Zindagi mohabbat ke bina kaati ja sakti hei maqsad ke bina nahin…Parizaad’s amazing journey finally came to an end tonight and it would be safe to say that Tuesday night will not be the same again! This was the only drama I found myself looking forward to every week because it was not just a wholesome journey of an unusual protagonist but it always gave me so much to write about in the reviews. The meaningful dialogues and scenarios made even the most unbelievable and unexpected situations worthwhile. Ahmed Ali Akbar remained the star of the show right till the end. This drama wouldn’t have been the same had he not been chosen to play this role. Parizaad has definitely won him the kind of fan following and appreciation that few actors get, and he has truly earned it. Hashim Nadeem’s script was novel and engaging throughout. Shehzad Kashmiri’s direction and attention to detail made this story relatable and entertaining.
The Last Episode
Did Parizaad’s last episode do justice to the drama? I must say that I was expecting Parizaad to have such an ending especially because of the direction the story took in the second last episode. The second last episode clearly indicated that Parizaad was more interested in looking for an actual purpose in life than anything else. However, I felt that some of the scenes in this last episode could have been far more impactful. Also, dedicating more than 30 minutes to the recap was unnecessary; Parizaad’s entire journey could easily have been covered in half the time in a crisper manner. This last episode was not as powerful as I was expecting it to be. The last scene could have been more intense if Annie and Parizaad were facing each other instead of facing the camera most of the time and delivering their dialogues. Since the drama overall banked highly on the most bizarre situations and the makers made them work, the writer could have easily saved Parizaad from the disappointment by giving Annie the kind of dil ki nazar which he expected from her!
The fact that right till the end Parizaad did not believe in love and wanted to dedicate his life to his new-found ambition went to show that he still believed he was not worth loving. Annie’s dialogues made perfect sense; it will take time for Parizaad to unlearn everything he had learned through his experiences over the years. It was quite apparent that even though Annie did not recognize Parizaad instantly, she still valued him just as much as she did before and was willing to put in the effort to make him change his opinion about love. This conversation in a way did guarantee that eventually Annie will be able to make Parizaad believe in love.
The most important takeaway for me was the importance of self-love and self-acceptance. Also, the role the societal standards of beauty play in pressurizing people who do not fulfill the criteria into trying harder to earn acceptance was dealt with in the most prolific manner. Even though Parizaad was intelligent, hard-working, and sensitive, he struggled for acceptance and most importantly for love even though he deserved to be loved. In the end as well, even though Annie made it quite clear that she would rather be with Parizaad than Sharjeel, he failed to accept her love because he was too afraid of acknowledging it. After being rejected continuously for years, being accepted felt frightening and difficult to accept.
Final Remarks
The best part of this last episode was that Parizaad had an ending that was meaningful. Even in this last episode, Hashim Nadeem had a brand new message about education. Parizaad was always shown as a giver therefore in the end it was only natural for him to dedicate his life to helping people. In order to keep Parizaad’s identity a secret, the writer went to all the extremes to give various explanations but when it came to Annie and Parizaad’s ending, the writer had a very practical approach. I wish this track too was dealt with in a relatively less practical manner. There was clearly love in Annie’s eyes for Parizaad yet he refused to see it! After watching this last episode, I felt as if Parizaad’s journey was still continuing. It was not entirely the kind of ending that puts you at peace as a viewer especially after watching Parizaad suffer for so long. He deserved to be happier in the end. However, it definitely was a new beginning for Parizaad, the start of another journey!
Parizaad was definitely a trendsetter in terms of storytelling. It had a broad canvas and the writer did not hold back, compromise on details, or lose his grip on the story at any point. The only aspect which needed improvement was the way Parizaad’s relationship with his family was covered once he moved out of the house. Hashim Nadeem penned down Moosa’s track (Raqs-e-Bismil) in the same manner; his family was completely out of touch and picture once he fled home. Since there was so much focus on Parizaad’s relationship with his sister, in particular, Saeeda should have been part of the story throughout. Such unexplainable disappearances of characters, when they can be easily kept in the loop through a telephonic conversation have never made sense to me. This was however a small glitch that did not impact Parizaad’s story overall but definitely left the viewers wanting to see more of these scenes.
