Pakistani Dramas are back in action, so don’t lose hope just yet! Maheer gives Saad hope and Jhoom gives audiences a filmy twist! Join in as I dissect the conversations around Kuch Ankahi and attempt to understand if Kim is really falling in love with Dawood? Also, what would you do if you were the Areeb in your life? (Other than taking a gun to your head). And Neem kicks off at a relaxed pace which is not necessarily that bad if you watch after the fast & furious Jhoom!
So here goes, first comes first and it’s Neem since it just made an entry into the drama world!
Neem – The Story That Seems Predictable But I Don’t Think So!
When Mawra Hocane chooses to essay a character, you can bet she puts her whole heart into it. But more importantly, it’s all about standing up for the marginalized, the fight for everyone’s rights kinda girl – remember Sabaat? Even in Qissa Meherbano Ka, she probably fought for herself amidst all the madness, and won, eventually. hence, I have high expectations from this one. So far, episode 1 has hit slo mo mode as we meet the players from Karamat aka Syed Jibran (the most threatening and likely to cause the most trouble), to Shazil aka Arsalan Naseer who seems fairly innocuous as the fiance in waiting and Ashhad who seems even more innocuous, yet likeable as the second in waiting.
Anyway, Zimal is back from university and all set to change the world (sounds like a character Mawra would take on?) armed with a Masters degree in Education. I like the fact that the conflict is lurking on the surface with Karamat attempting to shut down the cable network aka fahashi in the village as he happily enjoys his YouTube views. I also like that Zimal’s nucleus family is free from toxicity. The rest, yet to unfold, though the scenic views are enough to give this one a chance.
The narrative of a girl fighting for the rights of the down trodden and changing lives might be a cliched narrative for many but I feel it has a lot of substance. We need more stories that tell the story of all the women and young girls who actually made that happen, I just wish the story was, in essence inspired by the struggle of many young women in Pakistan who have really done that. Like I say often, we have so many real life heroes among us and a booming drama industry to tell their stories, so please go ahead and tell them – beats any fictional character in my book!
What could have been better? Zimal’s streak of idealism where she drops off cash to labourers at a whim but forgets that the clothes she had ordered online (which she didn’t pick up subsequently), also sustain labourers along the supply chain. Overthinking? Not really, it’s like saying a Tim Horton’s coffee in a cup doesn’t help boost the economy in Lahore, because you know what, it does! Read more about it here.
Anyway, do tell me if you’re enjoying the pace, Neem is new and let’s wait for it to warm up which I think will happen very soon while we move on to …
Ehraam e Junoon And Shanzay is Kinda Growing On Me!
So here’s a story of a young man Shayan aka Imran Abbas who is being helped by a young woman aka Shanzay (Oh I love how their names match more than Sajila’s) to climb the ladder of success.
But Shanzay’s support, though heartfelt, comes at a price! She is in love with our hero who is, engaged to be married to the super materialistic Sajila. In effect, Shanzay has done Shani a huge favour by showing him that Sajila will drop him like a hot potato if Shayan doesn’t make it big in the corporate world! However, our lover boy, for now, is playing it safe by keeping the girl and the job with Shanzay making her guest appearances from time to time to remind him of her generous and unsolicited support (and love).
Interesting to know that Shayan seems to have absolved himself of guilt since he did warn his family and Sajila that the job comes at a price, but alas, they refused to listen! Anyway, if we delve deeper, we can feel the refreshing ‘new’ in this narrative as a woman moves in to help a man move ahead in life, and why not?
What could have been better? Shanzay seems to have fallen head over heels in love with Shani literally at first sight. The relationship lacks depth and we often wonder why she is so smitten other than his looks? If you have a better explanation or something I missed, please do fill me in. I would also like to see Shani doing something productive at work rather than just playing phone tag with Shanzay and Sajila. Lastly, it’s good to see that the concept of jahez is being brought up as a message, hope to see that one taken up as a meaningful dialogue.
And before we go, why doesn’t Shayan tell Shanzay that he is already engaged? I mean, is it a secret? he is clearly not in love with her so far, so why not come out with the whole truth? Clearly a missing piece in the Pakistani drama puzzle, (they love to leave some loopholes and this is one of them). Of course, Shanzay is now going to be all upset when she finds out the truth and the more dramatic, the more drama in the narrative I guess. So we’ll wait for that one to come full circle, happening soon, in episode next!
Yunhi & Is Kim Falling In Love With Dawood, Despite Her Best Intentions?
