Namal Episode 20 (Nimra Ahmed)- Novel Review by Shoby

Namal Episode 20 (Nimra Ahmed)- Novel Review by Shoby

Well if you have not watched Frozen (film inspired from the celebrated character of Snow Queen), believe me you have definitely missed one hell of an affair. No I am not going to review Frozen here for sure. I am just refereeing to Let It Go, Academy & Gramme Award winning song from the same movie which has one more feature to its cap. Our very own Namal's 20th episode starts with its lyrics.

Let It Go tells the situation of Queen Elsa when her magical ability to create and control ice and snow is discovered by the public. As she realizes that there is no more requirement of hiding the magic she possess, she enjoys the independent feel of casting spells freely just like a free spirit. OK STOP.... get back to Namal and experience the first reaction of the newly revealed Saadi (The Murderer).

Saadi is shocked, raged & grieved simultaneously and rightly so, after all if someone as innocent  as Saadi commits a murder (regardless of whether it was justified or not or even if it was done on account of self defence), he reserves the right to show off a little panic.

Heading towards Yousafs- Zumer has changed the room citing a so-called reason of studying some legal cases and (apparently) she is no more interested in nesting with Faras. (Becharey ka koi qasoor bhi to hota :-( ).

While going through the inbox of Sheru, Hanna gets to know that Hashim is getting married (Super expressions by Nimra as she states Sheikh ki dawa, Teacher ki dua, Fajar ki qaza salaat sab zehan se mehv ho chuki thi). Poor & helpless Hanna.

What happens when two biggies belonging to the same race confronts each other. Sheru goes neck to neck with Hashim and here we witness may be the biggest shock for Hashim as he tries to slap Sheru, who saves the blow.

Intense conversation takes place between Saadi & Marry Angeo where he confesses that he along with Khawar have planned for the escape. He asks her if she want to escape with them but she is thinking otherwise. To win the confidence of Kardaars yet again by revealing this to them.

Breather after much drama, check what Sam's point of view is: "Mujhey aisi khoobsurat larkiyan pasanad nahi hain, jo qad or umer mein mujh se bari hon". (PS: I have reserved my comments on this :p )

In the backdrop we get to see how Zumer's mother denied marriage proposal of Faras saying that Zumer does not want to marry him. In fact, she herself did not wanted Nudrat's brother to be Zuma's life partner (Typical Saas-bahoo thing). Later on Faras stood tall with a brave heart as it is said Niyat saaf thi, is liye us ka dil pursakoon hota chala gaya.

When Jawahiraat asks Zumer how come Faras got out of Jail & proven innocent, and threathens her, she delivers one of the most commendable puinches of the Novel, "Mere kamrey ki baalkoni ko dekhiye, wahan Faras khara hai. Shuker hai us aap ne haath nahi uthaya warna woh aap ka kiya haal karta, mujhey soch ker hi aap se humdardi honey lagi hai." This shows the strength of love & trust she possess for Faras.

Hashim (ab naam letey huey bhi ajeeb sa mehsoos hota tha) beautifully explains what Hanna is going through internally. On the other hand, Zumer tactfully advises Sheru to stand up for his right and do whatever he pleases to do. (DA @ her job once again... )

Faras shocks everyone primarily Jawahiraat as he asks her to purchase the house and meanwhile Zumer is on a truthful track in front of her father while having a nice morning walk. Mujhey pata hai woh begunaah ha. Yhe bhi ke woh acha hai... Lakin main us ko deserve nahi karti. and her father reciprocates, "Mohabbat khula darwaza hoti hai Zumer. taza hawa ko aney do. Darwaza khol do." Too much emotions in just few words. Bravo Nimra.

Zumer Bibi! Abhi main itna "run-mureed nahi hua ke raat ke 11:30 bajay apni bivi ke liye coffee banao. I want my wifey to read these lines which Nimra has written especially on my behalf :p

Here comes the much awaited full moon night and some extra information is being provided by Nimra on the mysteries & myths associated with the night. She gives perspectives from different religions regarding the concept of Full Moon.

Yousafs shift to another (comparatively large) house. Hanna visits her teacher to ask why she is still unable to make a habit of Salaat and she delivers quite a viable lecture. Namaz ALLAH se baat karna hai. Humara Toor, humari Meraaj Namaz hai. Nimra knows how to give you make-believe statements without making you reailze that some preach orations are going on. Everyone should learn a lesson... Namaz is the most important factor of life... It is Wajib.

Mr & Mrs. Faras Ghazi meets Aabdar & Haroon Aabdaar. Faras explains the atmosphere of Jail from a prisoner's point of view. Once again, Nimra nailed it in detailing of the subject matter. Conversation moves on to the emotional note as Saadi becomes the nucleus of talk. Faras Ghazi emerges as a hero in this whole meeting episode & yes he impresses everyone including Haroon Ubaid & Me.

Big moment arises after like thousands of years. Saadi along with the help of Khawar escapes from the safe house (Haroon Ubaid's private jail) and what a dramatic episode this is. Sheer adrenaline rush to give you thrill in just the right volumes. You feel like watching a thriller with some super-fast paced sequences. Saadi plants a strategy to divert all the attention of Hashim towards Soniya and succeeds. They both escape while he remains ignorant.

