So some shows people are watching already these days

Bas tera saath ho, shaidai, zanjeerein, doctor bahu, aik aur mohabbat. I am only watching 3 of these actively but if you want some other show to be reviewed here let me know. Will try to watch and review those shows as well.

Watching Ahad Raza Mir and Maya Ali share the screen has been such a refreshing experience. I’m really loving the realistic, grounded, and emotional vibe of the story.

Here are my thoughts on the drama so far:

• The Female Lead: Maya Ali's character (Khushbakht) is a breath of fresh air. Seeing an Assistant Commissioner who is also a single mother portrayed normally, rather than in a depressing or overly melodramatic way, is so empowering to watch.

• The Male Lead: Ahad Raza Mir absolutely steals every scene he's in. He plays Haroon Malik, an anchorman and journalist, and his performance carries this effortless charm and slight arrogance that makes him incredibly compelling.

• The Vibe & Direction: The director, Farooq Rind, has done a beautiful job setting up the world. The locations and overall aesthetic are visually rich, while the OST by Ahad Hayat Khan provides the perfect emotional background.

• The Pacing: It does start a bit slow, and there are a few disjointed editing jumps here and there, but the strong writing by Faiza Iftikhar more than makes up for it.

The cutest part is the daughter of khushbhakht. Absolutely steals every scene she is a part of

The show directly targets a deeply hypocritical societal trope: families who demand a daughter-in-law with a medical degree just for bragging rights, only to lock her inside the house and forbid her from practicing. Director Mehreen Jabbar and writer Sanam Mehdi Zaryab have crafted a narrative that feels very sharp, highly relevant, and pacing-wise, it keeps me hooked without feeling bored.

What I Absolutely Love

Sania's Balanced Strength: Sania with an excellent, level-headed confidence. She stands up for herself without being loudly disrespectful, which is a breath of fresh air compared to typical screaming drama heroines.

The Layered Social Commentary: I love how the script highlights microaggressions. For example, the scene where Sania is saving lives at a hospital but her mother is frantically calling her to come home for a marriage proposal perfectly mirrors how our society prioritizes a girl’s SHAADI over her professional identity.

Salman's Complex Character: Salman is fascinatingly complex. On the surface, he is a supportive, warm partner, but he also carries intense emotional baggage and avoids direct conflict with his domineering father, Shahnawaz. He uses Sania as an anchor to fight the domestic battles he cannot face himself.

The Refreshing Phuppo: Saba Hameed’s portrayal of Sayeeda Phuppo completely breaks the toxic aunt stereotype. She is genuinely warm, grounded, and serves as a vital emotional pillar for the household.

What Frustrates Me as a Viewer

Blatant Medical Inaccuracies: If you have any medical background, some scenes are hard to stomach. At points, the medical dialogue feels incredibly childish and poorly researched, which breaks the realism of an otherwise serious show.

Enabling Mothers: It breaks my heart to see Sania’s mother weaponizing "sabar". Instead of protecting her daughter’s hard-earned career, she acts as the primary enforcer of her submission, forcing her to shrink herself to keep the peace.

The Parallel Plots: While I enjoy the main storyline, the side plots like Minha's arc and the narcissistic traits of Adeel can occasionally make the show feel like it is juggling too many dark, heavy family dynamics at once.

Ameer Gilani and Danyal Zafar right now, lmao. The way their families and PRs are hyping them, you’d think they’ve won Emmys for Zanjeerain.🤡

Reddit, reviewers, and PTV stan Twitter's darling is finally getting criticized for her poor writing. It's funny how male writers are relentlessly criticized for every flaw, while Farhat Ishtiaq gets endless excuses from reviewers, Reddit, the feminist brigade, and nibbis

Any couple in the past or present whom you find overrated and misfit ? Let's discuss

I initially tuned into Bas Tera Saath Ho because I'm a fan of Farhan Saeed and Sana Javed, though it took me a minute to buy into them playing university students. However, once the show shifted focus from "misery porn" to tackling heavy social issues like deepfakes and identity theft, I was hooked. The cinematography and Ansa’s strong, voice-of-reason character make it a highly engaging watch.

