Zindagi Gulzar Hai Episode 22 – Review

Zindagi is back to reality after being gulzar in the past few episodes. The romance of the first few days of marriage is now over and the constant tensions and pressures of married life have kicked in. Zaroon, who was so blindly in love with Kashaf for like, 2 or 3 weeks after their wedding, is now is his old, conservative, hypocritical self again. Asmara was right; calling him a male chauvinist is an endearment compared to what he really is. Back then, I thought she was blowing it out of proportion but now I have to agree with her, the man is completely unreasonable and childish, like Kashaf said.

What is so surprising, and agonising, about your wife being proposed by someone else? Why would Zaroon think that Kashaf wouldn’t have received any other proposal apart from his own? The way he was treating her, on finding out that Usama proposed her was so unfair. And to sulk about it for days! I feel really bad for Kashaf, she was so happy about finally moving in with him and he just had to ruin it. However, it was pretty surprising to watch her sharing her private problems with her Sir Abrar. It would’ve been understandable if Zaroon would go to him with his rants since he’s a family friend, but Kashaf? Not only is it inappropriate, it is completely unlike her. Here, I don’t blame Zaroon for flaring up. If she did want to confide in anyone why not her mother? She is pretty close to Rafia, but all she could talk about to her was how becoming a mother is a blessing (she is apparently expecting and hasn’t told Zaroon about it) and what she should get for Sidra (I thought she’d left!). My favourite line was her monologue in that scene, though:

‘Pehle is bache ko to sambhal lun jo nikah name mai sath mila hai.’

Moving on, we saw Sara after a long time and with good news. She is finally thinking about getting married again and that’s a really good thing. What I don’t like is that, why would a person decide to marry someone so different from them, just because they have learnt that relationships need compromise? It all goes down the drain if partners aren’t compatible and even if the marriage survives somehow, you lose your personality. Anyway, if she’s happy then good for her, I guess. She really has changed, as this time we saw her seeking the advice of all her family members, something the old Sara would never have done. Her confusion and indecisive attitude was surprising but understandable; it is clear she doesn’t want to go through a bad marriage again. At the same time, she warned Zaroon not to make the mistakes she made in her first marriage, when she sensed something was wrong between him and Kashaf, being the concerned sister that she is.

However, the way she blamed her mother for not being a good wife and mother was really unfair. I don’t know why, but I don’t see why everyone has so many problems with Ghazala. She managed her house as best as she could, her way, and now after all se has done, she gets to hear that everything that has gone wrong was because of her. Every woman handles her home the way she thinks best. We don’t see anyone hating on Rafia, who did the same. She raised her daughters the way she thought best, even when her husband was against it. I’m not saying she was wrong, just that we should have same standards for everyone.

One of the few things that made me smile in this episode, apart from Zaroon’s immature behaviour, (yes it made me laugh) was the relationship portrayed between Sara and Kashaf. Sara, it seems, has started looking up to her sister-in-law. The way the two of them were busy deciding which dress Sara should wear, like girlfriends would do, was sweet. Ghazala is open-minded enough to appreciate the bond, instead of getting insecure of Kashaf taking over her children.

Next episode’s promos suggest that it would be less intense than this one, with the funny touch that was present in the earlier episodes of ZGH. Friday, come soon.

 

Zindagi Gulzar Hai – an unexpected hit

I’ll be honest; as much as I loved the novel, I couldn’t see how Zindagi Gulzar Hai could be dramatized and become such a hit. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The whole team, be it the writer, producer, director or the cast have made sure that our Friday night is as entertaining as possible.

So where should I start? I don’t know who I should appreciate first. I expected Fawad Khan to be good so the moment I saw him in the trailers, I added the serial to my must-watch list. Then there was Sanam Saeed; I had my doubts about her because Kashaf’s character is a really complex one and Sanam’s acting experience isn’t much to brag about. But her dialogue delivery and expressions in the trailers were enough to convince me that she has done justice to the character.

As the serial unfolded and the rest of the cast unveiled, ZGH became much more entertaining to watch. Every actor has done justice to their character; you don’t see bland expressions or pathetic dialogue delivery. The hard work of the team is apparent. Samina Peerzada, Javed Sheikh, Hina Khawaja Biyat and Waseem Abbas need no praise as all of them are acclaimed actors. Mehreen Raheel as the clingy girlfriend, Ayesha Omar and Mansha Pasha, as the caring sisters, have been really impressive. The weakest link in the chain is perhaps Sheryar Munawar, who has tried very hard to be intense but failed.

There is a long list of the reasons I love the drama. There is no pure good or evil in the serial for one. Each character has their flaws and qualities and that is why you can easily relate with them. And then there are the relationships, not the soppy couple love, but genuine bonds between families. It’s not everyday you get to see the sister love shared by Kashaf and Sidra, or the affection between brother and sister like Zaroon and Sara.

Contrary to popular opinion my favourite sister is Sara instead of Sidra. I absolutely adore Sara. Despite her stubborn and seemingly rude nature, she is a caring sister and daughter. Ayesha Omar has been so brilliant in portraying the many layers of Sara’s personality that one cannot simply hate her. Despite her differences with her brother, she is his close friend, letting him confide in her whenever he wants. With one sigh, after she tells Farhan to finalise the divorce, she conveyed how difficult the decision really was for her. All in all, Ayesha Omar has delivered one of the best performances of her career.

With such brilliant execution of a masterpiece plot, I can’t wait to see how the serial will unfold in the coming episodes.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi