Opening Thoughts – Intense & Gripping:

Ohkay so, this was one intense & very gripping episode of Cheekh right from beginning till the end. As much as I appreciate the overall execution of this drama, I totally feel it is going to come episode by episode where some will be slow & fillers while others will be intense & interesting & this episode of Cheekh was the latter.

Mannat Has Found The Support She Was Looking For:

Shayan believed Mannat, but still there was some inhibition, some hesitance which stopped him from completely making up his mind & while he was struggling, Asad came to clear any such confusion that Shayan must’ve regarding Mannat. I really like the way Asad’s dialogues were worded, he was to-the-point & told Shayan everything that he needed to hear in order to make up his mind. It was actually good to have an insight into Asad’s character & getting to know his reasons of calling this wedding off. Asad fell in love with Haya who was compassionate & humane but as he got to know her more especially after this incident, he realized that she was not only cold-hearted but lacked the sense of right & wrong. Asad must’ve felt guilty for punishing Haya for what she was not responsible for but after everything that Wajih said & did, he could feel that his decision was justified.

Shayan shifted Mannat to her mother’s place because he wanted her to be comfortable & peaceful, which was super sweet. Shayan has now made up his mind & he is not going to back out no matter what his siblings say. The satisfaction Mannat felt was the highlight of this episode, she felt safe & secure because of all the people, it was her husband who was supporting her. Mannat’s mother’s concerns are very genuine, she knows that her daughter has a long battle to fight but still, she felt very much at ease after seeing that Shayan was by her side & was not turning his back against Mannat. I like how the writer has shown Mannat & Shayan’s relationship, like in such a drama, it acts as a therapy to break free from all the negativity surrounding Mannat’s life.

The most interesting scene of this episode was the interaction between Mannat & Wajih’s lawyer. He actually went to see Mannat’s calibre & to judge whether she is the kind who will get intimidated easily but to his surprise, Mannat was far more strong-willed than he had imagined. Mannat made sure to leave such an impression on him where he knows that she is not a soft target rather she is very focused & serious. The lawyer made sure to convey it to Yawar that Mannat is a force to be reckoned with & what’s more interesting was that he could foresee Mannat making it very tough for him to win this case. Quite an impression I must say.

Another interesting scene was Shayan’s interaction with Wajih where he openly let him know that he doesn’t trust him & actually knows that Wajih is guilty. Asad really helped Shayan in making up his mind but Shayan also felt that Yawar was unduly protecting Wajih. Yawar has made it very clear that he sees Wajih as his child, that is why like an over-protective father, he is making sure Wajih stays safe.

Shehwar has also started thinking things through. No matter what Yawar says she can not take whatever Wajih said out of her mind. I think it is another important development & is more of an evolvement of Shehwar’s character where she is seeing things & paying attention to whatever is happening around her. Shehwar lived in a bubble probably because Yawar never really allowed her the luxury of having an opinion or perspective, but now she feels left out & can see that something is definitely odd. It is good that Shehwar is turning out to be someone more than just a silent spectator. Plus it was obvious that Shehwar feels for Mannat but because she has seen how much Yawar detests her, she doesn’t openly say so, which I am certain will change in the future.

Closing Thoughts – Wajih Is Boring, Monotonous & Annoying:

Overall, after quite a few weeks, I enjoyed this episode of Cheekh a lot. I must say I really liked all the different background music they used to intensify the situation, far more than the OST. I am sure the editors or the producers love the OST but I don’t think is it easy on the ears to be heard repetitively. Most of the initial scenes had the OST running in the background which I actually found quite off-putting. Saba Qamar & Emaad Irfani were the stars of this episode, but yes, just when I thought Emaad Irfani was performing brilliantly, his voice modulation in his outburst scene actually made me giggle a bit.

I don’t know why but I think they should kind of mellow down Wajih’s character a bit, like we get it, he’s an unapologetic narcissist, but to hear him passing statement at every single thing or person is kind of too much & is actually getting monotonous. We understand that he is not only aloof to what he has done but does not have any remorse whatsoever, but now it looks like he is too much of a talk because we can see that it is Yawar who is doing most of the heavy-lifting. I guess we have heard enough from Wajih so he should just take a back-seat but then unfortunately, because he is the actual villain, I don’t see him getting subdued anytime soon. I find his rants & one-liners boring & off-putting, like it almost feels as if there’s nothing more to him & he is a one-dimensional character. I feel the writer paid a lot of attention on Mannat’s character therefore she forgot to add some layers in Wajih’s character. I think if Wajih had some more personality or traits apart from intimidating people with his childish antics or also getting slapped, things would’ve been far more intense. Anyways, the direction of Cheekh is spot-on so far but yes, I wish they speed up the pace. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Cheekh.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Opening Thoughts – Double Episodes Please!!!