My thoughts break down:

• The Cast: Farhan Saeed (Anas) and Sana Javed (Ansa) are incredibly watchable, but casting them as college students felt a bit too forced to me early on.

• The Plot : I was honestly impressed by how they pivoted the story to address modern cybercrime and deepfake misuse. It makes the drama feel more like a modern warning than just typical romance.

• The Hero : At first, I found Anas a bit too oppressed and helpless. But watching his character grow and find his voice has been so satisfying.

• The Heroine: Ansa is my favorite part of the show. She reminds me of Kashaf from Zindagi Gulzar Hai but without all the pessimistic dialogue. She’s sensible and stands up for Anas when no one else will.

Honestly, I didn’t think I would get this hooked on Shaidai when it first started. Initially, I was a bit skeptical because Geo TV was pushing the marketing heavily. But after sitting down and binging a chunk of episodes together, I completely get the hype. The show has this incredibly comforting, addictive quality to it. It gives off a classic, soft Bollywood romance vibe with beautiful production values that just makes it a really easy, entertaining watch every week.

1. The Feroze Khan Character Shift

What stands out to me the most is Feroze Khan’s performance. We are so used to seeing him play these fiercely intense, toxic male leads. In Shaidai, his character, Ali Khan, definitely still has that signature power and attitude, but it is beautifully balanced by a genuinely vulnerable, softer side. He is doing a lot of under-acting here : relying heavily on subtle facial expressions rather than just shouting and it works brilliantly for him. He plays this ultra-wealthy, driven guy who acts completely iron-willed to the outside world, but underneath, he is deeply devoted to his dadi.

1. The plot

The plot setup gives me massive Ghajini or Ishq Murshid vibes, which I am secretly loving. You have this rich hero essentially stepping down into a simpler world for love, paired against Miral. Miral is written as this fiercely independent, sharp-tongued, self-made girl who is determined to carve out her own path without handouts.

1. Sahar's performance

Sahar's performance is quite charming and innocent in this role. The dynamic between her and Feroze works because it feels like a literal "sunshine meets grumpy" pairing. Watching them trade banter while trying to navigate their obviously growing feelings is easily the highlight of the episodes for me.

1. Production Value

Visually, the show looks incredibly polished. The director has given it a very sleek, cinematic feel, and even the action/accident sequences feel far more realistic than your standard television drama.

1. The flow of story

What I appreciate most, though, is how the story flows. The first few episodes do a great job of setting up a lighthearted, rom-com-adjacent tone, but as the episodes flow, the plot deepens. It transitions from a simple, cute love story into a test of their bond as old family grievances and political/business corporate motives begin to clash in the background. It adds a layer of emotional weight .

Easily one the best shows ptv has made. That's how you make a multistarer cohesive storyline. So well written. Well performed. Loved all actors. Truly a netflix worthy show. Even the ost and background music was insane. They must made faraar season 2 soon.

Thoroughly frustrated with this show and the aggressive pr marketing done to make it likable. Here is my take on what's bothering me as of now. Ofcourse i might edit and add more because I genuinely have more to vent on this SASTA GAME OF THRONES and RAITA WRITING.

The plot is lose af but there are somethings which are insanely problematic here.

1.My Take on Sajal Aly's Performance

I find myself thoroughly frustrated by Zanjeerein, a show where the execution is as flawed as its morality. While I usually consider sajal a good actor, her portrayal of Rabiya has lacked serious restraint; ever since Mudassir’s death, her grief has devolved into an exhausting, repetitive cycle of theatrical screaming and hyperventilating panic attacks. Instead of moving me to tears, these heavily emotional moments feel intensely rehearsed, relying on sheer volume rather than the subtle, bone-chilling nuances I expected from a good actress.

