Ep1: Ishq E Laa begins with a lesson on love and devotion

HUM TV premiered two major drama serials this week including one of the most anticipated drama of the year — Ishq E Laa — starring Yumna Zaidi, Sajal Aly and Azaan Sami Khan in lead roles. The cast of the project was enough to create hype and the first episode that aired on Thursday did justice to the expectations of fans who eagerly waited for it.

The episode begins with a beautiful shot of Shanaya (Sajal Aly) reciting a translation of the verses of the Holy Quran. Shanaya is a broadcast journalist, whose mother (Laila Wasti) has raised her to be brave and confident. Though her mother is also empathetic about societal issues, she is still hesitant to let Shanaya face every problem head on because she fears for her safety. And it seems Shanaya will get into trouble very soon.

 

 

Ishq E Laa marks musician Azaan Sami Khan’s acting debut in the television industry, and director Amin Iqbal has given him a hero-like entry in the drama. Azaan, plays Azlaan, the only child of a rich family and a banker. His father, played by Usman Peerzada, is proud to have a son who has excelled more than him in the field. Azlaan has recently inaugurated a branch of their bank in Shanghai (China) and has returned victorious to home.

 

 

This is Azaan’s first performance in a drama and everyone was waiting with bated breath to see how he will perform. In all honestly, it is too soon to judge because he hardly had one seen in the first episode where he got some margin to act, but unfortunately that was a business meeting with no action-reaction. It has been established that Azlan is interested in Shanaya and their chemistry, as seen in the OST and the next episode’s promo, is something to look forward to.

 

 

Then there is Sultan (Sohail Sameer), a cook in Azlan’s house. He has a mother (Simi Raheal), a sister Azka (Yumna Zaidi) and wife (Uzma Hassan) at home. The dynamics of his family are the most interesting aspect of the first episode. Azka is a studious and ambitious girl who wants to become a doctor and has a belief that she can achieve anything if she works hard for it.

 

 

She is harassed by her bhabi’s cousin-brother Abid (Adnan Samad Khan), who dresses up in flamboyant shirts and acts like a hooligan. Abid’s mother even forces Azka to wear an engagement ring without asking for Azka or her mother’s permission. The rejection of the proposal leads to a commotion in which Sultan gets injured. Hence, Azka and her mother have to go to Azlan’s house to prepare lunch.

 

 

The first episode has introduced us to all the major characters and has led viewers to a point when Azlan will interact with Azka as he found a hair in his food. Expectedly, the argument will be make Azka believe that Azlan is a spoilt brat, however, it seems he is a different person in front of the girl he loves i.e. Shanaya.

 

 

Read: Azaan Sami Khan is the force behind Ishq e Laa’s OST

It seems that Ishq E Laa has many tropes that are commonly seen in dramas such as a poor/rich family, a naïve girl who is helpless due to her circumstances, a rich boy who appears to be a brat but is not, a confident girl who will end up in a mess due to her resilience. However, there are fresh elements it may touch upon like problems that female broadcast journalists face, or we can see a strong mother who stands up for her daughter, and a daughter who aims to fly high despite her meager resources.

Penned by Alif Allah Aur Insaan famed Qaisera Hayat, the drama also talks about divine love and connection. There is a special appearance of veteran actor Nadeem Baig, as Professor Rehman, who speaks about love of reverence, passion, divinity and devotion. His dialogues seem poetic as he mentions that there is no destination in love, it is only a journey for the those who call them lovers. However, what he says is directly linked to what the characters will go through in the various stage of love in this tale. As he rightly said that there is descent to everything in the world, except love.

Watch the first episode here: