Nazo - Urdu 1

So guess what I did today. Watched a drama. A new drama. That's right.

I stumbled upon this while browsing through YouTube. Got excited but didn't watch it straight away and promptly forgot it's name. So today I had went through three days worth of YouTube recommendations just to find this drama again. Yeah, that's how excited I am about this.

It stars Atiqa Odho, Zhalay Sarhadi,  and Sonia Hussain.

Only two episode have aired so far so there's not much catching up to do.[Disclaimer: (I started writing this review a few weeks back and then got sidetracked by life in general. Since then 6 episodes have aired and I've loved them all)] Atiqa odho plays Tabassum, a single working mother to Samra (zhalay sarhadi) and Naazo (played brilliantly by Sonia Hussain) who suffers from severe learning difficulties since birth. Samra is the older lover sister who takes care of her sibling with the love and attention usually shown by mothers. She also works but has to regularly run home due to the hired maid running into difficulties while handling Nazo. Tabassum is also loving mother but takes the tough love approach with Nazo. This is the reason for constant altercations between Samra and her.
Through flashbacks we find out that the father like typical desi men wanted a son and instead got a mentally challanged daughter. He insists that Tabassum put Nazo away in a mental institution but when she refuses he drives off in a huff and promptly dies in a car accident. 

instant karma bitch!

Samra has repressed memories of her childhood and blames her mother for her father's death.
  Tabassum wants Samra to get married and live a normal life, and she keeps arranging rishtas. These don't work out as Samra insists that Nazo will stay with her and prospective grooms and their families are scared off.

I won't go into details of what happens in the two episodes that I've watched. It mainly consists of a whole lot of back story and mother daughter fights. 

In episode two due to negligence of Nazo's caretaker, she ends up in hospital with pneumonia. Here our hero Habeel makes his knight in shining armour entry. I know this is a drama but I found the situation highly unbelievable. A distressed Samra gets knocked down by a passer by in the hospital. The guy who knocked her down just keeps on walking but aik meel duur se chalta huwa hero comes to help her.

Haseen ladki falling down and a dozen desi humdard not rushing to help her??? Hmmmmmm not buying it.

I haven't seen any dramas with Ahmed Ali as the hero Habeel, but I have seen his chusstice league youtube video with Osman Khalid Butt. So I have high hopes for his acting. Back to this drama. Habeel is in the hospital taking care of his sister who is in hospital for an appendix operation. One more flashback and we know she's divorced. From the concerned looks he keeps giving his sister and the extra tests the doctors keep doing it's obvious that it's not really the appendix. 

"kuch nahi hoga apko" in drama language means he's effectively signed her death certificate. Oh and the hero thinks Samra is Nazo's mom. Lol. 

Another potentially important character is the mom's friend/colleague, played by Sami sani. Considering he's only played shady side villains lately I have a feeling his entry is going to cause all sorts of problems for Samra and Nazo.

Shamsi isn't sure if our drama industry will do justice to a sensitive topic like this. I think we've done it before in ....(child marriages and marital rape)  And to a lesser extent in kankar (domestic violence). It is up to the writer and director to bring an important topic like this to our society in a manner that leaves an indelible mark on our collective conscious. We need stories like this to teach our society about the needs of special children and get rid of the stigma we associate with their families. Especially laying the blame of any problems with children entirely on the mother's shoulders. 

If you aren't already watching this drama...start now!!

Alvida - Episode 19

Finally finally a good episode...but before we get to that...

you live with a psycho and you spend precious time watching bad horror dramas on Hum tv instead of thinking of ways to escape him??? get yo priorities straight woman.

back to the good bit

 maybe next time don't taunt your husband's manliness before telling him he can't divorce you...lolz

Yep! Yep! All that awesomeness from Hadi right at the start - though question: who keeps talaaq papers lying around in a drawer? (Yeah, I had to spoil the moment with that huh?)

Bye bye Fareesa - look, we even baked you a cake!

Good to know the director remembered ke Hadi ka aik adad baap bhi hei.

jaatey jaatey Fareesa delivers "best dialogue of the episode"

Hadi lets Fareesa take the car - guess, we know how she's gonna pay for her airfare to the U.S. *snort*

More awesomeness where Fareesa gets served! (And Saim competes with Rameez on being crazy)

 Moment of silence for anyone who did not see this coming

this was the most unsatisfying plot twist ever. it was obvious from the start...complete copy of the Janam Jali plot, and no flashback to tie in the loose ends together...like how did someone who was once as poor as fareesa suddenly have enough cash to buy her expensive dresses, drive a flashy car, or live in a posh house like this?