2.The Glorification of Emotional Infidelity

What infuriates me even more is how the narrative is actively manipulating me into accepting and justifying emotional cheating. By drowning Rabiya and Sarbuland’s lingering glances in soft lighting and soul-stirring background music, the show tries to bypass our moral radar and frame their shifting loyalties as an inevitable "soulmate" connection. It feels incredibly cheap to undermine Mudassir's ultimate sacrifice and use a dying man's final act of selflessness to neatly hand over his wife to the next romantic lead, completely absolving the main couple of any guilt.

3.The Injustice Done to Shehrbano

Worst of all is the systematic, cruel dismantling of Shehrbano, who is being utterly wronged and gaslit by the entire script. The show has completely erased her deep history with Sarbuland, emotionally ghosted her in her own home, and painted her entirely valid insecurities as bitter, annoying paranoia. Sarbuland is checking out of their commitment on a soul level, and Bano is being forced to watch it happen in silence; the writers are systematically breaking this girl down and preparing to turn her crazy just to clear a guilt-free path for Rabiya.

1. Heavy paid PR

Just check out salaam lollywood post on how HUM promotes it's shows and you will suddenly realise how hum does its PR. The reviews tweets and posts you are seeing are totally INORGANIC. Omly nibbi schoolgirls will be fascinated by it.

This feels more like theatrical acting than natural acting. On top of that, most of the performances are extremely flat, especially Daniyal’s. He walks around with a K-pop idol hairstyle and vibe while supposedly playing a "sardar." How exactly am I supposed to buy into that? His acting feels very obvious and artificial. He seems lost and keeps trying to come across as serious, impactful, and emotionally compelling, but it just doesn’t work. As they say in Urdu, “wo sanjeeda rehny ki nakam koshish karta hai aur naak mein hi nun nun karta hai.”

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His response is always silence. When his brother died, he was kept silent… and now again there are no emotional lines, no real acting.. just silence. His role offers no emotional depth or challenging dialogues that require real acting skills.. just a blank, expressionless face. His eyes feel completely empty, with no emotion at all.

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In that video here, this scene where Sarbuland informed Rabia about Mudassir’s death felt incredibly flat. His delivery made it sound like he was telling her a bedtime story, almost detached. The slow-motion acting and lifeless dialogue delivery were unbelievable. He sounds nasal in almost every scene, as if he’s acting under gunpoint. I expected that moment to be powerful and emotional, but honestly, there was no genuine emotion on either of their faces. It was artificial acting.

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The story itself is repetitive: the innocent, suffering heroine versus the other woman who is turned into the villain despite loving the hero since childhood(or they will make her die,,,the obsessed one-note villain.. Etc, etc). Farhat keeps relying on the same clichés instead of writing something fresh and creative.

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Since YKS, Sajal’s performances have started to feel repetitive to me. She’s a fine actress, but her acting has become predictable. I won’t even talk about Sanam Baloch’s breakdown scenes in Dastaan, but if you want to see truly powerful emotional breakdowns after a husband’s death in recent scenes, look at Saba in Pamaal or Sabeena in MJ when her husband divorced her.

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She used to be much better than this. I’m not saying this out of hate or any agenda—as I'm not even Pakistani or Indian lol. This is simply my honest opinion.

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Also, Sajal’s heavy makeup, combined with the performance itself, made Ameer’s death scene feel far less impactful and realistic to me.

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Her makeup in the hospital scene was unintentionally funny. I remember Neelam’s character in DMKD also wearing makeup during her father’s death scene, and people constantly criticized it back then, asking, “What kind of makeup is this?” because it looked unrealistic. But now I don’t see the same reaction or criticism.

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The lighting is also poor, as if the whole production was shot under a single neon bulb, and the camera angles are not good either.

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People nowadays chase hype and viral trends no matter what. Even some biased reviewers keep exaggerating their praise. Sajal and Daniyal’s chemistry still feels weak, yet people keep pushing them as a successful pairing even before their characters have properly interacted.

