“Aitebaar” hasn’t been a surefire hit with audiences, receiving little hype. However, the story attempts to tackle a different topic and offer something new. Zarnish Khan appears to be choosy about her scripts, so it’s always worth checking out her shows. This time, she is joined by Syed Jibran and Ali Safina in lead roles, along with Arez Ahmed as villain of sorts. Though at present, it’s no longer clear who will play villain in Parisa’s life. Written by Maimona Aziz and directed by Nadeem Siddiqui, “Aitebaar” follows our female lead, Parisa (Zarnish Khan), who is happily married to Hamza (Syed Jibran) and is a well-renowned doctor – until her life is turned upside down. Abducted by drunk young men, headed by a politician’s son (Arez Ahmed), Pari manages to escape, but Hamza does not believe in Pari’s “purity” anymore, even rejecting her pregnancy, stating the child belongs to her “rapist.”
This is a heavy story and in recent episodes, we’ve seen Pari go through hell, not only with her husband divorcing her and raising her daughter as a single parent, but also being degraded professionally and by her sister’s in-laws. Enter Babar (Ali Safina), who has arrived like a breath of fresh air. Babar not only has Pari hired by a hospital, but also proposes to Pari, marrying her and accepting her daughter as his own. This family is so perfect at present that one is almost scared that Babar will change – but we are praying and hoping he does not. Ali Safina is underrated as an actor. Whether it’s the jovial Kamaali in “Paristan” or the incredibly sweet, down-to-earth Babar here in “Aitebaar,” he does complete justice to his roles. Babar is the star role in this show at present, a true knight in shining armor.
Of course, Pari’s sister Shiza continues to go through turmoil at the hands of her husband, Bilal, and his conniving, psychopathic mother (Huma Nawab). This terrible twosome are downright ugly individuals and there isn’t any reason for Shiza to stay with them – and she doesn’t. Making the best decision for herself, she removes herself from that environment. Unfortunately, Bilal does not want to let go, not only due to her pregnancy, but also out of fear that his deal with Babar will fall through if they divorce, especially now that Babar is married to Pari. This storyline is pretty disgusting and not in a bad way, rather it’s triggering just how horrible Bilal and his mother are……and how many women must suffer through bad marriages like this silently. Huma Nawab is doing a wonderful job as this horrendous mother-in-law from hell.
Overall, “Aitebaar” is picking up greatly in recent weeks. Now with Pari and Babar happily settling into married life, a disruption obviously will have to occur. The promo for episode 16 shows the return of not only Malik Jahangir’s son, but also Hamza. However, will MJ’s son, the original villain, remain a bad guy or will he serve as the person who finally clears Pari’s reputation? And now with Hamza’s return, how will he impact Pari’s life? It appears as though he may be engaged/married to Pari’s sister-in-law! Where will this twist take the show?
