Goya - The Final Episode

It's strange how things work sometimes - how is it possible that a show with incredible writing, direction and a great cast somehow withered down to a completely dismal show with loose ends all over the place?

Goya is a show that I fell in love with from the moment it started.  My love affair with the show continued for the majority of its run......and then Mohini got sick.  Omer got a 2nd wife.  Mohini got an attitude.  Omer got a case of annoying.  And the show lost the plot completely.

Coming straight to the last episode, I can't even bother to review it.  Why?  Well, really, it was essentially about Mohini's final goodbyes.  She shared emotional scene after emotional scene with almost every character on the show, including an emotional conversation with Zara and Nomi.  That was the final episode.  Everything about this episode left me as an audience member screaming just one thing:  WHY?

It did not make sense.  A show that had a world of promise and, for the most part, delivered on that promise did NOT need to resort to this storyline at all.  It made me wonder whether the show was only half-shot and after looking at the ratings, the director decided to throw the entire script out the window and add the formula for a dusri biwi and a dying love just to garner ratings - which clearly worked against the show anyway!

The show had so much to offer and I was left completely dismayed at how many loose ends the viewers were left with:

• Why was Senior Hashmi completely missing from the scene?  Did he resolve his issues with Omer?  Did he resolve his issues with his wife and accept his upcoming child?  Did his daughter decide to stay and find acceptance from him in his life?  WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!?
• Coming to Zebunissa and whether Senior Hashmi accepted her, we didn't get any sort of fullfilment here at all.  Not only was Senior Hashmi not shown, the most we got from that household was a sweet scene between Zara & Zebunissa with Zebunissa finally confiding in Zara and telling her what had unfolded while packing.  That's all.
• What happened with the mystery of Adnan?  Or was that never supposed to be a mystery?  Then what was the point of that entire story arc exactly?  He was just supposed to be a friend who helped Omer temporarily and then overdosed and died?  That didn't make any sense whatsoever and it's ludicrous that a talented actor like Gohar Rasheed would be wasted in a role that essentially had no meaning at all.  It's made all the worse when the viewer expected that details about his death would come to light to clear the misunderstanding between Senior & Junior Hashmi.  Ridiculous!
• Adnan & Zara were in a relationship?  This was one detail that was revealed in an earlier episode that actually struck me as a random add-in.  If that had been the case, why was Adnan so infatuated with Aasma?  Or did the writers think we forgot that little detail?  Again, it seems like the show wasn't completely shot when it went on air and the show was being completed by an ENTIRELY different writer!
• Do Zara and Omer eventually live happily as husband and wife?  Omer technically ignored Zara and didn't care about her.  In the end, even she accepted her "zarbardasti" into his and Mohini's lives.......but with Mohini out of the picture, now what?  

These questions and more left a bitter taste in my mouth.  I have rarely seen a show that refuses to acknowledge all the story arcs it has left unfinished and proceeds to end with a dying lead character closing her eyes and BAM!  The end.  What on earth?  I have yet to understand WHY Mohini had to get cancer.  I don't understand WHY she had to die.  I don't understand the point of it.  If it had added to the story by somehow bringing Junior & Senior Hashmi together, I would've understood slightly - but no!  Mohini's character did not ask Omer to forgive, she did not reunite him with loved ones.....she didn't really do anything in the end other than thank him for making her life happy.  HMMMMM.

Needless to say, I am unable to rate this drama the way I would've liked.  For 2/3 of the show, Goya was a beautiful, well-written, intriguing story with complex characters and relationships.  The relationship with Senior Hashmi and Omer, the beautiful love story between Omer and Mohini, the hilarious relationship with all of Omer's friends, their girlfriends, you name it.....these were realistic characters with shades of grey.  Not one character was written as a black or white character.  Each had depth.  This is what made it hard for me to fathom how this show went so wrong.

Kudos to all the actors involved.  Regardless of how haywire the show went in the end, they all gave incredible performances, especially Osmaan Khalid Butt, Sana Javed, Usmaan Peerzada, Farah Shah, Gohar Rasheed and Hira Tareen.  

Rating-wise, I would give this show a rating of 9/10 for the first 2/3 of its episode bank.  For the last 1/3, I'd give it a rating of 5/10.  I would be inclined to give it lower than 5/10, but the brilliant performances brought it up to a 5.  

On an average, I'd say the show deserves a final rating of 7/10.  It is disappointing that a brilliant show faltered so badly, but I would still include it on the list of great shows for 2015, because it had an outstanding start and middle.

Sadqay Tumhare : What a Finale!

