Aahista Aahista: GOOD. RIDDANCE.

I am currently at a loss for words.  I have no idea how to write a review for a show that ended so craptastically.   There's just no way for this review to be positive.

Let's just do a re-cap of this ENTIRE story.  No, not from the writer's point of view.  From MY point of view.  I just want us ALL to be on the same page so that there's no confusion.

Zawar (Adnan Siddiqui) is a cowardly liar who, instead of confessing to his mother in Pakistan that he's married an Indian woman, avoids discussions of marriage with his aging mother by.....not visiting her.....at all.  Zawar loves his mother a lot, but is too much of a coward to look into her eyes and tell her that he can't get married, because he's already married to a woman he would disapprove of.

On the other end, we have Zawar's wife Sophie (Sarwat Gillani).  Read:  "the villain."  Why is she a villain, you ask?  Because she's Indian, not Muslim and hey, guess what?  She's not a "legitimate wife" because Zawar hasn't confessed to his family about her.  The writers do their BEST to make this character thoroughly evil.  But to no avail:  All I was left with is that this character is a human being.  Given, a rude, witchy sort of human being, but who wouldn't react like her in this sort of situation?

Zawar FINALLY decides to go to Pakistan to visit his miserable mother who is sick with missing him.  While there, he marries Hayaa (Mawra Hocane).  Hayaa is much younger than him, a very innocent girl and is loved a lot by Bi Jaan (Saba Hameed) and the other family members (Hina Bayat, Behroze Sabwari, who are both wasted in roles not worthy of their acting capabilities).  Zawar just CANNOT say "No, I'm already married."  So he does the next logical thing:  He marries Hayaa.  OK?  Again.  COWARD.

Zawar leaves Hayaa in Pakistan and runs back to wife #1, Sophie.  But you know, that marriage, it's a tricky little thing!  Your wife USUALLY wants to LIVE WITH YOU.  So here comes Hayaa, courtesy Bi Jaan and Co., off to the USA to start her married life with Zawar!   But hey, Zawar can't tell Sophie that he's married.....again.  WOW.  COWARD.  So instead, Zawar keeps Hayaa in his house as "a friend's wife" and Sophie treats Hayaa like a servant.  Zawar defends her though of course?  Nope.  Wrong.  COWARD.  He just watches Sophie treat Hayaa like crap.

(Crazy) Sophie is something else.  She just assumes Hayaa is a guest, at least for a little while.  But she proceeds to treat Hayaa like complete garbage, because that's how we treat guests in America.  "Yeh America hai!  Yahan khud kaam karna padta hai!"  Yes.  This is how Pakistanis/Indians in the USA behave, we treat our guests like our personal cook, masseuse and cleaning lady.

Anyways, Hayaa deals with all this.  Finally, after many ridiculous scenarios, verbal abuse from Sophie and downright degrading behavior from all involved, Hayaa is THROWN out of the house by Sophie - because guess what?  That's right.  She caught Hayaa and Zawar cuddling.  At this point, Zawar MUST have said "Hey, she's my wife!"  Right?  Right.....rightttt?????  NO.  He just watches as Hayaa skulks away from the house and is taken in by Javed Sheikh and his wife, kindly Pakistani neighbors.

Zawar instantly repents and tries to rectify his mistake.  How?  Well you know, when Sophie has a miscarriage, he pays the hospital bill and just doesn't give a crap.  It's ALL Sophie's fault.  She should've just LET him cuddle with a random girl under her nose!  Meanwhile, Sophie in her grief calls Bi Jaan and introduces herself as Zawar's wife.  Bi Jaan has a severe attack and ends up in the hospital, with only enough time to disown Zawar entirely before dying.  Because Bi Jaan is EVIL and hates Indian people!  No.....it's actually because Zawar treated her beloved Hayaa as a servant and lied like the coward he is.

Bi Jaan is dead, Zawar is cut off from the family and he doesn't have Hayaa.  He has nothing left in life!!!!  Oh wait.....but he still has Sophie?  Oh that pesky girl!  Being in love with someone for 8 years doesn't mean anything!  Zawar has a new love, Hayaa!  And he will devote his entire life to her.  So Sophie does what any logical self-respecting woman would:  asks for a separation and leaves.

This is all perfect.  At this point, we're all thinking "Zawar is going to get what he deserves!  NOTHING!  YES!!!"

With the last episode, everything goes downhill.  The entire team brings us to such high hopes and then crushes those hopes with evil giggles as they present the final 30 seconds of the episode to us, leaving us wondering WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

In this episode, we see the return of Shehroz Sabzwari's character, the cute, sweet, interested Pakistani boy who was so interested in Hayaa.  And guess what?  He's Javed Sheikh's nephew Mustafa.  What a nice coincidence!  I found myself smiling.  He strikes up a genuine friendship with Hayaa.  I was over the moon.  Hayaa asks for a divorce from Zawar.  YES!  Zawar reacts badly.  Who cares?  Hayaa sticks to her guns and more or less recognizes that Zawar is a terrible human being.  Bless Hayaa for being "normal."  Mustafa tells Hayaa he will be there for her, whatever she chooses to do, but she should think about what's best for herself.  AWWWW, the start of a new love story?

But wait........now it all goes downhill.

Zawar tells Sophie off, saying everything wrong in his life is her fault.  What a CLASS act!  He then writes Hayaa a letter, saying he's leaving the country and going back to Pakistan to Bi Jaan's house (uh fool, you were disowned!).  The letter is super cryptic and "emo," telling her that he wishes her all the happiness she deserves and that he now wants to die in peace (I don't know either.....).

We see Zawar, the coward, crying in the rain.  But wait!  He senses a presence behind him!  He turns around.......

HAYAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

They look at each other, share a glance and HUG.  THIS IS TRUE LOVE!!!!

The End.

Otherwise known as the crappiest show I've seen in a long time.

Can someone explain to me what the purpose of this story was?  You already know I think Zawar is a coward.  A jerk.  The worst sort of human being.  SO BASICALLY a man has every right to treat both his wives like complete and utter crap, but still deserves a happy ending?  How?  Why?  What sort of message is this sending to young girls out there?  I am completely on board with the message of compromise in marriage - but THIS is truly ridiculous.  I have felt the need to vomit for the last hour after watching this episode.  I can't stomach HOW anyone would think this would be a logical ending.

In THIS day and age where you have shows like "Pehchaan," where women are shown fighting for their right to live a fulfilling life, why are we still making shows like "Aahista Aahista" that are nothing short of regressive?  A woman starting a new life in the USA has no need to go back to her husband because of societal norms.  Why does she deserve to LIVE that life?  Why would she willingly go back to that sort of existence?  Love?  If that's love, then I clearly don't know what love is.

The bottom line is that this show has been a disappointment from episode 7 on-wards.  I have very little positive to say about this show.  Performances?  Mawra Hocane was pretty good, but I'm a fan of hers, so I may be biased.  I'll also say that her playing "timid" got old really fast.  The "bechaari" act started to grate on my nerves.  Sarwat Gillani should've avoided this role like the plague.  It was bad all around and only made her look foolish.  Adnan Siddiqui should be grateful for the fact that "Mere Humdum Mere Dost" aired alongside this mess with him in such a lovable roe, otherwise he could easily be considered the worst actor and character- chooser of the current actors.  What poor decisions from all involved!!!

RIP Aahista Aahista  Please let me forget that you ever existed.  I just want to forget.