The month of June has brought some serious competition on television with the beginning of anticipated plays. We have so far seen Deewar-e-Shab, Surkh Chandni and now Ishq Zahe Naseeb has joined the race. Though all of them boasts of ensembles cast, the storylines are diametrically different. Ishq Zahe Naseeb has premiered on Friday night and it is indeed a welcoming addition as the drama has a mysterious feel to it.
Sami Khan and Sonya Hussayn (as Kashif and Gohar respectively) are the lead pair in the play, who share a friendly camaraderie as lovers with tragedy looming over their heads. Gohar is the girl next door who is overwhelmed by problems at home — financial constraints, a nagging sister-in-law, a conservative brother and an elder sister who earns for the family — however, she doesn’t let them consume her and her love life is the sweet escape. She was told by a palmist that the two individually will have similar fates in life, but not together. She was also told that her first husband will eventually die. Although Gohar relies so much on horoscopes and prophecies, she doesn’t pay heed to these predictions. But it seems sooner or later she will face the consequences for she will be married to her cousin (Khalid Malik) to clear debts (who we presume will die).
The highlight of Ishq Zahe Naseeb has been Zahid Ahmed’s dual character (Sameer/Sameera) as he was seen portraying a male and female character in the teasers. We got a glimpse of Sameer’s disturbed childhood in the first episode. His mother left him at the mercy of a step-mother who is overbearing and has a temper. We heard about his first love Zoya (played by Azekah Daniel) who died in strange circumstances. Sameer appears to be a man of few words who has suppressed his anger, love, stress and fears since childhood. He has a confidant, Shakra (played by Yumna Zaidi) and by the looks of it, Sameer has let Shakra rule his subconscious mind to the extent that she has become his alter-ego.
Read: Zahid Ahmed steals the thunder in Ishq Zah-e-Naseeb’s OST
Very rarely we see Pakistani dramas exploring stories about psychological conditions such as dissociative identity disorder and thus Ishq Zahe Naseeb is a pleasing change. The first episode has given a hint that Sameer doesn’t leave home in the evening and we believe it has something to do with Shakra. The most unique aspect is that we might not be able to predict plot twists, at least in the beginning.
It is delightful to watch Sami Khan break his gloomy Inkaar persona. Sonya Hussyn lights up the screen every time she appears, but Yumna Zaidi has given one powerful entry with just a few scenes so far. We can’t wait to see Zahid Ahmed’s performance in the dual role. The drama not just have a good story and talented cast, the OST also does full justice to the play as it is soothing, soulful and melodious; definitely one tune that can be played on loop.
Ishq Zahe Naseeb airs every Friday at 8pm on HUM TV.
