Legendary scriptwriter Anwar Maqsood who is famous for his cult projects like Fifty Fifty and Aangan Terha has expressed his dissapointment on the current content and scripts of drama seriels. He also cited it as a reason for not working actively in the entertainment industry.
The veteran writer stated that, “I have stepped back [from writing] because what is happening on the television in the recent times, there is no place for me. Now that the rating has occupied a decisive place, the directors or producers have been left behind in every respect. The marketing department decides which actors are needed and which are not”.
The industry veteran believes current television content is influenced by Indian soap operas, “When Indian dramas paved their way to the Pakistani screens, we thought that they would learn something from our dramas, but on the contrary, our writers started learning from them. It was then that our drama industry began its demise.”
ARY Digital’s masala-packed drama Nand finally came to a close on April 13 after 146 episodes with main antagonist Gohar’s death. The drama had everything from miscarriages to scheming nands and bhabhis and even plastic surgery.
Gohar’s domineering, jealous, and unsympathetic nature led her to a painful and heart-rending death. For those who haven’t watch the finale and want to know, Gohar died after her second husband poisoned her.
Nand originally featured Faiza Hasan, Shahroz Sabzwari, Minal Khan, Aijaz Aslam, Maha Hasan, and Ayaz Samoo in the lead and revolved around three couples, Gohar (Hasan) and Jehangir (Aslam), Saqib (Sabzwari) and Rabi (Khan), and Hasan (Samoo) and Farwa (Maha).
The drama busted rating charts with Hasan’s unbeaten acting. After ruining everyone’s lives and getting exposed Gohar got perfect retribution for her evil deeds – she lost her mind and started living on the streets following which audiences believed the drama was close to an end. But turns out the makers had other plans up their sleeves. They turned the drama into a Pakistani version of a Star Plus drama.
The drama had taken a complete turn from when it began and the titular character Gohar aka the Nand had gotten a face transformation and Hasan, who initially played the role and was a major attraction, was replaced by Javeria Saud.
The Nand was not the only one who had undergone a change but another female protagonist Rabi (played by Minal) died in Episode 95 that aired on January 13, 2021. Rabi and her daughter Dua died in a car accident in Germany, where they had gone to visit Rabi’s sister-in-law.
However, even after Saud replaced Hasan, many watched the drama but soon began to lose interest because the drama dragged on tirelessly.
With multiple new faces taking the story forward, Gohar did not learn from her mistakes and continued on different ventures making life for those around her hell.
After eight long months, the drama’s makers decided to end everyone’s suffering, including those of the audiences, and wrap up the show. While many viewers loved the drama giving it strong ratings, it drew mixed reviews with many wanting it to end. Hence, in an attempt to leave audiences satisfied, the drama makers gave Gohar a painful and tragic death for all the havoc she caused in other people’s lives.
Meanwhile, announcing the news of the drama’s conclusion, Aijaz Aslam wrote: “Finally it’s over. A beautiful year-long journey has come to an end on a very high note. Thank you, everyone, for your love and support which kept the viewership graph higher and higher all the way till the end.”
Finally its over #nand#jahangir … a beautiful year long journey has come to an end on a very high note … thank you everyone for your love and support which kept the viewership graph higher & higher all the way till the end … I just made a small collage of memories pic.twitter.com/rCVT4ixsTd
Pakistani dramas are often criticised for unnecessarily dragging the story. Those which usually start off at a good pace eventually get stuck in a rut and lose audiences’ interest. Ongoing drama serial Nand has gone too far in following this trend, crossing 100 episodes.
The drama has taken a complete turn from when it began and we now have new characters and situations driving the plot. The titular character, Gohar aka the Nand, has gotten a face transformation and Faiza Hasan, who initially played the role and was a major attraction, has been replaced by Javeria Saud. The Nand is not the only one who has undergone a change but another female protagonist Rabi (played by Minal Khan) died in Episode 95 that aired on January 13. Rabi and her daughter Dua died in a car accident in Germany, where they had gone to visit Rabi’s sister-in-law.
