Category: TV series

A review on Pakistani Drama TV-web series, Saat Mulaqatein (2019). Its Production House is Nashpati Prime and its Distributor is Binjee.

 

 

+ Crew

• Written & Directed by Kashif Nisar
• Narration by Hamza Firdous
• Created & Produced by Qaiser Ali

 

 

 

+ Note

Saat Mulaqatein aired on Nashpati Prime in the fall of 2019. In total it consists of 09 episodes. This web series is a project of Nashpati Prime on YouTube and Binjee, is its digital platform.

The issues the couple faces individually in life are of betrayal, guilt, self-esteem and trust issues.They both feel that because of other, they are unable to succeed in life. By being separated, they feel the value of one another.

Nashpati Prime is a hybrid online video platform containing web series, cooking shows, travelogues, talk shows, skits, stand-up comedy and animations. It is a subsidiary of QLinks Productions, Pakistan

 

 

 

 

+ Full Cast

1. Nauman Ejaz as Husband / Noman
2. Zara Tareen as Wife
3. Hamza Firdous as Writer

 

 

 

 

+ Plot

It is about a couple who go their separate ways on their 15^th wedding anniversary.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Wonderful performances by both the lead stars. This is one the main reason you would love to watch this limited web-series.

ii – Kashif Nisar wrote a good script for the performers to give them an uplift to their dialogue delivery to make Saat Mulaqatein a memorable series.

iii – It is easy to say that the first 5 episodes were more interesting than the last few ones.

iv – Having short duration to each episode, is another plus point to appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – All is going well, until the last few episodes including its finale were just not up to one’s expectations.

ii – By giving more emphasis towards its production design, would have benefited this web-series.

iii – The final outcome is unfortunately very predictable.

 

 

 

+ Overall
Saat Mulaqatein benefits from solid performances and interestingly written screenplay.

 

 

 

Rate: 3.50 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Drama TV Series, Khaani (2017 – 18). Its Production House is 7th Sky Entertainment while Distributor is Geo Entertainment.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Anjum Shahzad
• Written by Asma Nabeel
• Music by Sahir Ali Bagga
• Song (OST) by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
• Produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi

 

 

 

 

+ Note

Khaani aired on Geo Entertainment from 6^th Nov 2017 – 2^nd Jul 2018. In total it consists of 31 episodes. ‘Khans’ are often tagged as brave and headstrong community in our society. Khaani name is given to the feminism character for bravery.

This TV drama had been on hiatus since 2^nd Apr 2018 due to the ban of Geo Entertainment Network but resumed again on 23^rd Apr 2018. The OST is which has more than 27 Million views on YouTube.

Khaani has created a few new records of popularity and has soon become viral especially on social media. The episodes were uploaded on the official channel page on YouTube has garnered millions of views and keeps trending on the top 3 positions. It has been winning hearts nationally and internationally. Before the telecast of last episode, a campaign was started by Geo Entertainment about the end of Mir Hadi’s story and was largely appreciated by the Khaani viewers.

Its story is inspired by a real-life incident surrounding the murder of Shahzeb Khan by Shahrukh Jatoi on 25^th Dec 2012 which caused wide-spread outrage in the country. Till this day no justice has been served.

 

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Sana Javed as Sanam Ali Khan/Khaani
2. Feroze Khan as Mir Hadi
3. Mehmood Aslam as Mir Shah
4. Saman Ansari as Sitara Shah
5. Salma Hassan as Sonia Salman Ali Khan
6. Rashid Farooqui as Salman Ali Khan
7. Muhammad Mubarik Ali as Arham
8. Qavi Khan as Hamid Malik

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. Seemi Pasha as Iffet
2. Shehzeen Rahat as Sara Ali Khan
3. Malik Emad as Ali
4. Shehzad Mukhtar as Mithal
5. Khushi Maheen as Raima
6. Rimha Ahmad as Sana Ali Khan
7. Ali Ansari as Sarim Ali Khan
8. Qazi Wajid as Judge (Cameo)

 

 

+ Plot

One unfortunate day, Mir Hadi shoots dead Khaani’s brother over a petty issue in broad daylight. But Mir Hadi is defended easily by his political father by the help of his vast wealth and powerful friends. They even force her family to pardon their son.

Before signing, Khaani, the victim’s sister curses Mir Hadi of an unimaginable destruction.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – A huge round of applause for Feroze Khan’s outstanding performance as Mir Hadi a rich spoiled son of a very powerful and rich politician. I have watched a number of projects where he always gives strong performances but here he plays as an iconic character that would always be remembered by for times to come. His huge character shift towards guilt ridden madness and spill it all out at the court room was a very amazing scene to watch.

Though there are a number of scenes of his where he starts to see blood on his hands or the time where he confronts his father on the killing attempt of his love interest or where Hadi feels that his father isn’t doing much to help him find her were all very interesting scenes to watch.

The viewers would like to go back to those scenes and watch again & again. We all know from where this character is inspired from… if this had happen with the real life person, it would had surely fulfilled many people wishes and bought justice to the victim’s family.

ii – A salute to sir Mehmood Aslam who plays as Mir Shah an egoistic, carefully calculated mindset, powerful and wealthy political personality. His performance was very, very impressive indeed. I consider him as one of the best senior artists of our times who can play any kind of role given to him. He can play a comic role as great as a sober one. I am truly pleased with his strong, brilliant performances.

