Saba Faisal’s son Salman Faisal married Neha in 2019 in a series of lavish events. The ceremony was attended by a plethora of celebrities including Cheekh‘s Saba Qamar. Earlier in 2021 gossip mills were abuzz with the separation and divorce rumours of the young couple.
Neha recently confirmed the separation rumours with a cryptic comment.
Netizens flooded the Thora Sa Haq actor’s comment section on her Eid pictures with family members.
Right from the beginning, Qayamat appeared to one of those dramas which follow a riwayati or typical storyline with domestic abuse, spoiled men and saas-bahu tensions sprinkled with lots of masala and sensationalism to shock audiences and keep them hooked. Fifteen episodes later, my initial assumptions were proven right because that is exactly what Qayamat is about.
Qayamat revolves around Rashid (Ahsan Khan), a spoiled overgrown man child who does not know how to walk or talk and is often spotted hanging out with an escort Pari (Sana Fakhar). Kudos to Ahsan for portraying him in the slimiest possible manner. Even Bollywood actor Zarina Wahab praised Ahsan for his performance in the drama.
When his parents Nargis (Saba Faisal) and Mukhtar (Shabbir Jan) are unable to find a match for him because of his attitude, they forcefully marry his cousin Samra (Amar Khan) to him. Nargis is not happy with the marriage because she wanted a ‘baray ghar ki larki‘ for Rashid and Samra is from a “low background” even though she is Mukhtar’s brother Fayyaz’s daughter. Basically, just the usual stuff.
Fifteen episodes of the drama have aired so far and in the latest episode, Samra passes away after Rashid pushes her, causing her to fall and go into early labour. Her death was a little rushed and unbelievable considering the drama’s timeline was messed up and we had no idea how many months had passed since she conceived. All we know is that the stage is now set for Rashid and Samra’s sister Ifrah (Neelam Muneer) to get married and look after the newborn, who they have named Sana. It seems that Neelam has decided to play similar characters considering her character in Bikhray Moti, her last release. In that, she also married her sister’s abusive husband to protect her nieces and nephews and give them motherly love.
Samra’s death has left Rashid stunned, though we don’t get to see much of his shock and emotions over his wife’s death. Like Samra’s demise, his reaction to his wife’s death is rushed, flawed and underdeveloped. It would have given audiences some relief to see him at least regret his actions and attitude towards Samra. But we get nothing.
In the meantime, Ifrah and Rashid’s brother Jawad (Haroon Shahid) have put their marriage on hold till things settle down. However, Rashid’s mother and khala hatch a plan to get Ifrah married to Rashid because one they don’t really like her and two so they can get a ‘heeray jaisi larki‘ for Jawad. As expected, Ifrah is going to end up getting married to Rashid and will spend her life caring for her niece and feeling miserable about her life. Moreso, her actions will also help redeem Rashid and make him a better human being.
If I am truly honest, Qayamat doesn’t have anything new to offer. It is a typical Pakistani drama repackaged differently. I’d be surprised if Rashid also doesn’t die at the end considering how much our dramas like to kill off the evil characters.
What makes the watch worthwhile is the performances. From Shabbir Jan to Neelam Muneer to Ahsan Khan, each actor has given a brilliant performance, adding life and layers to the characters. Saba Faisal, in particular, is phenomenal as Nargis, the family matriarch. Her expressions and body language are absolutely flawless and will have you glued to the screen.
Despite is predictability and run-of-the-mill storyline, Qayamat is gripping and makes for an entertaining watch. But what irks me is that the first ten minutes of every new episode is the last ten minutes of the previous episode. Geo does this with all its dramas, and frankly speaking, it’s pretty annoying.
Written by Sarwat Nazir and directed by Ali Faizan, Qayamat airs every Tuesday and Wednesday on Geo Entertainment.
After acing pretty much everything else, Mahira Khan is stepping into production with a web series titled Baarwan Khiladi. The actor has set up a production house Soulfry Films with her dear friend and producer Nina Kashif. Baarwan Khiladi will be their first project together.
Read more – We can’t show a woman being assaulted and falling in love with the same man, says Mahira Khan
“I’m nervous and excited to share with all of you my first venture into production,” said an excited Mahira while announcing the news. “I would have no one better to be my co-pilot on this trip with me other than Nina Kashif.”
