Exhausted – that is how I feel when I see Noor and Saleem together now. I actually feel bad for both of them for they are sooo different and while we have all heard of opposites attracting (something I never thought made sense but oh well) – here, attraction ka ‘a’ bhi nahin raha if it was ever there at all! The news of Noor’s pregnancy did not bring Saleem closer to Noor as she had hoped. These two episodes were a better watch especially since there was no Gulshan in the second one but even though there were Noor-Saleem scenes, sadly they were not heart -warming ones.

Saleem finds himself lapping up the attention Gulshan showers on him. He has fallen hook, line but probably not sinker for we do not see him having romantic conversations as such or entertaining thoughts of marriage, etc just yet. That gives me a small ray of hope that this whole scenario might be nipped in the bud but only time – or a further few episodes will tell! I do not want to dislike Saleem and when I say I feel bad for him too I do not mean to give him a free pass for being mean and insulting to Noor for nobody has the right to hurt another’s feelings. But for so long he has been given free rein in the house and being the sort of personality he has become, I can see how Noor’s constant attempts at correcting him may get under his skin. The reminders to brush his teeth, take his shoes off, wash his hands, while are seemingly only good things but trying to drill them into a grown man, her husband on top of that and someone who is not particularly smitten by her – can not be the best step forward. Saleem, on the other hand, does not care anymore what Noor or her family may think of him and I cringed at the dinner table scene where he would take the wrong meaning out of every statement Noor made. Anyways, yes Saleem is glaringly much more at fault here and it takes two to tango so if Noor can make the effort to try to make the marriage work, Saleem should try to.

The ‘kasam’ scene definitely left a bad taste in my mouth especially an insight into Saleem’s mind later. Which is what made me think how very different his way of thinking is and how poles apart their approach to life is. Their journey towards marital harmony is a really long road and that too not even guaranteed to meet at the same point. Noor has finally made it to the doctor and with even the doctor telling him off, I wonder whether it may have a positive effect on Saleem or send him off again to Gulshan, Nihari, Pulao & Co!

That was Noor and Saleem. Love is in the air except the air that these two breathe, it seems. So, Waseem and Zeb are growing fond of each other and have their families’ blessings. Noor sees a savior in Jalal in the form of a potential match for Sofia’s sister in law which would help save her own sister’s marriage. Not that that seems threatened for Adnan is clearly against the idea of a second marriage.

Now that news of Noor’s pregnancy is spreading, Gulshan’s mother will push her to go after Saleem with all guns blazing and it remains to be seen who comes out of this scarred and who does not. Given that this was the 22nd episode, I really hope things start moving along now and at this point I do not see how this can have a happy ending? To have a happy ending, Saleem needs to have a complete turnaround and to rush one in a couple of episodes does not make sense either. I was hoping to see a few good episodes of Noor and Saleem growing close and understanding each other but somehow I do not see that happening anytime soon. The charm of this dram is beginning to wear off and even Syed Jibran’s amazing acting is not managing to save it. The only thing I am curious about now is not how Saleem may or may not change, if Noor will find out about Gulshan, will Saleem marry Gulshan – nope, I am just wondering after pulao and nihari, what’s next in store for Saleem upon his next visit to Gulshan’s! What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Kunwal Javid

Ohkay so, to be honest, after the very first episode, this one was another episode of Seeta Bagri that I thoroughly enjoyed watching because now everything has started to unfold & the director shifted the focus on other aspects too. Now when the director has introduced us to the main characters & their backstories, I am sure he is now going to show us how their lives are going to unravel. Even though there is some sort of filminess to Seeta Bagri, but it still makes it a very interesting watch!

6 months passed after Ratan & Nandini’s marriage & looks like they both are pretty much settled with each other now. Seeta has moved on & she is still focused on her education whereas Ratan & Nandini, like a newly wedded couple are now considering starting their own family. Mala is still chirpy as ever & she is still trying to find ways as to how she can make some money so that she can stop feeling a burden on her cousin brother Ratan!

The event which I liked the most in this episode was the developing interest of Taimur & Aleezay in the Hindu community of Karachi. I really liked the first meeting of Taimur & Aleezay with Badri & his family. It shows that their NGO is working hard to bring some little changes in the Hindu community to be able to make them feel secured & empowered. All the things that Badrinath & Ratan had to say about them being a part of Pakistan was actually quite sweet, but what I liked the most was that despite seeing how peacefully the entire Hindu community was leading their lives, Aleezay & Taimur still wanted to bring some changes & wanted to help them.