Our media production industry should be very grateful to have him with us and make our projects more stimulating to watch by having him on-board.

iii – The screenplay is well written by Asma Nabeel, who made this drama series very interesting till the very end of the episode for us to enjoy. It was moving and closer to the heart.

iv – There were many emotional and intriguing scenes to watch. I know many people, friends who literally had tears in their eyes while watching this drama.

v – The character’s transformation of Mir Hadi from rich, spoil brat to guilt ridden, spiritual person was impressively written and amazingly handled.

vi – The finale was very intriguing to watch. The team of Khaani didn’t rush things up but bought us viewers a very satisfactory end to this great drama series. Bravo!

vii – I liked the direction of this drama series by Anjum Shahzad, who made it possible to make Khaani a stimulating drama series to watch.

viii – Although the plot is inspired by a real incident, but the story becomes really exciting when Khaani’s curse starts to implement on Mir Hadi and his family. I can assure you that never did I lose interest in watching any of the episodes. This is very rare for the number of TV dramas I have watched and given review to.

ix – Saman Ansari as Sitara Shah portrayed her character so well as a mother to a rich spoil brat that one can enjoy her performance more in much later episodes especially. The best scene I liked of her was when she begs for Hadi’s life. No doubt it is a very emotional scene to watch plus to see such a dynamic performance given by her. Other Honorable Mentions: Sana Javed and Qavi Khan.

x – Once again, a good writing, direction and great performance pulled the viewer’s closer to fall in love with the anti-hero, played by Feroze Khan. It was a very difficult task to achieve for the writer and the director, to make this possible. Good work!

xi – We see that a stupid, hasty decision is taken by Mir Shah by giving threats to Khaani’s father and Arham instead of carefully handling such a difficult situation at his home was perfectly written. Some people might complain that Mir Shah was always shown as a very wise, mature person but why he would think of giving threats?

Well the answer is simple. In such situations, these rich, big shots who think that the fate is written as they want it to be are also very over confident at times. All their lives, they have never been scared but bought fear in other people hearts who are lower in class or power, often forget that there is always a time for their downfall or difficult times in their lives. Mir Shah assumes that if he threats as he has always done that in his past life, would get away this time too but only to find it that he is gravely mistaken. And that is what exactly happens to him as well.

xii – Everyone in the cast gave a very respectable, decent performance as the script demanded it to be. Huge pat on the director’s shoulder!

xiii – The characters of Arham and Hamid Malik were very well written. They bought new life into the drama series.

xiv – Surprising cameo by late Qazi Wajid was a warm welcome to the viewers.

 

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – It is very disappointing for me to say that there was no / hardly any physical transformation of the characters especially of Mir Hadi and his mother. What we witness here is that Hadi is all clean and tidy even after spending weeks / months living at a shrine or the remaining of his days in the jail.

We know that for a real life adaptation of the given character and for realism, a professional actor would have gone through the process of his tremendous change in his body structure by losing his appetite.

The main reasons are of having terrible guilt, heavy stress, anxiety and deep depression. A perfect example is given in the Hollywood film ‘Machinist’ (2004). A great performance doesn’t ends by expressing it out but also as character, how your body represents itself. Or perhaps, I am demanding too much from our Pakistani artists.

ii – I have grown very tired to see almost all of the roles of Feroze Khan played as ‘Bad Boy / Anti-Hero’. We all know that he is a great actor and this role too suited him perfectly but he should choose different roles for his upcoming projects. Why restrict yourself by playing one type of role endlessly one project to another?

iii – There were some minor sub plots which were there only to fill the gaps. It was the main plot only to watch.

iv – Mir Hadi’s activities (before falling in love) besides roaming around in his black Pajero, all he does do is be there at sea shore where he sits there and gets drunk? …What? That’s it? Did the writer actually do any research before coming up with this? Did she really think people would actually take this as a true picture of such a spoiled character?

v – The production design was unconvincing to imagine that this was Mir Hadi’s room. Are you saying, a rotten character like Mir Hadi has a (too) formal room? No TV, fridge, posters on the wall, computer or music system? Kamal hai!

vi – The mother of Khaani, played by Salma Hassan looked much younger than she should be. Salma looked more like an elder sister to Sana Javed than being a parent. Jokingly, I said to myself that ‘Rashid Farooqui must be very pleased to have a young woman to play as his wife’.

Yes, I do understand that the director / writer wanted to show a young mother to her children. If they wanted, they could have applied old age makeup to her but didn’t. Still, I feel that a bit older woman (physically) should have played the part. Nonetheless, Salma did a very decent job to portray for this role.

vii – In Makeup & Hair Styling we have Sitara Shah, who till the very end of the episode is still using her makeup and different colors of nail polish.

As for Arham, even when he decides to comb his hair in front of the mirror, viewers can see that he doesn’t need to as his hair is already perfectly combed. Why make it look so impractical when you are giving all your efforts to make such a great drama series? These minor mistakes should be avoided so that the viewers watch your drama without the feel of fictional story.

viii – The female to whom Mir Hadi talks to at the shrine for a number of days, there is hardly any shock by her father. His expressions are so unconvincing. Other than that, why reveal to the viewer’s everything? Keep it something ambiguous too. Don’t give away everything.

When the female approaches Mir Hadi first time, we see that his faithful servant also looks at her but in later episodes, the outcome is something else?

 

 

 

+ Overall
Khaani benefits from rock solid performances and gripping-ly written screenplay which ends up with a perfect finale.

 

 

 

Rate: 3.75 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Drama TV Series, Daastar-e-Anaa aka Egoistic (2017 – 18). Its Production is QT Productions while Distribution is done by TV One.

 

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed & Produced by Mohsin Talat
• Written by Amin Sadiq (Late)
• Director of Photography by Saqib Hussain & Arshi Ali
• Edited by Muhammad Bilal
• Co-Produced by Syed Afzal Ali & Uzma Mohsin

 

 

 

+ Note

Daastar-e-Anaa aired on TV One from 14^th Apr 2017 to 19^th Jan 2018. In total it consists of 40 episodes. The drama’s theme according to the director is to create awareness of keeping balance in relationships and solve the negative slot in the society. Either, this TV drama is character based or issue based, here in this drama we have tried to provide audience with an impact-ful message. It is a traditional love story which is shot on the beautiful locations of Northern Areas in Pakistan.

Uzma Gillani is known for her tough and autocratic choice of roles, due to which she is considered to be in Pakistan as one of the best TV actors of all time. During her career spanning over 45 years, her famous works have earned her wide-spread acclaim & recognition with a Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1982.