The meaningful aspects of the story definitely stood out more than any other. From putting forward the message through different tracks about how deceptive looks are to showing that money cannot buy happiness, Hashim Nadeem touched upon many different subjects without preaching. Parizaad’s multi-dimensional and unusual characters and their stories were definitely the most impressive aspect of the script. The well-written dialogues added meaning to the drama. The director and the producers deserve tons of appreciation for introducing new faces through this project; actors such as Raza Ali Abid, Adeel Afzal, and Asad Mumtaz Malik. It was also an absolute treat to watch all the other seasoned actors perform their roles with the usual dedication on-screen. Ahmed Ali Akbar will forever be remembered as Parizaad, just like Imran Ashraf is for playing Bhola in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi. When actors choose to play such roles and put in so much hard work into making these characters come alive on-screen, they deserve all the praise and awards so that others can follow. For me apart from Ahmed Ali Akbar, Saboor Aly stood out more than any other actor since she truly surprised me with her portrayal. I hope she gets to experiment more in the future as well.
I would like to thank all of you who were a part of this journey, I read the comments regularly and enjoyed our discussions, and it would not have been the same without your input.
Did you like Parizaad’s ending? Are you going to miss the drama? Share your views; I would love to hear from you.
Fatima Ji,
A New Beginning, indeed….
On January 28, 2022 millions of Parizaad fans in Pakistan, India and around the globe, had only one thing nagging their minds….
To Be or Not To Be Happy…
Will Parizaad have it’s share of Happy Ending ?
I was one such fan…..
And then, in cinema houses across Pakistan….. the ending was the most awaited drama ending in recent times…
The social media errupted with joy……..
Fatima Ji, I am not a fan of bad endings….. was worried Parizaad would have one, since the novel had a sad ending.
So it was, To See or Not To See for me….
I did not watch the drama at all….
What kept me going was…..
a) Your reviews…
Read each one of them in detail….
b) I also enjoyed reading the comments/ views of the fans in this group….
A Big Thank You to all of you….. for keeping me invested in Parizaad.
I have begun binge watching Parizaad and will finish watching by Sunday.
The 30 minutes recap was probably forced upon for the cinema release.
In Ahmed Ali Akbar,
” A Star Is Born.”
Fatima Ji, Jo Bichar Gaye is a 13/14 episodes drama…. hope you will review this drama.
Enjoyed reading your reviews on Parizaad….
Thank You & Regards,
Ketan
Hello Ketan, You have been such an integral part of this journey for me and for everyone here who read the reviews and comments. Thank you so much for that. You are absolutely right about everything, a star is born indeed! I watched a few beginning episodes of Parizaad once again last week before it ended.
Thank you for all your appreciation and love, always. I will be reviewing Jo Bichar Gaye soon, the latest episode was so disturbing.
Outstanding performance of all specially Noman Ejaz sb and Ali Akbar sb. We want to see season 2 please
Gr8 review Fatima, there a few things which I have different opinion, I think this was a complete satisfactory happy ending. As it was indicated that both will be together forever and Annie is already in love with him, and slowly she will remove all fears from him mind. And regarding Annie not recognizing him, I think it was perfect as its impossible for any blind person, and if they had shown that, it would be too filmy and unbelievable. the way she comes to know after hearing his voice was perfect.
Overall the drama was superb, not completely believable overall, but had filmy and classy touch both to it, and thats bcoz of the master director Shehzad Kashmiri. I started watching it after Noman Ijaz’s entry and then continued, even watched the beginning episodes and enjoyed them . The only part that was boring and fast forward material was Bubbly badmash, in first half and also agn in second half with Guru. One of the friends track also could have been avoided as it created a sort of repetition in second half.
Performances wise definitely Ahmed Ali Akbar was the star of the show , it was a lifetime role same as Bhola for Imran Ashraf. He should select the next project very carefully. Second best Noman Ijaz ofcourse, when he was there, he overshadowed everyone. In actresses , Yumna had the best and main role, and without any doubt she was brilliant, specially in the last episode, and the scene where she reveals to parizaad that she cant see. Rest all supported well.
