Ever imagine what would happen if a person were taken out of the past and dropped into the present? Adapting to even simple things like cell phones and cars would be a challenge. This is essentially the concept of “Nauroz,” taking a sheltered young woman who has been living within 4 walls, never exposed to the world and interacting with only her parents, and throwing her into reality. Starring Mawra Hussain, Shamil Khan and Manzar Sehbai in prominent roles, the story has been written by Kashif Anwar and directed by Shahzad Kashmiri.
In the first two episodes, we are introduced to Rushtina (Mawra Hussain), a young girl who is raised by her parents in a bomb shelter to protect themselves from the war outside – an elaborate, fictional story created by her father, Darwesh Khan (Shamyl Khan), to keep her safe. Living her secluded life, Rushtina does not know anything different, but longs to see the outside world on her 20th birthday. However, once her mother passes away, Darwesh is forced to tell Rushtina the truth not only about his lie, but also about the dangers she faces outside. Hence begins her training and education to prepare her for the outside world.
The concept in intriguing, new for Pakistani television, and it will be exciting to see what hurdles Rushtina faces in the outside world, situations which would simply be routine for the average person. There are some flaws, of course. Rushtina has never seen the outside world or been exposed to sunlight. In reality, Rushtina would be forced to wear sunglasses for a long period of time before her eyes were able to adjust – here, she simply blinks a few times and all is well. Likewise, the ease with which Rushtina picks up the use of a mobile phone while never being exposed to any electronics is not realistic. 
And yet, this is simply nitpicking, because in the greater picture, Mawra and Shamyl have outperformed themselves. Mawra is absolutely believable and lovable as Rushtina, this young woman who has an entirely new world set in front of her to explore. Her innocence and vulnerability is beautifully enacted by Mawra, proving why she’s one of our gems. Shamyl Khan is exceptional as Darwesh Khan, an equally innocent-minded, kind-hearted man who does the best he can under the circumstances, a weak man who is driven by fear to protect his friend’s daughter. The scene between Rushtina and Darwesh on the phone is heartbreaking as Darwesh conceals his anguish at setting his child out into the world and Shamyl Khan’s performance is brilliant!
It’s hard not to notice the overlap between “Nauroz” and “Neem” with several of the same actors involved (Mawra, Shamyl and Manzar Sehbai), along with the same writer-director team and even similar locations. Still, both shows are doing a great job of creating their own space. Now with Rushtina out in the world, her grandfather (Manzar Sehbai) on the hunt for her and her one and only contact with Darwesh Khan destroyed (the sim), “Nauroz” is set to take an exciting (and heartbreaking) turn. This is definitely one of the must-watch shows on Green Entertainment!
