“Ishq Jalebi” is a show that also arrived in the trio of Ramadan shows. However, this one is slightly different in the rest in one specific way – it feels “real.” “Ishq Jalebi” has been written by Saima Akram Chaudhry, who has also written the rival “Chupke Chupke,” but the writing and direction here is vastly different. Directed by Syed Wajahat Hussain, who also directed the currently running “Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3,” this show stars Wahaj Ali, Madiha Imam, Wavi Khan, Noor Ul Hassan, HIna Bayat, Kashif Mehmood, Irsa Ghazal and others.
In episode 4, we see that Basim’s (Wahaj Ali) struggles to escape his life continue. With a broker asking for a large amount of money to get him a Canadian visa, Baila (Madiha Imam) offers to help. Baila is hopelessly in love with Basim and is willing to do anything for his happiness – even sell all of her mother’s jewelry to raise the cash required to send him abroad….and away from her. However, this all backfires when Baila’s bag, with all the jewelry in it, is stolen. While the family struggles to understand why Baila is so heartbroken, she’s unable to confide in anyone – and Basim is too self-obsessed to recognize what a great loss this is for Baila. While she wanted to help him, not only does he not have the money now, but she has also lost her mother’s jewelry.
Meanwhile, the family is in chaos when Mohammad Boota, known as “Dada Ji” (Qavi Khan), gets his latest reports and Aashiq (Noor Ul Hassan) realizes that he is going into liver failure. He places a phone call to Rafaqat and Sadaqat, Dada Ji’s children, to come back to Pakistan soon as their father is seriously ill. However, Dada Ji has not forgiven his children for abandoning him and while his family gathers around him to care for him, particularly Baila and Basim, he is uninterested in seeing his sons or informing them of his illness.
What’s great about “Ishq Jalebi” is that all these characters feel like real people. While there’s a comedic flair to the show, it’s not a comedy show. This is a family drama at the heart of it, the story of a family that has grown apart due to life decisions. The youngsters on the show, Baila and Basim, also have different ideals and notions of what’s right for their future. While Baila wishes to stay with her family and continue to support the business, Basim wants to leave and is somewhat embarrassed of the family business. There’s also an angle which depicts what immigrant life is like. While Sadaqat and Rafaqat left for greater pastures, is their lifestyle really what they were dreaming of? Wahaj Ali and Madiha Imam are great and it’s their chemistry that really keeps viewers interested. However, besides that, the actors are all brilliant, particularly Qavi Khan, Noor Ul Hassan and Hina Bayat. The show will get more interesting in upcoming episodes when the out-of-county family arrives back in Pakistan. This show is refreshing and is a must-watch.