It's rare that I watch the last episode of a drama twice in a row.  Such was the effect the finale of Sadqay Tumhare had on me.  Why?  Well, to be honest, it was because I initially couldn't make sense of the ending OR of my feelings towards it!

I apologize for throwing Bollywood in here, but when the movie "Rockstar" released, I watched it in theaters.  After walking out of the theater, I couldn't answer when asked what I thought about the movie.  I wasn't sure.  However, as the days progressed, with each day, I found the movie more amazing as new aspects of the movie struck me.  I couldn't put into words what I felt after watching the movie, because at the time, I felt nothing.  But new emotions hit me over and over again over the days following the viewing.

Such is how I feel about the Sadqay Tumhare finale.  After the first viewing, I was confused and was left thinking "What?  That's it?  What the hell was the point of that show exactly?  What am I supposed to take away from all of this?!"  The confusion led me to watch the episode again immediately, after which an odd feeling of beauty and bewilderment hit me.

And now here I am, trying to put into words yet again what I felt about the finale, which is somehow becoming more and more incredible as time passes.



As the episode began, we witnessed Inayat's grief at how her mistakes in the past were now coming to haunt (and destroy) her son's future.  I found myself crying with her as Khalil tried to console her, telling her that he would forget Shano eventually, a lie that neither Inayat nor the audience could believe.  Unable to handle the grief, Inayat passed away shortly after, unable to look Khalil in the eye and see the pain she felt she was responsible for.

Humaira and Shano discussed Humaira's actions and Shano, being the ever-loving friend and ever-trusting lover, told Humaira that she did not mind her falling in love with Khalil, nor could she ever suspect Khalil of betrayal.  She states that he proved that he's not his father's son.  In that moment, I thought "Well, he proved he's Abdur Rahman's son.  A stand-up guy, loyal to the end."

In the forthcoming scenes, we were given "jhatka after jhatka,"  presented in the form of Khalil's interview, many years later after he has achieved success in life.

We find out that Khalil got married.  We find out that years later, Shano also got married.  And then we get the biggest jhatka......a few years after her marriage, Shano died.

Khalil went to her janaaza, but did not make it in time, unable to see Shano's face one last time.  And of course, Shano's cause of death was her forever broken heart, suffering in her distance from Khalil.  Rasheeda ultimately lost her lover, her husband (still alive, but not quite) and her daughter, leaving her the ultimate loser in the whole situation.  In the last scene, we see Khalil meeting Shano's son, who she named Khurram - the name Khalil wanted to name his and Shano's son.  "Kh se Khurram, Re se Rukhsana aur Meem se Mohabbat.".....and the end.

There are several thoughts I have looming in my head after this finale.

• Tahira Imam as Inayat deserves immense credit for her breakdown scene after leaving Rasheeda's home, realizing that the past does ultimately affect the future.  Her acting was incredible.
• "Mohabbat ki tasneem ho gayi, kabar ban gayi" says Khalil when describing his feelings after hearing of Shano's marriage - but what hypocrisy (as aptly pointed out by the reporter), as he had gotten married as well 6 years earlier than she did.  Was this to show the male dominant society mind-set?  Khalil could move on despite his declarations of love, but Shano was supposed to wait forever....for something she knew would never happen?
• What made Shano's demise even more painful and the news of her death equally as sudden to the audience as it was for Khalil was that our final glimpse of Shano in the "present" was in her scene with Humaira.  After that, we witness everything from Khalil's point of view.  This decision by the director was highly effective, making the viewer miss Mahira's presence before even realizing Shano's outcome.
• A scene that really struck me was when Khalil was leaving Shano's home and Amin (Shano's father) stops him and says "Mujhe maaf karna."  What a heart-breaking thought that Shano sacrificed her love and happiness entirely for her father.....and he outlived her.  That's a pain that no parent should have to live through, outliving their children.
• Rasheeda was ultimately the one who was left empty-handed.  Her selfish behavior towards everyone around her, drowning in spite and revenge, left her with nothing.  She lost her lover, she lost her husband's respect and she destroyed her daughter.

In closing, I think what most irked me about this last episode and also left me in complete awe at its ironic beauty is that the ending was realistic.  This was something that would happen in REAL LIFE.  Why that can sometimes be hard to digest when watching a show, I don't know, but I just don't think that's what was expected from the ending of this show.  Now thinking back, when it was told that Sadqay Tumhare was based on a true story, I now completely believe it.

"Khurram.  Kh se Khalil, Re se Rukhsana aur Meem se Mohabbat."