The melodic OST of Daastar-e-Anaa is composed by Maestro Waqar Ali and sung by Coke Studio star Jabir Abbas while its title song lyrics written by Sabir Zafar. The Makeup Artists are Farah Deeba & Ali Raza and the Executive Producer as Seema Taher Khan.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Uzma Gilani as Zabiunisa
2. Abid Ali as Muzzaffar Khan
3. Ayesha Gul as Riffat Begum
4. Kashif Mahmood as Walid Khan
5. Saniya Shamshad as Mahnoor
6. Salman Saeed as Adeel Khan
7. Arsalan Faisal as Abid Khan
8. Shahzad Ali Khan as Rahim Gul
9. Sharmeen Bano Tayyab as Farzana
10. Sami Sani as Arif Bhai

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. Shamoon Abbasi as ASP Humayun
2. Diya Mughal as Monazza
3. Raima Khan as Baji
4. Rubina Arif as Ammi
5. N/A as Dilawar
6. Fahad Sherwani as Sultan
7. N/A as Inspector Faiser
8. Shahmir Ali as Baba
9. Yasmeen Huq as Shamsi Bhabhi
10. Zafar Awan as Advisor

 

 

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+ Minor Cast

1. Faisal Rehman as Hashim Khan
2. Memoona Qudoos Mughal as Nausheen (Secretary)
3. Saba Faisal as Tanya Begum
4. Qavi Khan as Sahi Baba
5. N/A as DIG Head / Shah Jahan
6. N/A as Bashir
7. N/A as Riffat’s Son
8. N/A as Lawyer (Good)
9. N/A as Lawyer (Bad)
10. Rida Ashraf as Maid

 

 

 

+ Plot

A beautiful young girl, Mahnoor is trapped in a manor by her ruthless and wealthy grandmother Zaibunnisa. When Adeel falls in love with Mahnoor, he then tries to rescue her from being forceful marriage to her cousin, Abid Khan who is already eyeing to seize his grandmother’s vast estate and wealth.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Uzma Gillani as Zaibunnisa gave an outstanding performance as cruel, selfish, cold hearted woman and head of her tribal legacy (after the paralysis illness of her husband, Muzzaffer Khan). It is rare to see such dynamic performance given an actress in antagonist role. The character of Zaibunnisa would surely be remembered as one of the best villains written for Pakistani TV history.

ii – Arsalan Faisal as Abid Khan played out a powerful performance on screen as ruthless, hot tempered, rich playboy. I thoroughly enjoyed watching his performance as first timer. Other Honorable Mentions: Kashif Mahmood, Shahzad Ali Khan, Shamoon Abbasi and Salman Saeed.

iii – Most of the characters were very well written, such as Zaibunnisa, Abid Khan, Walid Khan, Rahim Gul, Adeel and Tanya Begum.

iv – I liked the direction of Mohsin Talat, made TV drama series stimulating to watch.

v – A different plot with an interesting story to tell. The tribal legacy, coming up with their personal rules and regulations at their territory against the law enforcement was the edge here.

vi – The costume designing is really praise worthy. Exotic dresses were kept for different characters the main and supporting cast played; such as Walid Khan, Zaibunnisa, Mahnoor Abid Khan and few more.

vii – Makeup & hair styling did an effective work at their end. It gave glamorous look to Saniya Shamshad, Arsalan Faisal, Salman Saeed, Diya Mughal etc.

viii – The addition of Shamoon Abbasi’s character as ASP Humayun was a good decision. I was very pleased to see him in positive light which is first time for me to see him as. His choice of playing a positive character made me recall of popular Bollywood supporting actor of 90s, Mohnish Bahl who came in positive roles in such super hit films Hum Aap Ke Hai Kaun (1994) and Hum Saath, Saath Hain (1999).

I sincerely wish to see him take more positive roles in TV and films alike as the Indian actor did. Shamoon Abbasi with this role, has made a strong impression on the viewers.

ix – Beautiful locations were used to shoot the TV drama, whether we are talking about interior or exterior places.

x – It was a very intriguing to watch where Saba Faisal and her son, Arsalan Faisal share a scene together.

 

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – I believe that 40 episodes TV drama is long for such a story. Last 15 – 20 episodes were filled with unlimited arguments between Riffat Begum and Zaibunnisa as ‘Tu, Tu, Meh, Meh’.

ii – The cinematography in some cases was quite good, taking very scenery shots but there were many times where unnecessary high and low angle shots were used including the usage of ‘Fish-Eye’ lens.

iii – The gun violence was unconvincing, hardly making any noise of an actual gun. I understand that the rating of viewership increases due to showing blood and strong violence but there are many ways where you can show it as real, depending on different camera angles and special effects.

iv – Sharmeen Tayyab’s accent as Farzana was correctly used but it seemed fake, as though forcing herself to speak in such a manner.

v – Bashir all that time in the dungeon is physically fit enough to speak properly but as soon as he is rescued and bought at the police station, he has the look of mentally disturbed.

vi – Unfortunately the ending was… unsatisfying and disappointment.

vii – Zaibunnisa’s security at her manor is so ‘Strict’ that Adeel able to trespass it multiple times solo or with his friend.

viii – Shahmir Ali was the only actor who performed weak plus his character was very poorly written.

 

 

 

+ Overall
Daastar-e-Anaa is a fascinating TV series to enjoy which lists strong performances, breathtaking panoramic shots of the Northern areas, the direction or the dramatic effect of the story itself.

 

 

 

Rate: 3.75 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Classic Drama TV Series, Dhoop Kinare aka At the Edge of the Sunshine (1987). It’s Production and Distribution is done by PTV (Karachi).

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed & Produced by Sahira Kazmi
• Written & Created by Haseena Moin
• Songs by Nayyara Noor

 

 

+ Note

Dhoop Kinare aired on PTV in 1987. In total it consists of 17 episodes. It centers on a team of doctors in a hospital in Karachi and revolves around their routines at the hospital and their private lives at home.

