Aye Ishq E Junoon – the new drama on the block. As the first to episodes have aired, here’s our take.
The new drama season is upon us and with Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum and Zard Patton Ka Bunn behind us, it is going to be hard, very hard, for drama creators to keep the momentum going. But the least fans expect, and deserve, is a genuine effort to push boundaries.
Aye Ishq e Junoon just dazzled us with a star cast. Ushna Shah, Sheheryar Munawar, Shuja Asad, Mah e Nur Haider… the list is endless. The drama has the man behind the lens – Qasim Ali Mureed and writer Sadia Akhter behind the story. Aye Ishq e Junoon just aired its first two episodes on ARY Digital this week.
The Story
The story is about an honest, hardworking young girl, Aimen, essayed by Usha Shah, who works hard to support her family, a younger brother who has cancer and needs a blood transfusion every month, an elder sister who’s married and demanding, and an invalid father who cannot work anymore – add to that, demanding brother in-law and fiancé who are also quite dependent, or have their eyes on Aimen’s income.
One would think the poor girl is heading an empire to feed these poor souls and finance her brother’s treatment as well. But no, she must sell her gold chain to raise money for his urgent blood transfusion and also find herself suddenly out of a job.
The one who’s running the empire while he perfects his golf strokes is no other than Rahim, enter Sheheryar Munawar, who has a story (we’re not quite so sure what it is but it involves a neglected childhood and a doting father). His present includes a demanding fiancée; Maheen played by Mah e Nur Haider and a spoilt-rotten, pranking brother Shehroze aka Shuja Asad (what is he, 5? More like 25 most probably), who is lovingly admonished by his loving mother (Irsa Ghazal) while he cruises the world, explores exotic lands and winces at the thought of walking into his family’s 5-star hotel to help run the company – too much hard work when the going is good, don’t you agree?
Oh, we forget the final trope in the Aye Ishq e Junoon jigsaw, Jamaal, played by Furqan Qureshi, cousin and fiancé to Aimen. Also, could be called a good-for-nothing parasite on society who stalks Aimen, forcefully holds her hand and makes her ride with him on his bike, threatening repercussions if she doesn’t. He also plans to do ‘not much’ in future except marry her and live off her earnings.
The Plot Is Set
Our hero-heroine have met and heroine has been employed by the generous hero who appreciates her sense of self-respect.
Now the stage is set for a budding romance, but all that after they have rubbed off a few mishaps and treated us to a slow-burn romance (just us predicting the future), or a fast forward leap into the unknown as things might take a dramatic turn in coming episodes? We’re not entirely sure which way it goes, but guess that’s the hook in the drama, gotta watch it beyond two episodes!
Oh well. The story makes for watch time only if you love watching Sheheryar and Ushna onscreen, which we do too. Both actors have great onscreen presence. Plus, the direction and execution is visually pleasing; from the opulent lifestyle of the rich and famous to performances; when Maheen and Rahim are talking over the phone, expressions and dialogues have a real-feel to them. One almost can’t decide if Maheen is, after all, a good match for Rahim, till she turns on her spoilt, petulant trope attitude, walking into Rahim’s office in the middle of his workday and demanding instant attention – yes, big eye roll there, been there and seen that a thousand times.
Meet The Characters
Similarly, Aimen’s sister perpetually demanding money from her mother, knowing her brother is sick and Aimen, the lone bread-earner for the family, pointed to some seriously toxic sibling behaviour that we thought we had left far behind, but alas, it’s making a comeback.
Shehroze’s behavioural issues might be suspect but what is more frustrating is his mother’s condoning and taking lightly of a grown man’s glaring red flags, especially when the grown man happens to be her son.
We assume there is a backstory (and we hope for the sake of the story, that there is), so that all is not lost.
On a final note, great to see Sheheryar Munawar and Ushna Shah pair up and we hope the story picks up in new ways, one that surely does push the envelope and surprises us in unexpected plot shifts.
For one, the narrative is paced well and one finds Aye Ishq e Junoon to be a breezy watch. The first two episodes have set the stage for much drama to follow. And now that you have the recap, go ahead and watch this one to see if it’s the drama season’s watch for you!
Did we miss something? Drop us a comment to tell us if you’ve watched Aye Ishq e Junoon and your thoughts on the story so far!
The drama is penned by Sadia Akhtar and directed by Qasim Ali Mureed. It is a project of Six Sigma Productions. The cast features Sheheryar Munawwar, Ushna Shah, Mahe Nur Haider, and Shuja Asad in the lead roles. The supporting cast includes Mohammed Ahmed, Mehmood Aslam, Shabbir Jan, Sohail Sameer, Irsa Ghazal, Furqan Qureshi, Kinza Malik and more.
