More often than not, Pakistani dramas have at their heart, a toxic trope in the form of a male or female character who’s lost his or her heart to our heroine and when the love story stays one-sided, we see a predictable resort to conspiracy, underhand, sneaky tactics, unraveling a chain of events that makes audiences roll their eyes and say, what? Didn’t we just watch that in the past, maybe, 50 dramas? This is why, when Zeenat in Jaan-e-Jahan flipped sides, and boy did she flip, viewers applauded with resounding clarity! Here’s why!
The play is written by Rida Bilal and brought to life under the direction of Qasim Ali Mureed. It is produced by Sana Shahnawaz and Samina Humayun of Next Level Entertainment in collaboration with Shahzad Nasib and Humayun Saeed of Six Sigma Plus. The cast, features Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ayeza Khan, Asif Raza Mir, Savera Nadeem, Mariyam Nafees, Haris Waheed, Emmad Irfani, Raza Talish, Nawal Saeed, Saqib Sumeer, and others.
Jaan e Jahan’s screenplay, storytelling, and concept by Next Level Entertainment team have made it a project very close to the creator’s heart. It has been sensitively penned by writer Rida Bilal and brought to our screens by none other than director Qasim Ali Mureed. The dreamy feel of the storytelling with performances to match is making a place in audience’s hearts.
We Weren’t Expecting It!
Zeenat tropes are by the dozen. They come, they attempt to destroy the lives of the heroine or hero, by not allowing their love story to be fulfilled and eventually, in the final or second last episode of the drama, they are revealed for what they are – dark, bitter souls.
And Zeenat’s story seemed to be walking the same path.
Zeenat, under mentorship from her khala Kishwar, first tried to attract Shehraam by drawing him into conversation, tending to his needs and sense of loneliness, and just “being there” quite obviously to fill the void.
So, through no fault of audiences, who had seen this one play out multiple times before, we expected the story to make a toxic flip and soon, where Zeenat turns all saazishi, plotting and scheming against Mahnoor to claim her prize – i.e. the unsuspecting Shehraam.
But surprise, surprise, that’s not about to happen now, or so we hope!
Zeenat Played It Subtle From The Get Go
Even before she came out to whole heartedly support Shehraam in the latest episode, Zeenat aka Maryam Nafees’s character played a subtle role of not really coming on too strong and walking the fine line between appearing toxic and just, merely, a young girl acting out what her aunt brainwashed her into doing.
Mariyam Nafees added a touch of humour to her interactions with Shehraam. His perceived discomfort before her and her attempts at coming closer and creating a bond with him even came off as slightly innocent and smile-worthy. It was obvious Zeenat didn’t have her heart in it and was just following instructions. Often she would give in, realizing Shehraam is not interested, but then, egged on (and bullied) by her ever persistent khala, would try again.
This fine shade in Zeenat’s character allowed audiences to gravitate towards her rather than view her as a scheming nuisance, often a reaction from audiences when they see a toxic trope at play.
But surprise, surprise, this was not walking the toxic line just yet!
Zeenat Saves Shehraam With Great Detective Work & More!
We didn’t see this coming. We hoped she would, but we weren’t sure if Zeenat was made of all the good stuff she showed off in the latest episode of Jaan e Jahan! The entire scene sequence from discovering the bottle of medication to the yoga excuse, prepping a shake and ensuring she takes Shehraam his breakfast, was such a win-win for audiences perceptions of Zeenat!
Not just the super detective work, but also the fact that the storytelling allowed audiences to comprehend why Zeenat might lean towards Shehraam due to their shared loss over a parent, subsequently gave us the green signal that Zeenat might, in fact be Shehraam’s saviour?
Jaane Jahan might be giving audiences a love story they’ve seen before, but it is packaging the narrative in a charming way. From Shehraam’s affirmation to life once more, due to Mahnoor’s presence, to Mahnoor shining that light his way, Kishwar and Tabrez’s toxicity might have become too overbearing had it not been for Zeenat’s moves in the latest episode that really made audiences sit up and take notice.
It is great to see Jaan e Jahan breaking down a trope we’ve seen many times before and also, to view a woman who is more supportive and less toxic, and that too, in a spirited character portrayal. Zeenat is not your average boring miss goody two shoes, she has gumption and a fun-loving, playful twist to her that are endearing her to audiences with each passing episode.
It remains to be seen if she really is falling in love with Shehraam, because if she does, she will surely have the audience’s sympathies because … she’s already won their hearts!
And that dear folks, is something many stories have been unable to achieve!