So our American return Kim is making chai for her Pakistani susraal, omelet for her husband and also being fed by him, lovingly, which brings me to a natural conclusion – is Kim falling in love? Though Kim’s representation often misses the mark where foreign returned girls are concerned, her criticism of how the household is run is fairly on point. From dada doing practically nothing other than interfering in the lives of his brood, to Danial being a misogynistic brother who has one rule for himself and another for his sister, to Iqbal not being able to decide her career or life partner choices (that includes Suraiya btw), to being able to wear what she wants, where she wants, Kim is making us think about the hypocrisies that we live and rely on by habit. In fact, these beliefs are almost second nature, are they not? Don’t wear jeans outside the home or in crowded public places, obey your parents if they decide your life partner for you, they must be right. Men must feed the entire family because women shouldn’t work, washing dishes are menial jobs etc etc etc.
Kim took her time but she’s warming up now to convince us that she’s not all about rebellion or blatantly speaking her mind. The catch 22 is, if she can convince Dawood to take a stand for his sister – will he or won’t he? That might also make her fall for him by the way! Episode next out soon, wait for it!
What could have been better? Kim’s turn around and suddenly prepping chai and breakfast for the khaandaan was a bit too much to digest overnight. But then again, I loved how she is always haazir jawaab with all the inequities she sees around her. Perhaps a bit more credibility in her character arc might help us understand how such characters not only change those around them, but also change themselves through self awareness and a desire to better themselves (which Kim has the potential to do, no doubt). Anyway, I love Bilal Ashraf and Maya Ali’s onscreen chemistry here and also loving Tazeen Hussain’s return to the screen, hoping Zulfi makes a comeback and soon!
Onwards to the filmy twist in none other than …
Jhoom – The Story That’s Sending Out Multiple Messages In One Episode!
From addressing Depression and how hard it is for those who experience it and then attempt to re-integrate into society, to anger management, guns, violence, single parenting and a romantic relationship with an age difference, Jhoom is ticking all the boxes albeit with a filmy twist.
Why would Mariyam listen to her juvenile delinquent brother? Oh well, because he’s the only family she has, I guess. Hence the (un)happy couple turn to a forced separation where even a phone call is considered off limits. But despite the non believability of the filmy factor where Maryam weeps her troubles as she counts the days without Aryaan, Zara Noor Abbas has performed the part so well, that even the added dramatics are good to watch! Nonetheless, the most poignant twist for me was the way Aryaan was side-lined as a possible candidate for prospective jobs due to his past rehab history.
For that alone, Jhoom deserves a clap on the back – the narrative went where no other narrative has been before. It addresses the challenges of seeking gainful employment by someone who has undergone psychological treatment. I would definitely like to know more about Pakistani employment laws – local Pakistani vs multi national companies, how do they operate with this clause and why can individuals not be declared of sound mind after treatment. Also, what can and cannot be disclosed via personal information vis a vis an employee? I would expect that once Jhoom has taken this step, it will explore and inform accordingly!
Anyway, so far the story is fast-paced, performances are up there, from the ensemble cast to the main leads!
What could have been better? The romance quotient between Aryaan and Mariyam needs a face lift. We loved the intensity but we need something light hearted now, all work and no play makes for a boring love story, so here’s hoping the next episode brings some relief! Get more on Jhoom here.
Onwards to the one and only …
Kuch Ankahi – Aliya You Have My Heart, And Then … You Don’t!
The drama is aptly titled Kuch Ankahi because so much is lost in lack of communication, so much must be deduced (by the audiences and characters), without it being said, so much is left unsaid …
Aliya wants to be trusted without giving an explanation for her actions, Salman is afraid of losing her, he wants commitment and definitely not following the Kuch Ankahi mantra of keeping silent, Samiya needs to read between the lines and ‘get’ what Saif is not saying and the entire khandaan needs to understand what Sophie phoppo is not saying as well – is she afraid of taking the plunge again? Is that it? And what about Azfar? Is he afraid to admit he has a thing for Aliya?
Much has been written about Aliya’s character – is she rude, temperamental, a poor example for working girls, unprofessional or … does she have a right to exercize her right of choice and needs time doing that? Now if only Aliya had said that to Salman: “I’m not sure about things, I need time”. Or, did she say that already and did he (and we) not listen? Was she too abrupt with him though? Do we expect too much from Aliya as usual, because she’s a woman, who must be tender, understanding, patient? Or … would we be crying murder if the roles were reversed and Salman had said … “I will marry when I want, when I meet someone like myself? Mein koi aam sa larka nahi hoon!“
Is Kuch Ankahi reversing gender roles – Salman being the more persistent, desperate one and Aliya being the obstinate, arrogant one? And more importantly, are we ready to digest the switchover or will we always expect men to be like Azfar – the dominant alpha male who orders women around (the way he asked Aliya to take back her resignation, and she did). And will we always want women to be like Samiya; the ‘making do in any situation’ type, the compromising, silent, inner strength type?