I also liked how by showing Ratan & his good relationship with Haji Sahab, the drama makers have highlighted the fact that how Hindus & Muslims co-exist in Pakistan & peacefully at that. It was actually quite nicely portrayed that where Haji Sahab helped Ratan by giving him an advice about his personal life, Ratan took the matters in his hands when he heard that Haji Sahab was being pestered by the extortionists. This particular aspect has been covered very nicely & it most certainly conveys a very strong message about how people from different backgrounds can still support & empower each other just on the basis of humanity & brotherhood!

Mala wants to go to Dubai because according to her neighbor she can give dance classes & make some money. While Seeta supports Mala for what she wants to do, Nandini refuses to allow Mala to go to because she fears that this will create a rift between Ratan & Nandini. Nandini is financially sound & stable, that is why she is making the decisions in their family now as she knows that no matter what happens, she will be able to deal with everything. Even though it was random & once again seemed a little too sudden, it was good to see that Ratan was emotionally settled with Nandini now & even he wants to have a child, because seeing he love he had for Seeta, I assumed that may be Ratan won’t grow into this marriage especially in a setting where he’d get to be around Seeta all the time. It was also good that Seeta has moved on & she is not focused on Ratan anymore, yes, she does feel sad at times, but more than being sad or sorry for herself, she is happy for Nandini & Ratan which makes Seeta very respectable & admirable!

Overall, this episode was quite interesting. As much as Saeen’s character was unimpressive, the end of his character was unimpressive too. Also, Mala spoke about her dance class opportunity in the previous episodes too which was before the lapse of 6 months, so I found it a little lack of attention that even after 6 months had passed, an impatient girl like Mala was still stuck on the same thing. I guess some sort of progress should’ve been shown in her track too. The preview of the next episode suggested that things are going to become a little more complicated may be in the Hindu community because of the brawl Ratan will have with the extortionists, also Mala will try to elope but I am sure Nandini or Seeta will bring her back. All the actors have done a wonderful job but I enjoy watching Qavi Khan & Sarwat Gillani’s performances the most. I wish the costume designers had given Sarwat some more options for clothing because where Mala & Nandini’s outfits keep on changing & are quite nice, Seeta is pretty much seen in a singe pair of Shalwar Kameez all the time! Please share your thoughts about this episode of Seeta Bagri!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Shehrnaz is turning out to be an unpredictable play which manages to hold my interest and keeps me looking forward to more. The twist in the beginning of this latest episode was shown brilliantly; first the director showed Shehrnaz imagining that she had won the award and then the reality. I must say I did not see that coming, it has been a while since a scene took me completely by surprise the way this one did. I was quite convinced that even though Naina Pardesi was the one giving the award, Shehrnaz will somehow prove herself and she will be able to see Shehrnaz’s potential. All those viewers who guessed that Naina Pardesi was bound to make things difficult for Shehrnaz were right on point and probably were not as surprised as I was. Now we know that Naina was being given so much screen time for a reason. After  finding out that her tailor was stitching clothes similar to her own designs for his daughter she decided to fire Shehrnaz’s father as well. I expected this twist to come in the previous episode but it was definitely more well-suited at this particular time. It was good to see Shehrnaz giving her a piece of her mind even if at this time she has managed to achieve very little in reality, she still has big dreams. This was however the first time that Shehrnaz’s over-confidence and outspokenness cost her something which meant a lot to her. The judges in the talent show weren’t as glamorous as one would have hoped for them to be. The addition of someone more stylish would have given these scenes which were written and directed a perfect look overall. Shehrnaz’s state of mind was shown brilliantly in this episode.

Sherry and Sara’s track got plenty of screen time in this episode. All of their scenes together clearly suggested that Sara did not take this engagement or her relationship with Sherry too seriously. Until now Sherry was the one who was shown taking his relationships casually but now the viewers saw him persuading his fiancé to take their relationship more seriously. Sherry’s character can be somewhat confusing and difficult to predict most of the times. This character also lacks the charm which should have been a part of it in order to make it easier for the viewers to connect to it.