:-/ poora din Haya walks around without a dupatta then when she's trying to get away from rameez usko dupatta pehena zaroori hai?

I thought she was going to run away... But this idiot wants to make breakfast and babies for this psycho. 

so for Rameez to trust Hay he's going to test her by taking her to meet Hadi...ummm...don't you want to test her by seeing how long she can stay away from Hadi??? I guess the writer knew no other way of revealing about Ha-Reesa divorce in front of Rameez.

And all the warm fuzzy feelings I had after the beginning awesomeness abated with this horrible scene - I mean he barely got hit by the sofa and he's limping like he was maimed. Pffffft


i'm not a fan of terms of endearment and thanks to Rameez now, i will never hear a husband calling his wife sweetheart without getting a creepy shiver up my spine

also they could've used a more realistic looking blood alternative instead of squeezing a glob of Heinz ketchup on Rameez's hand...you can even see the pulpy tomato texture in the closeup 

So basically, Haya and Rammez live on the hundredth floor of this building...

Let's just face facts and move on: SADI IS NEVER GROWING UP. Like, ever. 

#TwoGenius

More proof that Alvida is shot in another dimension where space and time work in mysterious ways...in the time it talkes for Hadi to figure out Haya is being abused by her husband and for him to drive to her place is the same amount of time Haya takes to run down the stairs in her building

So explain this to me...in Indian dramas the husband and wife like each other yet somehow their marriage remains un consummated, sometimes even after a whole year has passed. Whereas in Pakistani dramas the husband and wife hate each other... Or at the very least have strong dislike for each other... Yet somehow the girl ends up pregnant within the first month. Errrrrr...no wonder we have an over population problem.

More importantly, if Haya and Rameez have a baby, will THAT baby be allowed to grow up?? 

In conclusion, Haya is pregnant and wants to go back to Rameez, because, you know, he's gonna hear about the baby and miraculously be cured. Last time Haya nei deemagh par itna zoor dala tha, she ended up married to Rameez, so, sorry Haya, but I don't think you should be allowed to think. Or make decisions.

P.S: episode 20 promo... The poopies is about to hit the roofies. 

Alvida - Episode 18

How can Haya be all smiling and touchy-feely with this guy? He makes my skin crawl. 

Speaking of skin crawling...how creepy was his speech to Haya outside Taya Ji's front door? First he made my hair stand up by how casually he says he will throw acid on her and harm Hadi. Then, he smoothly turned it around - as if he is totally normal and if he messes up it will be because of Haya. A great spot of good dialogues and acting. *Taalian*

Oh Alvida - you bring me up and you throw me down. Really, ZERO thought and effort was put into the mom's character.

More fuzool dialogue between these two. Instead of Haya using the opportunity to say, "Save me from this psycho, my knight in shinning armor!" Thanks to Hadi being all defensive and stuff she ends up telling him how amazing her husband is.

Fareesa being all pot calling the kettle black...then Haya overhears her saying, "I love you Saim. You're the best."

wow..height of laziness taayi ji calling hadi from downstairs on his cell phone to tell him to come downstairs

Wow - apparently when people come from defense to karsaz, they call it a 'picnic.'  Rameez even has munchies for his 25 minutes car ride...

whereeeeeee is this place in karachi?????? i want to go next time i'm in Pakistan (lol.  It's Arena, on Karsaz) Clearly i'm wasting my karachi trips at the tailors i should be spending time at Arena.

Check out Hadi walking off in a sulk - in his two sizes too small shirt...

does anyone in that big hospital of theirs do eye checkups? cos Haya really needs a new pair of glasses....

ugh....these two co-conspirators...

Nausea-inducing flirting between these two. Ewwww - get a room!

ugh Fareesa makes me want to commit murder

Hello? That would - by your own declaration - make Hadi's idea about you correct. Especially since he saw you all cozying up with Saim in a PUBLIC PARK. #WhoDoesThat

Oh wow. Fareesa thinks she's running the show and playing Rameez like a pawn. Can't wait to see which of these two psychos brings the other down. #Sarcasm