When the promos of “Tere Ishq Ke Naam” went on air, many fans were seen instantly drawing comparisons to another love story on air – “Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha.” The storylines seemed very similar and yet, we held on to hope that this show would offer something different. After episode one, the similarities are definitely there and the formula feels tried and tested – and yet, there are positives here. Starring Hiba Bukhari, Zaviyaar Nauman Ejaz, Usama Khan and Yashma Gill, the story has been written by Maha Malik and directed by Ahmed Bhatti.
In episode one, we are introduced to the horribly spoiled Rutba, played by Hiba Bukhari. She is the daughter of a well-off man and enjoys all the luxuries in life – and takes them for granted, much to her father’s dismay. A self-made man, he values education and hard work, his only wish for his daughter being that she make a career for herself. Unfortunately, Rutba is not educationally driven at all and spends her time waiting for her marriage to Altamash (Usama Khan) instead, spending time with her fiancé instead of going to university. Altamash and his family’s opinions on educated women are grim. Altamash makes it clear that he does not want a wife more educated than he is – which is not much, as he has generational money – and his family is against her education as well. This becomes a huge problem for Rutba’s father when Altamash’ family comes over to set the wedding date and he restates his demand that they must wait until Rutba is educated.
We also have Azka (Yashma Gill), a cousin who has her own eyes on Altamash and is visibly envious of Rutba. There appears to be a backstory here which will be revealed in time having to do with Azka’s mother, played by Nadia Afgan. And of course, there’s the “poor,” hardworking, educated Khursheed, played by Zaviyaar Nauman Ejaz. Quite honestly, Khursheed is the only likable character in this entire show, barring Rutba’s father. This does, of course, work in Zaviyaar Nauman Ejaz’s favor and he does a wonderful job with Khursheed, making the character likable with his performance (at least so far).
What’s great to see here is the importance put on education. There are so many women like Rutba in South Asian society who are trained to believe marriage is the biggest step in life. Here, Rutba believes this, but her father recognizes the importance of financial independence and the ability to support one’s self. It’s nice to see this message in a drama. Hiba Bukhari does a good job as Rutba, though her character is already horribly unlikable – along with Usama Khan and Yashma Gill’s. Overall, the first episode is an entertaining watch while not being a “new” idea in any way. We will have to wait and see how the coming episodes play out, but so far, this is a decent watch.