Ohkay so, the reason why I am posting this review late is because I couldn’t watch this episode of Cheekh in one go. Yes, this episode was decent but then again, I found it repetitive & quite hard to watch. Considering the amount of repetition & slow pace this drama has, I think it’s about time that the channel should start airing double episodes to keep the interest of the viewers in this show intact.

Mannat’s Character Was Being Assassinated:

In this episode of Cheekh, the main focus was again on everyone’s mental state & condition where some were trying to figure a way out & the others were only making sure that the truth remains untold. In this episode, there was a lot of emphasis on Mannat’s character assassination but then, those dialogues were repetitive to the point of being boring. Wajih’s character gets a lot of limelight considering he is the main culprit but then again, there’s nothing interesting or exciting about him because all he does is intimidate, lie, play the victim & repeat!

The only important little detail that was revealed in this episode of Cheekh was why Yawar was so emotionally attached to his siblings – that is because he does not have a child of his own therefore he treats his siblings as his kids & he has invested all of his energies in them, so much so that he doesn’t even feel the need to have a child of his own as well. I felt this was also the reason behind his disconnect with his wife Shehwar as he can not understand what she goes through. After that conversation between Shehwar & Yawar, it was kind of easy to understand why Yawar was being so over-protective of Wajih, he was acting like that father who makes sure his kids stay safe & unharmed, even if he knows that they are guilty. Yawar has totally forgotten that Wajih has killed Nayab, rather the only thing he wants is to make sure that Wajih doesn’t go to jail. Shehwar was presented with an opportunity to tell the truth but she chose not to say anything & that pretty much told Mannat that she was not going to find any support whatsoever from anyone in this household.

Shayan was confused & his brothers made sure to feed him the lies they had fabricated against Mannat, so that she leaves. Shayan was basically getting a chance to analyse both sides of the story but he still was not sure what to make out of it. He did see how Mannat was standing firm but then, the seed of doubt that was planted in his mind by both Wajih & Yawar made it even harder for him to blindly trust & support Mannat.

So, Wajih got a beating from his friend but he put an entire blame on Asad. I think Shayan’s decision must’ve come with a solid reason which I think is that Asad must’ve told Shayan to let Mannat go out of this environment which was only being toxic for her. I am sure Shayan must’ve told Mannat to go only because he does not want Wajih,Yawar, Haya & even the servants of the house to speak against Mannat. After getting to know Shayan so far, I feel this must be the reason why he told Mannat to leave – in order to protect her & keep her sanity intact.

Closing Thoughts – Repetitive & Stagnant:

This episode of Cheekh was alright but I guess the slow pace & repetitive scenarios are taking away the charm of the drama. Also, I think they should now move the story forward & show us the case & courts in stead of domestic politics & Mannat’s character assassination. After seeing the preview of the next episode, I am again not too sure what to expect nor am I excited because they ended the last episode on such an intense note that Shahwar overheard Wajih but in this episode, nothing much really happened. Yes, Shahwar must be doubting Wajih too she won’t say much I think till the last episode. Also, the most annoying aspect of this drama is that continuous Ho Ho Ho Ho soundtrack that keeps on playing in every single episode to showcase the sufferings of an oppressed party. I hope the editors stop using that because it is very annoying. Anyways, please share your thoughts about this episode of Cheekh.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Opening Thoughts – Long Scenes:

Ohkay so, this episode of Cheekh gave a new turn to the story, where the opponent is now going to get harrassed & this is just the beginning. Even though this episode was interesting but I found the scenes a bit too long & some conversations never-ending. It is a fact that they are going to switch the pace in every other episode so I guess the viewers will have to bear with the comparatively slow episodes. Having said that, it is definitely worth mentioning that this episode of Cheekh was definitely interesting but it could’ve been better!