Mahira also gave a sneak peek into their upcoming project, revealing that Baarwan Khiladi is “a coming of age story set against the backdrop of the OG of all games – cricket.”
According to Mahira, the web series featuring Danyal Zafar, Shahveer Jafry and Kinza Hashmi in the lead, is “a story about friendships, relationships, unity, failure, success, love and courage.”
The series has been penned by Shahid Dogar and directed by Adnan Sarwar of Motorcycle Girl fame. Saba Faisal, Sarmad Khoosat, Mira Sethi and Khaqan Shahnawaz are also part of the cast.
Baarwaan Khiladi has reportedly been shot inside the Walled City of Lahore and Shahveer in an Instagram story revealed that shooting lasted one and a half month. While a release date has not yet been announced, the series will stream on Tapmad, a South Asian OTT platform.
Read more – UrduFlix to launch with Alizeh Shah’s ‘Dulhan aur Aik Raat’
Meanwhile, Mahira while announcing her new venture had said: “There is a story behind everything and I live for stories – hearing them and telling them.”
Ghissi Pitti Mohabbat has turned out to be one of those rare dramas which concluded on a positive and satisfying note and viewers couldn’t be happier.
The drama, which had audiences hooked from the first couple of episodes, ended with Samia (Ramsha Khan) choosing the single life after a string of failed relationships and marriages. She decided that she has had enough of societal pressures and dealing with workplace issues and set up her own restaurant where she employed transgender staff. The ending was refreshing and remarkably different from what we are used to seeing on Pakistani television.
Writer Fasih Bari Khan brilliantly used satire and sarcasm to send across social messages and presented a solid script and story. That coupled with brilliant performances from the lead cast including Khan, Wahaj Ali, Ali Abbas, Shahood Alvi, Saba Faisal, and Sajeeruddin made the drama a winner.
Read more – Did you know Ali Abbas and Ramsha Khan are cousins?
Audiences have lauded the show for showing a positive and empowered woman in the form of Samia. Check out some reactions below:
Meanwhile, Ramsha, said the drama was “the greatest experience [of her] career”.
In a note posted to social media, the actor said: “Thank you Samia Anwar for teaching me the things I never thought I needed to change in me.”
“Goodbye Samia…you’ll always be with me,” she added.
Neelam Muneer and Imran Ashraf’s Kahin Deep Jalay is halfway through and though the drama is problematic at points and follows the typical nand-bhabi jealousy, it is still a fun, masalaydaar watch and works.
Written by Qaisra Hayat and directed by Saima Waseem, Kahin Deep Jalay is centred on Rida, played by Neelam Muneer, who is the only sister of three brothers. Her brothers and mother, played by Saba Faisal, dot on her and pamper her to no extent. Despite that she is not a spoiled brat. Rida’s brother Fahaam is married to their Khala’s daughter Shamila, played by Nazish Jahangir, who is the main antagonist in the plot. Shamila bhabhi is a materialistic woman and is super jealous of Rida because of the love and attention she receives from her brothers. Let’s just say her middle name is ‘troublemaker’.
On the other hand, we have the humble Zeeshan, played by Imran Ashraf, an ordinary guy from a middle-class background. He sees Rida at her brother’s wedding and falls head over heels in love with her. Eventually Rida and Zeeshan get married and begin their new life together. The latest episode shows the beginning of their new life and sets the grounds for the troubles that are to come.
While the plot is typical, the heavy dose of masala and dramatic dialogues coupled with superb acting make it a fun and entertaining watch. The drama is perfect for those times when you feel like watching something that doesn’t require too much attention or brain cells.
All the lead actors have performed brilliantly and Imran particularly has slipped into his character of a romantic hero with ease. His expressions and the way he shies away everytime he sees Rida are brilliant. Nazish as the spiteful and vengeful Shamila bhabhi is also great – you cannot help but hate her character.
Meray Paas Tum Ho may be the drama everyone is talking about these days, but Kahin Deep Jalay is not too far behind either – the drama is usually trending at number four or five on Youtube and has a couple of millions views on each episode. If you’re the sort of person who likes their dramas to be extra, slightly Star-plussy (I just made up that word) and full of masala, you’ll definitely enjoy Kahin Deep Jalay.
It airs every Thursday at 8pm on Geo Entertainment.