“Jaan E Jahan” brings together Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayeza Khan on our television screens once again, cause enough for excitement. However, the story of “Jaan E Jahan” is also one that’s both familiar and yet engrossing, leaving the audience wondering how this story will play out in the long run. 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, the story is written by Rida Bilal and directed by Qasim Ali Mureed.
In episode 6, Shehram (Hamza Ali Abbasi) continues to be weak of mind and spirit as Kishwar (Savera Nadeem) continues to give him an overdose of sleeping pills. To top it off, she directs her niece Zeenat (Maryam Nafees) to grow closer to Shehram with the promise of getting her married to him. But how or why is that important to Kishwar’s plan? This isn’t clear. Meanwhile, Tabraiz (Haris Waheed) is “running” the business, complaining of being overworked, all while harassing his female employee (Nawal Saeed), who is married (to Saqib Sameer, who is incredibly sweet in this role) and withholding salaries from the workers. Haris Waheed is always flawless in his performances, but he’s truly standing out as Tabraiz, an unlikable villainous character. Shehram, on his part, begins to find the strength – courtesy not taking high doses of sleeping pills for a few days – to get out once again and meets Mahnoor (Ayeza Khan). The interaction between Mahnoor and Shehram is beautiful, the two connecting over their mutual drive towards the importance of education. Shehram promises Mahnoor she can work at his school, offering her the role and allowing her to temporarily run it out of his home – which guarantees a lot of Mahnoor-Shehram interaction in coming episodes.
Sure, “Jaan e Jahan” is full of the usual tropes and cliches, but there’s something incredibly likable about this show with a stellar cast, even in supporting roles, and visually appealing presentation. Savera Nadeem as Kishwar deserves a shoutout, as she is excellent as a woman driven by power and greed, willing to drug her stepson in order to get it. Kishwar is an unlikable character, but we certainly enjoy watching Savera Nadeeem enact the role. The highlight of “Jaan E Jahan” is, without a doubt, the love story between Mahnoor and Shehram. This is honestly what has been missing from Pakistani television in recent years, this kind of pure romance. Shehram and Mahnoor aren’t school children. These are grown adults who have their share of hardships behind them and are attracted to one another’s, for the lack of a better word, souls. This is the attraction of like minds, of ideals and of kindness – but this is also the kind of love story we’re conditioned to expect tragedy from. Will Mahnoor and Shehram’s love story be different? Will Mahnoor be the one to save Shehram from his manipulative family? The chemistry between Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayeza Khan is excellent and their scenes together are just magic. We are eagerly awaiting more scenes between this duo!