While most viewers thought that when Gohar lost her mind after she was exposed for ruining her brothers’ marriage and creating a ruckus in the family, the drama would end, they were in for a surprise when it continued with multiple twists and turns before returning to square one. After Gohar was admitted to a hospital and treated for her mental condition, she regained her memory and got a brand new face. She returned to a completely different household and began to create havoc again.
On the other hand, Gohar’s brother Saqib[Shahroz Sabzwari] and Hassan[Ayaz Samoo] remarried after getting divorced from their first wives. While Saqib’s wife is a mild-natured girl, Hassan’s new wife, Gul Rukh[Amna Malick] is evil and greedy. She even killed her mother-in-law with her mother Naeema’s help.
Meanwhile, another mother-daughter duo – Sundus and Amna – have entered the storyline. The two have come to Pakistan from Germany with Rabi’s things to give to Jahangir [Aijaz Aslam].
With multiple new faces taking the story forward, Gohar is now plotting to get rid of Gul Rukh and Naeema.
Produced by Fahad Mustafa’s Big Bang Entertainment, Nand is written by Sameena Aijaz and directed by Zeeshan Ali Zaidi.
As absurd as the drama is, Nand has proven to be a commercial success, trending on television as well as on YouTube. According to some estimates, it was also one of the top TV plays with the highest ratings in November 2020.
2020 has been an interesting year for Pakistani dramas with several controversial dramas hitting our screens this year. In terms of popularity, there is no denying that Meray Paas Tum Ho was television’s highest-watched dramas with a cult following. As we look back on this year, here’s a list of dramas which had the maximum number of views on YouTube till the filing of this story.
Note – We are only including episodes that aired in 2020 in this list. Views have been indicated in brackets.
Nand Episode 1 (12M)
Despite having close to 100 episodes, Nand continues to trend on YouTube and social media. The first episode of the show was fast-paced and thrilling. Not only are we introduced to nand Gohar (Faiza Hassan) and the rest of the family, we dive straight into the story, which is about a woman who likes to control everything and everyone around her. Apart from being very masalaydar and spicy, the drama also boasts solid performances by the lead cast.
Deewangi Last Episode (13M)
Danish Taimoor and Hiba Bukhari’s Deewangi ends with Nageen (Hiba) killing Sultan (Taimoor) and getting her happily ever after with Haroon (Ali Abbas), who first divorced her. Audiences loved the drama for its depiction of love that reached a point of madness and continued to root for Sultan till the very end, even though he commits several mistakes along the way because of his mad love for Nageen. The last episode of the drama was thrilling, intense and fast-paced with viewers hooked to it.
Ishqiya Episode 1 (15M)
The first episode of this intense romance involving two sisters featuring Feroze Khan, Hania Aamir and Ramsha Khan opens with a scene which will instantly remind you of Rahul and Anjali’s basketball matches in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The rest of the episode introduces us to the different characters and their relationship dynamics. Its ends with Azeem’s (Gohar Rasheed) family asking for Hamna’s (Ramsha) hand in marriage, who is in love with Hamza (Feroze).
The last bumper episode of Ehd e Wafa was initially scheduled to hit theatres but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan couldn’t fall through. The grand finale, which included a special appearance by Humayun Saeed, saw Captain Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) get injured in tensions on the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir, following which all four friends gather at the hospital to be on his side as he battles between life and death. The final episode was emotionally charged but ended on a happy note leaving viewers satisfied.
Though the second-last episode of the immensely popular Meray Paas Tum Ho was a slow one, it is one of the highest-viewed ones. The episode saw Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) shift back into her old house and use a wazeefa to try and win Danish back. She regrets the decisions she made and is wallowing in misery. On the other hand, Danish (Humayun Saeed) agreed to marry Hania (Hira Mani) and wore the ring she bought for him after Roomi proposed to her on behalf of his father. Meanwhile, Maham (Savera Nadeem) made sure she reminded Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) of his aukaat.
Forty odd episodes after Nand lost her mind, she has come back with a bang and brand new face.
After ruining everyone’s lives and getting exposed Gohar (Faiza Hassan) got perfect retribution for her evil deeds – she lost her mind and started living on the streets following which audiences believed the drama was close to an end. But turns out the makers had other plans up their sleeves. They turned the drama into a Pakistani version of Star Plus dramas.
