Drama Update -- August 2016

Good lord - how did we manage to neglect the blog so bad? My heartfelt apologies to everyone who has been so patient with us! Thank you for STILL stopping by - I promise there will be (by hook or by crook) a new post up this week! But for now, let me go ahead and post an incomplete-but-now-complete post that I started in June. (I know, I know - beghairti ki inteha. Tauba!) Of course since I did it in June, I had to do over any reviews I had changed since then...so the opinions are totally up to date.

Honestly, I didn't watch any dramas for a month (month and a half? Two months?) and then spent a week, right before Ramadan and well into Ramadan, binge watching them. And then I got caught up with summer vacations and travelling and spent the last week catching up, so I haven't completely caught up with some dramas that were on my to watch list. (Which is good because I just promised yall another post within the week so...)

A lot of the dramas I was watching came to an end -- Naraaz, Sehra Mein Safar, Abro, Tere Mere Beech, Bay Qasoor. The last four of those were all the good vs. evil type but for some reason while the dramas managed to deliver on the evil, they didn't manage to satisfy on evil getting a taste of their own medicine. So that was kind of a bummer. 

At any rate, here's the rest of what I missed and caught up on...

Aap Ke Liye

I kinda like this, so far. It's another one of those poor girl marries rich guy stories (which I'm a sucker for) and if you don't watch the OST, you can convince yourself that the drama will play out like an epic Barbara Sharif Bollywood movie - you know, where she gets married to the guy and then evil saas aur nandoon ki akal thikanay karti hei in the most hilarious way possible.
Highlight - The fact that the hero and heroine are years apart is a part of the story, so it doesn't gross you out as much as it should. Arij Fatima plays the smart mouthed/borderline annoying Washma effortlessly. It's a breath of fresh air to see Waseem Abbass playing a slimey old lech instead of the evil/worthless ghareeb lardkion ka baap.
Lowlight - The actress playing the younger sister, whose storyline no one (i.e. me) gives two cents about.

Dil Lagi

I know I said I wasn't too thrilled with this drama in the beginning, but it finally won me over (matlab, with only two episodes, one would hope so!). Anmol is blinded by misunderstandings and anger and she's gonna regret her hurtful actions. Mohid couldn't be more of a picture perfect Prince Charming if he tried, but Anmol manages to (kind of) bring him to a breaking point. Shit hits the fan, ladies and gentlemen, but luckily gets resolved instantaneously (speaking when you compare it in in drama time). I love how Anmol's mom, sister, mother-in-law and nand are all actually trying to help her and not appearing and disappearing from the screen as a bunch of the writer's after-thoughts. 

Highlight - Imran Ashraf is hilarious as Mohid's sidekick and the comic relief and his love story with Anmol's sister is sweet and cute. He's an absolute treat to watch.

Lowlight - Can. Not. Stand. Mehwish. Hayat. Ufffff... And quite frankly, I don't care how good of a reason Mohid had to slap Anmol, it's still abuse and it's still unacceptable. "I slapped her for her own good." Wow. *taalian*

Main Sitara 

This 60s based drama effortlessly took us to a time and place when Bollywood produced classics we still love today. It's easy to imagine the characters as a part of that era. Saba Qamar makes you fall in love with Surraya, and root for her when she grapples with becoming Sitara and staying loyal to the woman who helped her get there.
Highlights - Everyone in their role shines. The casting in this drama -- wah. Dil khush hogaya!

Lowlights - ....and then there's Meera Ji, which is the only weak link. Her stilted - and unconvincing - dialogue delivery are an epicfail.

Note: Season Two is currently airing, but I haven't watched any episodes yet :(

Man Mayal

Well guys, Ayesha Khan finally made her appearance and it gives me immense joy to say, "I told you so." The drama has officially derailed and left us wanting to ask a million questions - why has the evil naukar become the most loyal naukar? Why is Salauddin so blind to Jeena and her maneuvers? Why is she living in his house?! Why is Manu such a door mat? The only character that makes sense is Mikael who has, at least, stayed true to his character. 

Highlight - Nothing. (Personal highlight: I managed to abandon ship like 10 episodes ago...really, I feel for everyone still watching this crap.)

Lowlight - Jeena calling Salauddin her "cutie patootie." My ears, they burn. Ayesha Khan is horribly miscast as Jeena. And Hamza Ali Abbassi's affected deep voice - I guess he's trying to portray how solemn/deep/sangeedah Salauddin is - is distracting and dumb. 