Three songs were written and sung by Nayyara Noor. This drama is considered as classic and one of the most popular Pakistani TV dramas. Due to its success, it gave prominent start for both the lead stars’ careers.

Some of the shooting locations of Karachi are of Marriot and PC Hotel. On 3^rd Oct 2011, an Indian soap opera in Hindi was launched by Sony Entertainment Television India. It was titled as Kuch Toh Log Kahenge and is loosely based on Dhoop Kinare.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Rahat Kazmi as Dr. Ahmer Ansari
2. Marina Khan as Dr. Zoya Ali Khan
3. Arshad Mehmood as Ahmer’s Foster Father
4. Qazi Wajid as Zoya’s Father
5. Sajid Hassan as Dr. Irfan
6. Latif Kapadia as Dr. Ahmer’s Friend

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. Azra Sherwani as Fazeelat Bibi
2. Kehkishan Awan as Anji
3. Hameed Wayne as Anji’s Father
4. Ishrat Hashmi as Anji’s Mother
5. Badar Khalil as Dr. Sheena Karamat
6. Saeed Munawar as N/A

 

 

 

+ Plot

A foster father gives away all his wealth to his son, Dr. Ahmer Ansari before he expires. Everything but except of the house he lives in. Shocking for Dr. Ahmer, he finds that his late father has a granddaughter to whom he has gifted his home to in his will. Unknown to both of them, the granddaughter happens to be Dr. Zoya Ali Khan who works under Dr. Ahmer’s supervision and has mutual love interest.

 

 

+ High Points

i – Rahat Kazmi as Dr. Ahmer Ansari gave a very good performance as reserved, strict, but a nice person who always cherished his father to have himself the only loved one in his eyes until his will reveals something else. His hatred for that unknown granddaughter to whom his former house belongs to, where his childhood had spent on which is now been taken away as a gift by his late father was understandable well indeed. A veteran actor as respected Rahat Kazmi could have pulled it off easily and which he did. He gained a huge publicity and fast forwards his career towards bigger projects after this famous classic drama.

ii – Marina Khan as Dr. Zoya Ali Khan performance as a careless but a good-hearted character who wins her respect and love from her boss, Dr. Ahmer Ansari. Marina is naturally a very good actress, who has won people hearts in her time with more of classic dramas. Other Honorable Mentions: Azra Sherwani and Sajid Hassan.

iii – Although the drama becomes very serious afterwards but the essence of having light humor helped to gain more viewers as fan following.

iv – A convincing drama is shown with the help of good direction by Sahira Kazmi. She needed two most suitable and great performers for these two lead roles, which she did get. The hospital scenes plus those scenes where Dr. Ahmer and Dr. Zoya spend time in to understand each other were very nicely executed.

v – The screenplay was good in the sense of realism. The importance of no mistakes can be carried out in a hospital, as the patients’ lives are depended on you if they are in stable condition that is. That is what was shown to Dr. Zoya, made her realize where exactly she is working at and how serious this work is. Then the mature love interest and respect are shown growing for each other. This is the glimpse of magic by respected former writer, Mrs. Haseena Moin.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Though drama is good and everything but honestly I didn’t enjoyed as much as I thought I would. Maybe perhaps I had heard too much buzz of this classic and had much higher expectations before watching it.

ii – Subplots were so-so really. It’s just the main plot the viewers would love to watch.

 

 

 

+ Overall
Haseena Moin’s Dhoop Kinare is a sympathetic, likable drama, with solid performances by the lead stars.

 

 

 

Rate: 3.0 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Drama TV Serial, Ishq Mein Teray (2013) aka In Your Love. Its Production House & its Distributor is Hum Entertainment.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Fahim Barni
• Written by Sadia Akhtar
• Title Song by Sohail Haider & Dua Malik
• Produced by Syed Afzal Ali

 

 

 

+ Note
Ishq Mein Teray aired on Hum TV from 27^th Nov 2013 – 26^th Mar 2014. It consists of total 18 episodes. This drama was also aired on Indian channel Zee Zindagi from 27^th Jan 2016 every Monday to Saturday 6:10 pm (IST) under the same title.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Mehwish Hayat as Aiza
2. Azfar Rehman as Saad Hamdani
3. Madiha Imam as Laiba
4. Shahzad Nawaz as Sheharyar Hamdani

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

5. Shazia Naz as Cucko
6. Atif Rathore as Bakhtiar
7. Ayesha Gul as Fozia
8. Shaheen Khan as Saleha

 

 

 

+ Plot

Aiza is a beautiful, down to earth young female who is the head in looking after household responsibilities including of her lazy brother & his family. Good fortune strikes her and she gets hired by Sheharyar Hamdani, whose daughter Laiba is Aiza’s friend and student. Laiba is in love with her cousin, Saad Hamdani, while Aiza’s intellect draws both Saad and Sheharyar towards her.

 

 

+ High Points
i – Mehwish Hayat performance was very good in the protagonist role. She clearly showed that she earned her lead role as the better performer.

ii – Shaheen Khan is a respectable actress and played her part as Saad’s mother really well.

iii – Plot twists of Aiza’s sudden marriage and Saad’s severe illness were good move.

iv – Both Mehwish Hayat & Shaheen Khan looked very attractive on-screen.

