Sheen... Sharaar (Sumaira Hameed)- Story Review by Shoby

Sheen... Sharaar (Sumaira Hameed)- Story Review by Shoby

Out of three stories that I have read (till date) in Sumaira Hameed's latest story collection Khayal Yaar, this tale is perhaps the simplest of all. Sheen Sharaar is yet another Sumaira Hameed's novel that revolves around not one or two in fact many of our living social dilemmas.

Let me confess we live in a society full of hypocrisy and we the human beings are the unit of the whole totality in a society. So whenever I say we live in the hypocrite society, I openly confess we all are hypocrites in one way or another. We all cry over corruption and we are unaware of the fact that we as a nation are unfortunately corrupt. The worst part is, we do not realise the reality.

Don't you think that the little wrongs that we regularly commit are all part of the corruption in a larger canvas. Well if Alveena was habitual in looting her mother for mere some bucks, don't you really think it was corruption. The first time she dated a stranger (Asad) by bunking her school, it was corruption. They keep on meeting without letting other know and this was corruption.

One pertinent thing to mention here is the attitude of their parents. Asad's parents came with the marriage proposal for Alveena citing that they both love each other but the proposal was rejected right on the money just because of the caste differences. Now this according to me, is a serious hideous dilemma in fact a crime that we regularly observe in our society. The so called caste and self proclaimed class differential is resulting in bigger crimes especially the incidents where girls running out with their boy friends and as a result, suffering in one way or another.

Same happened with Alveena in Sheen Sharaar. She was desperately in love with Asad and just because their parents did not wanted them to get married as both of them belonged to different castes, they decided to leave their parents and ran out of their homes. For a nice six months, they lead a heavenly life in Malaysia but fortune was having some other plans.

Asad died there leaving Alveena (apparently) with no positive option or foot path to follow and she was getting indulged in one bad to another. What happens next makes the story and obviously it needs to be read in the book.

Let me clarify, to me, this is (may be) the weakest written piece of Sumaira Hameed I have ever read if we talk about the narrative part. As I stated earlier, it was a simplest of tale that was all about delivering some essential communal messages.

Honestly speaking I did not found any out of the box amazing dialogues for which Sumaira is famous. The most mediocre thing in the while story to me was the ending portion, which acted as a spoiler to me. Yes, I am not 100% satisfied with what happens in the end with Alveena as I feel some more brutal climax would have surely enhanced the overall feel of the story. Having said this, I can indeed give Sumaira the margin on her take for the ending part as we have seen the ruthless ending of Rebica earlier on in the story. 

However, the treat is on when you get to see the real Sumaira's writing prowess in a few moments:

Ishara khultey hi gaariyan tezi se guzerney lagi or in gaariyon ke neechey is ne baba, amma or Asad ko dekha.

Bura lagta hai... Bura laga bhi... magar sirf pehli baar.

Within the heart of the story, Alveena is seen having conversations with her own self just like in the story Khayal Yaar but here the difference is, this time Alveena is talking with the Nafs e Ammara part  (nafs that overwhelmingly commands a person to do sin) rather than Nafs e Lawwama (self incriminate, to self reproach). We all believe that throughout the whole life journey of a person, we are guided with two powers simultaneously.

Satan is always putting all of his efforts & strenghts in making us do wrongs. According to QURAN PAK, “(Iblees) said: ‘Because You have sent me astray, surely, I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on YOUR straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and YOU will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You) (Sura Aaraf: 16,17).

And as ALLAH PAK wants us to walk on HIS righteous path, HE has embedded a mechanism within us that whenever we are about to commit a sin, someone from within stops us or at least struggles to halt us from doing so. Same happened in the story Sheen Sharaar as well.

No points in guessing that the story Sheen- Sharaar is a strong dose of social lessons and it stands tall when it comes to the preachy part of the story.

The best line of the whole novel that real touched my heart quotes:

Jo aap ne kiya, aap ka amal hai... ALLAH Raham kerta hai or yehi US ki sift hai.

Sheher'Zaad (Saima Akram Choudary)- Episode 2 Review by Shoby

Sheher'Zaad (Saima Akram Choudary)- Episode 2 Review by Shoby

Looks like Saima Akram Choudary is in a mood of revealing the tale in quite a much efficient & brisk manner this time. Things are moving relatively fast and the best thing is, with minimal of characters she is elaborating the scenarios in an audible way.

Second episode of Sheher'Zaad has a few highlighting moments that have helped the story move forward. To start of with, Rumi, the problematic child has started showing her real downer yet depressing side by launching her social media web page for sharing personal obscene content. And if this was not enough, she has hit non other than the son of Barrister Mahmood who has died right at the spot on crime scene. This will only help in enhancing problems for Ms. Tina and obviously will also have a lot of impact on our very sensitive Sheher'Zaad.

