When we were introduced to Zaroon’s character in the first episode, the impression that everyone’s comments about Zaroon gave was that he is a very irresponsible person but until now Zaroon comes across as a very responsible individual. He is very conscious about his grades in college, worries about the relationship his parents have and also looks out for his sister in his own way. I fail to understand why everyone tags Zaroon as reckless, in my opinion he is anything but that. It was strange to see Zaroon wonder just why Osama was taking so much interest in a girl like Kashaf who has “average looks, average personality and an average background”, given the fact that it is Kashaf more than anyone else who is the driving force behind Zaroon putting in so much effort into his studies. Zaroon cannot help but add a line or two about this average girl in his diary every night. While Asmara is putting Zaroon to sleep (literally; the scene where they are talking on the phone and he wants to hang up because he is too sleepy all of a sudden) Kashaf’s grades are making him stay up till late so that he can be ahead of the game. I can say with all certainty that although very unconsciously but at this time Kashaf is influencing Zaroon’s life in many more ways than Asmara or any of his other friends. Does Zaroon have double standards or was he merely a stating a fact when he told Sara that it was okay for a man to come home late but not for a girl? I think deep down Zaroon is indeed a very typical man but also one who is extremely sensitive and caring. Asmara made repeated references in this and the previous episodes also of Zaroon’s excessive mingling with girls and just when I started wondering whether there was any truth in what she said, we saw that she indeed was right. I find it rather odd that Zaroon is always complaining about the opposite gender and at the same time he is quite at ease with them too. I guess this man does not know himself as well as he would think he does.
We saw Rafia thinking of all the things her husband and his brother said to her. What I gathered from that particular scene was that while she felt very hurt by what they said but at the same time it seemed like she was also evaluating her own behavior and thinking whether she was actually right in not letting her husband have a say in some of the most important decisions in their daughters’ lives. People like Rafia who are so fair, sensitive and caring always put themselves on the pedestal before they judge anyone else. Rafia’s disapproval of the sifarish her husband sent went to show that she will never compromise on her principles no matter what. All of Samina Peerzada’s scenes were beyond exceptional; she has amazing talent and manages to portray every character assigned to her with ease. Acting comes naturally to her and she is one of those actors in our industry who truly make you feel swollen with pride. The confrontation between Rafia and Murtaza was extremely emotional and the aftermath was even more so. The way Rafia’s daughters come to console her every time their father leaves their mother broken and hurt is so heart touching. These daughters really are a blessing for Rafia and Murtaza is very unfortunate that he fails to give her daughters the love and credit they deserve. Kashaf takes a stand for her mother and I am sure we could all tell that Rafia did not for a second think that what her daughter did was wrong in any way.
Does Kashaf lack basic manners or is she too matter of fact? The way she does not even respond nicely to her “friend’s” questions and also the manner in which she responds to Osama’s apology suggests that whatever Kashaf does is purely unintentional,. Her actions are not meant to hurt anyone, she just does not know better. When Maria tells Kashaf she is “ajeeb”, she does not even think that Maria was talking about her personality and not her appearance. Now that is what I call confidence! Kashaf may question her looks but she never questions her attitude towards people, she feels she has no reason to go out of her way and be nice to people. Maybe because she thinks that everyone else around her is more fortunate than her so it would not make a difference to them whether or not Kashaf is nice to them. The way Kashaf questions her looks later and asks her sister what was wrong with her was another scene that was very well done. I absolutely love the relationship between the three sisters and their mother. Even when Kashaf is confronting her father although her words are harsh but her expressions suggest that she had to muster up all the courage she had in order to confront her father.
Try as they may the fact is that Zaroon and his friends find it impossible to ignore Kashaf. She maybe a very average girl compared to them but she does not give them attention like everyone else does and I think that is getting to everyone more than anything else. Fawad Khan’s expressions in the scene where Osama is apologizing to Kashaf and later on too, made me chuckle; no doubt acting is just as much about expressions as it is about dialogue delivery. I will definitely watch that scene over and over again. I must also add that Sheheryaar Munawar was quite good in today’s episode and he gave me nothing to complain about. I am glad I can look forward to seeing more of him too now.
One more thing we learnt in today’s episode was that Ghazala does not know her son at all. She thinks that Zaroon will happily agree to the engagement. On the other hand the heart to heart conversations that the son and father have often have made Zaroon’s father realize that his son would never marry someone like Asmara.
This was another superb episode of Zindagi Gulzar Hai, everything was perfect like always. The direction is beyond exceptional and a big shout out to all the actors and the entire team for coming up to the expectations of the audience. Umera Ahmed’s script coupled with Sultana Siddiqui’s direction really has made this serial something very special. Like always, I cannot wait for the next episode.
Fatima Awan.