Shanakht – Episode 05!

Ohkay so, it was another one of those interesting episodes. No matter what they show, I always feel I want to watch the whole serial in one go. It’s totally amazing & what adds more to it are the characters. For a change, I really feel that the uncommon cast has done wonders & I truly appreciate the casting director for going for all these actors because I am sure if it would’ve been let’s say a few of those actors that frequent our TV screens regularly, it wouldn’t have made such an impact & for this I am glad that Maya Ali, Fahad Mirza & Noor Hassan opted for this script & are doing their job really really well.

Finally, Hashim broke the ice & shared all those preconceived notions he had about Rohaan & people like him but the best part was that Rohaan took it very lightly because for him, what he heard from Hashim was nothing new. He knew that people end up judging those who choose to look religious therefore, he laughed at it & made him understand that not everyone’s the same & there’s no probation on enjoying the life within certain limits (by the way I loved the PG13 statement of his).

Hashim & Rohaan’s friendship took off really well because both of them took steps towards each other. Rohaan made sure he helped Hashim in understanding him better & Hashim felt he was misunderstanding Rohaan all this while. I truly enjoyed their conversations & the best one & the most realistic one for me was when Rohaan told Hashim about why he chose to endorse the Sunnah of Nabi Mohammad (SAW). No matter what it is, but it is the truth that people often tend to mistake Muslims as Non-Muslims because they don’t look like it. I liked the fact that very subtly they touched the point that as much as it’s important to be a good Muslim, it’s equally important to look like a Muslim too so that people can instantly figure out what your true ‘identity’ is.

Both the families of Rohaan & Annie are worried about their proposal that’s why where Huma is trying her best to get Annie married to a guy of her standards, Rohaan’s mother ended up choosing a girl according to her criteria too. Huma may come across as someone who’s (not so) cool & (not so) yo, but she certainly is very conservative when it comes to her daughter’s proposals. She thinks that those who’re religious are very rigid but she forgot that she being not so religious is quite rigid too. I didn’t really understand why Amjad gave in & allowed Huma to do whatever she deems fit in Annie’s case. All this while he was pretty much supportive & appreciative of Annie’s choices but now seems like he’s also worried about her proposal & he is tired of seeing people rejecting Annie left, right & centre because of her Hijab, so is that why he decided to side with Huma as well?

Seems like Kashaf & Annie’s relation has hit the rock bottom because the rejection of Annie is somehow affecting Kashaf too. Even though Kashaf is considerate to make Haris wait for her proposal because she wants Annie to get married first but she can’t seem to cope well with how Huma starts considering every single proposal that comes for Kashaf after they end up rejecting Annie. For Kashaf, the best thing for Annie to do is to get rid of her Hijab so that people show more acceptance towards her. Even though Annie takes all of Kashaf’s rants really well on the surface, but deep within she feels hurt & depressed especially seeing how her family considers her wrong & end up being unsupportive.

Annie did the best thing to bring the families of Amjad & Ahmad close again. She made sure to make Huma understand what she was doing wrong & for a change it was good to hear Huma appreciate Annie’s thoughts because she made her realize that breaking the ties with the relatives wasn’t the right thing to do. Huma knows how positive Annie’s attitude is, but she still can’t seem to come to terms with her Hijab, which I hope, happens soon & Huma accepts Annie for who she is & what her choices are.

It seemed like Hashim was kind of missing Annie that’s why he spoke about her to Rohaan because I think now when he has gotten a chance to be in the vicinity of such a person who is also religious & modest, Hashim will now kind of understand Annie & her mentality a lot better. I liked the fact a lot that even though Rohaan has made Hashim comfortable, he still doesn’t forget to share his inner most feelings regarding the religion with Hashim, which makes it a very casual conversation & doesn’t seem too preachy. These little conversations on such lines will help Hashim understand the religion a lot more & I am sure will help him in changing too. & yes, like I said, the reason for which Rohaan was avoiding the video chat sessions with his family was because he doesn’t want them to see the change in his appearance now as he knows that his family will flip out. It was kind of hasty on Rohaan’s mothers part that she got him engaged without even bothering much about her son’s choices. I am sure that when Eesha & her family will get to meet Rohaan in person, they’ll call off the engagement because of Rohaan’s get up as Eesha’s family seemed pretty liberal & materialistic.

The attack on Rohaan was another portrayal of the real & dark picture that Muslims tend to face in the name of racism. Where Hashim thought Rohaan shouldn’t have reacted, the argument Rohaan presented was justified as well where he thinks enduring the wrath proves that you’re a coward & Rohaan knows that he’s anything but that. Being a peace-loving Muslim doesn’t mean that you allow people to walk over you & for this, he thought he was justified in retaliating which he definitely was.

This episode was a treat to watch because a lot happened this time around too. I totally enjoy the pace of this episode because even for a second it didn’t lose the grip of a viewer. Even though what they showed in the preview was kind of what we’ve seen before where Kashaf & Huma will be angry at Annie, I actually want to watch what Rohaan will say to Hashim. I think this time around may be Rohaan will return to Pakistan & his ordeal of judgments will begin by then.

I know it’s a random thought but I really like the way Fahad Mirza says ‘Ya’ after every sentence of his. I’ll see you ‘ya’, I’ll call you ‘ya’, have food ‘ya’. Haha! Can’t wait to find out more & please share your say on this episode of Shanakht & do let us know how much you’re enjoying watching this drama ‘ya’. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Zahra Mirza

Zahra Mirza got associated with Reviewit.pk in 2012. After moving to Australia, Pakistani content was a way of staying connected to the roots, language & Pakistani culture because it felt home. Eight years ago, review writing began as a hobby but has now turned into a passion.