Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha… If you love something, set it free, If it comes back, it is yours, If it doesn’t, it never was
Seems like Saad is following the mantra. However, in between setting it (Maheer) free, and her coming back to him is a big IF, and Saad will have to bear the pain of that uncertainty in the following episodes!
But moving on to the latest episode, there is stuff that made it worth the watch, and stuff that, well, could’ve been pulled up many notches!
The Good Stuff First!
Maheer’s nervousness yet determination to attend the dinner hosted by Areeb must have sent ripples of nods as many young girls recognized the first love/ attention feels. But is Maheer in love or merely curious to experience a world and attention from a young guy who seems faintly interesting to her. Yeah, Areeb is not just far from faintly interested in Maheer, judging by the latest phone conversation, in fact, he’s very, very much enraptured by her charms.
The Not So Good?
Audiences have questioned the straightforwardness, and outright (over) confidence of Areeb while approaching Maheer – attempting to grab a hand for the second time, certainly wouldn’t go down well on the consent formula. We appreciated Maheer asking him to let go off her hand and Areeb dropped a notch or two in our books for attempting to do the same But, if the character had been written with a tad more subtlety, Areeb might have found himself receiving more sympathy from those rooting for a romance. You need to up your game Areeb, piece of friendly advice! Unfortunately, the Saad – Maheer camp is so strong that Areeb doesn’t stand much f a chance off screen, but onscreen, he seems to be closing in on Maheer’s heart, hmm? What say you?
The problem is that, the love tactics employed by Abeer border on crossing a line. For many, that would be a bit too overwhelming, the ring and down-on-one-knee drama in the midst of a crowd certainly wouldn’t go down well, too hasty, and, we would say, ranking high on the insensitivity meter – placing Maheer in an uncomfortable position with undue pressure – love or infatuation? You tell us.
The Moments That Compromise The Drama
Moving on to the friends. The cringe behaviour of both Anabiya and Areeb’s friends is compromising the feel of the drama. Where the show attempts to propel a liberal minded mindset from Areeb and Anabiya’s backgrounds, it just ends up throwing highly toxic feels, actors who are low on talent and performance and characters who need to mouth believable dialogues that add to, rather than takeaway from the scenes. Unfortunately, the drama is failing miserably on the friend’s front.
In Your Face Toxicity Ruins The Narrative (Again)
Moreover, toxicity from both moms – Maheer’s and Areeb’s needs to played subtly. The manner in which Maheer’s mom dismissed her long-lost friend who had visited with Rishta Aunty and then told off her husband (after which she proceeded to have a loving conversation with him) seemed off for multiple reasons – greyness, we acknowledge, is a tough act to follow, but adds miles to any negative character and that’s sharply missing from the formula!
In the same way, Areeb’s mom trashing the ‘cheap’ bracelet was just so in your face, predictable and toxic that it left no space for any sort of relatability factor. You see, we understand that Areeb and Maheer are from different backgrounds, but Areeb’s mother’s discomfort could have been relayed in a more palatable, believable manner.
Now, Coming To Our Saad, Tragic Hero And All, Last But Definitely Not The Least
Poor Saad attempted to follow Maheer’s directions in the previous episode and exercised his haq (presumed right) to caution Maheer about attending the dinner, but to no avail. Moreover, his diary conversations suggested a selfless kind of love, a love that relies on being reciprocated in its own strength, without laying any overt claim to the beloved (in this case Maheer).
While we all respect his sentiments. Saad would do well to take on Neelo’s advice that somethings need to be said, but our tragic hero refuses to take the bait! Sigh!
On a last note, the brother sister dynamics are super heartwarming, we needed more endearing scenes between Saad and Maheer, coz we’re still hung up on the car scene from episode one and Areeb needs to get his act together to get the audience to root for him, however, we don’t see that happening.
Love or Infatuation?
A point to ponder – Love or Infatuation? What is it for our romantic hero Areeb? We know it’s love for Saad by the way! And poor Maheer, what is it for her? She’s in no man’s land for now, and plans to stay there till she’s sure, which, we admit, is not a bad thing at all!