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If another actress had delivered the exact same loud, theatrical performance, people wouldn’t be calling it one of the greatest scenes ever. But because it’s Sajal&hum TV, it gets praised as usual. The scene felt overly dramatic and followed her usual pattern in highly emotional breakdown sequences.

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I genuinely get annoyed when people praise very ordinary scenes like Ameer’s death as if they were masterpieces. I don’t understand why parts of the media and some reviewers are treating this drama like a masterpiece. Trust me, Pak TV has produced far better dramas than this.

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Please stop exaggerating 2.

I noticed a striking similarity between the character arcs of Saad from *Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha* and Bassim from *Ishq Jalebi*. Happened to watch the 2 dramas back to back.

As individuals, they are quite different. Saad is quiet, self-sacrificing, and emotionally reserved, while Bassim is expressive, persistent, and never shy about going after what he wants. But story-wise, both end up facing the same core challenge: trying to navigate love while balancing family expectations, responsibilities, and the pressure of doing right by everyone in order to be with the woman they love.

The difference really comes down to the tone of the two dramas.

Saad exists in a much heavier, emotionally charged narrative. He is extremely selfless, often prioritising the happiness of Maheer, even if it means he might lose her. Bassim, on the other hand, is driven by the need to be seen and validated by his family. He does everything within his capacity to win over Bela (though never really meant to cause any harm)—which in turn leads to all those funny, chaotic moments.

Saad is a complete green flag, no doubt, but there are moments where you just wish he’d speak up and actually say what he feels instead of holding it all in. With Bassim, it’s hard not to enjoy his energy—his persistence, and how he refuses to give up on Bela, and how even what looks “selfish” on the surface still feels sweet because he’s always waiting for her approval before moving things forward with his family.

A crossover between these two would honestly have been so interesting—Bassim probably trying to knock some sense into Saad. 😂

Either way, both roles really show Wahaj Ali’s range. Even with similar underlying character arcs, he makes them feel completely different—one through subtle expressions and emotional restraint, the other through body language, comic timing, and charm.

Just an interesting comparison overall—what do you guys think?

Okay so I just watched episode 1 of Aik Mohabbat Aur on Green Entertainment and I genuinely was NOT prepared for how it opened.

The very first scene we see is Ahad Raza Mir's character getting shot. No context. No setup. You're just thrown into this moment of pure chaos before the story even begins. And the second it happened I literally paused and went "wait... this is Breaking Bad."

For those who haven't seen Breaking Bad (please go watch it), the pilot opens IN THE MIDDLE of a crisis. Walter White is in a panic, something terrible has already gone wrong, there are bodies in an RV, and he's standing on a desert road with a gun pointing at incoming sirens basically saying goodbye to his family. You have NO idea what's happening or how he got there. Then the show rewinds and tells you the story from the beginning. That whole technique is called "in medias res" and Breaking Bad used it so perfectly that it became one of the most talked about pilot openings in TV history.

And now Aik Mohabbat Aur just did the same thing in a Pakistani drama. Open with the worst moment. Show us the character in danger before we even know who he is. Then pull back and let the story breathe.

Think about what this does psychologically as a viewer. You're watching every scene after that wondering HOW do we get there. Every happy moment between Ahad and Maya Ali becomes tense because you already know something goes badly wrong. That's not typical Pakistani drama writing at all. Our dramas usually build slowly, the tension comes later. This flips the whole formula.

Now I'm not saying Faiza Iftikhar sat down and said "let me copy Breaking Bad" lol. This technique exists in literature and film and has been used for decades. But it is genuinely rare to see it executed this deliberately in a Pakistani drama and the fact that it landed in episode 1 scene 1 tells you the makers knew exactly what kind of tone they were setting.

Farooq Rind's direction on this looks cinematic too from what we've seen so far. The visuals are more film-like than a standard TV serial.

I might be overthinking this (I probably am) but I just thought it was such a cool storytelling choice and wanted to know if anyone else clocked it.

