This episode may well have been the turning point in Aunn and Zara’s non relationship. Don’t get me wrong they are still fighting and playing self defeating games of oneupmanship but there are definite , visible cracks forming in the  walls of self absorption and immaturity which separate their hearts. Stirred on by the  fabulous Manzar whose lack of insight seems to be plumbing hitherto unmatched depths , Aunn has been praising Zara to the skies in front of his Mother and Grandmother .So much praise and that too not of their Aunn is incredibly difficult for Chachi Shabana and Phupo Nighat to digest but their complaints do bring a small dreamy smile to Zara’s pretty face. Behind her competitive nature and self avowed mission to replace Aunn in everyone’s affections, there is a normal young girl who is more than happy to be flattered by her husband’s attention . After all who wouldn’t want some handsome young man supposedly lattoo over them ( N.B not applicable to unhandsome young men …then it’s harassment ).

One of my favorite scenes this episode had to be when Aunn is getting ready to visit (answer a summons?) from Zara’s disciplinarian father Jamshed . Of course he tries to gel up his hair like some Bollywood extra and puts on his best shirt with the flower print. Zara, suddenly overwhelmed by her new and warm feelings for him  offers to help and ends up reworking his hair …cue the fireworks ,thunder and lightening …….. The whole scene was so sweet and yes romantic without being too overt. Well done to Maya and especially Osman for making it look so easy and natural .Compared to the scenes of forced humor and zabardasti key improbable situations in so many other shows, this was a treat. Most of this episode belonged squarely to Osman who was trying to follow Manzar’s yet again spectacularly off the mark advice to ‘ Barass’ rather than ‘Garaj’ with his supposedly “lattoo over him ” young wife . Another great scene was the car ride to the dinner from hell  in which Aunn, overcome by an impromptu rendition of ‘Do dil mil rahey hain ..” tries to very coolly put his arm around his wife’s shoulders only to frighten her and his kebab mein haddi Phupo into screaming Snake !!!

What amused me the most was no matter how ill humored or out of sorts Aunn is his family simply does not pick up on the fact . His sniping comments and barely concealed looks of  frustration pass straight over his their heads. This is so typical of some families who simply cannot give newlyweds a moment of privacy .This is a comedy but like all the best comedies it has at it’s heart a social truth. I have heard of entire families accompanying a newly wed couple on their honeymoon or at the very least a mother in law or a sister in law will tag a along .

Aunn and Zara are not the the only handi that is suddenly getting hotter by the minute . Am I the only one who is getting a tad suspicious about Phupo’s constant worry for Aunn’s well being that somehow bringing her into Jamshed’s path ? Is he really just being such a gentleman by offering to drive her quite unnecessarily home . So far the talented Sabreen Hasbani has made phupo Nighat eminently watchable despite the  character having very little to recommend her.She is lazy , gossipy ,suspicious without cause of her elder Bhabi and I think I can safely say a bit of a flirt. The declaration of herself as a woman of steady virtue who just does not go out to dinner with anyone when Jamshed stops at a traffic signal was a little bit of wishful thinking  on her part . The most interesting statement though was from Jamshed himself who seems to be interested in her despite himself . He cannot eat sleep or rest since Phupo visited , he claims because he worries worries how such a woman might interract with his daughter …is anyone convinced? This middle aged , mismatched  connection is an interesting foil to Aunn and Zara’s very young and innocent rishta. These nuanced characters and story lines which integrate so smoothly with the main narrative,without dragging the story in to odd directions are one of the  the strengths of this serial. Well done Haissem Hussain, Faiza Ifthikhar and team AZ for another great episode …now just promise to keep it up .

Written by Sadaf