 

 

+ Low Points
i – The consequences of the plot twists were lame and poorly handled. I thought that after Aiza’s sudden marriage, its consequences would bring a HUGE turnaround for the drama but I was wrong. Nothing happened as such to be proud of. Perhaps I had high expectations from it. And to show someone with a dangerous illness in the start, there is at least 90% chances that that person would not survive till the end.

ii – Too many cliffhangers happened by the end of each episode (almost) but in the very next episode we are shown that nothing has happened as the character/s are too naïve to understand.

iii – Ayesha Gul’s character was very annoying and hateful. I understand that her character was written as selfish and arrogant but it was very difficult to watch her scenes due to consistent nagging and fighting with husband.

iv – After Aiza’s marriage, the existence of Bakhtiar & his family did not carry any weight nor had any significance on their scenes. The reason is that their sub plot linked with the main story was weak from the very start.

v – Madiha Imam character as Laiba seemed senseless enough to believe anything (after an effort) against anyone. She had suspicions against Aiza at least 3 – 4 times then she stopped talking to her father and Saad too. Her character was weak and can be defined as damsel in distress. She was always on the verge of either ending all her relations with her close ones or committing suicide.

vi – Cucko was only written to play it as a vamp without any her side of the story. Why would anyone keep her in their house when everyone knows of her ill personality and habit of eavesdropping? Till the end of this drama series she remains the same, no final verdict to what happened to her, her unfulfilled promises and threats?

vii – When Laiba tells her dad of the affair suspicion, not only Sheharyar believes her without any proof but also that he goes home and tells this to everyone at home. I mean this is a very personal thing and directly related with his honor. Why would he share this unconfirmed truth to Cucko for? It was unconcerned with her. If he really believed it as a fact then he should had discussed this with Saleha only.

I was shocked by the writer’s move as Sheharyar’s character throughout the drama was shown as a mature with great intellect and nice person. Regardless that the claim was made by her only daughter, even then the least he could had done was talked to his wife and nephew before making his final decision.

At same time, why didn’t his wife tell him of Saad’s love confession before or after her marriage? It’s not like he would had hated Aiza or hated Saad for rest of his life?

viii – The first experience of Aiza traveling on an airplane with Sheharyar by her side. This scene could be well written / directed while showing in detail her nervousness and fear of flying. However, this scene only lasted for hardly 2 minutes. What a bummer!

ix – The cinematography in many scenes were shot by a hand-held cam which literally did not make any sense as to why this move was used? Most of its time the camera was held in such shaky position that it did not go with the flow at all.

x – When the first time, Saad see the girl of his dreams and then decides to take a picture of her without her consent. He does this while standing on higher ground / 1^st floor while the girl is downstairs unknowing of his presence. After he takes her picture from his mobile, it shows that the picture is in mid close up. This could be only possible if Saad was directly facing the person on same height.

xi – There were several scenes which were too predictable such as Laiba finding out the old sketch that Saad drew and still kept with his personal remarks for his former love.

xii – Since the news of Saad’s illness was informed to him when it was still very much curable then why let his health deteriorate for one sided love who is now happily married? But most importantly ignoring the fact that what would become of his mother who is already a widow and all she has in this world is her son?

 

 

 

+ Overall
Ishq Mein Teray’s weak writing, dull characters and shaky cinematography were the final nails that were hammered in the coffin.

 

 

Rate: 1.0 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Drama TV series, Dumpukht – Aatish-E-Ishq (2017) aka Slowly Burned – Love in Fire. The Production House is Momal Productions whereas its Distributor is A-Plus Entertainment.

 

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Kashif Nisaar
• Written by Zafar Mairaj

 

 

 

 

+ Note
Dumpukht – Aatish-E-Ishq aired on A-Plus TV from 13^th Jul 2016 – 18^th Jan 2017. It consists of total 27 episodes.

It is an upbeat and mesmerizing story about a young girl enchanted by the allure of a charismatic spiritual peer sahib. The story highlights the orthodox point of view concerning the norms and traditions in the villages in Pakistan.

“Everything is fair in love and War” is a famous quote is almost fit for that story. It shows the strength of culture, blind faith that families have on their Peer and his wife, Bibi Sahiba while they are the inheritors of that area. All important decisions, starting from household matters to business deals, are taken with the blessings of the Peer Sahib.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Sonia Mishal as Kulsoom
2. Noman Ijaz as Peer Habib Ullah
3. Bilal Abbas as Biloo
4. Saba Faisal as Mehr Nigar (Khala)
5. Saqib Sameer as Haroon
6. Saman Ansari as Bibi Sahiba
7. Asma Abbas as Tahira

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. Noor Ul Hassan as Molvi
2. Anjum Habibi as Kulsoom’s Father
3. Haseeb Khan as Kulsoom’s Uncle
4. Amna Malick as Nimmo
5. Munazza Arif as Kulsoom’s Aunt
6. Sara Baloch as Kulsoom’s Cousin
7. Ibtisam Musa as N/A

 

 

 

 

+ Plot

Peer Sahab who is highly influential and famous in his area. Although Kulsoom loves Biloo but she belongs to a conservative family that they will not allow her to marry him. However, Peer Sahab has set his eyes on her.

 

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Noman Ijaz performance is yet again very good, this time as Peer Sahib.

ii – Sonia Mishal as Kulsoom played out nicely. Other Honorable Mentions: Saqib Sameer, Bilal Abbas, Saman Ansari, Amna Malick and Asma Abbas.

iii – It shows how some people go with blind beliefs while following their Peers, even if it’s against the beliefs and sayings of the religion.

iv – The last three episodes were interesting to watch, especially the finale.

 

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – This TV drama series is the most drag, slowest and snoozed off one I have ever watched up till now in my life. It’s much slower than a snail’s speed.

ii – After the 4^th episode, the writer must have realized ‘Damn! I don’t have a story to tell which is stretched out till 27^th episode. What to do? What to do? Uh… um, Okay fine! What I would do is drag the decision of Kulsoom’s marriage and her suffering with 20 episodes alone — that way I could save myself from embarrassment in front of producers’.

iii – If I was not watching this TV drama series for reviewing basis, I would surely had given up watching after the 7^th episode.

iv – I would have preferred to see Kulsoom gets married off to Peer Sahib than the other guy and watch its consequence with interest. I know that this was not the message the writer was trying to show but anyways!

 

 

 

 

+ Overall
Dumpukht – Aatish-E-Ishq one of those rare TV series so unfathomably upsetting, you could write a better one while sitting through its endless episodes.