This was another episode in which the viewers saw Shehrnaz speaking her mind and doing what she deemed fit without thinking of the consequences. Ayeza Khan’s overall look in this play is faultless. She is seen looking glamorous only when she is on the ramp or giving an audition, otherwise she sports a simple look. Even when she is seen playing the glamorous side of her character she makes sure that she does not wear something which is not in line with Shehrnaz’s overall personality. The only time when Shehrnaz is not herself is when she is with Sherry and I am not particularly fond of the vulnerable side of her otherwise strong personality but something tells me that it is this side of her which will take the story forward in the upcoming episodes. Once again Ayeza Khan and Sajid Hassan gave remarkable performances in this episode.

The preview of the next episode showed Sherry executing his plan to get back at Shehrnaz. I have to say that this entire track could have been far more relatable if some other actor was playing the role of Sherry.

How many of you watched this episode? Do share your thoughts about it.

So, here’s what I think. If you are the sort of person who watches only the odd few dramas a week that have to be truly amazing – then probably Choti Si Zindagi is not for you. But for someone like me, who is not necessarily attracted by a stellar cast or heavily promoted drama, this drama works. Because its simple narrative, absence of scheming evil characters, actors and actresses that do not seem to be trying too hard yet help us relate to their characters made me sit back and enjoy this episode. Yes, there are a few scenes primarily those of Azra’s if I am honest where she is talking about Urwah that I wish I could just forward but the rest of the play holds my interest.

Poor Ameena. I truly felt for her today and yes some of us may have rolled our eyes over the onion peeling scenario but I remember the time when I was learning to cook and my mum asked me to brown the onions and ‘brown’ them I did so well that they had to be chucked out and fresh onions sliced and fried again, LOL. Ameena has rarely ever stepped into the kitchen and has always been lost in her books and games so the kitchen scene did add some comic relief. While Ameena does seem to be overly childish, I found her ‘growing up’ scenes in this episode easier to relate to. I found it hilarious yet realistic how she does what she is asked to do but she does not view herself as a sacrificial lamb who should suffer all and I liked how she said before going to bed that she was fed up of working and ‘ab nahin karoon gi’. Also, her letter to her mother and the reaction it brought was funny. Ameena seems childish and as if she does not have a care in the world but she is not stupid and is hurt when she overhears her cousins conversation about going to school and how she is made to feel like an outsider there.

While Ameena struggles with her onions and books, Urwah has (almost) forgotten about his marriage and although he makes it clear to Azra there is nothing between them, we see that deep down he feels differently. Sohail made me laugh today for he is that very real friend we all almost have who knows your secret and while will never go behind your back and cause an issue for you but does enjoy making you squirm by dropping double meaning statements here and there. I still do not see what Azra finds so fascinating about Urwah but I am happy to say that it is such a relief that she has not become one of those rich-girl- I- must- have- this- man characters – well at least not yet!

So Urwah is back home for the summer break and that means two months of Urwah-Ameena and although neither Urwah nor Ameena are looking forward to the summer break – I definitely am! I love Urwah’s father’s character and Tariq Jameel brings out the sweetness in his personality to perfection. It is endearing to seem him care for Ameena and try to help his wife and son understand her. While Taayi is not exactly very warm she is not entirely evil either for she thinks of Ameena as a daughter in law and can not wrap her head round the idea of a daughter in law that does not know how to cook, pick a plate from point A to B without dropping it or understand why she must go back to school now that she is ‘married’. Yet, it is nice how her husband tries to make her see different ways to connect with Ameena.

I am not even sure why Azra is being given the screen time she is now except maybe that Urwah may go back and marry her and I surely hope not. Or that her letter writing may cause an issue in Urwah’s home. I hope she is just someone who Urwah is momentarily fascinated with and who will gracefully take her leave from his life soon. I know we have seen a lot of Iqra Aziz lately and I myself have ended up reviewing or watching quite a few of her dramas and the overdose was one reason why I did not want to watch this drama in the first place but I feel she acted really well in today’s episode. I felt for her when her tiny form lay outside in the ‘sehn’, when she sat at school watching other girls whisper about her, her letter to her mother, and when she overhears her cousins talk to their mother about her. I am glad to see less of the loud crying and the comic moments coupled with those when we are given an insight into her feelings along with her accent – ‘isschooool’, ‘om-laate’ made her much more interesting. Shahzad Sheikh has been perfect as the stiff, awkward Urwah but I actually liked his outburst with Ameena where he shed his stiff demeanour. Last but not least, I know I should not be gloating by comparing myself to a teenager, that too a fictional one, but I could not help be happy that at least someone’s parathas are more amoeba shaped than mine! LOL.

