Disney's Khoobsurat : A Review

Yes, I realize that this is a Bollywood film, but as a long-time fan (since the end of 2002) of Fawad Khan (and Entity Paradigm), reviewing this movie for me is wholeheartedly necessary!

I watched the movie with a big group on Friday night, opening day.  I kept my expectations low, mostly because I'm well-aware of the slightly overacting nature of Sonam Kapoor and because the film genuinely just did not look interesting to me.  But the Fawad fan in me had to venture out simply for support.  And so I did.

While I may have gone into the film with the thought of solely supporting Fawad, I came out of the film having thoroughly enjoyed it.  While the movie itself was nothing outstanding or out of the ordinary, it was a cute, nice movie following your typical "Disney" path and formula.

The story revolves around a physiotherapist Dr. Chakrovarty (Sonam Kapoor), who is hired on to treat an aristocrat ("the king" type) who is wheelchair bound.  Her interactions with the royal family form the basis of the story, namely with "Prince" Vikram (Fawad Khan).

A love story at heart, Khoobsurat is also about familial bonds and family relationships.

What really worked in the movie's favor were the performances.  Not only the performances of the main lead, but the performances of the entire ensemble cast are terrific.

Sonam Kapoor was cute.  I thought her antics would begin to grate on my nerves in the 2nd half, going by the reviews I read beforehand, but they didn't.  This role was perfect for her and her persona.  I almost believe this character was written with Sonam (and her acting style) entirely in mind.  She was very likable.

Fawad was Fawad - always perfect and giving 100% to whatever role he plays.  Fawad became Vikram (or "Viku").  He's an absolute natural and I don't see this role hindering his Bollywood career, regardless of whether it's a success or a flop.  He's a perfect package.  What I am happy about is that he isn't intending on staying in Bollywood and is already working on getting started on his Pakistani films.  Rather than criticizing Fawad for working in Bollywood, we should be praising him for doing us proud, sticking to his principles (well-executed staged kissing scenes considering Fawad refused to kiss!) and bringing back that knowledge to our own film industry to apply to future projects.

The supporting cast, as I said, was great.  Kirron Kher as Manju was hilarious and while Kirron Kher can go over the top at times, that was perfect for this character!  Ratna Pathak was incredible in her role as well, balancing her stoic expressions and need to control things with her softer side.  Aamir Raza Hussain also deserves applause for his portrayal of Shekhar Singh Rathod, making him a highly lovable character.

The three drawbacks of this film (Yes, there are some):

#1:  The film could've easily been half an hour shorter.  Some sequences were unnecessary.

#2:  The songs were entirely unnecessary and did nothing to move the story forward.  Rather, they slowed the pace down.  This should've been a song-less venture.

#3:  Regardless of their good performances, Sonam and Fawad didn't share any real chemistry.  Forced kissing moments and lines like "Tumhe dekh ke ganday khayaal aa rahe hain yaar" were used to get the point across.  These two were great in the movie, but that "spark" simply wasn't there - though the two did look nice together.  It worked in this particular movie, because it just seemed very "Disney."

That's it!  Overall, the movie was a very enjoyable experience.  I had a good time, I laughed a lot and just really found the movie to be "cute."  I'd recommend this whole-heartedly!

Lots to watch, very little to write about: Mehram, Main Bushra, Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi and Jaanam

Yes yes yes, I realize today is THE day:  Jackson Heights day!!  =)  But I'll be watching the episode later this evening (Saturday morning in Pakistan), as I want to watch it stress-free, so my review will have to wait until tomorrow!  Until then.....

I feel horribly bored with every show these days, including all the newly launched ones!  I just feel like there's so much to criticize.  So here goes my criticism-filled post on several different dramas.

Let's first start with yesterday's premiere show:  Mehram on Hum TV.

#1:  Moammar Rana's character, Zubair, sees Ayesha Khan's EYES while she's wearing naqaab and can't stop thinking about her, to the point that he basically neglects his fiancee when meeting her for the first time.  He is unable to get those eyes out of his head.  NOW just WAIT one MINUTE.  This isn't Pakeezah, friends.  No one can be THAT enchanted by someone's eyes.....especially an ordinary looking pair of eyes like Ayesha Khan's!  If this story were to be plausible, they should've cast Armeena Rana Khan.  Given, she's not a good actress like Ayesha Khan, but at least she has eyes worthy of attracting someone.  Anyway, my point is that the entire premise of the show so far is incredulous and fickle.