Wajih Is Back:

Wajih was in the jail & Yawar was doing everything in his might to ensure he comes out as soon as possible. Yawar was also making sure to take care of Mannat because he has realized that she is a force to reckon with & now she is unstoppable. Yawar’s first attempt to pressurize Mannat was to use her mother & even she returned disappointed because Mannat clearly told her what her intentions were.

Wajih came back & the first person he wanted to talk to was Mannat, to let her know that he will not go easy on her. Mannat did face him with a lot of confidence & that was something that Wajih never thought he’d get to see. To be honest, as much as that scene was important, I didn’t feel the intensity in it & felt it kind of lacked the impact. Not sure whether it was because of the length of that scene or the way both the actors were acting it out, in stead of looking like a powerful defining moment of the drama, it kind of seemed boring where I wanted it to end quickly. Even though Mannat has made up her mind that she is going to punish Wajih, I’d have liked if she had stayed stern with him rather than fluttering her eyelashes & having a playful flirtatious take at how she is going to get him punished, it kind of took away the intensity & seriousness that moment required to make an impact. Yes, Mannat was trying to challenge him by letting him know that she is not scared of him but she could’ve conveyed that without teasing him as if she was telling him a joke, because this is what it looked like.

Asad has called his marriage with Haya quits. As much as I understand how he is feeling, I guess to add more depth to this situation, they should’ve given Asad a little coverage in every single episode right from the beginning to make it more convincing that he was struggling with Nayab’s tragic death too. Yes, they did show that he used to talk to Haya about Nayab in a couple of previous episodes, but I guess that wasn’t enough to lead it to this point where he decided to call it off because he thinks Haya’s entire family is lying. It kind of looked sudden. May be a conversation here & there with Mannat about Nayab would’ve established the fact better that Asad was deeply affected by this incident but that wasn’t the case & what he did seemed totally out of the blue.

So, Wajih has started playing dirty. Obviously, for someone like Wajih who doesn’t respect women to begin with, it was very easy to accuse Mannat of cheating on her husband with Asad. This way Wajih got Haya on his side too who already was on his side but now she’ll have all the more reason to believe Wajih & hate Mannat. Yawar is coming across as such a big hypocrite because he preached about respecting women but when it came to Wajih, he didn’t mind lying to Shayan to make him doubt his wife. It is pretty obvious that Wajih & Yawar have formed a team & in order to protect Wajih, Yawar has bid farewell to the sense of right & wrong. For him, what matters the most is Wajih’s safety & it is unfortunate that he is siding with the culprit & giving him this confidence that no matter what he does, his eldest brother will always be there to protect him.

All the things that were suggested against Mannat went to show how easy it usually is for everyone to pinpoint finger at a woman & what’s sick is that despite knowing who the culprit is, Wajih’s brother is supporting him too. Shayan kind of paid heed to what both his brothers said to him about Mannat & Asad. Not sure how long will he take to believe that his wife is innocent & that his brother is the culprit.

Closing Thoughts – Could’ve Been Better:

Overall, this episode was good but it could’ve been a lot better. The execution that this episode got could’ve been a bit more convincing if they had chopped the scenes down. I really hope that they don’t drag the story in order to make the most of the ratings. I am totally fine with Bilal Abbas playing the role of Wajih, but what I am not ohkay is with the mumbling that he does, I just can not understand what he says & it gets very annoying. Saba Qamar, Nayyer Ejaz & Aijaz Aslam are performing brilliantly & the direction is great too, it’s just that this episode didn’t make an impact that it should have. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Cheekh.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Opening Thoughts: One Word – Brilliant:

Ohkay so, it was a brilliant episode of Cheekh & it reminded me of those initial episodes which kept me engaged right from the beginning till the end. Finally the main phase of the story has kick-started & I can’t wait to see how things will unravel in the future. I loved the way this episode was edited especially because it kept the suspense going & made it a very interesting watch.

