Zarnish Khan is a talented face and seeing her in a drama is always a treat, as she does not sign shows flippantly. “Aitebaar” is her latest release after a gap, last seen in a small special appearance in Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir’s “Yeh Dil Mera.” Co-starring Syed Jibran, Ali Safina, Arez Ahmed and others, the story has been written by Maimona Aziz and directed by Nadeem Siddiqui. This is an interesting cast with fresh promos – but does the first episode live up?
Episode 1 spends most of its duration depicting just how much of an ideal couple Pari (Zarnish Khan) and Hamza (Syed Jibran) are. While Pari is a hard-working doctor, completely committed to her patients, Hamza is her greatest support system (though it’s not clear what he does as a profession). Hamza is the ideal husband, a man who not only supports Pari, but also cares for her family and steps in where Pari is unable to. With Pari’s sister getting married, Hamza is there to handle all the arrangements – while Pari’s own brother and sister-in-law are there as guests. As Pari’s mother states herself, Hamza isn’t a son-in-law, he’s a son. Honestly, watching this beautiful relationship puts a smile on the face of the viewer and Zarnish Khan is looking beautiful in this show so far, so we’re admiring her along with Hamza – and the two look great together. Still, as the episode draws to a close, we’re given a window into where the show is headed. First, at the function, a wedding guest secretly takes photos of Pari, prompting a possessive Hamza to fly into a rage. While this reaction would be warranted for any husband, the intensity with which Hamza reacts, even threatening to call off the wedding as the guest is the groom’s friend, feels extreme and indicates that Hamza can be fiercely jealous.
As the episode draws to a close, Pari and Hamza’s car breaks down on the side of the road after the wedding event and while Hamza is fixing the car, Arez Ahmed’s character (along with some friends) approach the car. This would be a scary moment for any woman as Arez Ahmed’s character fearlessly approaches the car, staring at Pari with questionable intentions. It would be fair to say that “AItebaar” is giving off vibes of being a cross between “Ruswai” (starring Sana Javed) and Saba Qamar’s “Sangat.” Both shows focus on independent women who become victims of assault and fight for their rights. It’s not clear if Pari will actually be the victim of assault, but the story seems to move along the lines as to whether Hamza will believe in Pari’s “purity.” We will have to see how the show plays out to judge, but the first episode is likable enough and Syed Jibran and Zarnish Khan light up the screen.