#2:  If you guys don't already know my severe dislike for Moammar Rana, you're about to be exposed to it.  He's an actor who refuses to play his age and this is a fact that really manages to ruin the beauty of any show.  Siraj Ul Haq has done this before in "Roshan Sitara," completely destroying the character of Momin by casting Moammar Rana.  An otherwise gorgeous, beautiful show was put to shame in the 2nd half once we were forced to endure Moammar Rana's role as Momin....a stark contrast to his YOUNG "older" brother Mansoor (Affan Waheed).  He's not fit to play a young bachelor looking for a bride for the first time, especially with his receding hairline.  Meanwhile, his male counterparts and peer group like Adnan Siddiqui, Aijaz Aslam, Faisal Qureshi have moved on to playing more mature, adult roles.  Momi is still stuck in 2000 when he debuted.

#3:  Here we go - not a criticism!  The character of Hamza is adorable, carefree, fun and the actor playing him (not sure of his name), while pretty young-looking for Ayesha Khan, is endearing so far.

So overall, I am not impressed with this show.  The first episode was very much a strange sort of let down....though I expected to be let down, considering I don't like Moammar Rana.  Despite that, I think Siraj Ul Haq is a good director, so let's see how this goes.

Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi.....Can I just ask about the logic in this drama?  Arham's mother, sister, sister-in-law, everyone is uncomfortable by the relationship between Azhar and Fiza.  HOWEVER, as soon as Arham reacts to their disgustingly close relationship, everyone switches sides, calling him unreasonable.  What about this is unreasonable?  He caught his brother and wife in a compromising situation TWICE.  This is just common sense - a devar and bhabi do NOT get THAT close.  Especially when a bhabi is crying to her devar about how she married the wrong brother.  Oh dear.  The characters of Fiza and Azhar are becoming very trying on the brain, considering they don't understand what they've done wrong.  On the other end, Arham is becoming a trying character as well, considering he isn't actually TALKING or telling anyone what he witnessed on skype and in the bedroom.  Either way, the next episode looks even more nausea inducing with Fiza asking Azhar if he'll marry her if Arham divorces her.  What. The. Hell?  That said, this drama is definitely one of the more interesting ones and I'm always kept on my toes, waiting for what happens next.

Moving on, we come to Jaanam.  It's strange that I'm supposed to believe or buy into this scenario.  Taseer (Adnan Siddiqui) seems like a very loving, understanding man who respects his wife a lot.  On the other end, we see Fiza (Saba Qamar) openly uncomfortable with her husband's cousin (played by Nomaan Masood), who is not only now divorced and broke, but also a pervert and openly harassing towards Fiza.

When Fiza tells Taseer in VERY vague terms that she's uncomfortable with his cousin in the house, Taseer jokingly dismisses her claims.  This entire premise for a show could be cleared up very simply:  Fiza telling Taseer EXACTLY what his cousin said to her.  THere is NO man in his right mind, especially an understanding, loyal one like Taseer, who will stand for that sort of harassment towards his wife.  But rather, Fiza vaguely talks about her discomfort and then "bardaashts" it all.  This is what I call weak writing.

On the other end, we see Noman's character putting in the seeds of "shukk" in Taseer's head towards Fiza's colleague - a colleague who has been around for years and has been very supportive of Fiza and Taseer's marriage.  When your own wife says there's something wrong with this man, the wife you trust and love, why would you suddenly listen to this man and allow his words to cloud your marriage?

Like I said, the basic premise of this story is very weak.  I'm having a hard time enjoying the show due to the sheer lack of communication and sense.

While I don't have any clear-cut issues with Main Bushra, there's also something seriously lacking.  YES, both male leads have yet to make their appearance.  But it's more than that:  WHY is Bushra blamed for the "bad fate" of her father?  Simply naming your daughter Bushra does not guarantee a prosperous future.  I don't understand the concept of a father of 5-6 daughters (how many kids are there here anyway?!) blaming his MIDDLE daughter for all his "misfortunes."  It doesn't make sense to me.  Regardless, Mawra Hocane is doing a good job in her role, as is Saba Hameed and Waseem Abbas.  The scene with Fiza threatening to leave the house was a particularly good scene for Mawra, Saba and Waseem, all three giving good performances.

Anyways, let's hope this one picks up soon!