 

 

 

Rate: 2.0 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Drama TV serial, Gul-e-Rana (2015 – 16). Its Production Houses are Six Sigma Plus Productions and MD Productions while its Distributor is Hum Entertainment.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Farooq Rind
• Written by Samra Bukhari
• Created & Produced by Shehzad Naseeb, Humayun Saeed & Momina Duraid

 

 

 

+ Note

Gul-e-Rana aired on Hum TV from 07^th Nov 2015 – 02^nd Apr 2016. It consists of total 21 episodes. It is a story of emotions, trust, relations, sympathy and forgiveness.

This TV drama series is based on a novel titled, Hasti Ke Ahang.

In the last episode, people tweeted about ‘Gul-e-Rana’ so much, that it ranked on #1 spot within an hour. This TV series is known as one of the best dramas of Hum TV.

 

 

+ Main Cast

1) Sajal Ali as Gul-e-Rana

2) Feroze Khan as Adeel

3) Mehmood Akhtar as Kamal Ahmed

4) Sundas Tariq as Maria

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

5) Samina Ahmad as Jazba Aapi

6) Saleem Mairaj as Zaffri

7) Imran Ashraf as Ashar

8) Behroze Sabzwari as Abdul Aziz

 

 

 

+ Plot

A young girl, Gul-e-Rana is struck with a bad luck to lose her loving father too soon. She is left with her mom and younger sister who start living at her Kamal uncle’s home. There she meets his wealth inherited son, Adeel.

Unlike his father Adeel’s views on women, how to treat them goes against every belief and equality for women rights Gul-e-Rana trust in. Once Adeel enters her life, all her dreams and goals now seem to be shattered for eternity.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – I would rate Feroze Khan’s performance higher than Sajal primarily because he took a very risky role of antagonist. The lead actors who often do protagonist roles, they usually reject those roles where they have to appear as villains. You see, if the role is too dark, the viewers would have very difficult time to like the actor who is performing it but also that afterwards, that actor might lose the image of being ‘Hero’ for the viewers and may start getting ‘Villain’ roles instead.

One should have guts to accept a role like that and performed magnificently. Over here, Feroze Khan proved it.

ii – The exceptional performances given by the two main lead actors i.e. Feroze Khan & Sajal Ali, they have performed to the core of their characters. Other Honorable Mentions: Saleem Mairaj, Sundas Tariq and Mehmood Akhtar.

iii – I was very pleased to know that Saleem Mairaj was part of the supportive cast. He is a wonderful actor and should be given much meatier roles of TV & films.

iv – The supportive role of Imran Ashraf was mild, not too over dramatic.

v – The story one of the main themes was the cruelty on women. It was really hard to watch. But this choice stands out due to daring move by the team of this drama series.

vi – The locations were chosen to shoot are very beautiful scenic especially of Muree.

vii – The theme music composed by Waqar Ali while all the lyrics written by Sabir Zafar and the opening theme song “Man Maane Na” is nicely composed.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – The silent behavior of Gul-e-Rana was totally unacceptable the cruelty against her by Adeel. She could have done so many things including at least had complained to her mom or his dad who is very caring person to her. She does not say a single word on many occasions. Though she does give a very lame reason in the end but it does not carry any weight.

I would like to tell you the real reason why she did not complain to anyone of it. It is because if she did, this drama series would have ended so soon. It would not even reach to its 10th episode even. Now the producers cannot have that, can they?

ii – The supportive story of Ashar and his family is dull and boring. However, in the much later episodes due to some reason, his father becomes nice to him. From that moment on wards it does become interesting. However, it’s too late as the drama series is about to be over soon.

iii – I have noted that in last three drama series of Hum TV (Mann Mayal, Humsafar and Gul-e-Rana) there is always the inclusion of Karachi and Hyderabad. The people of Hyderabad are shown common, middle class and loving people whereas the people of Karachi (majority of them) are rich, higher status, mean and selfish.

iv – In all these three dramas that I mentioned above including of ARY recent drama ‘Beshahram’ and A Plus drama ‘Takkabur’, they all have one thing in common. The marriage is done forcefully. Um, don’t we have happy arranged or love marriages anymore?

 

 

 

+ Overall

Honestly, I am not fond of Gul-e-Rana’s finale. Yet, it is safe to admit that I am pleased that they avoided a cliché ending. Both the lead stars are really good actors who gave a mind-blowing chemistry to watch.

 

 

 

Rate: 3.0 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani TV Rom-Drama Series, Bin Roye (2017) aka Without Crying. The Production House is MD Productions whereas its Distributor is Hum Network Limited.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Hassam Hussain, Shahzad Kashmiri & Momina Duraid (Produced)
• Cinematography by Farhan Alam
• Written by Farhat Ishtiaq
• Edited by Syed Tanveer Alam & Faizan Saleem
• Title Song “Bin Roye” by Shiraz Uppal

 

 

 

+ Note
Bin Roye aired on Hum TV from 2^nd Oct 2016 – 22^nd Jan 2017. It consists of total 17 episodes. Its screenplay is written by Muhammad Wasi-ud-din.

This series is the television adaptation of the 2015 film of the same name, which itself was based on the novel of the same name by Farhat Ishtiaq. All the original cast of the film have reprises their roles, including the main cast of the film, Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed and Armeena Khan.

The news at the start was Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Sanam Baloch, who were initially selected for the roles; however, according to the latest update on its official page, Fawad has been replaced by Humayun Saeed, while Armeena Khan will be playing the role that initially belonged to Sanam Baloch.