Mein Kaisay Kahoon

Honestly, I didn't bother to keep up with this. It started out cute enough, but it dragged on and on and on and I didn't feel like wasting my life to catch up. But I heard it ended well...so...if you watched it, picture me giving you a high five ;)

Mera Yaar Mila De

This drama - regardless of its many many plot holes, is my favorite mistake. It's filmy, it's fun, it's easy to watch. It also reminds me more and more of Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, except the heroine and Ajay Devgan actually had the decency to get married before he dragged her to Europe to find her one true love. I was all in for Mushq giving Fahad the "tum nei mujhe pyar kar na sikhaya, laykin Dabboo nei mujhe pyar nibhana sikhaya" speech, which didn't happen #Sad. But still, this drama was fun and filmy and I loved it....Hmm...I feel like I repeated myself there....

Highlight - Towards the end Striker gets limited screen time, but Sundus Tariq makes up for it as the talkative and bubbly Iqra. 

Downside - The younger sister's evil sister-in-law and her husband who can't stand up for her. I don't know why they needed this side story at all. Why didn't Zeba just get her happy ending?

Tum Koun Piya

I love Ayeza Khan, I like Imran Abbas, and I'm into cliched dramas about evil mother-in-laws, so this drama ranks pretty high on my watch list. The story flows effortlessly and even though it's predictable, I find myself won over and looking forward to each episode.
Highlight - Hina Bayat is off-the-charts convincing as the evil mil with double standards. Yasir Shoro is also killing it as the baighairat and gold-digging brother-in-law.

Lowlight - Sumbul and Ramish's relationship is a bit of a weak link, if you ask me. Sumbul seems too much of a strong and smart girl to let Ramish get away with the stuff that he does. (I'm glad she left.) Ramish's mom's wardrobe continues to distract.

Udaari 

Let's just cut to the chase - if you can only watch ONE drama airing right now, make it this one. The story, the lessons, the casting (for the most part), the acting, there is not a single thing that detracts from the awesomeness this drama brings to our screens every week. Ahsan Khan is easily the man of the hour - he should win every award possible for his amazing portrayal of the snake Imtiaz.

Highlight: To take such a sensitive topic and present it so flawlessly...I'm impressed beyond words. Bravo Team Udaari!

Lowlight: Farhan Saeed, as the arrogant band vocalist turned lawyer, is probably the weakest link amongst the players of the drama. 

Zindagi Tujh Ko Jiya (aka 100 Din Ki Kahani)

I haven't caught up with this either. I probably will though...eventually. I do know that it ran for a total of 60 episodes...#OneDay

So there you have it folks, dramas I watched, dramas I enjoyed, dramas I am rooting for, and dramas that I dropped. On my list now are Besharam, Saya E Dewar Bhi Nahi, BeAib, and maybe Intezaar and Dhaani (which airs on Geo and I haven't watched a single drama from Geo that wasn't totally blog worthy). I keep going back and forth on Zara Yaad Kar, but I think maybe it's just too far in to catch up with now, so it might just continue to be a miss as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks again for all your support and the kind words you've left while we were on our short hiatus! Hopefully, we'll continue to post more regularly now.

Happy watching!

Drama Update -- April 2016

Welcome to the April update on what we're loving and what we aren't loving! Thanks to some dramas finally ending off (I'm looking at you Gul E Rana and Mana Ka Gharana), our plate was emptied out to make room for a few new dramas. 

So, how did the dramas fare this month? Well, let's take a look!

Abro

Still watching this drama and still loving every single second of it. What a great story of how two GOOD people made ONE bad decision and how that shaped their entire lives.

Highlight - Love love love what a beautiful relationship Ali and Abro share. They've stuck by each other through thick and thin. They've been each other's support and sounding board. I can't say enough good things about their relationship. #RelationshipGoals

Lowlight - Everyone's aging is a bit weird (and Fauzia hasn't aged a bit). Abro is still wearing the same lawn joras she wore 20 something years ago. 

Bay Qasoor

Insanity continues in this never-ending saga. Hira and Sadaf are living with Ameen and his terminally (?) ill wife as one big happy family. And Waseem is running around making bandobast for Bushra's ilaaj. What? Yes. Who knows what the heck is going on anymore. Even if you watch the episodes back to back, it's difficult to peice together what in the world is going on and why in the world it's happening. 

