“Ishq e Laa” is a big-budget Pakistani drama which stars Azaan Sami Khan, Sajal Aly, Yumna Zaidi, Sohail Sameer, Uzma Hassan, Seemi Raheel, Adnan Samad Khan and others. The story has been written by Qaisra Hayat and directed by Amin Iqbal. Winning over viewers with Shanaya and Azlan’s modern-day love story and Azka’s innocence, “Ishq E Laa” has been fairing well up until now. However, with episode 12, things have gone slightly downhill.
In episode 12, a lot happens…..and it’s not necessarily in a good way. Azlan (Azaan Sami Khan) regrets his behavior with Shanaya (Sajal Aly) and apologizes to her in a sweet phone conversation – but Shanaya is distracted, saying she will come see him after settling things with Sultan’s family. With Kanwal (Uzma Hassan) ready to make the “switch” for her daughter, she heads out and is followed by Shanaya. After this is where the entire story falls flat on its face for many reasons. First, Shanaya keeps declaring “main buri phans gayi hoon” (I’m stuck) several times, both the night before and during the chase, and the audience is left wondering how? Why? She’s not stuck in any way. She is choosing to put herself in a very dangerous situation. As the exchange is happening and Kanwal gets her daughter back, Shanaya hides behind a rock, making a video and again, the audience is left wondering what exactly she’s trying to do here. Of course, she makes noise while getting away and suddenly, she’s on the run from these “gunday.” But in all of this, where have Kanwal, her mother-in-law and daughter disappeared to? Have they evaporated into thin air? Shanaya continues her escape, being followed by these henchmen and makes a phone call to…..Azlan. Not the police, but Azlan – why? Ultimately, the henchmen shoot at Shanaya’s tire and her car spins out of control. Azlan’s car also stops working (why?) randomly and so, while Shanaya gets out of her car, he begins to run towards her. The two run towards each other in the most bizarre, filmy, unnecessary sequence before Shanaya is shot in the back and her blood (apple juice) comes out. In what should have been an incredibly emotional scene, there are so many flaws that the viewer grapples with disbelief and sadness.
Azlan takes Shanaya to the car (which has magically now started working) and drives her to the hospital where, after an emotional sequence with Azlan praying for Shanaya’s life, she is pronounced dead. The family is deeply in mourning (rightfully so) and Azlan has gone into shock. He is unable to process the loss of the woman he loves and is suffering in every way. Meanwhile, Kanwal and family are informed of the death and while Kanwal and her mother in law have a normal reaction, it’s Azka’s (Yumna Zaidi) reaction that becomes almost comical. Is she meant to be heartless? Or selfish? Azka doesn’t shed a tear for a woman she knew fairly well, rather has a cold reaction, questioning her own future while maintaining her disdain for Azlan. It doesn’t sit well – and doesn’t set Azka up well as the now heroine of the show.
One cannot deny that the star power of this show comes from its leading ladies – whether it be Sajal Aly, Yumna Zaidi or even Uzma Hassan and Seemi Raheel. These are four of Pakistan’s strongest actresses and the fandoms behind Sajal and Yumna are on a different level. However, after this episode, there’s no doubt that the strongest role, the role with the central focus and with the strongest character arc is Azaan Sami Khan’s….and this leaves the audience with a lot of different emotions. Had Azlan been played by any stronger actor, this would have been a joy to watch with the amount of scope this character has in upcoming episodes. However, we’ve already seen what Azaan Sami Khan is capable of as an actor and this seems like a disservice to the show. Yet, while one would like to blame Azaan solely for this episode, it’s not entirely his fault. Shanaya’s death sequence is an absolute joke, while Shanaya’s actions leading to that death are ridiculous. Yumna Zaidi’s reactions as Azka are hard to comprehend, because is she supposed to be a likable character? It certainly doesn’t come across that way. The way certain sequences are handled are lacking in impact and even seasoned actors like Usman Peerzada are seen hamming during certain moments. Who is to blame here? Is it the writing? It is the direction? That’s not clear. What is clear is that “Ishq E Laa” has suffered a terrible episode with episode 12 while also losing its best character. How will the show proceed from here – and will it still be worthwhile?