“Tanaa Banaa” is a show which is a quick watch, delivering 20-minute episodes each day during the course of Ramadan. Starring Daniyal Zafar and Alizeh Shah in lead roles, the story has been written by Hassaan Imam and directed by Saife Hasan. While the show took a few episodes to gain momentum and deliver an engaging story, “Tanaa Banaa” has now become a show to look forward to each day. This drama is a light-hearted, sweet and a refreshing take on romance, marriage and family.
Episode 15 focuses on the fall-out after Zain’s (Daniyal Zafar) lies are exposed. Zain, in his desire to please his young wife, Zoya (Alizeh Shah), tells quite the tall-tale, one which quickly spirals from a small white lie to an elaborate one that comes crashing down. In order to make Zoya forgive him, Zain pretends that he has been kicked out of the house after losing his job. Of course, Zoya quickly forgives him, but also rushes to his defense, scolding the entire family for their “heartless” behavior. Zoya is a strong woman, unafraid of holding back and concealing her true feelings and, in this situation, she does what she truly believes is the correct thing to do. From her perspective, she can’t imagine that Zain’s family would react this badly to his job situation and verbally thrashes them for their insensitivity. Unfortunately for Zain, Zoya and the family quickly resolve the issue and realize the creator of this scenario is Zain himself.
What’s refreshing about this story is how nicely the story has progressed from being the story of a disapproving mother-in-law to turning into a genuine story of how a married couple work together to not only discover their own relationship, but their place within the joint family system. One of the best told tracks is the one between Fauzia (Javeria Abbasi) and Zoya. While Fauzia is initially against Zoya and everything she stands for, she is gradually learning to not only accept Zoya as she is, but is also learning to love and support her. The family relationships are the strength of this story, along with the natural, sweet chemistry between Daniyal Zafar and Alizeh Shah. Zain and Zoya have been written in a way that the youth of today can connect to them and understand their thought process. Saife Hasan’s direction keeps the proceedings breezy while the story unfolding in “Tanaa Banaa” is still a meaningful one. This drama discusses the importance of working together, compromising (on the right aspects) and learning to accommodate another individual into one’s life while still maintaining a sense of individual identity.