These were the four shows I really wanted to write about at this point in time.  I'll definitely be writing my comments on ALL the shows I'm watching within this week, as I'm working on my "Currently watching" list!  =)  Keep an eye out on this space!
 
Happy watching!

Mere Humdum Mere Dost = A Memorable Experience for 2014

I refuse to review this last episode.  I would simply not do it justice.  Therefore, I'm simply going to state my thoughts about the show overall.

Mere Humdum Mere Dost is a drama based on a popular novel (of the same name) by Farhat Ishtiaq.  With this drama, I think Urdu1 proved that not only can they run successful foreign dubbed content, but can also rise with local Pakistani content.

The story revolves around, essentially, family and family relations, despite being a love story at the heart of it all.  Aiman's relationship did not focus solely on her bond with Haider, but also the growth of her relationship with Taufeeq, Almas, her younger brother, with Bibi and even her tiff with Sajeela.

What is great is that not one of these characters can be described as "negative."  Coming to the female characters, while yes, Sajeela was essentially a self-absorbed girl who didn't know right from wrong, as we see in the beginning, she's not a BAD person.  She just went through a lot, all of her own doing and felt entitled to get her ex-husband back.  That sense of entitlement is what made Sajeela seem negative.  Hareem Farooq excelled as Sajeela, because the audience fluctuated from liking her, hating her, feeling sorry from her all at a moment's notice.  I loved that Almas wasn't the role of a stereotypical step-mother, but rather was a very positive, kind-hearted woman.  While she was torn between Sajeela and Aiman, when she realized that the matter was finally at rest, I really loved seeing her bond with Aiman and how she supported her, especially in the last two episodes.  I still have a hard time believing that ZQ is no longer playing "Lead" female roles - actresses have such a short shelf life!  But ZQ did a great job as Almas.

Coming to Aiman specifically, I can't claim that Aiman was the most lovable character.  She wasn't.  If anything, I spent more time wanting to slap Aiman than wanting to hug her.  I felt like she was 90% responsible for the reactions she received from others, mostly because of her low self-esteem and her cutting words.  In the last episode, I was particularly irritated with her, especially for throwing her hard work and education away simply because she didn't want to see Haider's marriage.  The amount of pain she was willing to cause her family, namely her father, just to serve her own purpose was very irritating and in that moment, I felt Aiman was very self-serving.  However, looking at it logically, Aiman is essentially every 21-22 year old girl, isn't she?  She represents the ego, the determination and the wrapped-up-in-my-own-life that most young girls do have.  Plus, she had her own hang-ups from her upbringing, so Aiman was a very realistic character - and Sanam Jung did a fabulous job of playing her and bringing the character to life.

Of course, we also can't forget the ultimately lovable "Bibi" played by Shamim Hilali.  Effortless as always, Bibi is the voice of reason and encouragement.





It's been a while since we've seen strong, older male characters that were so LIKABLE.  The characters of Taufeeq and Haider are two such characters.  They will forever be etched onto that list of great male leads, mostly because of how well-written the roles were - but more than that, the actors do deserve credit.  Adnan Siddiqui made Haider into someone who you felt for.  You loved him, because he was the definition of a "good guy."  Unrealistically so?  No.  The scene when he found out about Sajeela's affair was perfect, as he acted as any NORMAL man would.  The scene when Aiman calls him a coward, again - perfect.  You could see the pain and anger in his eyes in that moment.  Adnan Siddiqui needs to take a bow for this role.  Likewise with Farhan Ali Agha as Taufeeq - initially, the audience sees Taufeeq as a "bad guy" of sorts, a man who abandons his wife and daughter.  But as the story unfolds, we realize that things weren't as they seemed and it's possible that Aiman's mother may not have been as "pure" of a soul as we (or Aiman) thought and Taufeeq was actually a caring man with principles.  Farhan Ali Agha was perfect in this role.  Despite looking very young to be playing father to Sanam Jung, he took the role and made it his own, making Taufeeq a highly lovable character.

The only complaint I would have with this entire show are two points:  The first being the quick disappearance of Sajeela's character.  While I understand that she realized how everything in her life backfired due to her own foolishness and that her father always had her best interest in mind - I didn't love that she didn't have any heart-to-hearts with Almas or Taufeeq and abruptly decided to leave.  I don't even think we got to see her goodbye?  The 2nd complaint I have was the ending itself.  While I loved the confrontation scene between Aiman &  Haider and what transpired, the very last scene somehow felt.....lacking.  I can't place it, I don't know what should've been different.  It just felt very odd.

