Junaid Jamshed, Khuda Aur Mohabbat 2 and Some Other End of Year Thoughts

2016 has been a heavy year.

The year started with the death of my grandmother on January 4, 2016.  I sunk into a funk.  That loss was hard to deal with, as we were close.

The year seemed to continue the way it started - with a lot of grief.  We saw the death of Qandeel Baloch, Amjad Sabri, Abdul Sattar Edhi.  Two were shining lights for Pakistanis.  Their deaths were painful, shocking and cut through the heart.  One was a woman who represented a "It doesn't matter if I'm a woman, I will do what I want without any fear of your judgement and disregard" mentality.....and while most did not agree with her actions (myself included), that sort of person had a right to live and a right to exist.  While she was not a shining star for Pakistan, her death was felt deeply as the representation of "haisiyat" of women in Pakistan.

The year continued.  Donald Trump won as president of the United States.  Donald Trump.....The Donald.  A man who perpetuated hate speech, ignorance, pettiness and ego.  Why?  Because a woman cannot win.  She cannot, despite the fact that she was the better candidate.  Another loss.

And then the year had to throw in one more zinger.  The PIA Airplane crash.  A crash in which we not only lost the lives of 47 innocent people - men, women and young children.....we also lost yet another shining star for Pakistan.  Junaid Jamshed.  Someone who has defined my childhood, my teenage years, my relationship with my husband, my "cleaning days," my moody moments, my happy moments.  The Vital Signs were a group that I listened to all the time from the age of 7 all the way until....forever.  Their albums have a permanent place on my iPod, my iPhone, their music follows me in every aspect of my life.  Junaid's clothes were my "go to" when landing in Pakistan and needing a few quick ready-made pieces to tide me over before the darzi got his act together.  Junaid's Naats carried me through Ramadan, soothing the soul with his voice and faith.  Junaid Jamshed was more than just an artist or a singer - he was an incredibly sincere, well-rounded Pakistani figure who lived his life with kindness, charity and sincerity (Amjad Sabri and ESPECIALLY Edhi were no less, I have simply made peace with their deaths long ago.  This is still fresh).  His death cut deep.

And then Aleppo.....a Holocaust that no one can step in and do anything about.  That's painful to watch and it's painful to sit helpless.  The world is crumbling around us and filling up with hatred.  What can we do?

My interest in television, dramas, music and movies has temporarily been diverted.  I have admittedly NOT been keeping up with many shows.  The shows that I have kept up with have not been holding my interest.  This is not an excuse, but an attempt to explain why my writing has become even more limited than usual.  It's hard to write when your heart is just not in it.

I DO want to talk very quickly and briefly about Khuda Aur Mohabbat 2.  I binge caught-up on the 4 episodes I was behind on just last night.  I'm appalled.  Why am I watching the exact same show all over again?  This is actually the EXACT same show as the first Khuda Aur Mohabbat.  The same annoying characters, the same unbelievable situations, the same damn railway!  What IS this?  What is the POINT of this?  Is this Imran Abbas' attempt at a "redo" so he can do the exact same show again, but as a better actor?  I honestly don't get it.  I'm annoyed by this.  It's a waste of time.

OK, that's all I had to say regarding TV shows.  I tried watching Waada, but then in the first scene, I realized Shaista Lodhi is playing Faisal's wife.  My interest died right after the first episode.  I won't be watching this one.  I have nothing against Shaista, I simply don't like her.

Alright, that's all for today.  I also wanted to say that I will be leaving next week for Pakistan, where I will be spending 3 weeks.  I hope to be able to blog a little, but it may or may not be possible.  Bear with me!  Let's pray 2017 brings new hope and light with it. Until then, happy watching!