Another surprising episode of this well written drama and I have stopped trying to guess what will happen next. From the promos I had been expecting this week to be “Anmol’s revenge” but it wasn’t, at least not in the way Anmol had been hoping.

So Anmol turned up at her sasural last week minus the” band baja baraat” that usually accompanies such events. She is so angry at having her life rearranged by Mohid that she is determined to make both Mohid and his family pay. When Mohid’s sister ups and leaves the house in the middle of the night, Anmol sits back and enjoys the scene unfolding before her. A shocked Mohid, the wails of her mother in law Zulekha are all music to her ears. I cannot say I liked Anmol in this episode at all. Writer Faiza Iftikhar had said in her interview before that her heroine will not be a likable character , that we may end up hating her … well I have not reached the hate point but certainly I find it hard to enjoy someone else’s misery especially when it involves someone else’s daughter . I hate the way our dramas and our culture in general lays the burden of honour on our women folk and when people jeer and mock another person’s daughter running away or falling short it only reinforces that honour code.

Well Anmol learned something today, Sabiha did not elope, and she just took the decision to return to her husband. That’s right …… spoiler alert …… Husband. Zulekha had kept her daughter home for the last four years because her husband slapped her, and because Zulekha just doesn’t think much of Men in general. The story also very cleverly underlines Mohid’s better character. While Fazal slapped Sabiha for taunting him about his sisters, Mohid had the self-control to just tell Anmol off. I am not sure what to think about this Fazal character, because in my experience such men rarely stop at one slap.

I loved Saba Hamid as Zuleika, she is a strong, confident woman just like Anmol and she can be just as guilty of arrogance as her newly minted Bahu. It’s rare that our veteran actresses get a role they can sink their teeth into , they are stuck playing one dimensional mothers and angry mother in laws  so it’s good to see this much nuance . Saba Hamid was wonderful, all shades of light and dark in one episode; arrogant, domineering Saas  one minute , then distraught , sharminda Mother  before regaining her poise again and telling Anmol a few home truths woman to woman.

Ladoo banto!! I actually liked Mohid today and Humayoon actually did an excellent job portraying a man who is fast realizing he has bitten off more than most can chew. Mohid maybe his mother’s favourite but he isn’t a Mummy’s boy. He actually stands by Anmol and covers for her when she wears black to her Waleema, he doesn’t rush after his sister and he shows a lot of restraint while Anmol is taunting him. Mohid is still in the wrong for harassing and stalking Anmol but it was good to see the other facets of his personality. Humayoon Saeed was excellent as Mohid and we actually got to see him soften up the tough guy image . I just wish he had left his sister with her husband but he brings home at his mother’s insistence.

I generally like Mehwish’s portrayal of Anmol and I think the actress has captured all the confusion and surprise that this week’s episode required. I think I wanted some vulnerability from Anmol today but either the character is just written like that or Mehwish did not portray it. No one can continuously ride on a cloud of anger and self-righteousness for that long, there comes a time when all of us lose a little steam. Anmol is a highly intelligent woman and used to dominating everyone around her but she was like the big fish that enters the sea today, she is learning that there are big fish too. Both Mohid and Zuleika are also very intelligent and just as sure of themselves.

Uzma Hassan was good as Sabiha but I kept wondering why Sabiha agreed to come back? If she wanted to attend her brother’s wedding she could have come with her husband and gone back with him. This story is full of surprises so I am going to wait and watch. Meanwhile, Dastagir made me laugh again this week,  he is more excited about Mohid bhai’s wedding and all it entails than Mohid bhai …. I think his romance with Anmol’s sister may just be kick starting.

Fabulous direction from Nadeem Baig and well plotted, true to character story from Faiza Iftikhar are making this one of the highlights of the week. Again everyone is on the same page , all the characters make sense , the show moves at a fast pace without losing its grip or resorting to lambey annoying sidetracks .Again excellent job from team Dillagi !

Written by Sadaf

this review also appears Here