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Mahira Khan as Saba Shafiq
2. Humayun Saeed as Irtaza
3. Armeena Rana Khan as Saman Shafiq
4. Javed Sheikh as Shafiq Rehmat Ali
5. Zeba Bakhtiar as Maleeha Shafiq
6. Azra Mansoor as Dadi
7. Jahanzeb Khan as Zafar Shafiq
8. Adnan Malik as Amir
9. Junaid Khan as Safir

 

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. Saima Kanwal as Safeer’s mother
2. Shazia Naz as Sonia
3. Rashid Khawaja as Ansar / Maleeha’s brother
4. Aini Zaidi as Ansar’s wife
5. Huma Nawab as Safeer’s mother (young)
6. Arjumand Hussain as Javed (Cameo)
7. Adeel Hussain as N/A (Cameo)
8. Zaheen Tahira as Rehmat Bua (Cameo)
9. Saman Ansari as Amir’s sister (Cameo)

 

 

 

 

+ Plot

Saba is in love with Irtaza since childhood days but Irtaza is unaware of this. He instead sees her as his best friend. But Saba’s life starts to shatter when Saman enters in Irtaza’s life.

 

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Mahira Khan’s performance is WOW! Her character as Saba is of a young girl with 12 years age difference with Irtaza, who is unknown of her love feelings for him since her childhood days. Mahira performed with guilt ridden madness to its perfection.

ii – I consider this TV drama series as one of the best works of Humayun Saeed. He has performed this role with such enthusiastically and maturely that I can officially say Yes, Humayun is truly a great artist. Other Honorable Mentions: Armeena Khan, Junaid Khan and Azra Mansoor and Saima Kanwal.

iii – The writing has been superb by Farhat Ishtiaq and its screenplay by Muhammad Wasi-ud-din.

iv – Top notch production design while all its locations were very carefully chosen.

v – Nice job in its costumes designing.

vi – Admirable work in its makeup and hair styling.

vii – Surprising cameo appearance by respected Arjumand Hussain.

viii – Everyone’s performances are very good indeed. A great thanks to the director who made sure the performances came on top.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Some of the shots of direction of photography are vaguely handled.

 

 

+ Overall
Bin Roye is a rich and powerful TV drama series that without a trace of unrealism or the slightest hint of cultural supremacy, speaks expressively for the consequences of selfishness.

 

 

 

Rate: 5 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani TV Drama Series, Khuda Mera Bhi Hai (2016 – 17) aka God Belongs to Me Too. It’s Production and Distribution is done by ARY Digital.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Shahid Shafaat
• Written by Asma Nabeel
• DOP by Khalid Ahmed
• Music by Waqar Ali and Wajid Saeed
• Produced by Humayun Saeed, Shahzad Nasib, Samina Humayun Saeed, Tariq Shah & Sana Shahnawaz

 

 

 

+ Note
Khuda Mera Bhi Hai aired on ARY Digital from 22^nd Oct 2016 to 10^th Apr 2017. In total it consists of 26 episodes. This TV drama’s makeup & hair styling been done by Sajid Wahib and executive produced by Nadeem Baig. The production designers are Syed Jari Khushnood and Syed Danish Ali.

The theme is around after giving birth to an intersex child, one has to make a firm decision to either give it up to concerned group of people of intersex or be brave enough to face the society’s pressures where still today the acceptance of the third gender remains a taboo. This TV serial sheds light on the stereotypes, gender discrimination and marginalization that intersex people face within Pakistani society, and their identity crisis.

Khuda Mera Bhi Hai has received critical acclaim for its bold story line, and the “Important Questions” it raises regarding communal attitudes towards transgender people in Pakistan.

 

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Ayesha Khan as Mahagul
2. Syed Jibran as Zain
3. Furqan Qureshi as Noor
4. Irsa Ghazal as Arshi / Zain’s Mother
5. Mehmood Aslam as Hassan / Aij / Baabi / Zain’s Father
6. Alyy Khan as Mikail

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. Imran Ashraf as Zahir / Zain’s Brother
2. Mariam Saleem as Sanam
3. Hira Tareen as Kashmala
4. Saba Hamid as Savera / Mahagul’s Mom
5. Adnan Shah Tipu as Baban
6. Faisal Naqvi as Sanam’s Former Husband (Cameo)

 

 

 

 

+ Plot

A happy married life is shattered once Mahagul gives birth to an intersex baby, Noor. Zain refuses to accept Noor to avoid facing society’s difficult questions. It’s up to Mahagul to either hand over the baby to intersex group of people or face extremely problematic challenges in life ahead to raise such child as own.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – The writer came up with a great content / plot for this drama serial by thinking ‘Out of the Box’. It is a very sensitive subject to touch or discuss of, where unfortunately still considered a taboo by many people. Mainly for this reason, Khuda Mera Bhi Hai has able to grab people attention towards it.

ii – Irsa Ghazal as Arshi / Zain’s Mother has able to deliver such a cold woman, memorable performance on-screen, unlike she ever did before. Other Honorable Mentions: Adnan Shah Tipu, Ayesha Khan, Mehmood Aslam, Syed Jibran and Mariam Saleem.

iii – The frustration, embarrassment and being pressurized on how to face the society on upbringing such special child, can be evidently shows on Zain’s face.

iv – It was good addition to have Imran Ashraf in the cast. And a splendid choice to see Faisal Naqvi bought in but as a cameo. Both of these two performers are great actors and should be given bigger, interesting or lead roles to their projects ahead.

v – An emotional speech is given in the end for those especially who are the victims, their loved ones or simply those who do not accept them as normal and part of the society.

 

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Most of the characters were not well written or had too many flaws. The characters such as Kashmala, Zain and Mikail were the weakest. Kashmala was your typical vamp character who wants to win her love instead of earns it.

Then we have Mikail, who plays an unrealistic character that has devoted his life in helping Noor / Mahagul’s son who is an intersex child. He does this mainly because that he is in love with Mahagul but has accepted his fate on not winning her ever. This guy has an orphanage type school that he runs for other special kids and has his business to look after but most of the time is never shown, how he manages to do this all?