I want Shehzad Kashmiri to come up with such mega projects like Parizaad and yaqeen ka safar, as he can handle tehm very well without leaving any loose ends.
Thank you so much Tiger for reading the reviews every week and for your honest feedback, I looked forward to it and really enjoyed reading your comments. I actually loved Bubbly’s part and Saboor as Bubbly. Noman Ijaz is an iconic performer but honestly speaking his attitude towards the project on social media and in interviews has put me off big time! Wo apne sb se baray fan hein at this point – humility before everything else! He was part of this project yet repeatedly he gave statements that suggested that he did not choose the project, the producers chose him. He was not proud of being a part of Parizaad at all which was sad! He made it sound like he did everyone a favor by being a part of it. All his statements and his attitude in the press conference when Saboor praised Ahmed was very disappointing. He was brilliant as Behroze, I feel he should have owned it in a more graceful manner off screen.
oh ok.. i thought noman ijaz was a humble guy, didnt know about that, you are right such offscreen behaviour really effects in our respect about the actor. Look at feroz khan, his offscreen behaviour and his roles are all same, and currently in new project, he is overacting big time, he is an average performer, and no where close to Imran Ashraf, Zahid Ahmed, not even actors like Ahad or BIlal abbas or ahmed ali.
That’s what I thought too but now I am more convinced than ever that his decision not to give interviews for the longest time in his career was a wise one. Perhaps that’s why we don’t know much about him. Personally, I don’t really care what kind of a person an actor is in real life as long he does well on screen and that does not affect how I feel about them but I did not like his attitude with regards to the project. Feroze Khan’s career has been ruined by 7th Sky and he is completely focused on earning well otherwise I am sure he can make better choices.
Thanks for the wonderful review, Fatima, especially the Final Remarks section. I am sure it was not easy for you to write the farewell review of such a wonderful drama. I am grateful to the Parizaad production Team who has not made haste in wrapping it up but did complete justice for a very fine closure without breaking the rhythm it has maintained throughout previous episodes. I liked the quick Recap for all the previous episodes in Part 1 and because of it, I get to know one beautiful dialogue which I missed while watching the first episode back then. Shortly “magar unka kia jinhe in raston ne kabhi qabool na kia, jinhe kisini mur ka nahi dekha….” what a perfect introduction for the central character!.
In the Part 2, I like Parizaad’s little speech about Urdu, especially, “koi school chota ya bara nahi hota, wahan diya jane wala ilm bara hota hai. Medium urdu ho ya angrezi, ehmiyat taleem ki hoti hai. Urdu-Angrezi ki tafreeq, hamare bachon ki roohon ko bhi taqseem kardegi.”
Parizaad & Sharjeel discussion was also good & handled very beautifully. There he was still blaming his looks that Annie could not identify him.
Finally, the meeting of Annie & Parizaad. I have so much respect for the writer that he did not ruin this meeting with a filmy style of a girl running towards her lost lover in desperate and expressing her love with typical dialogues of love, which he wanted to hear from the very beginning. In fact, the sequences of the topics they touched & expresses their feeling were marvelous. First, she confirms Parizaad’s existence by touching him on his face, which made her guarantee that this is the man she was in love with when she was unable to see. She never bothered about judging his appearance or skin color at that moment. Second, he responds to her Why he left, through, “jise pane k liye zamane ko zamana lagta hai, vo mera maqsad tha hi nahi.” And that rich status was taking him away from his real self, the Parizaad we all viewers know & appreciate. Third, the doubts about Sharjeel were cleared beautifully from both sides. Here the best dialogue was, “Parizaad jaan lene k liye nahi, logon pe jaan nisar hone ke liye paida huye hain.” Fourth, she then started questioning her love which she developed through his words & thoughts, and expresses that, “dunya mein kuch log aise bhi hain jo har lafz jeena chahte hain.” what a dialogue to express the love without saying the typical words. Fifth, Parizaad finally says about his looks not matching with his words. Here, she beautifully makes him confident by saying that she wishes to clear his inside fear about his looks. This means she does not care about his looks, and he should not be worried about it at all. Rather she wants to build up his confidence so she offers him to start the new life with friendship & give time for Love to flourish by itself. Lastly, confessing himself through Muneer niazi poem, “haan main janta hun, tumhe milne se pehle aur tumhe paa lene tak, aakhir kion der ki maine.”