In closing, I just wanted to say that this was a must-watch drama for 2014.  Beautiful story, beautiful acting, realistic characters, great writing all came together to make a very lovable story.  If you haven't seen this, watch it!

Happy watching!

Pehchaan Finale: Ignored, Underrated and Brilliant!

While I wasn't sure what to expect from the "Pehchaan" finale, considering the heaviness of the last few episodes, I can happily say that this show ended on the note that it should have.  I winded up the episode feeling completely satisfied and happy.  Pehchaan is one of those near-perfect shows from this year.  I'm not saying it was a flawless show, but it tugged at all the right strings in my heart, put forth realistic situations and didn't rush itself towards a quick, happy wind-up for all.  Realistic yet beautiful.

The episode started with Mansoor urging Laila to come back to him as they are a family with their daughter.  Laila was not as convinced and asked Mansoor to give her time, telling him that she's moved forward in life.  The following day, we see Saadi asking Laila to meet his mother, to which she hesitantly accepts, knowing the task will not be easy.  What followed were a series of stand-out scenes.

Laila happily goes to meet Saadi's mother, baking her a cake with the hopes that she'll look past her divorcee status and accept her.  However, Laila's fears were confirmed when she arrives and overhears a heated discussion between Saadi and his mother.  His mother re-iterates every fear that Laila had into words, telling Saadi that he's too good for Laila, Laila is a divorcee with a child, "Log kya kahenge," and so on.  Saadi spots Laila standing there and is stunned as she runs off.

Meanwhile, at home, Mrs. Khan is caring for the baby when Mansoor drops by to speak to Laila.  Mrs. Khan lets him know that she will be out for a while, to which he says he'll wait.  A moment here to remember is when Mansoor says "Bachi kabhi roti nahi hai.  Doctor ke paas jaana chahiye.  Yeh roti kyun nahin?" ("This girl never cries.  I should take her to a doctor.  Why doesn't she cry?")  to which Mrs. Khan responds "Yes, she doesn't cry.  She doesn't cry so there must be something wrong with her.  She needs to see a doctor.  She doesn't cry.  Just like Laila."  This scene really touched me as our society tends to see strength in a woman as weakness.

Laila arrives home and tries to avoid breaking down in front of Mrs. Khan, who senses something is wrong.  She informs her that Mansoor is there and quietly leaves.  Mansoor, almost like a predator, senses Laila's grief and pounces.  He begins to tell her that they will go back to their married life as if nothing ever happened.  They will be a family again.  Laila almost falls into his trap, however, Mansoor takes it a step further.  He says that he will never protest to her friendship with Saadi if she wishes to continue it.  "Har kisi ko kabhi na kabhi aise dost ki zaroorat hoti hai.  Mujhe bhi baad mein ho sakti hai."  (Everyone needs a friendship like that at some point in their lives.  I may need one later as well."), which INFURIATES Laila and she kicks Mansoor out.  Yes, Mansoor suggested an "open marriage" for the sake of his "izzat."  Hypocrisy at its best.

With Laila finally putting her marriage with Mansoor behind her after asking for a divorce, she stumbles across a conversation between Saadi and Mrs. Khan.  Mrs. Khan asks Saadi if he's serious about Laila, while he proceeds to explain to her that all his life, he's done nothing but listen:  Listen to Laila, listen to his mother, listen to society - he never felt able to discover himself and make his own decisions...have his own "pehchaan."  Knowing that Laila is there, he tells Mrs. Khan that he will always be there for Laila whenever she is ready for him, but until then, he's leaving on a trip of self discovery.  This scene was great, because it showed that Saadi wanted to be more than just Laila's "backup" or "savior," he wanted to actually have relevance in her life.

We're then treated to a monologue by Kuku, who is in touch with and writing to Khurram.  Kuku tells Khurram that Laila and Saadi are together, planning their wedding, postponing their wedding and then planning their wedding.  While this chain continues, they're very happy together.  She tells of Mrs. Khan, who is still forever out to please her inconsiderate husband.  She tells of Mansoor, who there is no news of other than news of his remarriage - but is that really news?

She tells of Laila's mother who is now her client, a woman who makes hair appointments in the hopes of seeing her daughter and bringing toys for her granddaughter:  A mother's attempt at forgiveness and feeble demonstration of love.