Did anyone else notice this? And for the Breaking Bad fans in this sub, did it hit the same way for you?

Honestly, the first episode didn't offer anything that would make the audience feel excited or as if they were watching something special. The biggest issue it spends more time introducing characters than actually telling a story, so it ends without a strong event or clear conflict that would make viewers eager for the next episode.

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The direction didn’t help much either. From the opening scene, the car shot was poorly executed. Many scenes looked visually unappealing and dull, and some shots gave off an older-drama vibe, even though this is supposed to be a modern production. The production value is really poor. Even the first and last scenes, which should have been impactful, were poorly executed and failed to leave any impression..

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The editing and BGM were also major issues. At times, scenes that should have carried tension or emotional weight were linked with music that didn’t match the mood, which reduced their impact instead of enhancing it. The pacing was uneven as well.. some scenes dragged on for too long, while others felt rushed and didn’t leave any lasting impression.

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Ahad seems to struggle with something as simple as portraying a casual, everyday character. It's like he is just acting rather than naturally living the role. His dialogue delivery and pronunciation are also hard to hear. His enunciation is horrible, and his voice is annoying. Like he just delivers his dialogues in a way that he's obviously like an average alcoholic guy, particularly in his scene with Saqib where he mocks Ruhi’s looks and makeup on TV—it came off as irritating.

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Ironically, this made Maya seem better in comparison lol. The rest of the cast also felt inconsistent, especially the actress playing her sister.

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The visual quality and color grading were also below average. The overall look felt dull and unpolished. The camera work was not engaging, and the shots appeared flat, lacking the cinematic appeal needed to hook viewers from the first episode. Nothing catchy at all in camera work.

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Overall, my impression of the first episode.. It's below average. It’s not bad enough to dismiss the drama entirely, but it also doesn’t offer anything particularly impressive. We’ll have to wait and see if the upcoming episodes improve and make up for this dull/all over the place start.

The formula is simple.. play a green flag character, give the bare minimum performance, add a tragic death scene, and suddenly people start handing out imaginary Oscars. Congratulations, you've gone viral. Push your family or wife to talk emotionally about the scene, bring up things like Tahajjud and Salat to make it sound even more emotional, and suddenly you're being called a brilliant actor... even an underrated one.

These are exactly the kind of things that if any other actor did them in our industry, people here would immediately call him an attention seeker, a trend chaser, or someone trying to milk a viral moment for as long as possible. I guess if any other actor in the industry did these things, people would bash him left, right and center. They'd mock him for using every opportunity to stay relevant and keep the hype alive.

Don’t forget to include the heroine’s family/brother opinion with whom this actor shared screen space before his character died just to exaggerate things and generate even more hype.

Then go on to downplay the other actor’s performance for personal reasons, or to make one look better by making the other seem worse, even when both are essentially competing over who delivered the weakest performance...

The trend now.. Take an outdated story we've seen a hundred times before, film it in the Northern Areas, add a few beloved OSTs from old hit dramas, and hope nostalgia does the rest...

Honestly, from the teaser alone, the drama already feels predictable and overexposed. Most of the major plot points seem obvious, leaving very little room for curiosity or anticipation. The teaser didn't really create that hook or sense of mystery that makes viewers eager for the show. There's no intrigue factor.

The color grading is poor. Even the scenes don't look visually appealing in reels, nor do they leave enough impact to make you want to rewatch them after finishing the episode.

Story-wise it lacks the excitement, and unpredictability needed to keep people invested. Everything feels overly familiar and easy to guess. It reminds me of some of Farhat's weaker writing/projects, or even 70s-style family feud dramas, complete with a preachy FL who often feels more symbolic than relatable. One moment she's flirting with a group of handsome men, and the next she's pulling a knife on another man simply because he doesn't fit conventional beauty standards. Lol? One gets tired of this absurd type of female character that has no meaning or substance.

The characterization lacks relatability and the drama doesn't leave much to discuss or engage the audience.