Highlight - I'm blown away by how absolutely nuts this storyline is...and the Hunger Games background music that keeps playing. #wtf 

Lowlight - The dying Bushra who wants Hira to stay married to her grandpa like husband. Quite frankly, with every move Hira makes being dictated by someone's sob story, I won't be surprised if she stays married to Ameen and has a cricket team of kids. Humph. 

Dil Lagi

Anmol's antics know no end and she runs around town leading Mohid on a merry chase. Mohid, for his part, seems to have nothing better to do but stalk Anmol or lock himself up in his room to sulk. The mothers of both of these two are helpless and powerless to stop anything or make their children see reason. It's ridiculous - but totally addictive. 

Highlight - Watching Mehwish Hayat and Humayun Saeed on tv after ages is like a breath of fresh air after watching the same faces in every drama on air. 

Lowlight - I'm still unable to buy into Anmol's headstrong (aka extreme) behavior. What's she got against Mohid? Shakal hei, body hei, paisa hei, power hei..if he'd stalk me, I'd totally make myself available. #KiddingNotKidding

Main Sitara

This drama transports you to the 60s and keeps you hooked on the story of Surraya, the daughter of the household help that gets left behind by the family. She is then raised by a Noor Jahan like figure, Jharna. Be prepared to be so engrossed in the drama that it takes your family a couple of tries to bring you back to reality.

Highlights - Aisha Gul is phenomenal as Jharna. She's a strong woman who gave her career the backseat to bring up her kids and support her husband as he ventures from TV to film.

Lowlights - Aisha probably should've gotten a real singer to lip sync to because her singing scenes are pretty painful to watch...err...hear. Also, I don't know if it's personal bias, but Meera is unconvincing and doesn't even TRY to act like she's from the 60s. 

Man Mayal

I'm having the toughest time loving this drama because it hasn't managed to captivate me at all. I can't relate to any of the characters and I find goody-two-shoes Salauddin to be a wishy-washy character that doesn't know what he wants. At least Mannu is dheet enough to stick to her guns and stay in the marriage she's gotten herself stuck in. I was releived when she didn't go back to Salauddin when he snapped his fingers at her - again. 

Highlight - I like how Mikael's dad is smart enough to know what an ass his son is. And Talat Hussain, in his limited appearance, was brilliant.

Lowlight - Salauddin is annoying with his whining and moping between Ifty's place and his parent's place. Grow a pair, stop asking your sister to play the go-between, and move on with your life. Gees. 

Mein Kaisay Kahoon

This drama has 15 aired episodes - but it feels like 25. The characters are all over the place and it's impossible to guess who's genuine and who's not. I wish they'd figure out the custody of this kid soon so Samar and Rohail can get their happy ending too already. 

Highlight - Ummm....

Lowlight - It seems to go on and on and on and on...

Mera Yaar Mila De

My inexplicable love for this drama continues - even though as it stands, everyone's lives are in total chaos and nothing is going anyone's way (except maybe Aslam Bhai). I think that's why it's so fun - there's an element of you don't know what's going to happen next and how things are going to fall into place.

Highlight - Striker. Just watch it for Striker.

Downside - Master Sahab seems determined to hitch Mushq off to ANYONE but Fahad. Fahad needs to grow a pair, stop being a leech on Dubbo (Dabo? Dabboo?) Bhai, and figure his shit out.

Naraaz

This drama was pretty much abandoned by me - for the past three episodes all I did was just watch the promo for the upcoming episode. Then I read 'second last' episode, so I decided to watch the whole episode this week (next week is supposedly the last). It's no surprise that Azlan has come back (kind of) to his senses and wants his child back. His best friend refuses to return the child because his psycho wife will probably lose her mind if she has to give up the child that is not actually her child. Ugh. To make you hate the child usurping couple even more, his best friend has based his case on Azlan wanting money in exchange for his child and his wife is telling Aazar to lie on the stand. Absolutely disgusting. 

Highlight - Aisha seems to be moving on to a new beau.

Lowlight - Bummer how a great story turned into a senseless nightmare.  

Sehra Mein Safar

Still holding on to this one - it's not as winning as Aabro, but it definitely beats out Man Mayal or Naraaz. I like how the story continually moves forward and has not grown stagnant.