And she writes about herself - alone, yet happy.  And yes, missing Khurram.

There was so much in this episode, yet nothing felt rushed.  Every scene, every moment, every gaze had meaning and purpose.  Was this a female-oriented show against males?  Absolutely not.  If anything, if Mansoor represented the male chauvinist with his hypocritical views, Saadi represented that "new age" man with liberal thoughts while still set in the good aspects of culture.  

Each character was given their version of a "happy ending," while those endings may not necessarily BE happy.  Life goes on, continues and people move along with it.  What's important in this world is to have your own identity, whether as a woman or a male.  

Pehchaan, throughout its run, was an emotional journey for the viewer and a treat to watch, due to the incredible performances.  Alisbha Yousuf, Iffat Omar and the oh-so-known actress who plays Mrs. Khan but I can never find her name are the STARS of this show, not only showing a realistic story of female bonding, but also showing how three different women going through three different life situations all come together to support one another.

Beautiful.  That's all I have to say about this show.  Please do watch it.

Drama Rewind: Ishq Gumshuda

With Zee Zindagi in India airing our Pakistani dramas, Indian viewers are being introduced to old dramas.  But not just Indian viewers - a lot of Pakistani viewers have taken this time to re-watch (or watch for the first time) some gems for the second time.  When "Ishq Gumshuda" originally aired, it was at a time where I was unable to watch the show in full, therefore I only watched it in bits and pieces with my mother-in-law, not really registering the details.  When I saw that it was airing on Zee Zindagi, I was reminded of what a popuar show it was and decided to watch the show from start to finish again.  It also helps that Haissam Hussain is my favorite director, which was a huge push to revisit this show.  Was it worth the 17 back-to-back episodes?  You bet!

The Story:

The show focuses on three childhood friends, Ali (Hamayun Saeed), Aalizeh (Sarwat Gillani) and Neha (Aamina Sheikh).  Not only are the three friends, but are woven together by their parents who serve as a close-knit extended family to each other despite not being blood related.  Throughout the years, Ali and Aalizeh's parents have always assumed that Ali and Aalizeh would eventually get married.  This assumption rang true with everyone in Ali & Aalizeh's life, from their families to their other friend Neha to even their co-workers and the casual observer of their friendship - an assumption that was entirely lost on the two themselves.  One day, when Ali's mother mentions her "khwaahish" of seeing Aalizeh as her daughter-in-law, Ali realizes his strong feelings for Aalizeh.  However, when Aalizeh comes to know of the "rishta talk" between their parents, she becomes upset and refuses to speak to Ali.  At this time, Neha tries to play peacemaker, only to be dragged into the mess.  Ali, in his embarrassment at being rejected, makes amends with Aalizeh by telling her that he's actually in love with Neha and proposes to her.  Neha is initially hesitant, but reluctantly agrees to marry Ali (though understanding the situation).  Aalizeh is overjoyed at the idea of her two best friends in love and getting married and whole-heartedly participates in their wedding.

The situation becomes complicated immediately, with Aalizeh internally realizing her jealousy and loss after seeing that Ali & Neha now have a life of their own, one that does not include her (as closely as she had once been).  In her misery, she begins to act out, worrying her parents and everyone around her, including Neha and Ali.  Ali's persistent interest in Aalizeh's life is not lost on Neha and this creates a rift in their marriage.  On the other end, Aalizeh begins spending more and more time with a new "older" friend (Javed Sheikh).  But what will be the outcome of this friendship?

The Verdict

When one watches a Hussaim Hussain drama, the viewer is instantly drawn into the world presented before them - whether it be a period piece set in partition times (Dastaan), an imaginary tale set in an imaginary world (Aik Nayee Cinderella, Noor Pur Ki Rani), a comedic household (Aunn Zara) or.....a realistic world with realistic characters and painfully realistic emotions, which is what we see in Ishq Gumshuda.

The world of Ali, Aalizeh and Neha is compelling, not only because of their realistic friendship, but because of their realistic relationships.  Whether it be Aalizeh's incredibly loving yet worldly parents, Ali's doting mother, or Neha's worrying parents, each relationship hits home.  These people could be our very own parents.  We also see how, despite not getting his first love, Javed Sheikh (I can't remember his character's name) still lovingly cares for Pari (Samina Peerzada) with all his attention.  These are REAL relationships, REAL emotions and REAL situations.