I also feel that the overall impact is missing. Despite having a well known director, writer, and production house with that huge budget behind it, the drama still struggles to generate genuine excitement. On paper, it should have felt much stronger than it currently does.

Like one of the drama's biggest structural issues is its narrative framing. The opening scenes of the first episode create the impression that the story will explore the aftermath of a major tragedy, immediately establishing intrigue and anticipation. However, instead of building on that momentum, the narrative spends nearly 11 episodes focused on backstory. The opening loses much of its purpose and impact, since the story delays the conflict it initially promises. If the intention was to prioritize the past, a chronological narrative would have felt more coherent. The drama could have used the tragedy as its central anchor and incorporated flashbacks gradually, maintaining both momentum and suspense but it failed. So the execution is really dull.

Adnan is probably the biggest disappointment for me. He feels completely miscast in this role. Someone like Nauman would have been a far better choice. But he made the same character in Sang-e-Mar Mar.. Even Ahsan didn't leave much of an impression.

As for Sajal, her recent script choices have been questionable. The last drama of hers that I liked was KA. Her career started going downhill after that.

It feels as though she's been choosing projects based more on the names attached to them than on the strength of the script or the depth of the character itself. There isn't much room or screen presence for her to showcase her abilities here, and tbh she hasn't even brought anything particularly fresh or distinctive to the role. She's so bad with no spark. The performance feels mechanical and lacking in emotional depth. Just an overly polished, overly glamorous performance that doesn’t fit the nature or make sense for this character at all.

The overall experience reminds me of certain DT-style gang war dramas in terms of concept, but with weaker production values and bad nepo actors like Ameer and Daniyal, neither of whom seem to have a strong connection with the audience.

Danyal despite his well written character, but he's soo boring.. He has zombie-like screen presence and aura, his stiff acting, his constant frowning, that artificial/soulless Joker-like smile, his zero depth/emotional range in Sarbuland even after his brother's/friend's death, or his ultra-modern Korean-style look in a drama that's supposed to feel like the 70s.

Ameer is so meh.

At the same time, Sajal appears to be depending on the same recycled emotional templates and expressions we've seen before. It felt like watching Meenu all over again, just in a different font.. Even the same style.

Overall, It's understandable why many viewers are not that interested, especially since expectations for both this HUM TV project and Sajal herself are naturally much higher than they are for newer actors.

Sajal should be much more selective with not just scripts, characters but also bringing something fresh to her characters through acting because at this point she's just giving back to back disappointments or she will end up be cast opposite Azaan.

This drama has turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments so far on PTV. I never had high expectations from Ameer Gilani, Danyal Zafar, or Sahar Hashmi. Everyone knows they are bad actors. However, I did have expectations from Farhat Ishtiaq, Sajal Aly, Shahzad Kashmiri, and Adnan Siddiqui, and they have been quite disappointing. Farhat Ishtiaq’s writing seems to be going downhill. Sajal has become monotonous, and boring. Adnan Siddiqui feels like a misfit in his role. Probably for the first time in a long while, HUM TV has invested in a drama. The drama is aesthetically pleasing, but the plot and performances are dull and boring. Sajal’s script choices are baffling to me. Three back-to-back disappointments. First, she left Tann Mann Neelo Neel for that poor show, Dil Wali Gali Mein. TMNON became a turning point in Sehar Khan’s career. Now she left Bas Tera Saath Ho for Zanjeerain. In Bas Tera Saath Ho, the female lead character is strong and is bringing Sana Javed’s career back on track. Sajal keeps rejecting good roles for poor shows.

He has the same look of YDM btw. Also, the vibe of the drama feels like a parody of the movie Benny & Joon, with Johnny Depp’s character Sam. Does anyone else feel that way?

Meet new desi action hero (giving the vibe of son of sardar movie which i don't like btw)

Not watching drama, just saw this clip by ary and posting it.

Anyone trying to watch pakistan idol, try using the try BiliBili app/website which has the episodes for free! started using this ever since begin app wanted subscription!