Highlight - Iqra, with the help of Ayaaz, gets proof of Shehreyar cheating on her and she delivers an awesome soliloquy putting the cheaters in place...BUT the real highlight is how her amazing parents stand by her like a rock.

Lowlight - I'm still trying to figure out why Shehreyar decided to scam two middle class nobodies. With his lofty aspirations, you'd think he would've picked someone who actually had riches for him to do ayaashee with. 

Tere Mere Beech

I feel like this drama is nearing the end, so I'm sticking with it. Even though my disgust with Nadia, Sadia and Phuppo grows with each episode. First they were complete churails to Hareem and now Nadia wants to celebrate her "dead" sister's birthday by cutting a cheap bakery cake. Give me a break. Lucky for us, Fahad is back and I can't wait to see if Hareem will finally avenge herself or if the drama makers will leave us pulling our hair out. 

Highlight - Hina Bayat is convincing as Hareem's mentor. I love the spunky Aapa who wasn't afraid to give Hareem a reality check.

Lowlight - Phuppo. Nadia. Sadia. Nadia and Ali. Sadia and Nadia's devar and their romance. #NobodyCares

Tum Koun Piya

This drama is full of cliches but it plays out beautifully, at an acceptable pace, and Ayeza Khan's come back makes it worth watching. I find it ironic that after Pyaray Afzal she stated she won't do the rhoti-dhoti aurath, but if any of you have heard of the novel the drama is based on, she's about to do just that. 

Highlight - Hina Bayat is stealing the show in this drama too and it's her spunk that makes sure the drama doesn't fall flat. I'm sure it's just a preview of the terror she's going to unleash when she actually brings home the bahu.

Lowlight - Ramish's mom's wardrobe. In an era of blow dried hair, and kitty-party aunties that refuse to age, she walks around in lehngas and shirts with a belt on it. #FashionPolice come quick!!

Zindagi Tujh Ko Jiya (aka 100 Din Ki Kahani)

Still waiting for unaired episodes to begin. Did they turn an hour drama into a half hour drama? #Booo

Highlights: It airs four days a week.

Lowlights: It airs four days a week and has been cut into half. Lord knows how many episodes it'll have...60? 90? 120?

I glanced over a few reviews and comments for Pakeeza and Zara Yaad Kar, two dramas I was considering watching, and didn't read anything convincing. I have been meaning to begin Udaari, so there's definitely going to be a review or an update on that coming up soon :)

Please do comment below on how you feel about what's on air these days! It's always fun to see if you agree or disagree!

Drama Update -- March 2016

Wow a month goes by fast! I feel like we just did an update...ah well, four weeks is plenty for a drama to pick up or pack up. It's fun to go back and see how the dramas are still fairing one month later. So, without further ado, let's see how we're still feeling about the dramas that we are following...

Abro

I still don't know why I love this drama. I wish I could just watch it in one go. The drama makers have managed to make us go from hating Abro to sympathizing with her - and that's quite an accomplishment. I just can't wait to see where this drama is headed. In a perfect world, Abro and Ali should do something to totally redeem themselves to the parents (so his mom, Zubaida can die of shame for her horrendous treatment of Abro) and Fauzia should turn out to be a total churail and make Zubaida rue the day she married Abid to her. *fingers crossed*

Highlight - Ali has been an amazing rock of a husband to Abro, standing by her even when his mom has crossed all boundaries of rationality (and humanity). 

Lowlight - Zubaida's treatment of Abro is a bit OTT nasty. Also her hairstyle is a huge eyesore and distraction. 

Bay Qasoor

Why are we (I) still watching this crap? This drama is completely insane. Escape if you can!

Highlight - Aiman Khan's pretty to look at. Yep. That's the best I could think of. #pathetic

Lowlight - Who can forgive their husband and step-father after the complete nastiness they've pulled like Sadaf and Hira are doing in this drama? Also, why does this business tycoon keep marrying these bimbos? 

Dil Lagi

I thought about doing a dedicated review for Dil Lagi, but with only two episodes aired, I found there is not much to say. Mehwish Hayat's character is unnecessarily confrontational and of course our hero - the ghunda with morals - falls head over heels for her, because duh. Ghunda ghundi se pyar nahi karayga tu kiss se karay ga?

