Another week in dramas with Meri Shehzadi and Pinjra taking the lead, but just as I predicted Aik Thi Laila will give them a run for their money, and then, along comes Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha!
As Shamsher becomes amar (immortalized) in our lives and Mehak’s love for him lives on forever, we let go of Bakhtawar ever making it to a climax and Habs can hop on the bandwagon too – here’s a roundup of what worked better onscreen this week!
Meri Shehzadi has us traversing the ins and outs of political intrigues
Shahana tends to work her conspiracies within and outside the family, but she is most effective with the IQ challenged Shehroze – what should one do when one owns an offspring that is devoid of clever thoughts – one does as Shahana does and controls his mind, and what a game it is turning out to be! While that story moves forward, we also have Dania foregoing her chance at governing a ministry but I think she’ll get her own back soon.
Good to see Meri Shehzadi moving past family politics to some real power games – the trailer is the main reason I picked this drama because Dania coming into her own is what I and audiences, I’m sure, want to see. What’s this girl really made off and can she stop being fooled by Shehroze’s chameleon-like moods – we hope so. If not, the story might disappoint. So we’re holding on to the hope here!
Fraud and the thappar makes a comeback
Fraud and I’m not happy to report that the notorious thappar (slap) has given way to our hero holding the heroine by her hand and walking her out of the house! Yeah, take that! Whether it’s in the middle of the night, broad daylight or any other time of the day, it seems our men forget themselves often, nurture major anger management issues and oh so many ways to vent – getting creative with manifesting anger means taking the leap from one form of abuse to another. Shaan’s character so far showed nothing to justify this behaviour.
On another note, I did love the way Saba Qamar aka Maya came into her own and emoted before her parents – no more she uttered. Saba always aces the scene where she is offered the stage, showing us what she’s truly made of, and its GOLD! Her outburst was both smooth and super natural with real life vibes – as if she had forgotten there was a camera lens staring her in the face! Fraud has kept it going and we’re thankful for the story arc, but I do wish Shaan’s reaction had been less predictable! Oh to transform Pakistani drama husbands is a task and a half I guess, am I expecting too much? But then, if Wabaal can do it, then why not Fraud?
Wabaal dishing out husband goals
Wabaal and I’m wondering if Anam’s desire for all things worldly knows about the break pedal, Obviously not as she hurtles headfirst into a disaster -self-made in her married life and then lack of driving skills in her driving life – a catastrophic plunge might bring her to her senses you think? Interesting that Sabaat had the same effect on Sara Khan’s character and the accident solved any further need for therapy! (Of course, she did marry her therapist, but we won’t get into that). For those who have no clue what I’m blabbering about, click here to get the inside story..
Great to see Maham requesting the ghar daamaad option and great to see Hammad and family agreeing happily. Wabaal is setting refreshing Pakistani drama husband goals and both writer Qaisera Hayat and director Amin Iqbal deserve to be lauded here!
And we move on to Aik Thi Laila!
The directorial debut of Yasir Hussain has launched an engaging first episode and it has as much to do with Iqra Aziz as it doesn’t. In other words, although we loved to see her onscreen, it’s refreshing to spot an ensemble cast with new and seasoned faces keeping our attention, bringing a smile to our face and wanting us to keep watching because of sharp edits, a well-paced story line and youth oriented references eg TikTok, to keep it real and relevant. Some characters I loved – Constable Ruqaiya played by none other than Maham Aamir and Mr. Tenant played by Saad Khan. The drama emits, for me, a theatre-like feel with innovative camera angles emitting a playful vibe yet keeping things intriguing and just the right amount of serious, not OTT – all that in an episode with the story running is quite an achievement and Yasir has proved his mettle here. This one’s a watch for sure, I’d recommend you watch episode 2!
Pinjra is about to unleash its wrath on the parenting world or it has already – neck deep in it actually!
So Pinjra is your worst nightmare, I can’t get enough and the fact that they’ve kept it real with BTS from the juvenile centre, the lawyer mix up, Abaan refusing to meet his parents and then Javed losing it when he does, makes me want to throttle the man. Yet, he is as ignorant and unaware of his faults as Abaan is innocent – it is unfortunate that no one has yet inquired Abaan’s story of how events transpired that fateful day, from him directly, even more unfortunate that Khadija is unable to take a stand. But Pinjra is not about heroes – it’s about the moments in our lives when heroes fail to happen, and all hell breaks lose. It’s when Khadijas will continue to be Khadijas and we sincerely hope that the Wajihas in our lives can find a way out even if a lot of the damage has already been done. Pinjra is a story that advocates for family therapy, once the family is out of the woods, which is a long time coming for now, but I’m so, so relieved to see the views on this drama going up finally – watch it because it’s gripping, real and hopefully, will help us seek answers, and recognize that children need love and communicative relationships above all else.
And last but not the least is our new kid on the block – Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha!
The Wahaj Ali x Hania Aamir x Zaviyar Naumaan story that’s taking drama viewers by storm. Click here for a full blown review of Episode 1. Click here for Wahaj’s take on the drama. And keep reading for everything else!
So, will Saad aka Wahaj get the girl or not? Don’t know about that but he’s certainly got his fans in a frenzy with those opening scenes of the drama, and then, so as to cap it, I can tell you for sure that longing for chai on the terrace tugged at many heart strings! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, very few actors do romance right to the tee and Wahaj Ali is one of them. The episode might have thrown us typical filmy vibes, a love at first sight hero (Areeb), a perfectly balanced heroine – Maahir teetering between confident, cheeky and unsure of herself all at the same time, yeah, good job there Hania – but … that car scene, from start to end was gold in my books! You wanted to keep watching the banter unravel, there was zero scenery, zero accompanying , lilting OST, just expressions, crisp dialogue and lots of smiles. To quote Yaqeen Ka Safar – we wanted “keh raasta khatam hi na ho’!” What more could one ask for on a Monday evening? You tell me!
Now although the drama has just begun and I sense a predictable story line, let’s hope the execution and performances stay on point – this one’s a filmy ride for sure, so watch if you want to lose yourself in intense romance, heavy moments and hopefully, some more cheeky scenes between Maahir and Saad! The rest as they say, will have to wait!
And that’s all from me folks! Adios and keep on watching, not all, but some of the winning dramas that made it to our TV screens this month. Pssst: notice I left out some, so watch the rest at your own discretion, and don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Actors Of the Week – Find Out Who Made It To Our List!
Watch our latest Drama Gup of the week here:
