Hadi’s parents didn’t put up a fight and decided to go ahead and seek Uroosa’s hand in marriage. Hadi and Uroosa had kept their feelings a secret out of fear of family interference. It turns out that the khaandaani khichri has a lot more going on than I initially imagined- Uroosa and Haya are sisters and this might play out like any of the previous sibling rivalry dramas we’ve been bombarded with in recent times. It’s evident that Haya and Uroosa are poles apart but maybe their upbringing has a huge to play in it. Haya’s Tayee raised her with a relatively open-mind and gave her freedom to do as she pleases which is why Haya acts out the minute she isn’t happy with something. In contrast, Uroosa’s Khala took over the role of raising her late sister’s daughters- Lubna and Uroosa. Lubna has yet to make an appearance but she is further connected to the family since she is married to Fareeza’s brother. In case you lost track, Fareeza is Hadi’s Phupizaat.

As predicted, Haya threw a tantrum upon finding out the whole baat pakki scene had taken place and she went and expressed her dismay first with Hadi who assumed she’s feeling left out since she’s so attached to him and later to her Taya and Tayee. When they adopted her, they didn’t keep it a secret and early on, she knew exactly how she’s related to everyone. Her Taya and Tayee assumed that since they raised her like a daughter, she would by default consider Hadi as her Bhai. All the attention she received from Hadi was nothing more than the love her felt for his little sister. Haya, however was counting the days till she will be old enough to marry him. It’s interesting to note that our society limits interaction between boys and girls except cousins which probably explains why a large number of youngsters grow up having a crush or fixating on their cousin(s). Haya is no different in that she was extremely close to Hadi and knew him as her cousin which gave her the opportunity to share close proximity with him without any awkwardness.

Hadi noticed Haya’s changed attitude and discovered that she was on the path to sabotage his wedding. He tried to confront her more than once but his mother brushed it aside and told him that she’s feeling ignored. Uroosa mentioned that she would like to share a close relationship with her sister but she never had the chance- as much as I would like to believe her, I’m sure over the years she could’ve made more of an effort if she really wanted to. It just seems like her character is presented as someone free of flaws and more so in comparison to Haya. For a change, I felt Imran Abbas was effortless as Hadi and I am liking him so far. I have always felt that he tries too hard and his acting falls flat except for a select few roles in the past. Sanam Jung can be monotonous but this role is giving her scope for much more than just tears- she’s not exactly evil but she’s not perfect either. Naveen Waqar has yet to make an impact- she hardly has any scenes and I’m quite surprised that she’s not getting more footage. I think all that should change once she gets married.

Fareeza and Haya share a complicated relationship which is only going to get more complicated with Saim in the picture. Fareeza is the kind of person who has planned down her life to the last detail and I get the feeling she is in for a surprise. I have no reason to mistrust Saim but stranger things have happened and there may be a showdown between Fareeza and Haya over Saim. Episode 2 and we’re on the verge of seeing the wedding. Going by the promos, Haya will blurt out her disappointment and heartbreak to Uroosa on the night of her wedding… Let’s see what happens next. I haven’t made up my mind yet about Alvida but the pace is definitely working for me. Abhi Alvida nah(in) kehna…

Kanwal Murtaza