Highlight - Humayun Saeed ki onscreen kashish is undeniable and it gives us the fuzzy-feelies to see him onscreen again. 

Lowlight - Honestly, I find the unrealistic-ness of this drama a little off putting. The drama doesn't have a filmy feel to it, so the OTT character antics are not as forgiveable as they are with Mera Yaar Mila De (see below).

Gul E Rana

Ahhh. The drama we love to hate. I can't believe how many friends I have that are loving this drama (and hating our reviews lol). However, I stand by our reviews: this drama has too many holes and too little wins. In fact, it has no wins if you ask me. Please see the detailed post on the episode 15 update for further dissing of this masterpeice.  

Highlight - Only three episodes left...by next months update, this drama will be over. #Yay

Lowlight - Three episodes still left and Adeel shows no signs of reforming. This basically means he's going to reform at the very last second, making his already much-hated character even more hateable and if the drama makers really get crazy, then Rana will forgive him too - making us hate ourselves for watching this rubbish till the very end. 

Man Mayal

In spite of all the stars and pretty filmatography of this drama, I don't really see what the hype is all about. The story is progressing and the characters are all convincing enough, so I'll stick around to see where the drama is going. 

Highlight - Watching Talat Hussain in the drama was a real treat - in a limited appearance he is powerful and will leave you heart broken.  Also, I'm glad Mikael didn't turn out to be some psychopath - he's just a spoiled brat, partying it up on his parents tab.

Lowlight - This sinking feeling that Ayesha Khan is going to make an appearance any episode now... 

Mana Ka Gharana

I want to like this drama, promise. But it just seems to be going on and on and on with no destination in sight. Kissi tarhaan Mana ki shadi nahi ho pa rahi. Mana's mom is a total witch and I'll never forgive her for the horrible way she's treated and used Khizzer. 

Highlight - Maalik and Zarri's nonexistent but existent love story is endearing. 

Lowlight - Gul Bahar and Saleha are single handedly winning the churail competition. Also disappointing is how Ghalib and Maalik dont think twice about Khizzer's sudden personality change. 

Mein Kaisay Kahoon

This easy-going drama has turned into a never ending custody battle for a Montessori child and his non-existent jaidad. What a shame, the characters were so cute and the drama began with so much promise. 

Highlight - Right now the only reason why I'm watching it is because the story is tad bit different and because I only drop dramas midway under extreme circumstances (ex: Tumhare Siwa and Chup Raho).

Lowlight - The soteli Nani that appears and disappears as she wills. Rohail's mom that has got to be the worst fake-just-returned-to-Pakistan-from-overseas character ever. 

Mera Yaar Mila De

This drama is so filmy, so colorful, so entertaining, that I've decided to forgive its many flaws and just go with it. Faisal Quraishi is just too clean looking to pass as the mohallay ka gunda with a conscience. But, again, he's just so fun - especially with his loveable side kick, Striker - that it's entertaining to watch. 

Highlight - Sajjal Ali is absolutely stunning (Enrique must've sung, "Love to see you cry" with her in mind), Striker and Dadi are totally winning best supporting roles in this drama. 

Downside - Mehru Jee, for inexplicable reasons. Who the hell parades around Lines Area in Karachi dolled up like that?  

Naraaz

If you haven't seen our detailed post, feel free to visit it for the details on why this drama is derailing. This different storyline was a winner in our books, until the drama makers decided to push it into territory where it is unrecoverable from. 

Highlight - The child actor playing Aazar wows completely. 

Lowlight - Fareeha is dead, and Azlan's brilliant idea is to let his best friend adopt Aazar because he has better medical coverage. Or some stupid reason like that. Worst parent ever. 

Sehra Mein Safar

Iqra has rejected Ayaz and married the shady - and slimy - Shehreyaar. I must say, Emmad Irfani has come a long way from his monotone acting in Aasmano Pe Likha. If you have some time to spare, this drama is entertaining enough - even if it is slightly predictable. 

Highlight - Iqra's parents are in a two way tie (with Fareeha's parents from Naraaz) for the best parents ever award. Also, I'm totally in love with the OST.

Lowlight - Iqra's stupidity over monetary issues with her husband are just ridiculous. If she hands over her jewelry and committee money to him, she quite frankly deserves all the tears of regret she's going to cry when she finds out what a fraud her husband is.