"Zumer Yousaf Khan, kiya tum Fras Ghazi ki bivi ki hesiyat se aik normal zindagi guzaarna chaho gi?" What should I call it romance. Naa. Confessions... May be... Reality check... Yes... This couple is not normal and this is one thing that keeps on highlighting itself times & again. Full moon is considered as one of the most romantic scenes of the planet & they just... chaddo yaar. I Hate U... I hate U too... (Bhaar mein jao tum dono... Huh)...

Saadi (Read The newly discovered Saadi Yousaf) dodges Khaawar and flies away. He is free now, at least for this moment. And the the very next morning, Mr & Mrs. Faras Ghazi wakes up in the hotel's room. Looks like this new morningi has brought in some real freshness in literal terms in their lives.

Twists & Turns are a habit at Namal and it is no difference here. Zumar's kidney is not completely damaged and no points for guessing that this particular part was once again planted by none other than Kardaars. Faras clarifies the same from the Doctor who was seeing Zumer and then Faras dealt with him accordingly (Typical Faras style of dealing).

At the end of the episode, Faras invites Aabdaar to visit Colombo with him. Nothing could have been a much better & beautiful surprize than this for this cute si Aabdaar.

So, this episode was all about adrenaline rush, pacey moments and new twits & turns. Breaking News for the season is that everything is now looking right back on track with Saadi having an escape from the prison & Faras heading towards Colombo. Zumer is melting, after all Queen Snow has to melt as she discovers her magic skills have been compromised.

Humari Adhuri Kahani‬ (Kashaaf Iqbal)- Novel Review by Shoby

Humari Adhuri Kahani‬ (Kashaaf Iqbal)- Novel Review by Shoby

So currently the only well known male writer of our Urdu digest industry, who has managed to make his mark Mr. Kashaaf Iqbal is back after a bit of hiatus with his brand new product Humari Adhuri Kahani‬. First thing first, I was a bit confused with the title and was thinking whether its been a promotional stint by the writer to give it a name of a recent Bollywood movie and whether it should correlate with the theme of the story but after reading it completely, I can safely say that this could have been the best only title for this story as HAK tells us the tale of the incomplete love that a female RJ had to pursue, courtesy some cozy moments between her & her fiance.

We all know that Kashaaf is one writer who goes extra miles to project the detailing of the atmosphere & phenomenon going around and this time its no different. HAK starts off with a silent night (yet loud) scene on the roads of Karsaaz, Karachi, where RJ Tasmiya is heading towards radio station to conduct midnight romantic show "Milan Ka Safar" with her co-presenter Muneer. As a matter of fact, it is shown that Tasmiya has some mystery intuitions & doubts regarding this road especially the bridge and she feels sort of a fear while travelling through it.

It happens that Muneer & Tasmiya are engaged & are going to get married in upcoming 14th of Februrary and it is almost needless to say that they are truly madly deeply in love as Tasmiya says Mohabbat ager dil or dimagh se pata ker ke ki jati to shayad main yeh bhi bata deti ke mujhey un se kab mohabbat hui. Beautiful shot by the writer. Perhaps his best, till date.

As the show progresses, there comes an emotional moment when Muneer asks Tasmiya that she has not uttered those three magical words to him till date. After a bit innocent foul play by Muneer, she claims on air that she is in love with Muneer and then they officially announce the listeners that they are getting married and this was the last show that they presented that night.

After few days, they get married and while coming back from Baraat, they unfortunately meet an accident on that very bridge where Tasmiya always use to get frightened. Story unfolds and it is revealed that Muneer dies as a result of the accident.

On the next night, Tasmiya with the help of a relative visits the same radio station at night where she used to conduct show with Muneer. On her return she tries to commit suicide on the same bridge but a strange thing happens. Spirit of Muneer visits her and asks her to promise two things so that they can be together in the life hereafter. One, not to commit suicide or pray for death & second, not to remarry, regardless of how forced she may be. At the end of the story, Tasmiya is shown in the late 30s, still unmarried and she is waiting fdor the fate so that her reunion with Muneer can happen.

Theme of the story is fresh & tale of an RJ (in fact two RJs) is a novel thought as far as writing in a digest is concerned. Kashaaf has surely gone multiple steps ahead from his previous writings as this time it is a much more mature & honest attempt to bring something new to the readers. Overall, Kashaaf has done his best to merge the romance with the theme of thrill & mystery. I personally enjoyed reading the proceedings apart from the fact that a few strong words or monologues were found missing. Had some few more moments of love & romance been there, it would have been a much better product. 

Once again I have the same problem with Kashaaf's writing. He starts off with a beautiful bang on subject matter but at the very end, he just loses the grip and seems like in a hurry to wrap up the things. However I reckon, it may be the fault of the limitation offered by digest's editors.

Although not very rich in content & a few laid back in dialogues, I still believe it is a much better offering from Kashaaf. Way to go.