I have to admit, after ” Diyar-E-Dil ” my expectations from GeR were high, specifically after all the hype that was created by HUM TV. The promos also looked promising and the part of the play shot in Marree, AbbotAbad and NathiaGali promised it would be a visual treat. So, when I sat down to watch and review this play, naturally I was expecting a lot from it. But this episode left me with mixed feelings, there were some really good aspects and others that needed to be worked on. I will start with the strong points.

The story is engaging, it is always good to see a happy family. Men who are good husbands and nurturing fathers to their daughters and Behroz Sabzwari Sahab always plays this role splendidly. He is playing Aziz Ahmed, who lives in Hyderabab with his wife Muneera ( Rubina Ashraf ) and their two daughters GER and Hamna. Theirs is a lower middle class family. In complete contrast to Aziz Ahmed’s family is the family of his brother Kamal Ahmed. They have been estranged for years, for reasons that are yet to be revealed. Kamal Ahmed has only one son, Adeel who has  ” spoiled brat ” written all over him. The fact that his mother is dead and his two manipulating phoppos  are after his money, dosen’t help things either. I am not so sure about the role his stepmother is gonna play in his life, for now she seems like a sweet, mature lady ( played by Farah Shah ) but somehow Adeel is not on good terms with her.

Gul-E-Rana, played by Sajal Ali is a brilliant student and she has high goals set for herself. Being surrounded by a loving, supporting family has given her a lot of confidence but still she is naive in the ways of the world and is quite idealistic in her approach towards life. Her family is facing some tough times on the financial front but other than that, they are as happy as can be. Things suddenly take a turn for the worst, when Aziz Ahmed dies in a car accident. Throughout the episode, we were given hints about what to expect, so his death didn’t come as a surprise. It is at the end of the episode that GER meets her Taya ( Mehmood Akhtar ) for the first time.

From the promos, I thought this story would be a love triangle but now it seems more like a square. While GER’s cousin ( her khala ka bayta ) Asher is clearly interested in her, she on the other hand thinks only of him as a cousin. Adeel has his two cousins running after him, or to be precise his money. Things will definitely get complicated when G and A cross paths. Looking forward for these two, to come face to face.

Waqar Ali’s OST is a big plus, it is always a pleasure to hear his music and naturally he didn’t disappoint us here either. Also the other song that was played in the background during Sajal’s boat ride was a treat.

The casting is another very strong point, Sajal and Feroz look great together and the supporting cast also consists of some very talented people. So as far as performances are concerned, this drama will definitely deliver.

Now for the weaker points…the story opened and the scene that introduced us to Gul-E-Rana was the same as the scene I had seen in ” Kaanch Ki Guriya ” that introduced us to Manaal. The resemblance was also striking cause Behroz Sabzwari sahab was also playing Manaal’s doting dad. His relationship with Manaal was the same as he had with GER and there were a lot of similarities in the characters of these two young women.

Again the touch of the estranged brothers reminded me of…you guessed it :) ” DED ” . I am sorry, maybe I am being too fussy and critical but these dramas went on air at almost the same time or right after one another, so comparisons will be made.

The story is set in Hyderabad and Sajal was having a boat ride, if I am not wrong the bridge in the background was the same we have recently seen in MOL and that drama was set in Sakkhar, so I am confused. Readers from Sakkhar and Hyderabad, please shed some light on this.

Lastly my biggest complain, the editing needs to be worked on. It was like ” kahin tooka laga, kahin kulhaari ” . Adeel sits down to talk with his mother, he speaks barely two sentences and the scene is interrupted and we are at GER’s home, again, they are in the middle of a conversation and we are shifted back to Adeel’s. It takes away your focus, team GER please work on it, it is distracting.

So for now, the journey has begun, let’s see where it takes us.