Tere Mere Beech

Sanam Chaudhry is honestly carrying this entire drama on her fragile shoulders - and quite frankly, I don't know how much further she'll be able to carry it. It feels like we're just watching the blame Hareem game on repeat for the past few episodes and I really hope the drama will pick up the pace soon. Noor Hassan - as Nadia's rich but wishy washy husband Ali - is totally wasted in this drama. 

Highlight - Hina Bayat's sudden appearance, as unconvincing as it may be, is a breath of fresh air. Hopefully, Phuppo can now go back to her gaon and stay there. For the rest of the drama. 

Lowlight - Nadia and Sadia's constant berating and blaming of Hareem for everything is annoying and unjustified - especially since her jhat-phat marrying Fahad was all Nadia's fault to begin with. 

Zindagi Tujh Ko Jiya (aka 100 Din Ki Kahani)

As pointed out by many of our readers (thank you!), this drama has returned to our screens under a new but not-as-catchy name. Since I've seen the first 20 something episodes, I haven't been watching it, but will probably pick it up again once the unaired episodes begin.

Highlights: An easy watch with enough twists and turns to keep you coming back. 

Lowlights: You really want to wring Safia's neck. 

That concludes the drama update for the dramas we're watching. Some people have asked me about Pakeeza and honestly, it looks like an abusive husband story and down right depressing. I'm going to let some more episodes air and get some feedback before I consider watching it. There's a period drama Saba Qamar is doing that is supposed to air on TV One that I'm looking forward to. Along with the over-promoted Tum Koun Piya with Ayeza Khan. 

Please do comment below with any other dramas you're watching...we're always looking for good recommendations!

Drama Update - February 2016

Even though our blog posts have dwindled to few and far between, we continue to watch dramas off-the-blog like a student studies for O' Level exams. (Thank you YouTube, thank you wifi, and thank you smartphone.) So, we decided to do this post just to give you a snap shot of what to watch or what not to watch as far as the dramas that we are watching go. For simplicity's sake, the dramas are in alphabetical order. But you'll know the duds - cos pointing those out is kind of our speciality. *smirk*

100 Din Ki Kahani

This drama is an easy watch with an interesting enough story to keep you coming back. Sanam Chaudhry and Furqan Quraishi look good together and the side stories are also entertaining and not just fillers. Due to some unknown reason (to me), this drama has stopped airing. I feel pretty cheated because I looked forward to this every weekend. #SoSad

Highlight: The churail nand's husband is planning to dethrone her the same way she is ousting her own sister-in-law and I can't WAIT for karma to come bite her in the butt. 

Abro

OMG. This drama - I am head over heels in love with it, and for the life of me, I AM NOT SURE WHY. LOL. Eight episodes in and this appears to be the classic Akbari-Asghari type drama of acha beta vs burra beta and achi bahu vs burri bahu. The drama is moving at a steady pace and, quite frankly, I managed to happily (understatement here) binge watch the episodes because it keeps you engaged. 

Highlight: Some ah-may-zing performances that will leave your heart bleeding like the characters'...

Low light: The actress playing Abro is a bit (read: humongous) of an eye and ear sore - she's loud and has an annoyingly monotone dialogue delivery.

Aitraz

Holy crap. Where do we start? You have this plethora of big names - Sania Saeed, Imran Abbas, Sana Javed, Gohar Rasheed - and this completely brainless story that continues on repeat and makes you want to question your sanity for bothering to tune in week after week. Seriously, thank your lucky stars if you managed to not watch this disaster.

Highlight: Nothing. Nada. 

Lowlight: EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS DRAMA. 

Bay Qasoor

If there was an award for most Depressing Drama, this would be the perfect contender. I started to watch this for Samina Peerzada, but now I'm just left wondering why she agreed to do this drama in the first place. Luckily (or unluckily?) the pace of this drama keeps me coming back just to see how things could possibly go even more wrong for the poor ma and beti. 

Highlight: Sajid Hassan's character's round about turn has been perticularly engrossing. He just randomly goes from absent-father to father-of-the-year and, in my humble opinion, only an actor that is so well seasoned can pull off that kind of a change and leave us convinced. Bravo. 

Lowlight: Hira makes me want to slap someone. And the phuppi ka spoiled brat beta is bad enough being a spoiled brat, but he can't act either. Annoying times infinite. 