To appreciate the story and the reason behind why the characters behave the way they do, we too, have a journey. And don’t forget, no one is perfect. The characters we see onscreen are as flawed as we are, so give them the right to tread their journey just like we tread ours.
Kuch Ankahi is a very astute script and Mohammad Ahmed and Kashf Foundation must be lauded for being brave enough to throw us an Aliya and a Salman who are anything but the cobwebbed versions of men and women we carry in our minds!
Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas Khan are doing a fab job. What is interesting though, is how viewers are shipping Azfar and Aliya, do we have great expectations of the silent, angry young man embedded so deep within our psyche that we can’t see the Salman’s of the world for what they are – Genuine, transparent, caring and thankfully (un)messed up? Do we always root for a pairing in which we want a girl to ‘fix’ her angry man and go for the trouble maker rather than the home maker? In that case, Kaisi Teri Khudgharzi wasn’t far from the truth was it? So why are we complaining then?
Ask yourselves this question girls. Why you root for Azfar and Aliya together? Or is it that Sheheryar Munawar is doing a formidable job at essaying Azfar in all his shades – cool, charming, distant, desirable and eligible? More on Kuch Ankahi here.
Enough to ponder on while we turn to … the new kid on the block!
Stop Press – Jhok Sarkar Is Here!
Before I call it a day, a quick wrap up on Jhok Sarkar. Last night’s episode was a feather in the cap of director Saife Hasan as he played the often watched theme of tyrannical feudal lords to perfection. Despite a story line we might have seen before, the execution was so superb, the scenes so full of suspense that we were fully invested in the story of Noori and Shaukat, fearing for their lives! Asif Raza Mir aka Peeran Saeen did a fab job and Farhan Saeed and Hiba Bukhari made us want more of course! But what kept the narrative going in the first episode was an impactful performance from Maham Shahid as Noori and Asad Khan as Shaukat! Well done folks!
The landscape of the region was captured superbly as visuals of the Cholistan desert emerged in all its glory. The camera lens skirted refreshingly new angles that added to the viewing experience. Looking forward to an intriguing tale of love, suspense, action and more from Jhok Sarkar! Well done first episode!
Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha – And Why Both Saad & Maheer Need To Speak Up More!
So Saad finally gets a silver lining in his very dark cloud as Maheer proceeds to own her relationship and relegates her love story to the makings of none other than divine help – If Allah has chosen you for me, then He must be right! I for one, still want her to acknowledge that she is, in fact in love with a person whom she sought the moment she opened her eyes at the hospital.
Maheer’s love for Saad runs deeper than the shallow, first love she experienced with Areeb. That love might have been more blinding, a crazy kind of ‘end of the earth’ feeling, but definitely not too deep. After all, what did she know of Areeb? It was more of a reciprocal kind of love (in my humble opinion) where Areeb wooed (stalked) her and she fell for the attention, flattery and yes, emotions.
Hence, for Maheer to merely say she gives in to a relationship chosen for her by Allah is really undermining her feelings for Saad. Again, hoping reality strikes soon, in the same way that she gave Saad a wakeup call for not taking control when she needed to go to the hospital, she needs to wake up to her true feelings for Saad!
Anyway, time to watch some tender, fun, light hearted moments from our hero and heroine, which we have been deprived of forever. And the final question, is Areeb turning psycho – a distressed nakaam mohabbat lover boy who pulls out a gun every time things don’t go his way? I mean, I have visions of him doing this when his mom refused to give in to his tantrums, even as a child. Picture this:
Areeb: I want candy.
Mom: No, it’s dinner time and sugar is bad for you.
Areeb: Pulling out a gun, “Okay, now … I’m saying it one more time, I want candy or else …?” Cut scene!
Get the drift. The poor guy has been using this toy forever and he’s always got what he wanted hence his disorientation as Maheer utters the never before spoken word – NO!
Okay jokes apart, Areeb is that obsessive kind of love we don’t need in our lives and I wish Saad had better competition so that we could really feel Areeb’s pain too. But that’s not the story folks, so we wish him all the best with … Faha?
And on that heavy note, we shall give it a break! Lots to think about! That’s it from The Week In Pakistani Dramas – Wait to catch more as Jhok Sarkar makes an entry into the league of Pakistani dramas dawning on a new-age horizon (with Green Entertainment giving everyone a run for their money)!
