Season’s Best Dramas

This season has brought new but hardly any good shows. Most projects which were highly anticipated before they were aired turned out to be huge disappointments. Therefore it is easier to make a list of the shows that are actually worth watching instead of those which make you wonder why they were aired in the first place.

(The list below is not in order of preference)

Kankar

Though it is about to end, Kankar will always remain one of the shows that I admire a lot. When I saw the promos, the serial didn’t seem so appealing and out of the ordinary. But it was Umera Ahmed’s script and Sanam Baloch and Fahad Mustafa rarely do a mediocre project. After a long time we saw a drama that focused on an issue and how people react to it in our society.

It lacked glamour, the pace was slow but the serial never wandered around aimlessly. The director managed to keep a firm grip on the story. Everything was shown in detail and the brilliant acting by the entire cast and especially the two leads, Fahad Mustafa and Sanam Baloch, made it even more interesting and realistic.

Meri Beti

Considering that it is Big Bang Entertainment’s second production, Meri Beti has all the ingredients of a good drama. The production quality is amazing, the cast is good and the story is different. It portrays how hard it is for divorced or widowed women to survive in our society, especially if they have kids. The lead character, played by the talented Sabreen Hasbani, has to abandon her daughter out of fear that her second husband won’t accept her. Her mother, played by Samina Peerzada, takes up the responsibility of bringing her up as her own daughter. Arij Fatima plays the role of the daughter, Iraj, who grows up thinking that her mother is her sister. While the storyline is serious, it has light moments and entire episodes are not engulfed by countless tears.

The cast consists of Sabreen Hasbani, Samina Peerzada, Arij Fatima, Shahood Alvi and others. All of the actors have done a brilliant job in portraying the complexities of their characters.

Pyare Afzal

Another brilliant production by Six Sigma Plus. Though only two episodes have aired so far, I am absolutely in love with this show. From the title song to the cast, everything is amazing. So far the story seems unique as well. The cast includes Ayeza Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Firdous Jamal, Saba Hameed etc.

The story revolves around Afzal, played by Hamza Ali Abbasi, an irresponsible young man who is a constant pain for his family, especially his father Subhan Allah, (Firdous Jamal) who is a religious cleric. Afzal’s way of income: gambling. He is also a notorious ‘charsi’ and receives love notes from a girl who has made him swear to keep her identity hidden. Though his character is shaky, he isn’t completely devoid of morals.

On the other hand is Farah, played by Ayeza Khan, a confident and free spirited girl who is about to get married to a person who she doesn’t like in the least. For once, Ayeza Khan is not portraying a roti dhoti haseena, a character which has become synonymous with her name.

So far, the serial is enjoyable. It has humour, drama and reality. The unpredictable story is the most intriguing factor.

Shak

I’m not sure if the story should be labeled as unique but it has been executed beautifully, nonetheless. The leading cast includes Sanam Saeed, Adeel Hussain, Ayesha Khan and Jibran. The serial revolves around the lives of Sham and Sania, played by Adeel Hussain and Sanam Saeed, ex fiancés who have now married different people and have moved on with life. Sehrish, (Ayesha Khan) Sham’s wife, is a cheery housewife who dotes on her husband. Sania and Ali (Jibran) are happy with each other as well but due to financial problems, they have started having differences. Thanks to fate, the two families have met as neighbours and despite all Sania’s reservations, have also become friends.

The serial has been interesting so far and all the actors have played their parts convincingly. Yasir Nawaz’s superb direction and Six Sigma Plus’ brilliant production makes this serial a must watch.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

Follow Farwa on Twitter: @fbNaqvi

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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