With “Chupke Chupke” and “Ishq Jalebi” also airing this Ramada, “Tanaa Banaa” is the 3rd option for Pakistani drama viewers this season. While “Chupke Chupke” is a comedy entertainer and “Ishq Jalebi” is a family drama, “Tanaa Banaa” has a more youthful feel, which has the audience intrigued. Starring Daniyal Zafar, Alizeh Shah, Javeria Abbasi, Aamir Qureshi, Komal Rizvi, Hassan Noman, Ismat Zaidi and others, the show has been written by Hassaan Imam and directed by Saife Hasan.
In episode 1, we are introduced to Zain (Daniyal Zafar), a young man who lives in a joint family system with his parents – Fauzia (Javeria Abbasi) and Aamir Qureshi’s character -, his aunt and uncle Zeb Un Nissa (Komal Rizvi) and Sajjad (Hassan Noman), his young cousin and his grandmother Qamar Un Nissa (Ismat Zaidi). Zain has a deep belief in horoscopes and his horoscope states that he will fall in love after marriage, hence he agrees to an arranged marriage – and falls in love with Zoya’s (Alizeh Shah) picture at first sight. Zoya, on the other hand, is a practical-minded girl who is education-driven and wants to pursue her higher studies, this proposal serving as a hindrance in her plans. While the first meeting goes well for the families, Zoya asks Zain to reject the proposal. In episode 2, we see that Zain is already in love with Zoya and wants to marry her. The two talk on the phone and later meet in person, where Zoya asks Zain to call off the engagement again – however, she realizes he’s a nice guy who will allow her to pursue her dreams and so she winds up agreeing to the match. Unfortunately, back at home, it seems Fauzia and Qamar Un Nissa are not impressed with Zoya’s lack of “homemaking” abilities. Will this proposal be rejected after all, not by Zoya’s family, but Zain’s?
While episode 1 was not particularly impressive and felt slightly over-the-top with some reactions and sequences, episode 2 does manage to make an impact. The relationship between Zain and Zoya takes off on a sweet note and in episode 2, the character of Zoya manages to connect with the audience. She isn’t an illogical girl, but she doesn’t want marriage to come in the way of her dreams – while Zain believes his dreams will fall into place after marriage. Essentially, this is a story about two different-minded individuals who come together in marriage. While Zain appears to be agreeing to all of Zoya’s conditions, will his interfering joint family allow this agreement to remain?
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The strong point of the show is, of course, Daniyal Zafar and Alizeh Shah. The two carry this show on their shoulders (so far) and look rather cute together. The story is also different from anything we’ve seen on television recently. The length of the show is both a positive and a negative for the show. While other shows have a full 40 minutes to give their characters layers and depth, “Tanaa Banaa” only has a run time of 20 minutes, which does (at least in the first two episodes) give a feel of the characters feelings being rushed into making decisions at an unnatural pace. Still, “Tanaa Banaa” may not have been impressive after the pilot, but episode 2 puts it back on the map as a show to look forward to.