After Saqib (Shahroz Sabzwari) found Gohar and had her admitted to the hospital, Gohar had an accident which destroyed her face and left her unrecognisable because of which she had to undergo reconstructive surgery.
The surgery gave her a brand new face. According to details, Faiza is no longer part of the drama and has been replaced by Javeria Saud, who will now be playing ‘Nand’.
In a recent interview, Javeria Saud revealed why she replaced Faiza and shared her experience of working in the drama.
“It happens in life, man does many things and then leaves them. For many years I have left acting in a way that I haven’t worked with other production houses. I just worked in my own production house JS,” said Saud.
“I last worked for a Humayun Saeed production in drama serial Anna and now 20 years later I am working on a Fahad Mustafa production,” she continued. “I really liked this character and Faiza has played it really well. She had some personal reasons due to which she couldn’t continue.”
“When I was approached for the character, I talked to Saud about it and he told me to do whatever I want,” added Javeria.
Nand is one of Pakistan’s most popular dramas particularly because of its storyline. The drama has been trending ever since it started. Faiza’s power-packed performance remained the highlight of the serial but Javeria has also done well as Gohar in the comeback episode of Nand.
Not sure if we heard correctly, but looks like Fahad Mustafa just shaded Fawad Afzal Khan and Mahira Khan for going to Bollywood.
In a recent interview, the actor while talking about his stardom said: “Sab chalay gaye India or mein yahan reh gaya. Main superstar ban gaya. Koi tha hee nahi.”
“Ab sab Turkey jayen gay. Main yaheen hoon,” he continued. “Turkey eik din visa band karay ga sab kay. Uss kay baad hum reh jayen gay.”
“Believe in your audience. Believe in your people,” he added. “Apnay logon ko banao gay toh acha bhi lagay ga.”
Defending Nand and Jalan, Fahad said: “People are watching Nand and Jalan. If they weren’t watching the dramas then they won’t be talking about it.”
“I am proud of Balaa, Cheekh, Nand and Jalan. We can’t educate people with every drama but we do what we can. I try to attract people with unique titles of my dramas. That’s why my dramas have such titles. If Nand had another name, people might not watch it.”
He continued: “This is the age of social media and people are watching ‘pocket films’. To keep the audiences engaged for 26 to 30 episodes, we try to make content that creates curiosity and keep viewers hooked.”
Fahad then went on to say that people and critics should wait for a drama to end before passing their judgements and remarks.
“People are talking and criticising them [Jalan, Nand] because they are recent dramas. Being the producer of these two dramas, I own and like both of the dramas. Poor or rich, everyone is talking about them,” stated Fahad.
Concluding his remarks, the actor said: “I think this drama does not have any unethical content. If anyone didn’t like it, then they have mental issues.”
Pakistani dramas and their storylines are controversial and at times, phenomenal. Many recent dramas and characters have become so popular that they are the talk of every living room, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, with some viewers saying hai and some saying sahi kia!
Through the years we’ve seen many female villains such as Naveen Waqar’s character in Humsafar as Sara, Ushna Shah as Nigaar in Balaa, Iqra Aziz as Nirma in Jhooti as Nirma and recently Sabeena Farooq as Zoya in Kashf. These characters have made their mark, but today we will be discussing three vamps who have left people speechless and fuming with anger.
Faiza Hassan – Gohar (Nand)
ARY’s Nand is all about the one, and the only sister-in-law Gohar, played by Faiza Hassan. Faiza has made a comeback after a long time and to see her play a negative character with such finesse is nothing short of a treat. She is not only convincing as Gohar but has actually made the viewer’s resent her character, which is a win as an actor.
Gohar is a nightmare for anyone and everyone around her. First, she makes her brother Saqib (Shahroz Sabzwari) divorce his wife Rabi (Minal Khan) and later starts creating misunderstandings between her younger brother Hassan (Ayaz Samoo) and his wife Farwa (Maha Hasan). She also leaves her husband Jahangir (Aijaz Aslam) because of his financial status. Ultimately she goes back to him when he becomes rich and starts creating problems for Rabi who is now her husband’s second wife (OUCH)!
