“Sinf E Aahan” is a military based show presented by ISPR. Written by Umera Ahmed and directed by Nadeem Baig, this is a big project that focuses on female empowerment and the role of women within the army. Starring Sajal Aly, Yumna Zaidi, Kubra Khan, Ramsha Khan, Syra Yousef, Dananeer Mobeen, Yehali Tashiya Khalidasa, Shehryar Munawar, Sonia Mishal, Saba Hameed, Usman Peerzada and others, this is a drama with a wonderful cast and has been pulling in audiences with its diverse characters.
Episode 8 focuses on the academy and how the girls are now settling in. “Sinf E Aahan” is not a storyline-driven story, rather it’s showing how the women are individually and cooperatively progressing and finding their footing within the army setting. We witness Shaista (Yumna Zaidi) and Sidra (Dananeer Mobeen) complaining of hunger, Mehjabeen (Kubra Khan) and Shaista remaining asleep during reporting times, Rabia (Sajal Aly) and Pariwesh (Ramsha Khan) getting reprimanded for not awaking their room partners and Aarzoo (Syra Yousef), Sidra, and Nethmy (Yehali Tashiya) consoling each other as they miss home. The adjustment period is difficult for these girls, regardless of how prepared or unprepared they may have been.
What’s most beautiful about this episode is the true depiction of female relationships. These girls do not connect with one another immediately. They do not create forced friendships. These are simply girls being girls in every sense. While Mehjabeen and Shaista have become fast friends and seem genuine, Rabia and Pariwesh’s fast friendship has holes in it as the two make snappy remarks towards the other. Rabia and Mehjabeen have their past animosity which continues, but even there, we see moments of softness towards each other. Sidra is seen bickering with her roommate, asking her to talk less and listen more. These girls are kind, some are spoiled while others, like Shaista and Pariwesh, are showing loyalty to friends by creating enemies of others. These are girls being themselves – and trying to discover what that truly means along the way. It’s refreshing to watch these interactions, because they are exactly how we’d expect to see girls behaving in such situations.
It’s Major Samia, played by Major Samia Rehman, who makes the greatest impact in this week’s episode. This is a strong woman, a woman who is a strict disciplinarian and expects the best from the girls under her leadership. She expects them to be the best version of themselves, which is not always easy on the girls. However, this week we are given a window into Major Samia’s life as she visits her son in the hospital during her dinner break, forgoing eating in favor of giving her ill child a hug. This is a mother, a wife, a daughter, a daughter-in-law and through it all, she is struggling to balance her personal and professional life. It’s not easy to dedicate one’s self completely to their profession (and their country), but that’s what this woman is doing. While she is an inspiration, more than anything, she represents the constant plight of the working woman.
Of course, we can’t forget Shehryar Munawar as Major Usama. There isn’t a lot known about this character yet, but he is a very likable character so far. What we do know is that he was also at the academy for his training and there appears to be a story connected to that. We also know that his relationship with his wife (Sonia Mishal) appears to be strained – but for what reason? This is an intriguing character!
If there are any complaints with “Sinf E Aahan,” it’s that the physical activity sequences are too lengthy. If a scene could have been wrapped up in 3 minutes, it drags on for 7. We understand that these girls are going through army training, but we do not want the entire scene to focus on their actual physical training (this isn’t a story). Also, unfortunately, it just feels as though there are too many characters. If “Ehd E Wafa” had four main characters, plus Gulzar, even that at times felt to be too much with one character getting too little screen time. This time around, there are too many stories as we have stories aside from the (seven) girls. Still, we can hope the show manages to balance it well and continues to keep up hooked to the storyline. Presently though, in regards to direction, acting and writing, “Sinf E Aahan” is currently at a high point.