What started off as a beautiful love story turned into a family drama, lost the plot somewhere in the middle and somehow, with the last episode, managed to make a huge impact, cementing its place as a drama to be remembered in 2015.  The show wasn't perfect, but it definitely was beautiful and, ultimately, deep.  A huge round of applause for the entire cast and crew of Sadqay Tumhare. 

Dramas I'm Currently Watching: April 2015 Edition

Alright, it's been a while since I've done this, so I figured I'd do an update as many of my older shows have ended (Chup Raho, Deemak, Digest Writer, Jackson Heights, etc.) and have since been replaced.

I will say that, unfortunately, with the exception of 4-5 dramas, this list of 15 shows that I'm watching mainly consists of "timepass" shows.  That being said, some of them are still in their initial period and may pick up later on.  So here we go:

Diyar-E-Dil

Sameera Fazal.  Momina Duraid.  Hamayun Saeed.  Osmaan Khalid Butt.  Mekaal.  Sanam Saeed. Maya Ali.  Abid Ali.  Hareem Farooq.  Ali Rehman Khan.

If all these names coming together to create a drama doesn't get a Pakistani drama fan excited, nothing will.  After Jackson Heights, this is yet another stellar collaboration, both behind the scenes with the director/producer/writer combo and cast-wise.  I personally had been stalking news for this drama over the past year  Those are some sky-high expectations.  We are now 3 episodes in and have those expectations been met?  Yes!

The visuals, the emotion, the family bonds, the changing relationships - they all pull you in from the first episode and keep you hooked throughout.  After only 3 episodes, I am addicted to this show, so I can only hope the show's progression only gets better (which I believe it will with Maya and Osmaan's entries).  So far, I love it!

Alvida

We're now at episode 8.  Episodes 1-4 were horribly interesting, episodes 5-7 were utterly boring and I found myself losing interest....and then episode 8 happened.  I am now officially in love with the show again.  The twist with Pareesa (Sara Khan) not only came as a shock, but the foreshadowing of an obsessive lover angle from Zahid Ahmed's character is really exciting.

While I have not had any idea as to where "Alvida" was headed from the beginning, I continue not to know where the story may take yet another turn.....and that actually makes it exciting.  The viewer has no idea what to expect, which is a refreshing break from the monotony of predictable storylines in dramas these days.

Goyaa

While the story has taken a slightly slow turn and has almost fallen into the "Dusri biwi" trap, it's the direction, dialogues and writing that make this show so powerful.  Sana Javed and Osmaan Khalid Butt are not only perfect in their roles, their complete naturals and have become Omar and Mohini.  Along with that, Usman Peerzada is effortless as the "evil" Senior Hashmi.

The current track is mildly slow, but I have high hopes that it will pick up in the coming episodes.  Not sure about the recent track with Mohini's health, but I'm still hooked and still loving this one.

Mera Naam Yousaf Hai

With Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar and Mehreen Jabbar coming together for a drama, along with a great ensemble cast, expectations were high.  However, I'm honestly just "not feeling" this show.  Maybe it's too early on, but I find myself getting bored through each episode and losing focus.

The show has a heavy Pyaaray Afzal hangover, complete with two mouthy sisters and Maulvi Sahab, but is not nearly as endearing.  While comparisons were inevitable with Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar involved, I don't think anyone was expecting anything so similar from him, especially with Mehreen Jabbar directing.

It's very early on though and I'm still hoping for great things from this show.  It has a lot of potential to pick up.

Aye Zindagi

Barring Affan Waheed, the show boasted of a mediocre cast and really didn't have much going for it.  Expectations were low and I honestly was considering giving this show a complete pass-up.  I'm glad I didn't, because this show actually has a lot of potential.

Taking up a new story line of the adopted brother and his relationship with his "sisters," the show has already taken off into a lot of drama and fortunately, the story is fast-paced while still offering natural performances.  I'm really looking forward to seeing where this show is headed.

Nikkah


Sonya Hussain's usual tears and Junaid Khan's usual jerkdom isn't much to root for when watching a drama.  However, despite the cliched story of two wives, Nikkah actually manages to keep the viewer wondering what will happen next.

Rohail is every wife/mother/father's worst nightmare, as he is completely incapable of making a decision and sticking with it.  While Rohail and Aisha were married at a young age, both were perfectly content with the relationship......except Rohail apparently decided he wasn't and got remarried in the USA.  Now with two wives in tow, both wives are struggling to find their identity and their place, with Aisha playing the sacrificing lamb.  It'll be interesting to see who ultimately bows out OR will Rohail actually get to have his cake and eat it too, living happily with both wives?  Either way, Rohail's character has a lot of redeeming to do, but it doesn't look like his character is changing with Rohail suddenly doing a 180 and cozying up to Aisha once again.