It is only because of Faiza’s grip on the character that she has succeeded in showing the ugly side of a narcissistic woman who doesn’t mind ruining people’s lives because of her sadistic persona. She is envious and is probably a victim of her own weaknesses because she fails to see the good in people around her. She is so cruel and heartless to the extent that she manipulates her own son to use him against her husband.
Miraal, played by Sarah Khan, is a young arrogant woman belonging to a controlling and egotistical elite family. Her father Seth Fareed (Moazzam Ali Khan) is a wealthy businessman who supports her despite her selfish actions. Miraal’s mother (Laila Zuberi) and grandmother try to make her understand that she is on the wrong track but their advice falls on deaf ears. Miraal dotes on her younger brother Hassan Fareed (Ameer Gillani), who is somehow influenced by her. One fine day, he falls for and marries Anaya Aziz (Mawra Hocane), an ambitious, strong-headed, women’s rights activist studying at the same university as him – but doesn’t have the same financial background.
When Miraal and Hassan’s grandmother dies, Miraal begins to feel disturbed and consults a psychiatrist Dr Haris (Usman Mukhtar). Her fiancé Ali runs away on their wedding day and dumps her leaving her shocked. On the other hand, her brother Hassan and Anaya get married against the wishes of his father and Miraal – Anaya was too poor to be part of the family.
Meanwhile, Seth Fareed makes every effort to make Miraal feel comfortable and happy. Miraal hates Anaya, humiliates her several times and does whatever she could to kick her out of Hassan’s life. She also leaves her husband Dr Haris, who tried to help her before and after marriage. Destroying the lives of all four of them, she is blind to the fact that she is wreaking havoc on her own self as well.
SPOILER ALERT: In the last episode she has an accident and her spinal cord is affected due to which she couldn’t walk. She then seeks forgiveness from those who she hurt and tries to redeem herself.
Sarah has outdone herself with this character and did complete justice to a challenging role, villainous role, and with such class and elegance that she left all the other actors far behind. She turned out to be everyone’s favourite villian (and actor) in the drama.
Nisha (Minal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib) are two sisters who belong to an upper-middle-class household. Nisha is a selfish girl who habitually wants everything that Misha has and Misha, who dotes on her sister, does anything that will make Nisha happy. Nisha gets engaged to her cousin Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh) who loves her intensely but after her engagement, Misha gets married to the super rich and handsome Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani).
Nisha, seeing her sister’s expensive gifts and big house breaks her own engagement with Ahmer, accusing him of physically abusing her and plays the victim in front of Asfandyar to gain his sympathy.
Meanwhile, Misha finds out she is pregnant but totally oblivious to her sister’s evil plans, invites her into her home to stay for a while. Nisha continues to estrange her sister from Asfand, luring him into liking her and finally succeeding. Asfandyar divorces Misha, who goes into premature labour and delivers a baby boy. Nisha, on the other hand, runs away from home and pushes Asfi to marry her asap. When Misha finds out that her sister is marrying her ex-husband, she lights herself on fire and dies. Nisha does not regret any of her actions and tries to secure her husband’s wealth.
There is no way that you don’t hate Nisha but a part of you will admire her as well – the girl definitely gets what she wants and she doesn’t let anything stand in her way – not her fiancé, parents, or sister. She is so insensitive and heartless but utterly determined. Minal has done complete justice to the role, with every dialogue and expression. Can’t wait to see how this one ends.
ARY Digital‘s dramas are usually high on masala and Nand is no exception. Featuring Faiza Hasan, Shahroz Sabzwari, Minal Khan, Aijaz Aslam, Maha Hasan, and Ayaz Samoo in the lead, Nand tells the tale of three couples, Gohar (Hasan) and Jehangir (Aslam), Saqib (Sabzwari) and Rabi (Khan), and Hasan (Samoo) and Farwa (Maha). The main focus is the problems in Rabi and Farwa’s marital lives caused by their vile nand (sister-in-law), Gohar, who is estranged from her husband, Jehangir, and lives with her brothers.
Hasan and Saqib
As the main antagonist, Gohar is domineering, jealous, and unsympathetic. She is driven by an uncontrollable urge to disintegrate her brother Saqib’s marriage with Rabi, ironically a girl of her own choosing. Gohar frequently mistreats the mild and unassuming Rabi as Saqib, who prefers to appease his temperamental sister instead of supporting his wife, fails to stand by her. In a crass and rather senseless ode to Star Plus, Gohar successfully causes Rabi to miscarry by premeditating her accident.