Gul E Rana

Since we already have a detailed post on this drama and why it should be dumped, I won't write more here. (I typed this before I typed the Lowlights. Grrr. This drama...Grrrrr) 

Highlight: Zafri was the only highlight for me because atleast he was amusing.

Lowlight: Adeel. Feroze Khan playing Adeel. Adeel's wardrobe. Rana. Rana and her being a prude. Rana being a doormat. Asher and his questionable motives. Taya. Rana's mom that only appears once every two episodes. The lack of story. The lack of intelligent conversation between Rana and Adeel. The lack of intelligence period. 

Mana Ka Gharana

Hmmm. I have mixed feelings about this drama. It has a story, it has well sketched characters, it's moving along nicely...overall it has no issues. Yet, when I watch it, I keep wanting a key storyline - the big POINT of the whole drama. Is it about good guys finish last? Is it about how money is the root of all evil? Is it about true love always wins in the end? What is that big wow that makes this drama special? I'm not sure yet. However, it's an easy watch and I really need to watch something that will help me renew my loyalty to Sana Javed after Aitraz and Paiwand.

Highlight: Shehroz Sabzwari wows as Khizer aka the most perfect guy on this planet. You can't wait for Mana to come crawling back to Khizer after all the zulm her fiancé is heaping on him.

Lowlight: Barring the big wow, nothing to report.  

Man Mayal

Hamza Ali Abbasi returns to our screens to play the poor, hardworking, in love with a girl way out of his income bracket, chotay sheher ka lardka, dreaming along the lines of papa kehtay hein bara naam karayga...*picture me raising an eyebrow* I want to be enthusiastic, really, I do, but didn't he just play this character in Pyaray Afzal?
Highlight: Great visuals. The OST sounds like something from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas soundtrack (and I loved the music and Madhuri in that movie, so in my book, that's a win). Aiman Khan - even though she's just playing the little sister - deserves honorable mention.
Lowlight: Ayesha Khan is in it. I repeat, AYESHA KHAN IS IN IT. Lord help us all...

Mein Kaise Kahoon

An evil Bhabi, a sister-like best friend, a dur ka rishtaydaar eligible bachelor...all these components make this a cute drama to watch as a relief from the other hardcore stories on air these days. 

Highlight: Maria's love for Samar and sitaron ka haal are endearing. 

Lowlight: Episode 6 promises to be heartbreaking. Bummer. 

Naraaz

Faisal Quraishi redeems himself (after flops like Mein Bushra and Mol) and gives us Naraaz. Naraaz has a solid story and I love watching how seamlessly the director has managed to capture subtleties of relationships. Honorable mention for Asad being an amazing friend, and the voice of reason, to our boy Azlan through his trials.

Highlights: Faisal Qureshi and Sarah Khan share an electric chemistry onscreen. Aazar is cute as a button, and his one-on-ones with Nana Abu are absolutely adorable. 

Lowlights: Azlan's ex-colleague, Aisha - it's just unappealing how desperately obvious it is that she has the hots for Azlan. 

Preet Na Kariyo

Thank god Hum TV decided to apologize for airing crap like Gul E Rana and Sangat by airing gems like these. Wonderful characters, wonderful dialogues, wonderful acting. Applause for all the actors. Ahsan Khan reminds us why we love him.

Highlight: I am officially a Hira Salman fan. She has managed to paint a flawless picture of Shagufta, and create a character who you will hate but love, disapprove of but admire.

Lowlight: The casting of Shagufta's younger brother grown up. Kaheen se Bhai nahi lagta woh uska. #CastingFail

Sangat

Saba Qamar takes on the topic of rape, but the plot got lost within the first few episodes and never recovered. It was less about her and her story and more about Shahvez and his quest for forgiveness for an unforgivable act. I'm sorry, were we supposed to sympathize with that animal? 

Highlight: It's over. 

Lowlight: Let's just do everyone a favor and not discuss this hideous drama, its hideous story, and its hideous message.

Sehra Mein Safar

Another time pass that I'm tuning into weekly just to see where the drama will go. I like how they have shown a very natural progression of how Iqra's life has changed and how these changes are effecting her as a person.

Highlight: Ali Kazmi returns to our screens and if he was irresistible in his tanks, he's even cuter as the nerdy glasses wearing Ayaz.

