Hammad’s death has changed everything. A family has lost their son and brother but it is his widow Ifra, whose suffering seems to have no end. She lost her husband and then her unborn child was murdered in the most horrific way imaginable, she hadn’t even recovered from that tragedy and her father passed away.

Ifra is a living, breathing picture of misery, her condition and story could break anyone’s heart but it is the heart of her mother in law that is becoming harder . After losing her one son and nearly loosing  the other one, Hammad’s mother has become very indifferent to Ifra’s suffering. She was the most ” bay-bus and harmless ” character in the drama but now after facing so much, she has turned into a different person. Her grief and sorrow is the same as before but the object of her resentment has changed. She always held ( and rightfully so ) Ashraf responsible for his actions but now after loosing Hammad, she has become somewhat selfish, now Ashraf is her only son and she is very defensive and protective of him. She has intentionally turned her anger towards Ifra, the girl who in her opinion is the root cause of all these problems her family is facing. Not only does she believe that Ifra’s bud-DUA could harm Ashraf but also According to her if Ifra was not in the picture, Hammad and Ashraf would not fight, Hammad would not have had the accident and would still be alive, it was due to Ifra’s father’s complain that Ashraf went behind bars and it was due to Ifra’s ZID of moving to her parent’s house that provided Shibli with the opportunity of harming her and her baby. The ” blaming the victim ” mentality is very deep rooted, Ifra was in no way responsible for what happened but her saas dosen’t want to admit that. She has convinced her self that it was due to Ifra’s ZID that she has lost her grandson.

The changed circumstances have changed the characters and their attitudes. While Ashraf’s mother has become unreasonable, it is Ashraf himself who has for the first time, started taking responsibility for his actions. He knows he is the root cause of Ifra’s suffering, he knows he could have done something to prevent the trauma that she is going through but he didn’t, he knows his family needs him now, more than they ever did before. Ashraf has put his ego and grief aside and has decided to make amends and look after his family. He has emerged as a better and stronger person.

I do have one complain and that is about the unnecessary show of violence against a pregnant woman. That scene could have been tackled with a little more sensitivity, in such cases less is more. There was no need to get into such details, the viewers are not dumb, they can understand what the writer is trying to say. So, please keep this violence theme as under control as possible cause there are already so many dramas that are trying desperately hard to get TRPs through this one theme alone and this drama is so much better than those serials, I would hate to watch it follow their lead and loose its individuality.

The story we are watching may not be something entirely new and different, yet it is the performances, the script and the direction that is making this play a must watch. Nauman Ijaz has once again delivered a flawless performance as Ashraf, the shades of this character have been presented convincingly, his strengths and weaknesses, his triumphs and griefs and most importantly his transition has been so completely justified that we completely understand the reasons behind his actions. Salman Shahid sahab has done a fabulous job as Munir Ahmed, the man who has always tried to bring his sons closer but never succeeded; he knows as a parent he has made many mistakes and to some extent he is responsible for what his family is going through. Simi Raheel, Maha Warsi, Saboor Ali and the rest of the cast have delivered beautiful performances in their respective roles. What makes this play very relatable is the simplicity with which it has been presented, the wardrobe, styling, the setting in the old city and the dialogues all have come together to give us this drama which is a complete package. There is no glamour, no designer dresses, no English ki bharmaar, just simple, relatable characters with their trials and tribulations, with their simple stories.

So far it is the sisters Khadija, Rabab and Saira who along with their father are standing by Ifra but it is only a matter of time till she will have to leave her late husband’s home. Unfortunate as it is she has become a burden to the family and pretty soon, she will have to fend for herself and her mother. What role will Ashraf play in her future is yet to be seen, the way the writer is isolating Ifra, Ashraf could very well be her last and only support at the end of the day. What new turn will circumstances take and what new developments will occur, we will have to wait and see.