Let's wait and watch!

Sadqay Tumhare

What started off as a beautiful, timeless, classic love story has now turned into all sorts of family drama - and not necessarily in a good way.

The Khalil & Shano love story has taken a backseat and instead, we're being treated to fights amongst the "baray."  Rasheeda and Inayat have taken to playing the blame game, which leads me to wonder:  Was Rasheeda having an affair with Inayat's husband or was she raped?  The rape angle would make more sense towards Inayat's guilt (for marrying Abdur Rehman) and Rasheeda's contempt towards Khalil (for being the son of her "rapist").  One has to wonder.....

What DID bring the show back to track this last week, for me personally, was the dialogue between Khalil & Humaira with Khalil asking her to "prove her love" by jumping down into the well.  Humaira's reaction almost made me hoot with laughter and I found myself melting for Khalil once again.

Also commendable was the scene between Khalil & Abdur Rehman with Khalil asking for the truth, a scene which moved me to tears.

At this point, I'm on the fence about this show.  It's headed back to a good spot, but one has to admit that it has lost sight of its original charm.






Ishq Parast

If you've seen the Bollywood movie "Dhadkan," you'll get a feeling of deja vu while watching this show, because that's where I believe this is headed.  

So far, the show is endearing with cute characters and not unrealistic situations.  One feels for everyone involved, which also means there's great acting and writing here. 

 I won't make claims of this being a great show nor will I say it's bad.  Right now, I'd say that it's very cute and has great potential for being a dark horse in the drama race and could emerge being a real winner if it continues along the path it's on at this point.  We'll have to wait and see!

Dusri Biwi

A show where all three characters will be relatable.  A show where a man gets trapped between two wives in a realistic way.  A show where there aren't any negative characters.  Um, wait.....what?

As far as I can see, we are finally up to episode 18 and there is only one positive, good, relatable character and that's Aisha.  Aisha is the only person in this entire scenario who didn't give a "dhoka" to anyone.  She's the wronged party.  She's now fighting for her right over her own life.  She tried to leave, but came back for her daughter.  She had a happy marriage which has suddenly turned completely sour to the point of no return.  How am I supposed to connect or feel sympathy for Hassan or Farah exactly?

Farah knowingly got into a marriage with a married man.  Her family knowingly got her married to a married man. Not only this, they all knew that Hassan would be keeping Farah a "secret" from his wife and essentially lying to her.  Hassan conveniently forgot a major rule of 2nd marriage (or 3rd or 4th):  consent of your wife.  This is a rule that he (and many men) brushed off entirely and jumped into a marriage, lying his pants off to his wife and daughter to keep his 2nd wife hidden.  And when his lie was finally exposed, his apologies were short lived.  When Aisha finally did what any self-respecting woman would do, tell the 2nd wife off and tell her to get lost, she was then blamed for being heartless.....because Farah was spineless and tried to commit suicide.  What on earth?  And let's not even get started on this dialogue:

Aisha:  "Hassan, main mar jaaoongi."
Hassan:  "To mar jaao."

What. The. Hell?  If this drama has shown anything, anything at all, it's that men like this are completely disloyal and have no real concept of true love.  How does a man go from loving his wife so much to remarrying, completely ignoring his second wife entirely and then speaking to her like this?

This show has gone to hell.  The only thing that's keeping me watching is that I want to see Aisha get a grip, get a hold of her self-respect and leave Hassan with his suicidal, self-pitying, doormat of a 2nd wife and take his daughter away, leaving them to live miserably ever after.  That's my only hold-out.  But of course, I'm positive that the writers will end this with Aisha settling and Hassan keeping both wives under one roof.  That will be a true disappointment.  Let's hope for some salvaging of this story....

Dil Nahin Maanta


I actually don't have words for this show anymore.  The only reason I'm holding out any hope and continuing watching is simply for a Raza & Suhaina union.  However, with Shanzay's character's future in the lurch next week and her son being born, I get the sinking feeling that Suhaina will go back to Huzaifa to raise Shanzay's son.  Boo.  This show may be a lost cause after all.....?

Mumkin


Sara Khan and Junaid Khan, generally two actors that I pin zero hopes on when it comes to drama selection.  Both have poor track records overall.  However, the "adult" story is what is keeping the story moving for me, as it'll be interesting to see Natasha and Maira's reaction when they realize they're sisters.

I'm neither excited nor unexcited about this show at present, so it could go either way at this point.  It could end up being a great show or it could be complete nonsense.  Haha.

