsible for Pasha Sahab’s heart attack too! Hamza doesn’t cease to disgust me and the latest developments have already been so disturbing- I am sure we could have done without a death! Aside from Zohaib, Pasha Sahab was the only person who knew about Hamza and with him around, Dua at least had someone to fall back on but the writer has left no stones unturned to present Dua as the mazloom-tareeeeen female character. Dua- once a headstrong and confident girl is now a rape victim and to exacerbate matters, yateem too!

To speak the truth, Hamza’s dialogues on ishq, junoon and what not are actually ticking me off big time because I think after 21 episodes, we now have a clear idea as to what kind of a person Hamza is- his sick mentality, his twisted sense of ‘ishq‘, his heinous motives, so do we really need the constant reminders? Nope!

So we are done with the first death of the show! Who’s next? Khaala? The note at which the episode ended gives me a strong feeling that it’s her turn to join Pasha Sahab, let’s seee…

What do you have to say about the latest episode of Ishq Parast? Voice your views!

Maryam Mehdi

I felt so bad after watching this episode because the sight of crumbling relationships greatly disturbed me and I couldn’t help but recall the time when Zohaib, Arsala, Dua and Khala were one big, happy family- too bad that’s ancient history now!

Needless to say, Hamza spells trouble for Zohaib’s business and we all saw that coming. As much as I am happy that Dua chose to raise her voice against Hamza’s involvement in Zohaib’s business, I have to say that the girl’s just wasting her breath and the time for objections is long gone because Hamza has made quite an impression on Arsala, Zohaib and Khala so what Dua says or does will make little to no difference. Arsala is obviously very sensitive about her husband because on the face of it, Hamza is more or less a perfect husband to her so if I view things from Arsala’s perspective, I think it’s pretty understandable why she can’t stand the fact that Dua is doubting Hamza’s intentions. Arsala and Dua’s once perfect relationship is now strained and as much as this saddens me, I’m afraid that Dua had it coming- she has to bear the brunt of not being honest to Zohaib right when Hamza sent his proposal. Had she been rational that instant, she would have saved herself a lot of trouble because at that time Arsala wasn’t in love with Hamza so the whole situation was not of much gravity but now, Arsala is Hamza’s wife so she obviously loves and cares about him and I don’t think she was being unreasonable today, in fact, I respect her and appreciate the fact that she didn’t insult Dua in front of Zohaib and chose to remain silent because she respects her brother and thus, she respects Dua too and that’s what I like about Arsala- yep, you’ll find her to be brusque but she is sensitive about the people she is close to and knows exactly when to contain herself. And I am soo happy that Arsala asked Hamza to leave Zohaib’s office- it turns out that Arsala’s not a complete airhead after all, lol!

So finally, Zohaib decided to confront Dua about what’s bothering her since so long and I liked his dialogues when he reassured her that she can feel free to voice anything she wants to because he is the last person who’d judge her. I wish Dua had kept that in mind before getting herself and her family into this mess. As sad as it is, Dua and Zohaib’s relationship is missing the spark it once had because after the rape, Dua has distanced herself from Zohaib and quite clearly, like everyone else in his family, Zohaib is also not pleased with the fact that Dua has an issue with Hamza.

I was expecting Pasha Sahab to confront Hamza and that happened in this episode but I actually found it foolish of Pasha Sahab to justify why he married his daughter off to Zohaib because how could he  possibly be thinking that a psychopath like Hamza would ‘understand’ the helplessness of a concerned father? Hosakta hai kay jahan mein khara hoon, wahan kal tum kharay ho aur tumhari jagah koi aur. Uss waqt tumhain andaza hoga kay ek baap ki takleef, usski majboori kia hoti hai. Well, this part of Hamza and Pasha Sahab’s conversation did confuse me a little because I know that karma will get back at Hamza in the last few minutes of the last episode but the situation Pasha Sahab’s hinting at doesn’t seem very likely, does it?

I have now decided that who’s my favourite character from this play- no, not Arsala, not Zohaib, in fact, no one from the leads, it’s actually Asad!! Yep, this guy has been the only voice of reason and I love the way he rebukes Hamza for toying with so many lives. I am pleased that he made an appearance in this episode.

So how many of you are still following the show? What do you think of it? Voice your views!

Maryam Mehdi