I have a standing ovation for the writer for composing such a beautiful piece of art with all the background dialogues & poetry, the casting director for making a wonderful team of lead & side actors, the director for delivering the message that the writer wants to convey, and for Ahmed Ali Akbar to living Parizaad & making us believe in the character so well.
Wow! What a beautiful analysis. You should definitely start considering writing reviews. This made me feel so different about their meeting. Thank you for this!
Thank you so much Aamer for always taking out the time for penning down these elaborate comments with the best dialogues. Parizaad definitely brought out the best in you like so many of us. I loved reading your take on each one of the episodes. I am so glad that you were a part of this journey. All the dialogues you chose to quote were superb.
Brilliant review. Your reviews always do full justice and reflect the aesthetics of the drama too! I am in awe of the ending; the writer is in no mood to give an easy pass to anyone. I will also not take much issue with character disappearances since we experience the story through parizaad’s eyes mostly, and the writer presents on the screen only what is relevant. In fact this lent an artistic touch to the drama and also kept its length and pacing exemplary.
The ending was a little predictable since many characters turn to social reform at the end of their journeys. But how Parzaad chose to do it makes him stand out and one could sense the happiness he experienced by returning to a simpler life. And to me, it is only a matter of time when the two lovers will unite, as Annie has chosen to stay with Parizaad. Some things are best left unsaid!
Thank you so much Talha for reading the reviews every week, for your insightful and honest comments and, for appreciating what I wrote in all these weeks. I truly looked forward to your comments although you joined us a little late, I am so glad you did. Keep reading and commenting:)
Ahmed Ali Akbar…..take a bow! You’re the shining star! He has been so under-rated so far. I wish he does appear more often and hope he gets good scripts which can do justice to his talent. I have always been his fan but Parizaad took it to another level.
I loved the episode and didn’t mind the long recap as it was kind of a refresher for the entire journey of Parizaad! It took us through all the important moments and wonderful dialogues that Parizaad will always be known for. A happy ending was the icing on the cake. I too think that they should have shown some bits of Saeeda or his relatives in last few episodes, atleast a quick phone call with Saeeda before he left on his new journey. But nevermind! Also, you’re right about the ending scene, it would have been more impactful if Yumna and Ahmed delivered those dialogues looking at each other but may be the director wanted to cover the location as well ;-) The way Yumna was looking at Parizaad when he was delivering his speech said it all. Also, she addressed him as Parizaad and not Parizaad ‘Sir’. Still I felt Parizaad deserved something more than ‘good friends’. I wished to see atleast a ‘5 years later’ or something where they were shown happy with each other.
Yumna and Ahmed somehow always get these ‘adhuri endings’….even in Ye Raha Dil and now in Parizaad, where they say they are together but are not shown together, which I’m sure the viewers would like to see.
The background score at more than one instances sounded like the background score of ‘Yakeen ka Safar’ or may be the music director had this tune when Yakeen ka Safar was made and added lyrics to it to turn it into a song for Parizaad.
I must admit, I didn’t like the idea of airing the last episode on Friday in the cinemas to give a ‘before anyone else’ privilege to some audience and then they went on to upload the ‘happy ending’ videos on YouTube, killing the suspense for the rest of the audience who could not watch it in cinemas. I guess everyone must have seen the ending before it actually aired on tv. That’s my only complaint with the makers but apart from that, it was a great great project. The efforts of the team is greatly appreciated. A big congratulations to everyone who has made Parizaad what it is…..a masterpiece!
Hi Sheetal, loved reading your comments every week. Thank you for being such an important part of this journey. I agree with you about airing the last episode in the cinemas days before it aired on television, not the best move!
