“Parizaad” has been winning hearts across the board with drama viewers and non-drama viewers alike praising the performances and story. Starring Ahmed Ali Akbar, Ushna Shah, Yumna Zaidi, Nauman Ejaz, Urwa Hocane, Saboor Aly and many others, the story has been written by Hashim Nadeem Khan and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri. As the story moves forward, Parizaad finds his life growing more complicated.
In episode 24, Parizaad (Ahmed Ali Akbar) is slowly losing his heart to Annie (Yumna Zaidi). This is a young girl who has looked into his soul and has accepted him for who he is. He is taken in by her words, her innocence and the purity with which she treats her relationships. She has given Parizaad a special place in her life and Parizaad has never felt so respected before – and even more than that. However, amidst this blooming romance, Parizaad’s life is in danger. Having taken over Behroze’s (Nauman Ejaz) position, he not only inherited money, but also Behroze’s power – and more importantly, his enemies. With many now after his life, an assassination attempt is made on his life and Akbar, his bodyguard, is injured. This shakes Parizaad to his core, not only waiting in the hospital for his recovery, but also placing guards outside Annie’s building for her safety.
This attack not only brings a lot of change to Parizaad’s life, but also shows the audience how Parizaad has changed as a person. He has accepted his role and has replaced Behroze in everyway and while he still seems like the sweet, loving man who couldn’t harm a soul, there’s a telling moment when he visits his attacker and subtly makes a threat towards the life of his enemy’s son. This is something one would never expect from Parizaad, but this is an attitude he has had to adopt given his line of work. His interaction with Na Saaz (Adeel Afzal) serves as a balm later, reminding us of just how far Parizaad has come in life. Seeing him reminisce with college friends over the man he used to be is bittersweet – and carries with it a sense of foreboding, once again forcing us to question what Parizaad’s eventual end will be. Will Parizaad get the happy ending he deserves? Or will he become a victim of his circumstances, paying the price for the wealth he has accumulated?
Of course, the performances are always rave-worthy in this drama. Ahmed Ali Akbar deserves to walk away with a serious number of awards come award season, proving that he’s very much an underrated actor in Pakistan. His performance aside, even smaller ones, such as Ushna Shah’s interaction with Ahmed Taha Ghani as Majid shows just how much Naheed has come over the years, now on a road to self-discovery. In the last scene, a cousin of Annie’s is introduced into the mix, played by Fahad Mirza. Seeing his interaction with Annie, it’s enough to make the viewer wonder – is Annie involved with this young man? And if so, has Annie been playing with Parizaad’s feelings all along, even if simply in naivety and innocence? This would be a low blow to both Parizaad and viewers.