Things I liked: Oct. 4th

After many days, an episode felt wholesome...and some bits really struck a chord with me...


1) Najma's fascination for Sania Mirza and anything related to her...just the innocence with which she is so awed...trying to gather information bit by bit...wanting to know what "Singles" means in the context of Tennis.


2) Salman Baig's handling of the gehne bit...Fantastic scene! Just the way the whole scene was set up and enacted by each actor...superb job...starting with the way Mariam walks in and offers her jewellery to Yunus...his hesitation to take it, then her reminding him that Tauseef would have stood for his brother if he was alive...the way her bhabhi interrupts and orchestrates the situation as such that Yunus feels compelled to take the jewellery while Mariam remains quiet as the bhabhi not so subtly points out again that Mariam doesn't even use the jewellery anymore...what I liked in this bit was that it wasn't shown in a typical vampish fashion.

But the real impressive bit starts after this when Salman Baig enters the picture and just the way he conveys so many points so brilliantly...starting with asking Yunus that he talks so much about religion but he has forgotten what is acceptable/not acceptable in his own religion? The way he builds up the point to mention why the jewellery is so important...that it isn't merely an ornament to wear but it is a fallback for when times get hard for a woman and she has no one to support her...just the way this was conveyed so beautifully through the dialogues and the way the actor enacted this really impressed me...the point towards the end where he speaks about how people twist religion as per their convenience rather than really following what their religion preaches and in the process only end up giving their own religion a bad name...great point made by the writer in this scene.

I loved the way Salman Baig handled the whole situation without making a drama out of it...Yunus felt guilty and gave the jewellery back...and the bhabhi was appropriately shut up too by being reminded that she too has jewellery that could pawn if she really was up to it...and being reminded that it isn't just her kids who's future has to be secured...


3) The ending Najma-Imran scene...lol@ Imran finally asking her to call him Sir and not "Naye Padosi" as she always calls out to him😆...and the way he spoke to her about strengthening her own conviction first vis a vis whether she wants to play Tennis...I like that he guides her in a matter of fact manner without getting sentimental...the gaffe about him mentioning her Abu did make him feel guilty for a bit though...and Najma too is confused right now with her entire family being so against her thinking so much about sports rather than her studies.



I realized as I finished watching this epi that the issue with pace, drag aside...I do quite like how they've built this universe within which these characters function...there is a subtlety in the interactions and slowly but surely the characters and their mannerisms/quirks are settling in on me now...they've got an old DD shows wala charm to them...in little things like the way Salman and Hiralal talk about things...or the way Rehmat Khala comments about different things like the way she caught Salman's chaashni stain on his kurta...just simple, sweet everyday things...

Originally posted by: spidie

Hello! A post from you after a long time.

Loved the gehne scene. Salman Baig is the most consistent chatacter in this serial. The best part was what he says about religion.We just mould religion according to or needs. So true! Even at the end when he directly tells Mariam that if not for you atleast think of Najma and tells her not to even think of giving it away to anyone.I also like how Younis respects his dad. He really pays heed to his advice. Yes Salman Baig is deffo the best character in the show and very lovingly sketched and enacted...I love how CLASSY he is in handling the various issues...and the way he reminds his friend in the last scene that it's not just Mariam he's worried about but Younis too.

Imran- Najma scenes are the ones which I look forward to. Najma always does something wrong and then blames him or refuses to apologise😆 Even if she tries to do something good it just ends up being all wrong😆 And I hope Imran bans all of them from using the word Naye Padosi.😆 I loved their terrace badminton scene. It was shot nicely.:) Ditto...I loved how that scene was conceived and shot too...and Ashnoor was just GLOWING in that scene...such JOY in this child...bless her.

I still hope they cut down on Jamaal and family scenes and Jamaal and mamu scenes. And please pay more attention to Imraan- Mariam scenes. They look quiet contrived😕 The terrace scene where she is looking at him and then hides when he looks up😆 I hope they handle that story well. Right now it confuses me. The thing that bothers me about Imran-Mariam scenes is Barkha's inability to convey what is essentially Mariam's curiosity regarding Imran at this point...it's not in a romantic sense...but this show is unable to bring about that nuance in Imran-Mariam's relationship and it's being simplified as typical attraction...so when Mariam looks at Imran, it ends up coming across as a woman's interest rather than a basic human interest...and it's at odds with the constant Tauseef flashbacks they keep overloading vis a vis Mariam's memories...

That said, the scene you're mentioning was still one of the better ones...I liked Mariam's amusement at seeing Imran struggle with opening the box...there was a scene an epi or so before that when Mariam-Imran randomly nod to each other while they are strolling on their respective terraces...that didn't work for me.

I think they are TRYING to go for a subtle romance but the acting is a bit lacking in conviction there...I guess with time they might build it better...I hope so...but I'm not expecting much...they don't have that spark to them...but overall it's watchable and not a total turn off so I'm not cribbing much.

Actually Jamal-Maamu scenes are still a bit funny...but Jamal's scenes with his wife and mother always bore me and I forward.

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