“Kuch Ankahi” is a show that has been moving at a slower, gradual pace, but winning over viewers with its authenticity. Starring Sajal Aly, Bilal Abbas Khan, Mira Seti, Mohammed Ahmed, Irsa Ghazal, Vaneeza Ahmed, Babar Ali, Adnan Samad Khan, Sheheryar Munawar, Asma Abbas, Ali Safina, Qudsia Ali and others, the show has been written by Mohammed Ahmed himself and directed by Nadeem Baig.
With episode 11, Samiya’s wedding is now in full swing again after Saif’s ridiculous cover-up and excuse regarding Shagufta. The scenes leading up to the wedding are interesting. The word “interesting” is fitting, because there are two ways of looking at it. First, it’s frustrating watching the entire family purposely ignoring what is staring them directly in the face. Samiya (Mira Sethi) is a sacrificing personality. She is a young woman who has a personality of denial. She does not want to upset her family by rejecting the marriage, so she’s willingly going into it while hoping the reality winds up being something different. The problem here is that when an individual is unable to make a sound decision, it’s up to the family to step in and protect their loved one from disaster – and here, not only is Shaista (Irsa Ghazal) pushing Samiya into doom, but everyone from Agha Jaan, Phupo, Aaliyah, Tanya, Salman…..they are all just sugarcoating a bad situation instead of taking control of the reigns.
Salman (Bilal Abbas Khan) is such a sweet character overall, ever so helpful with Aaliyah’s family, a good son and he has even softened towards Aaliyah (Sajal Aly) as well…..though the legitimacy of his affections still appears to be on the fence. Does Salman really like Aaliyah or is he pulling her leg in some sort of revenge play? Regardless, the chemistry between these two characters -and actors – is so sweet and it’s a treat to watch them in the same frame together.
The dhoki scene is a really sweet one and enjoyable to watch. Yes, Samiya deserves to be bid farewell from her house with happiness and with everyone celebrating. However, that feeling is diminished when we see Samiya crying with Aaliyah in the bedroom. This is not a happy occasion, so how can anyone celebrate or feel happy? Still, there are some strong moments, particularly when Phupo (Vaneeza Ahmed) steps in on the nikkah and stops the removal of any clauses, particularly those dealing with divorce. These small sequences are so meaningful and are imparting knowledge to viewers regarding the basic rights of women in a marriage – something which many are not aware of. The scenes between Samiya and Saif after marriage are almost cute, until Saif’s mother (Asma Abbas) begins exerting her control, Samiya begins sweeping and Saif goes out with his “friends” (read: Shagufta). How will Samiya deal with this mess?
As the episodes have gone on, the story surrounding Saif (Ali Safina) and Shagufta (Uroosa Siddiqui) has become uncomfortable. While it initially seemed to be a relationship between two consenting adults at the same workplace now seems to be a different story entirely. Shagufta is an incredibly dominating woman and it does not seem as though Saif has any say in this relationship whatsoever. Shagufta did warn Samiya, absolutely, hoping she would cancel the wedding herself. However, now that Samiya is not canceling the wedding, Shagufta is setting her up for disaster – and almost seems to revel in it. This character no longer seems stable. Uroosa Siddiqui is doing a great job of playing this role, but Shagufta now seems outright negative.
By the end of the episode, Aaliyah comes face to face with Azfar (Shehryar Munawar) and has appeared to trigger a battle. Shehryar is doing a great job in this role, though he isn’t receiving much screen time. Overall, “Kuch Ankahi” continues to be a great show with strong messaging. The character of Samiya has most of the focus at present and there are shades of her character that are deeply unsettling in how she’s willing to give up her happiness for others, but Mira Sethi is doing a great job. There are so many great performances, from Mohammed Ahmed, Qudsia Ali, Bilal Abbas Khan, Sajal Aly, Adnan Samad Khan, Vaneeza Ahmed, Irsa Ghazal….where do we begin to criticize performances? It’s not possible. We can only hope the story moves towards the other characters on the show rather than putting so much individual focus on Samiya, which we have seen for the last several episodes.