Gohar
A few episodes later, Saqib defers to Gohar in divorcing Rabi. Gohar is now eyeing the demise of her younger brother Hasan’s marriage, who married a girl he liked. Although Hasan is shown to be assertive and exercising independent judgment frequently – much to the dislike of his sister – Gohar doesn’t leave a chance to poison his relationship with his wife. However, Farwa’s no-nonsense attitude kindles hope for a better ending to her story compared to Rabi, who lets things happen to her and grieves her poor fate later.
Rabi
With basic plot details out of the way, let us just say that Nand is no different than conventional Pakistani dramas in its disregard for intelligence, nuance, thoughtful writing, and the changes taking place around us that should ideally figure in our storytelling.
The characters in Nand are unidimensional. Morality is either possessed or unpossessed, whereas the aurat aurat ki dushman trope is alive and kicking. The concept of character arcs does not exist. Hence, both good and bad characters are unhinged in their virtue and vice. We also do not know why these characters are the way they are or what experiences inform their respective outlooks on life. On the one hand, the drama’s villain, Gohar, played brilliantly by Faiza Hasan, arouses hate and disgust through her conniving ways, while on the other, her incredulous brothers (especially Saqib), are shown to be deserving of sympathy, of being let off the hook because evil Gohar incites them to do bad things. Naturally, this means that the flaws in these men’s personalities causing trouble—i.e., lack of judgment, chauvinism, and sense of entitlement—remain unaddressed. After all, what good is a vamp if the moral agency of other characters were to remain intact?
Farwa
The notoriety in Nand does not end here. The drama sensationalizes domestic violence and promotes zero accountability for this wretched behavior in which siblings Gohar, Saqib, and Hasan engage against Rabi and Farwa.
Most importantly, Nand is outrageous in its portrayal of divorce and iddat. One fine day, Gohar accuses Rabi of having an affair with her husband, Jehangir. A yelling match ensues and culminates in Saqib throwing the ‘T word’ thrice towards Rabi, in a fit of rage. ‘Triple talaq’ or instant divorce is a deeply contentious issue among Muslims and does not enjoy universality – it is not as straightforward as this drama depicts it to be. In fact, the practice of ‘triple talaq’ defies common sense in that the pronouncement of divorce takes precedence over the intent to divorce. An Islamic marriage solemnizes between two sane, mentally and emotionally mature adults, who accept each other as spouses in the presence of witnesses. Apart from that, it is recommended that the rights and obligations of spouses with respect to maintenance, spending, and child-rearing be settled before a marriage takes place. How can marriage, (ideally) conducted with such elaborate procedures and planning, end at once in triple pronouncements of talaq, that too in fits of rage or humor? Why aren’t our dramas questioning this?
Jehangir and Saqib
There is also a constant emphasis on completing the traditional three-month waiting period (iddat) by Rabi’s family before she can step out of the house, meet someone, or work. The way Rabi is kept indoors is a painful reminder of how iddat is instrumentalized to deny mobility to women, even if temporarily. In many Pakistani households, older women who are decades past their reproductive years—read ineligible for iddat—are still made to observe complete waiting periods when they are widowed or divorced. Clearly, form is privileged over substance in matters of divorce and our creative industry is just as complacent as the rest of our society.
Despite its weaknesses, some viewers may still find Nand relatable. After all, entitled, abusive in-laws and husbands, are real and cause irreparable suffering to those at the lower rung of the domestic power ladder i.e., women and children. Having said that, transgressions within the family is a deeply sensitive and serious matter. Dramas touching upon it must offer intelligent, meticulous insight into the drivers of unsavory human behaviors instead of providing black-and-white explanations. This requires understanding that good and bad are never mutually exclusive or embedded in certain human relations by default. Additionally, to blame every misfortune on the villain’s machinations creates predictability and hampers the development of other characters. Not only should our drama writers understand such nuances, but they must also cultivate more insight into the ethical implications of their work.
Nandhas been written by Samina Aijaz and directed by Zeeshan Ali Zaidi.