Mannat Has Opened Up The Case:

Mannat knew she was better than this, she knew she had this in her but till now, she wasn’t pushed to the limit. Mannat mourned the death of Nayab for a long time & just when everyone around her thought that the best solution for her was a change of place, a time away from everyone here, Mannat did agree but still her heart wasn’t at ease. What pushed Mannat was her interaction with Shamsa. Even though so far Shamsa hasn’t said anything productive but this time around, she definitely deserves the credit for pushing Mannat to that limit where she finally decided to do what was right. Mannat at first thought she should help Ramzan but when she saw him in that condition, it was what convinced her that she shouldn’t turn her back towards him, she just shouldn’t run away from Nayab & the truth. The expression that Mannat had on her face when she left the police station said it all, after a long long time, probably for the first time Mannat felt at ease, she felt empowered & confident that she could do this. I loved how it was shown that even though Mannat must’ve taken the impulsive decision to file an FIR against Wajih, but as the episode progressed she regained her calm & composure & fed it to herself that yes, she has waged a war against the culprit so now, all she has to do is stand firm on her ground.

In this episode, I really liked how Yawar came to the forefront & started doing everything he could to protect his younger brother. Although Yawar knows that Wajih is a murderer, for now he only wants to save him & his entire family from getting humiliated. So, Yawar met this friend who happens to be a lawyer (Shabbir Jaan) & just that one powerful scene was enough to showcase the kind of morals & values he professionally holds. For him, maintaining his track record is what matters the most & he clearly mentioned that he will not even think twice before crossing the limits to make sure he wins the case.

Wajih thought he had won this case, with Mannat leaving, he actually thought he was in a clear & this chapter was closed but what Mannat did shook him to no end. What Wajih feels for Mannat now is sheer hatred. At first Wajih did still maintain some kind of line with Mannat because he had this idea that she won’t harm him so he decided not to be reckless with her but now when he will come back, he has made up his mind that he won’t spare her.

Yawar decided to finally call & involve Shayan in this matter because he saw how the situation that seemed in control just blew out of proportion. This was yet another way or probably one of the first attempts of Yawar to pressurize Mannat to take the case back & withdraw the FIR. I loved the little interaction that Yawar had with Mannat, it was like at that moment, he finally realized that Mannat was never going to back out. She will not succumb to any pressures, Yawar saw that in her eyes & the satisfaction on Mannat’s face after Wajih’s arrest actually distressed Yawar even more.

So, Ramzan is out & Mannat is now mustering up the courage because she knows it is going to be a long journey & this is just the beginning. Wajih crossed all the levels of tortures with Ramzan only because of one slap, so I am just wondering what he will do to Mannat now that she sent him to the jail. I am glad that from next week Shayan will be in the picture too, looks like Mannat will have a lot of explaining & convincing to do, to make him understand & realize. I am glad that they have kept things very very real & there’s not even a single character or scenario that seems overboard or unrealistic. Superb!

Closing Thoughts – Bilal Abbas As Wajih Is Convincing:

Overall, this episode of Cheekh was simply brilliant. I am glad that after a few slow episodes, they finally moved things forward & also introduced a new character. I have seen a lot such comments where viewers are of the opinion that Bilal Abbas is unconvincing as Wajih & they think some character actor should’ve played this role. Honestly speaking, ever since this drama began I never really had any opinion about him but while watching this episode, Bilal Abbas as Wajih made a lot of sense to me. I think they have done a right thing by assigning Wajih’s character to Bilal Abbas & they have given this character this kind of personality where he seems sweet, innocent & a guy-next-door because of which no one can actually imagine that he’d do something like this & this is what makes things harder for Mannat to convince people that he is the culprit. Usually, we never really know but the most innocent & nice looking people can have such evil intentions & criminal tendencies that after you find out, the first reaction is that of not being able to believe that someone like him could do something like this. In Cheekh, this is what Wajih’s character is all about too – a nice, innocent looking guy, everyone’s favourite & seemingly gentle & harmless person who has succeeded in making this impression on others, but in reality, he has this side to his personality that no one ever knew existed. So yes, I totally see Bilal Abbas as the right choice because I am glad they didn’t show that the criminal should have some kind of creepy aura or something odd about him, people who look very normal can commit such crimes as well. Yes, the only complain I have with him is the mumbling that he does & he definitely needs to work on it. Saba Qamar & Aijaz Aslam were the stars of this episode – loved their acting & expressions. It seemed like they both are two forces to be reckoned with & they both were doing all in their might to make sure they get what they want. Direction is flawless & so is the editing. Very impressed & super excited to watch the next episode. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Cheekh.