Lowlight: Iqra and her prudish ways. Seriously, you can maintain a distance from men and not be confrontational or rude. Gees. 

Tere Mere Beech

This drama doesn't bring anything new to the table or any mind blowing performances, except Sanam Chaudhry who has done a phenomenal job portraying the conflicted and proud Hareem, which is why I keep watching. 

Highlight: looking forward to how Agha Ali's character is going to react when he finds out his heiress isn't an heiress. #Woops

Lowlight: Saba Faisal as Nighat. Her treatment of Hareem is abominable and her character is borderline crazy because she can't decide whether to be nice to Hareem or yell at her (sometimes for no reason).

And there you have it friends - a nice, long, round up for this month of some hits and some misses that we are watching. Of course, even while we complete this there are some new dramas starting that we're looking forward to (Mera Yaar Miladay and Pakeeza to begin with), so go ahead and leave us a line in the comments if you enjoyed the post and would like to see something similar next month!

Until then, happy watching!

Bay Qasoor - Episode 7 Update

Wow! I'm on a roll with these episode 7 updates! Today, we're talking about Bay Qasoor, starring Samina Peerzada. 

Bay Qasoor is the story of Sadaf, a naik single mom that remarries to help provide her and her infant daughter with a roof over their heads. Waseem, her second husband, literally provides little more than that roof. He has a daughter from a previous marriage, Sehr, who he has spoiled rotten and she has grand dreams of marrying into money, i.e. Sadaf's daughter is the good daughter and Waseem's daughter is the bad daughter. 

Sehr marries Shreyar, a man three times her age to achieve the monetary luxuries she has always dreamt of. Daddy dearest suffers a massive heart attack due to his daughter's foolish actions. To add injury to insult, Shehreyar is Sadaf's ex-husband and Hira's dad. 

Now you know why I'm so inexplicably absorbed by this drama. Because it's gross in a train wreck you can't look away kind of way. 

Let's explore what happened this week In the most current episode...

Hira confronts her slimy dad, who promptly calls his ex-wife an adulteress and she slams out of his office to run home and confront her mom. What follows is the most uncomfortable scene of screeching and crying that I've witnessed in a long time. 

The only saving grace of the meltdown scene is this miss: Waseem's talak yaafta behn that lives with them, who overheard the commotion. This is the second drama where we see a sister from hell, being played phenomenally well by Javeria Abassi. She's lazy and greedy and she's raising her boy to be a future ghunda. She's happiest that Sehr has married Shreyar because she gets to mooch off her brother and his daughter  (Sidenote: Her ex-husband was played by Aijaz Aslam. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why he would play such a nonexistent role...Answers, anyone?)

Sehr is living the life. And nothing anyone can say is going to bring her down. I think Aiman Khan has done a good job portraying Sehr. She's very beleiveable and her character is well developed. She knows what she wants and she's not afraid to do what she must to get it. 

I'm sorry...I'm innocent...blah blah blah... 

Hira vows to avenge her mother and then storms into Shreyar's office to scream at him i.e. The quiet and suljhee hui Hira looses her mind. Maybe it's because we haven't seen her co-worker beau in this episode...?

Shreyar isn't about to let his ex-wife or estranged daughter mess up his life - he promptly storms to Sadaf's house and enlightens everyone of their previous relationship, the one secret Sadaf was trying so vainly to keep.  

Speak of the devil (or angel in this case)... Meet Hira's Mr. Wonderful. He is - duh - perfect. Of course Hira's stupid stepdad can't see that, and he has all but rejected Babar's marriage proposal for Hira. #Jerkface

Ok. Maybe Sadaf didn't think that. Maybe it was just me. But it's worth repeating: Stepdad has lost his mind.

And with this, all the cards are now on the table. How will Sehr react? Aiman (and Javeria, who I suspect will help Aiman's character plot her next move) has done such a great job playing this spoiled - yet naive - brat, that I'm excited to see what will happen next. 

On the down side, I'm disappointed Samina Peerzada is playing such a wishy-washy role when she is capable of so much more...and the fact that Sajid Hasan and Waseem Abbas are playing the same old same old is just that - same old, same old. #Snooze

At any rate, Bay Qasoor remains my favorite guilty pleasure at the moment. And if anyone else is enjoying this drama too, don't worry - this is a judgement-free zone! *smirk smirk*

Happy watching!