I have one question to those who have read the original novel, is the ending same as in the novel or was it changed for the drama?
Can someone answer this for me please!
I haven’t read the novel but I read people’s comments and the novel had a different ending, a sad one…Parizaad dies in the end.
I think the ending should’ve reconciled the romantic relationship between Parizaad and Annie – either confirm to the audience she is now married to Sharjeel (and explain that to Parizaad) or she should’ve just blurted out her love (her character is upfront and impulsive) for him so that he could’ve realized his mistake. Also Fatima is right about the epilogue not focusing on his family – after how he suffered at their hands yet still was loyal to them. Finally, a business tycoon (as he is supposed to be) usually makes business arrangements even after they leave their CEO position – and the story should’ve been more explanatory on exactly what arrangements he made. No one is that stupid to give up on so much money… especially if he or she wants to continue with their philanthropy – which is what Parizaad is all about.
Thanks for the wonderful review and the insightful comments that it prompted, especially from Aamer. Ketan put it best: a star is born.
Like Fatima, I liked both Bubbly’s track and Saboor Aly’s performance. As far as the final episode is concerned, I loved how the ending wasn’t rushed, and that Annie didn’t proclaim her love in an obvious manner. Some people may prefer the novel’s ending, but I think Parizaad had suffered enough disappointments. Real life is bleak for many; a happy ending doesn’t compromise the artistic vision behind this fabulous tale.
A real masterpiece ever produced….What a brilliant performance of Ahmed ali akbar and Yamuna zaidi…Will remember it for long time…OST is really awesome…Congrats to all team in making of this masterpiece…Love from Vihaan singh India
Finally managed to watch it today and what a journey it has been! Perfect review as always!
This comment is going to include spoilers in case anyone wants to read the novel after watching the drama so SPOILER ALERT!
I honestly don’t know how I fell about the ending. It was bittersweet for me. Parizaad is one of my favorite characters to come out of Urdu Literature and the kind of ending it had in the novel (I think everyone knows now that he died in the novel) and the way the last scene was written in the novel had SUCH an impact on me that I could not stop thinking about it for weeks when I read it first. It affected me that much! I always wished he had a happy ending and now that he got one in the drama, I honestly did not feel the impact. Plus as I have mentioned once before too, I was dying to see Ahmed and Yumna perform the last scene from the novel so there was a lil bit of disappointment bcz of that too.
Also Nasaaz also dies in the novel due to lung cancer and that one was a heart wrenching scene too. They could have at least killed him xD
One plus point for me though was the whole Urdu academy track and I liked it more than the ones in the novel (They have cut half of the novel in the drama. Parizaad goes on a long journey. From one village to another and there are many other characters too, some of them quite interesting). Also I feel like some of the tracks in novel that they omitted were similar to KAM3 in a lot of ways and they did slow the pace of the novel down, so I think it worked out for better here (would still have liked seeing it though) .
Now coming to the episode, absolutely LOVED that scene when Pari is standing on the bridge with the OST in background. The cinematography was brilliant. Last scene was well performed by both Ahmed and Yumna too. Parizaad had the best casting, no doubt. I still feel that the last episode was quite underwhelming but i think in the hind sight, it’s good now that there is a canon alternate ending for Parizaad too.
Thank you for reviewing it. Loved the Parizaad journey. I’d still recommend everyone to read the novel too. Especially now that they have done so many changes, plus the novel gives you a more deep insight into Pari’s feelings.
So excited to know that you will be reviewing JBG. Absolutely love it. Can’t wait :)
could you give the details of novel’s ending
I was looking forward to your response on the ending.
If you don’t mind can you please give some details of the novel’s ending here. Or if you have link to any English / Hindi translation of the novel, I would appreciate if you could share the link.
Thanks in advance!
Hello Pakistani Po! You’re finally here, was waiting for your comment since you have been the most important part of this journey ever since the promos were released. I also think that the Urdu academy bit was an excellent addition, it definitely gave meaning to Pari’s life and went well with his whole journey. So many people here want to hear how the story ended in the novel from you, me too ;)