My husband happily sat with me while I watched this show and enjoyed it possibly as much as I did - and that's saying something, because he rarely ever does.

I've read some reviews saying that this show is slow or this show doesn't have a ground-breaking story - but really, why do we watch these shows?  For melodrama?  I can watch Star Plus for that.  I watch these shows for beautiful stories with real emotions, great performances and the magic that comes from those depictions - and Ishq Gumshuda scores on every level there.

The Performances

While Hamayun Saeed has always been a great performer, I could never call myself a fan.  Once he began calling himself the self-proclaimed "SRK of Pakistan," I was more or less turned off.  However, no one can deny that this man is an incredible actor when he puts his mind to it.  In Ishq Gumshuda, he IS Ali.  You feel Ali's pain, anger, confusion and then conflict between the two women in his life.  While he tries to do everything "right," his version of right, Neha's version of right and Aalizeh's version are not always the same thing.  He does a great job of making Ali a "good guy" - a lesser actor and Ali could've easily been seen as a bad person.

Sarwat Gillani as Aalizeh is the show-stealer.  She is perfect in this role.  Bubbly, carefree, a firebrand and a rebel, her happiness is short-lived when she feels her own life spiraling out of control after making the biggest mistake of her life - letting her first love go.  From that point onward, Aalizeh desperately clutches at straws, trying to salvage her world.  It's Sarwat's peformance that makes the crazy, confused, wreck of a person that Aalizeh is....lovable.  You cry for her.  You feel for her.  You want there to be a good outcome for her.  Kudos to Sarwat for this performance.

This was Aamina Sheikh's second role and she does a good job with it.  She plays the role of Neha perfectly.  Neha is essentially your "good girl," but how much does a good girl have to take before she realizes she's being taken for a ride?  When does she put her foot down and say ENOUGH?  And it's in this role that Aamina makes us feel for Neha.  Neha isn't a doormat, she isn't a lovesick puppy, she isn't a domestic goddess.  She's a living, breathing girl who is nice by nature but willing to stick up for herself, even if that means against her two best friends.  Aamina's performance is great, though she has much less screen time compared to Sarwat.

The supporting cast is ALL excellent, namely Hina Bayat, Asif Raza Mir and Javed Sheikh.  These three take their roles and cast a spell with their maturity, dialogues and poetic realism.  The scene towards the end between Asif Raza Mir and Hina Bayat is a stand-out one!  Shamim Hilali and Samina Peerzada are also nice in smaller, but equally important roles.

Bottom Line:  Ishq Gumshuda is a show that has been spoken about possibly less than other popular shows - but it's equally as beautiful and heartfelt.  I always feel you can't go wrong with Hussaim Hussain's shows and he proves me RIGHT every time.  Don't miss this one (like I did)!

Happy watching!

Firaaq - Great Expectations!

With the new batch of shows finally seeping in (Firaaq, Jackson Heights, Main Bushra, etc.) plus the return of Geo dramas, Pakistani television just got a little more exciting.

To kick it all off, Firaaq's premiere was this last Saturday - and what a premiere it was!  Taking the place of "Laa," a let-down of an effort in all regards, expectations were simply "Anything would be better than this."  But what a first episode!

Coming from director Aabis Raza, who has given us shows like Zard Mausam and Kankar, this show is not one to be left behind in regards to wringing our insides with emotion.  With this drama, we see a prominent theme:  broken relationships affect present relationships.

Uzma Gillani plays "Maa Ji," a dominant, unhappy, over-bearing woman who controls everyone in her household - and irritatingly so!  After her 2nd marriage to Haider (Mazhar Ali), Maa Ji loses her son Shams (Junaid Khan).  We can only assume that he was unhappy with her decision to remarry.  As a result, Maa Ji focuses all her energy (and anger) on her remaining child, Paiman (Sanam Saeed), who can only be described as beaten-down, taunted and void of any control over her own life, though she is brimming with ideas and desires.  What is refreshing is to see her positive relationship with Haider, her step-father.

On the other end, we see Shams and his relationship with his wife Sara (Cybil Chaudhary), an American-born and raised Pakistani.  While Cybil's accented Urdu can be distracting, the character of Sara and Cybil's performance is rather endearing.  You feel for her.  Shams told Sara of his disinterest in having children before marriage - but as it happens in reality, Sara's feelings towards children changed and now she wants nothing more than to have children with Shams.

