The era of angst is one Pakistani drama fans await while watching Pakistani romance dramas, an era of separation for the lead pair which only makes the couple’s bond and the audience’s desire to see their reunion stronger. “Jaan e Jahan” has officially entered that era of separation and longing – and boy, is it rough on the audience. Starring Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ayeza Khan, Asif Raza Mir, Noor Ul Hassan, Savera Nadeem, Haris Waheed, Raza Talish, Srha Asghar, Emmad Irfani, Maryam Nafees, Nawal Saeed, Kinza Malik and Zainab Qayyum, “Jaan E Jahan” is written by Rida Bilal and directed by Qasim Ali Mureed.
In episode 26, Shehram (Hamza Ali Abbasi) is struggling to wrap his mind around Taimoor (Emmad Irfani) and Mahnoor’s (Ayeza Khan) engagement. The woman he has loved with all his heart, a woman he believed to have loved him back, is now marrying someone else. Shehram’s pain is palpable with Kishwar (Savera Nadeem) only attempting to drive the knife in further – fortunately, Shehram is strong on that account now and recognizes Kishwar’s tactics. This arc is a treat for fans to watch Hamza Ali Abbasi and Savera Nadeem sharing screen space during such complex moments where their characters are quite literally analyzing the other’s next move. Savera Nadeem is a stellar performer exuding confidence and power as Kishwar.
Mahnoor, on her end, is struggling with her decision, but is fully committed to protecting her family and being a good daughter. Mahnoor is a character we both understand completely, but are also frustrated with. Her behavior towards Shehram is cold this week, remaining straight faced as he congratulates her on her engagement and later asks her if she ever, even for a moment, felt anything for him but friendship. Shehram is completely vulnerable when it comes to Mahnoor, but Mahnoor has chosen a different path for herself at this point, returning Shehram’s chooriyan. Zeenat (Maryam Nafees) is equally shocked to hear about Mahnoor’s decision, stunned at Mahnoor’s casual conversation while telling her over the phone. Zeenat, as always, is a true representation of the audience reaction.
Of course, outside forces have now begun to work against Mahnoor, specifically her ex-fiancee, who is now plotting to break her engagement to Taimoor – just for fun. Will Taimoor be easily swayed or will he break the engagement off for more gentlemanly reasons, such as realizing Shehram and Mahnoor’s feelings? The story here is at such a junction that it’s hard to tell where the story is headed exactly or even how much of the story is left. There is a lot of storytelling yet to be covered and yet, we are now inching towards 30 episodes. Hamza Ali Abbasi is the star of “Jaan E Jahan,” absolutely lovable, commanding and charismatic as Shehram, a character who is truly an ideal. We feel for Shehram and can connect with him on an emotional level. Ayeza Khan is also excellent as Mahnoor, particularly as Mahnoor now begins to fight her inner feelings with what she believes is the right thing to do. We don’t love Mahnoor in this episode, but she isn’t wrong in her actions. Honestly, this is a difficult episode to watch, as it’s hard to see these two leads in grief, but “Jaan e Jahan” is, as always, an excellent watch. The only downside at this point is that the show has gone from airing twice a week on weekends ot only airing once on Tuesday.