Sad Story of Mohsin Abbas Haider’s Wife Fatima

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Introduction:

Ohkay so, the writing of Zanjabeel Asim Shah, direction of Bader Mehmood & production of Big Bang Production; Cheekh is a drama that has promised to raise the issue of not suffering in silence. As the drama will progress, it will become evident whether the team has stayed true to the message or not but the first episode was deliberately & rightly kept light-hearted to give an introduction to the characters as well as an insight into their lives. The first episode of Cheekh was done well but it seemed that the entire cast of Balaa was immediately hired to do the image building in this drama after such a negative drama like Balaa.

Cast, Characters & Scenarios:

The binding factor between all the character happens to be Haya (Azekah Daniel). Haya has 3 brothers Yawar (Aijaz Aslam), Shayan (Emaad Irfani) & Wajih (Bilal Abbas). Yawar is married to Shehwar (Maira Khan) & Shayan is married to Mannat (Saba Qamar).

Haya has 2 best friends Mannat & Nayab (Ushna Shah) & it was Haya who convinced her brother Shayan to get married to her best friend Mannat. Nayab on the other hand comes from a lower middle class family where her father Ramzan (Noor ul Hassan) is a clerk who remarried after his wife passed away & Nayab was probably 10 years old. Nayab’s step mother is going to play the character of Balaa in this drama where she just wants her husband to get Nayab married off to any wealthy man who will later take care of Nayab’s family too. Nayab’s step mother is selfish & typical who has nothing nice to say about Nayab.

Haya, Mannat & Nayab share a very strong bond & their scenes were the most enjoyable aspect of this episode. Mannat takes care of Nayab like her sister that is why she goes out of the way to keep her step mother happy too so that she doesn’t mistreat Nayab much. Haya gets engaged & that’s when we get an insight into her entire family. They all are close knit & very warm & affectionate towards one another. Wajih & Nayab had some sort of chemistry going on which Mannat paid heed to & that is when she decides to convince Wajih of marrying Nayab. Mannat on the other hand is in a long distance relationship with her husband who is in America for his residency. Mannat has a very easy approach on the life where she is always happy & uplifted but I liked the fact that Mannat was also shown to be emotional & a good listener because of which she not only understood Nayab’s hardships but also had Nayab confide in her. Nayab did fancy the idea of being with Wajih but she was hesitent considering the background she comes from but Mannat supports her & tells her that she will do what it takes to change Nayab’s life by getting her married to Wajih.

Wajih being the youngest of all three brothers happens to be everyone’s favourite but he definitely has a personality & private life which no one is too aware of. We got a little glimpse of it when Wajih had a conversation with his friends at Haya’s engagement. Well, Yawar has made some strict rules which he wants everyone in his household to abide by & one of those rules are that the female house help will not go to the quarters of male servants in order to serve them food. Yawar did make it pretty clear once again when he got to know that it happened yet again. He wants the ladies of his family to keep an eye on all the girls who work in their house in order to protect them.

Well, the episode ended on a completely different note which no one saw coming. Nayab was pretty disturbed because her father lost his job & asked her to consider one of the proposals of a man double her age who had a daughter too. Nayab seemed pretty disturbed with the idea that her father could even suggest something like this & that is when she goes inside the house to distance herself from the crowd gathered on one of Haya’s functions. Wajih’s friend who showed up drunk was sent inside the house because Wajih dreaded that Yawar might see him & he’ll get upset. Yawar was shown to be going inside of the house as well & a few moments later Nayab fell off the first floor. Now this is the mystery that the rest of the story will revolve around as to who tried to cross the line with Nayab & what actually happened, was she pushed or she jumped in order to to save herself? I have a feeling that it would be Yawar, which will shake the entire  family up as well as turn Mannat’s life upside down, but let’s see.

Overall Execution:

The first episode of Cheekh was decent but it did have some clichés too. The sight of yet another drunk guy in ARY drama was definitely off-putting. The editing seemed a bit too choppy & acting a bit forced at times but the overall direction was decent. Saba Qamar looked amazing but she definitely didn’t look like an age fellow of Ushna or Azekah. All the actors did play their part well. Here’s to hoping that Cheekh being Saba Qamar’s drama will turn out to be good because she happens to be the selling point of this drama for me because I don’t really have high hopes with Zanjabeel Asim Shah & the rest of Balaa cast. Please share your thoughts about the very first episode of Cheekh.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.