Zid

What started off as a refreshingly different show with great treatment has now sunk into a world of ridiculousness with the world's most annoying female characters.  "Zee" is legitimately the most irritating character I've seen on television in a while, with her antics making close to zero sense.  Following close behind is Saman, who is seriously a messed up girl, playing up to her "ziddi" title and ruining all of her relationships for what seems to be no reason at all.  Sadly, compared to these two girls, Rukhi seems the most sane of them all - marrying an "inappropriate guy."  She's the most sound, most realistic character on this entire show.

One has to wonder what Ahsan Khan was thinking when signing on for this show, considering he's practically non-visible and has close to only 1-2 scenes each episode.  It's a disappointment for an Ahsan Khan fan.

*Edit: Thanks to Salsa Tomato for pointing out a blooper!*

The show has basically sunk from great to uninteresting at this point in time.

Dil Ka Kya Rung Karoon


I have very little to say about this show.  With such a good cast, I'm actually disappointed with the soap opera style of storytelling.  The characters don't actually make much sense.  Just when you begin rooting for Noor Hassan & Sana Javed's characters as a couple, their love story gets a wrench thrown in it.  I'm honestly not interested in this show at all at this point, but am continuing out of love for Sana Javed and just for general "time pass."

Shart

A new entry on Urdu 1, I just started watching this drama yesterday.  After episode 1, my initial thoughts are:

Haven't we seen this sort of story before?  The "My marriage didn't work, so let me prove to you that your husband will cheat on you too?" nonsense?  Why am I getting a feeling of "been there, seen that"?

Aren't Jibran and Ayesha too old for these roles?  Let's get real - they both looked so old in those college flashbacks and they look awkward next to Danish and Nida Khan.

Danish and Nida actually look really cute together and their chemistry is natural.

The OST has the world's worst, most cliched lyrics and every time that song plays, I want to cover my ears.

We have, yet again, another show promoting extra-marital affairs, cheating husbands, "shakki" wives and characters that don't make sense.  In the real world, no one would continue being friends with someone like Ayesha Khan after she made that "shart."

That's all after episode one.  I'm highly unimpressed at this point.

Aik Pal

Ugh.  I have to say straight-up that my thoughts on this show are nothing short of a rant.  First of all, "Get ready for another hit serial?"  Is this a hit serial?  I don't think so and if it is, WHY?  I love Affan Waheed, but his role as Mussab is actually mildly irritating.  He falls in love with Bareera in college for no rhyme or reason.  Because of what?  She spoke to him nicely for maybe one day?  That's not a good reason for a mazhabi person to lose their senses.  On the other end, he marries Noor Fatima, who is the epitome of sweet, kind, generous and good-natured.  However, despite their marriage being a happy one, Bareera hangs between them as Mussab never got over her - and more or less made that clear to her.  Are you serious?

On the other end, we have Bareera and Umair who fell in love in college and are now seriously living unhappily ever after.  Umair is a womanizer, a liar and is only with Bareera to hold on to her father's business.  Bareera, in turn, has decided to turn to religion after meeting with Noor Fatima again.  But Umair is clearly slow on the uptake and doesn't realize his wife is changing for the good - but probably not his good.

Anyway, this show has sunk pretty low on the list of shows I care to watch, if only because the idea of where the show is headed makes me sick (Mussab & Bareera).

Tumse Mil Kay

The "Cinderella" story currently on air, Tumse Mil Kay is utterly boring and senseless.  Why a man like Hamayun (confident, educated, self-created, understanding) is unable to walk up to his mother and declare his love for Zillay is absolutely ridiculous.  If he has the audacity to love her, he should have the strength to declare that love.  It's ridiculous watching Zillay and Hamayun dance circles around his family and their efforts to get both married to different people.

This show is 6 episodes in and highly uninteresting so far.  Why Sumbal Iqbal insists on repeatedly taking these timid and soft-spoken roles is beyond me.  Is she unable to do anything else?  I wonder.  That being said, her pairing with Feroze Khan is a treat visually and their scenes together really are very cute.  That's what's keeping me watching, along with the hopes of Affan Waheed having a role worth this caliber (which it's not so far).  I'll have to write an update on my opinion on the direction of this show as it progresses, but at this point, it's at the bottom of my "excitement to watch" list.

That's all!  That's the list for now.  Some shows are great, some not so great and some downright terrible.  But we all know dramas are a merry-go-round and sometimes they pick up and great ones fall into the muck.  So who knows what the opinion will be even one week from now.

Happy watching!