It's here that we're introduced to two other major characters.  Sara discusses her problems with Rumi (Noor Hassan).  I'm yet to figure out if Rumi is simply a close friend of Shams & Sara or if he's a blood relative (cousin).  Either way, he plays a positive influence for Sara, urging her to find a way to mend her marriage with Shams.  And with that, enter Amroz (Mohib Mirza).  Amroz is a psychiatrist who tells Sara that the root of her problems in her marriage is her husband's relationship with his own mother.  He tells Sara that in order to have positive future relationships (children), she must first fix past broken relationships.

Sara ventures out to meet Maa Ji, a meeting that goes horribly wrong.  Maa Ji does not react as expected and gets angry (though Paiman is happy to see her sister-in-law), calling up Shams and telling him to keep his wife under control.  And so ends the first episode.

The performances in this show are all very natural so far, barring Uzma Gillani's acting, which is a little over-the-top at the present moment.  Sanam Saeed is perfect as Paiman - a scene to be noted was the tussle between mother and daughter at the dinner table over a "dirty" dupatta.  Junaid Khan is well-suited for the role of Shams as well.  And as I said earlier, while Cybil's accent is grating, she still manages to be likable.  As for the rest, time will tell.  This was a Junaid-Sanam-Cybil show all the way in the first episode.

I'm expecting good things from this one!  What do you all think?

Happy watching!

Out With the Old, In With the New: Koi Nahin Apna's finale and Tu Mera Hi Rahe's premiere

Koi Nahin Apna

So this show finally came to its natural conclusion.  If you'd seen "Akele Hum Akele Tum," you already knew what that conclusion would be.  I'm not going to bother giving the play-by-play of what happened in this episode.  To sum it up quickly, Hamza got Shiza ready to move in with Alvira, spending quality time with her, both father and daughter miserable.  Once at her grandfather's house, Shiza blurted in front of her grandparents, Alvira and the neighbor (who I love, but can't remember the character name at this time!) that Alvira's father kicked both her and Hamza out of his house.  THe neighbor also informed Alvira that Hamza has never loved anyone or had any "chakkar" with any other girl, as he only has eyes for Alvira.  Alvira's father tells her that he did everything for her own good, which infuriates Alvira, as he did everything for his daughter but never though that she'd want to do the same for her own family.  Alvira is furious at her parents, disowns them and takes Shiza back to Hamza's house, where the family is reunited.

The positives of this show:  The actress who plays the neighbor was a very positive, sweet character and highly lovable.  Little Maryam is my favorite child star at this time.  She did a great job as Shiza.  And of course, Fahad Mustafa's incredible acting.  He's outdone himself and it only makes the rumors of this being his last acted-in drama more painful to think about.  

The negatives:  The character of Alvira didn't really deserve forgiveness.  Sometimes relationships are too far gone and I felt that Alvira & Hamza's relationship was beyond salvaging.  But that's just my opinion.  Hamza's mother was the worst mother on the face of the planet, the worst mother in law and the world's worst grandmother.  She deserved to live her life alone with her elaichi (and we assume that's what happened).  The dramatics.....too dramatic!  Alvira's father has a good plan for everything, yet when asked "Papa kya yeh sach hai?" he breaks down and instantly confesses.  What on earth?  That was hard to stomach.  Also, Alvira's mother was quick to blame everything on her husband, forgetting how "shaamil" she was in pushing Alvira towards Zaka and getting a divorce from Hamza.

Other than that, I thought Koi Nahi Apna was a highly enjoyable show with great performances!  It will be missed!

Tu Mera Hi Rahe

This drama boasts of an incredible cast.  Everyone involved is so talented that you can't help being excited to watch it.  Did it live up to the expectations?  Of course, we can only base that conclusion on one episode and to be fair, the story has barely even started at this point.  What we have seen is that Mekaal and Urwa's characters are those of cousins who are in love and hoping to get married.  Unfortunately the politics of their families are already getting in the way and making this feat almost impossible.  In coming episodes, we will see where this storyline will go.

So far, I'm not highly impressed with the show, though the production values are good, the cast is good, the acting is good......I'm just overcome with a feeling of deja vu, that "been there, seen that" sort of feeling lingering in the back of my head.  Family drama has been the subject of so many dramas to date that this is already looking mildly jaded.

BUT again, like I said, it's too early to predict what direction this show will take.  So until then, I'm going to keep watching and I'm sure you will too.

Happy watching!  =)