As far as Zain is concerned belongs to respectable, rich and educated family background… cannot come up with any good, well thought decision ever. He is pushed around by his mom or advised by his father or sibling on what he should do. Taking advises or listening to their suggestions is no problem here; but the problem is that Zain is not an illiterate. He has good business firm with his father and matured enough to sometimes come up with good ideas by himself too which he doesn’t. He always needs his mommy by his side to tell him what to do, who to meet and many more; “Jub tak is ki chabi nahi ghumaao ge to jub tak ye kaam nahi karay ga”. These kinds of weak features do not suit to such a person.

ii – From 12^th episode, this TV drama starts to lose its interest level. As a viewer, you would feel that perhaps it was better that they should have cut down to maximum 20 episodes. By now this TV series has slowly becoming to be a drag.

iii – A great plot to share & discuss but with a very uninteresting story to tell. After 11^th episode, soon you would start to realize that it didn’t matter much as what was happening anymore.

iv – The cinematography is very poor and incompetent. There are many examples throughout the TV series to prove the quality of work in it. The most idiotically scene was shot when Mahagul is having a nightmare where her adult son is facing his father and grandparents for the first time to confront them for leaving him and his mom behind. In this scene, you would see that the shot where Noor, grandfather, his biological father are standing in darkness. Their faces including of Noor is being lit by a flash light / LED. Only the frame shot of Noor’s grandmother is done with proper lighting. Secondly, who takes so much hand held shots when the scene is not even intense?

v – They makeup & hair styling was not up to the mark, but rather disappointing. It’s shameful actually, when you have such good stardom cast but do not have enough budget, for production work and its technicalities.

vi – The voice controlling / accent used by Furqan Qureshi to portray the intersex character was unstable.

vii – The direction in this TV series is not something to be proud of. It was just average, on how the director moved the story forward.

viii – Predictable end followed with an unnecessary death.

 

 

 

+ Overall
Khuda Mera Bhi Hai has able to make people realize of their pain, suffering on facing such challenging difficulties throughout their lifetime. However on having so many technical issues, the weak supporting characters, below average sub plots and uninteresting story telling has made this TV series to be disappointing to many.

 

 

 

Rate: 2.0 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani TV Drama Series, Daastan (2010) aka Tale. Its Production House is MD Productions while its Distributor is Hum Entertainment.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Haissam Hussain
• Cinematography by Farhan Alam
• Written by Razia Butt (Novel) & Samira Fazal (Adapted)
• Title Song “Aasmanon Se” by Sohail Haider
• Produced by Momina Duraid

 

 

 

+ Note
Daastan aired on Hum TV from 26^th Jun 2010 – 4^th Dec 2010. It consists of total 23 episodes. It is based on the partition of the Indian Subcontinent and the resulting independence of Pakistan, and takes place between 1947 and 1956.

In this drama series, Bano, a girl from a close knit Muslim family living in Ludhiana (located in undivided Punjab) in the pre-1947 era. The story follows Bano and Hassan, as they face the repercussions caused by the 1947 independence.

It starts out at a neighborhood of Lahore, which was shown as Ludhiana, India. The locations changed with every couple of episodes as the story corresponds. Other locations include Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Kapurthala. Notable locations include the Islamia College and the famous, Badshahi Masjid in Lahore, as well as the Pakistan Railways Station.

Daastan ranks among one of the highest-rated Pakistani television series of all time.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Sanam Baloch as Bano
2. Fawad Khan as Hassan
3. Mehreen Raheel as Rabia
4. Ahsan Khan as Saleem (Bano’s elder brother)
5. Saba Qamar as Suraiyyah (Saleem’s Wife)
6. Saba Hameed as Rasheeda (Hassan’s Mother)
7. Babrik Shah as Basant Singh
8. Affan Waheed as Nadir (Hassan’s Friend)

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. Qavi Khan as Naseeb Bhai (Bano’s Father)
2. Samina Peerzada as Saliha or “Bibi” (Bano’s Mother)
3. Seemi Raheel as Sakeena (Hassan’s Maami)
4. Asma Abbas as Sultana (Rabia’s Mother)
5. Naeem Tahir as Rabia’s Father
6. Daniyal Raheel as Faheem (Bano’s younger Brother)
7. Anita Fatima Camphor as Jameela (Hassan’s Aunt)
8. Humaira Abbasi as Kaamini
9. Azra Mansoor as N/A

 

 

 

+ Plot

Bano and her fiance face the trials and tribulations that caused by the 1947 Indian partition.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Fawad Khan’s performance is always the top notch. He in the year 2010 had the ‘First Class’ looks and performed ‘A’ graded on-screen. No wonder why people love to see him perform.

ii – This is the first work I have watched of Sanam Baloch. Yes, I agree with others on her great performance in the main lead role ‘Bano’. She really captured the viewers’ attention by her realistic act. Other Honorable Mentions: Babrik Shah, Ahsan Khan, Mehreen Raheel and Saba Hameed.

iii – The first 11 episodes are very fascinating to watch.

iv – Asma Abbas reminded me very much of Bushra Ansari; the way she sounded and performed.

v – Praises to the director who made sure the performances came on top.

vi – The misconception of Pakistan which Bano has in her mind was greatly handled by both, the writer and the director.

vii – Ahsan Khan’s character as Saleem is well written.

viii – I would always praise Hum TV dramas to take the ‘Risk Factor’ where other entertainment channels just interested to play the ‘Safe Side’.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – I am not against tragic endings but I firmly don’t agree with this one, even if the novel carried the same / similar ending, even then. Still I can assure you that during the 17^th episode, it was now very predictable how this TV drama series would come to its end. Pity!

ii – After so many years, when Bano finally has the chance to meet her fiancée… this scene was poorly directed and shot in most unconvincing manner.

iii – Rather to have political argument here, let’s just say that Daastan mainly focused on one perspective of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. I agree to some extend as to why the writer chose this move however keeping it in our minds that our mass public is still unaware / unconcerned of what actually happened at a time like this.

iv – It seems that due to low budget constraints, the production design and shooting locations were very carefully selected.

v – Similarly it goes for costumes designing as well.

vi – Its strange to see that a small child is unable to react or cry in front of crazy, shouting mother.

 

 

+ Overall
Daastan has its moments, but it’s vaguely written and self-indulgent to justify for its slow chronicle theme.

 

 

Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars