Shanakht – Episode 08!

Ohkay so, another one of a good episode with some great developments in the story. The pace is just perfect & I hope that it remains that way because apart from all the other great things, the pace is what’s keeping the interest of the viewers’ intact. As usual, where there were some sweet moments of Annie & Rohaan, there were a few thought-provoking bits too & for this, I absolutely love watching this drama.

I don’t want to demean women here but I definitely feel the fathers take the crown for being rational & logical. I give full marks to the fathers for giving Annie & Rohaan’s wishes a consideration & going with the flow for how the bride & groom wanted their wedding to be like. I know this idea may have been done in other dramas as well but I think very subtly they touched it this time around & without making it preachy, they told how weddings can or should be like. The mothers & even the sisters of the bride & groom wanted an elaborate wedding to express their happiness, which they thought could only be measured by how much money’s spent rather wasted on the wedding functions, how loud the music is or till what hour the gathering lasts. I know what they showed were some basic feelings that all the family members tend to have if any member of the family is getting married but on the other hand it also showed that no matter how liberal you become, you’re always enslaved to boundaries that you impose on yourself, that’s why Rohaan’s mother felt she didn’t enjoy the wedding one bit because she had quite a lot ‘armaan’ regarding Rohaan’s wedding & when things went against her imagination, she flipped out & didn’t seem to budge at all as she was so engrossed in what she thought was a right way of celebrating a wedding. Similarly, the long list of complaints was also ready by Huma which she kept on discussing with Amjad but I liked that this time around Amjad not only supported Annie but also showed how much he respects Rohaan as his son-in-law by putting a stop to Huma’s rants, making her understand just as much as Haris was dear to her, Rohaan was special for Amjad as well.

As much as I feel the beginning of Annie’s wedding life was sort of dramatic & a tad bit unrealistic because no matter how much you dislike a person, you do extend some courtesy towards them but then if we keep the drama out of mind, what they showed was a depiction of some sort of complex that a mother-in-law often harbors when she sees that her son likes his wife & has gotten married to her against the wishes of the ladies of his family. Rohaan’s mother seemed irrational obviously but how she reacted portrayed the right picture of such mothers in law who have a hard time accepting their daughters-in-law only because they know that their sons have a soft corner for them in their hearts. Annie got a very insensitive welcome by Rohaan’s family & even the sisters gave her a cold shoulder which I am sure won’t last for too long but to see it all happening definitely made me feel for both Rohaan & Annie a lot more. I also found Huma & Kashaf’s attitude a bit odd as well because it doesn’t matter if her in-laws weren’t around that just didn’t mean that Huma found a chance to start voicing her disappointments the very next day she went to see Annie for the very first time after her wedding.

Another thing that took me by surprise was to see the coverage Kashaf & Haris were getting. I definitely thought they’d get married & their story wouldn’t have much to offer but I think it was a very well-thought plan to give them the screen-time as well to juxtapose the difference between Haris & Rohaan as well. I know this doesn’t look too new but the way Haris came across, it was clear that he’s ceasing every opportunity to exploit Kashaf’s parents through her just because he knows that his fiancée loves him & she’d do anything to make him happy. Amjad’s restlessness also showed that just because of Kashaf’s unreasonable demands he was forced to think how much ease he felt while getting Annie married to Rohaan. Once again, very rightly they showed that just when Kashaf thought after 99 fulfilled wishes, another unreasonable one at that wasn’t being considered; she used Huma as a pawn to convince Amjad which usually happens in most of the families.

Time & again both Amjad & Rizwan seemed to have run out of words in front of their wives but luckily for Annie & Rohaan, both of them stood by their decision & didn’t let the ladies interfere, which was perfect. I definitely liked a few scenes of Annie & Rohaan but I do wish we get to see more of them, like how they both are understanding each other, what commonality do they both share. Actually, I want to see how their relation develops because to see the families getting more coverage, I dread seeing it turning into a saas-bahu saga anytime soon. The latest developments especially keeping the weddings of both the sisters in mind, I was reminded of Mirat-ul-Uroos a lot but the difference was the addition of Islamic view point, which definitely was a bonus.

Even though Rohaan didn’t have many scenes but he didn’t fail to leave a mark in those few scenes as always. The very first pleasant thing to see was when he speaks to Annie about what plans she had in her mind regarding her wedding & after he gets his reply, he doesn’t sit there to speak to her more, showing the respect he had for her & didn’t want to make her awkward as he himself was conscious of her hesitation while he was around. Another good thing to see was how calmly Rohaan reacted to Huma’s complaints & gave her a fairly decent reply of how he’ll learn to maintain a balance between his mother & his wife, showing that he was ready to accommodate every single person that now is a part of his family through Annie. As always, the episode ended at just a right note where they left something for us to look forward to once again. I actually want to see how Rohaan’s mother will react at Rohaan’s support of Annie’s Hijab & how will he talk her out of the new-found fixation of taking Annie to a dinner party without her headscarf.

As always, the acting is top-notch & the direction is perfect. The scenes are just spot-on where not even for a second you feel bored or want to jump to the next scene. I must say both Fahad Mirza & Maya Ali have done a commendable job in this drama & I am sure if it wasn’t for them, this drama wouldn’t have been such a treat to watch. Share your thoughts please. :)

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.