What did you all think of this episode? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kunwal Javid

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kunwal Javid

Ohkay so, this episode of Moray Saiyaan was on the slower side but it surely was interesting. I like the fact that they have started unfolding some of the pages from the past but I think it’s about time that the character of Kabeer is introduced & the backstory of Zakia’s past is explained because to see her play the victim card every single time is not too appealing!

So, Ghaziyan’s immaturity has already started showing its results. Ghaziyan told Waris that he wasn’t interested in Nimra anymore & like a concerned father, Waris visited Gul Zeb, because he knows that she is the only one who Ghaziyan listens to the most & she is the only one who would be able to stop Ghaziyan from tearing the entire family apart, but before that could’ve happened, Gul Zeb ended up getting hospitalized because all the things that she heard from Waris were a bit too hard for her to handle. Gul Zeb loved Ghaziyan a lot & she would hate to see him getting estranged from his father. Gul Zeb has suffered a lot on her own but when it came to Ghaziyan, she couldn’t tolerate the thought of anything bad happening to him, that is why she took everything to her heart.

Ghaziyan slowly & steadily started realizing that everything was happening because of him but I still don’t really understand his approach. I still feel they should have taken some time in developing everything because to see Ghaziyan from being too concerned & focused about bringing his family together to being concerned only about his marriage with Zubaria by hook or by crook seems a little unconvincing. Also, Zubaria has never said anything to Ghaziyan for him to create a havoc on her name, so not really sure what is it that is forcing him to take such drastic steps? The best thing about the entire chaos is that Zubaria isn’t oblivious of the fact that Nimra & Ghaziyan are engaged, so she wouldn’t easily allow Ghaziyan to turn her into a 2nd woman who wrecked someone’s relation to establish her own!

I absolutely loved Nimra’s take about this entire situation. Even though she is heart broken & even though she loves Ghaziyan a lot, she still is mature enough to understand that Ghaziyan is not into her & he is not interested in getting married to her because he has fallen in love with someone else. Nimra knows that if Ghaziyan will ever agree to get married to her, it would only be because of her mother’s stubbornness & pressures, which she most certainly doesn’t want to see because she knows that if they’d get married under such circumstances, Ghaziyan will never be able to love Nimra the way she’d want him to & also, he’ll lose all the respect he has ever had for her mother Zakia. It was good to see that even though Nimra is madly in love with Ghaziyan & she can not think about living her life without him, she is sane & mature enough to put two & two together, in stead of just pushing herself into Ghaziyan’s life!

As always, Zakia got the opportunity to turn herself into a victim & turn everyone else around her into a culprit. I think it’s about time that the director gives the viewers an insight into what actually happened in the past that made Zakia just so bitter that she can’t stand anyone around her except Waris & Ghaziyan. I think even after finding the entire story, I still won’t be able to develop a liking for a character like Zakia because she is someone who loves to play the victim card & wants to be the center of attention of every single person around her. I think she has spent a lot of time feeding on the bitter memories of the past that she is unable to see how it has been taking a toll on everyone else around her.

I honestly feel if the writer hadn’t shown that Ghaziyan was engaged to Nimra, it wouldn’t have made him look immature & selfish because nothing that he will say or do will justify his decision of leaving Nimra in the lurch because he fell in love with Zubaria without even worrying about what the consequences will be. Just because Ghaziyan saw Zubaria, he completely forgot all about Nimra, his fiancée, so it surely puts him in a bad light. Also, if the writer had shown him as a carefree sort of a guy, it would’ve looked even better because at first, he was shown as someone who was overly concerned about bringing his family together & now, what he is doing is not helping the situation at all.

Overall, this episode was pretty interesting but I really think Kabeer should make an entry in the drama now for us to understand why Zakia is like that because to see her sobbing like a victim doesn’t really sit well with me for now, may be if I get something that’d justify her behavior, then I wouldn’t mind her attitude but for now, she is off-putting. Also, in one of the conversations, Zubaria spoke about the conversation she had with Nimra, but we didn’t see that happening, I think in a drama where there was so much of focus on how complicated these immediate relations were, it was necessary for the director to give these relations & their issues a proper coverage, for the viewers to understand & grasp everything properly. A little attention to detail would’ve sufficed definitely. Anyways, I had a good time watching this episode & definitely looking forward to the next one. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Moray Saiyaan.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.