Back in Murree, Gang of girls is continuing their happy go lucky run and even the incident where Saad has captured them dancing (on one of my favourite song #ChakDhoomDhoom) has not halted their ever going in-house entertainment. It is not necessary to mention that all of this not going well with one person at least, Hadi.

Hadi visits his parents on the occasion of their wedding anniversary amidst all this and meanwhile he is seriously thinking about a room transfer as he is just fed up of these notorious gang of girls headed by Dur-e-Shehwar.

Wahaj has kept her wife under his extreme dominance and it is shown that Fariha has lost the confidence due to his cold shoulder attitude. He has requested her mother to bring Sandal for the domestic stuff.

Anabiya is in love with Burhan and that too in a truly madly deeply mood. She has made Tuba aware of Shah'Meer's feelings for her. 

To me, the real attraction in this novel is the communication between Sheher'Zaad and the unknown caller who likes him to be called as Hum'Zaad. He has not only helped her from getting out of a not so pleasant experience of running out of fuel in a lone road near a graveyard but he is also much aware of almost everything that Sherry does.

The episodes has went pretty smooth with decent volume of drama being created. The best moments of the whole episode was perhaps the Sheher'zaad's scene where she lost the way near the graveyard and Humzad helps her out. 

The Best dialogue for the episode is what Anabiya utters in front of Tuba:

Mohabbat jis ki samajh mein aa jaey, usey kuch or samajhney ki zarurat hi nahi rehti.

Hussn ul Muaab Or (Saira Raza)- Episode 2 Review by Shoby

Hussn ul Muaab Or (Saira Raza)- Episode 2 Review by Shoby

So here is the second instalment of Saira Raza's episodic novel Husnual Muaab. Lets see, what the episode has in it for the readers.

She has apparently saw this dream multiple of times earlier as well but every time her dream was ended rather abruptly, without giving her the opportunity to see the face of her beloved. Hoover this time, in her dream, Husnul Muaab was all set to meet one on one the most anticipated face and just before she was interrupted in between, she seems to have a glimpse of Musa B.

Khadeeja Begum has brought up her son Munna as a single parent after being the widow and that Munna is now the most eligible bachelor in town and if this was not enough, same Munna is now interested in none other than Maria who belongs to an altogether different religion (Christianity). Munna's real name & identity will surely be revealed in upcoming episodes.

The age with which Husnul Muaab belongs is no doubt the make or break age. It is now clear that Husnul is simply fed up of her conservative domestic family atmosphere and it is evident from her behaviour as well that she is everything but happy on her fate. Worse part is that she has started developing a rather forbidden feeling for someone who may never become her companion by any means. 

After trying his luck in Indian music industry, Musa B has realised that he has only one path to follow and that is to make Pakistan his home country the place to make a career in pop industry, so he retruns to the country and launches his first video song which goes on to become an instant hit.

Husnul is developing quite an interesting mode of love with Musa B who is hanging around with an actress Sheher'zaad. However their growing relationship is more of a materialistic in nature.

Meanwhile this real moody Sami has made the life of his cooks hell. But one thing is for sure, he has just said what I really feel and categorically say, Khana banana cook ka kaam hai, wife is kaam ke liye nahi honi chahiye. And needless to say, my wife is quite happy :-)

This episode introduced some more characters. a little cameo of a girl travelling trough a train in a foreign country, which I guess might be Scarlet, who is the love interest of Badr. Meanwhile, someone has Straggled and is now wandering in the deserted area of UAE and it is really not revealed who he is.

To me two of the scenes in the whole episode were excellent. The way Khadeeja was putting up her stance in the favour of her son was tremendously written by Saira Raza. I was bowled over for Khadeeja's sheer simplicity Saira narrated this Munna's proposal part in a masterly manner. I liked the term #SaabitKijiye and the elaboration of the same. My second favourite scene in the episode was the dream sequence. Beautifully executed.

This episode moved the story ahead in a nice brisk pace. It ended with two open corridors to move ahead the things. Husnul Muaab seems to be truly madly deeply in love with some one who does not even know her name (the latest singing sensation Musa B) and Khadeeeja has accepted what destiny has written for her Munna. She has given her nod for his marriage with Maria.

Chup (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Chup (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shoby

First story of Aymal Raza's recently launched story collection Sooraj Ke Paar is Chup (The Silence). Let us analyse, what the story has in it for the readers.

In George Orwell's words, Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. Generation gap is something at truly defines the complexities in relationship between two persons. In this fast, pacey world, we usually are no more interested in taking care what our elders have to say. In fact, we categorically deny giving them due share of importance. May be this is hte reason why much of their feelings die within themselves.

Sadia, a wanna-be writer is striving so hard to construct a character sketch for an upcoming story competition but who can pay attention to this damn artistic work if someone as talkative as her Daadi was present to make a mess of everything. Her grand mother was fond of telling stories and she has had enough of this. So getting really irritated by her Daadi's long narration, she one day spoke out loud how badly she wanted her to remain silent and then Saadia found what she was searching for. Silence... But this silence was full of screams...

Scream of Silence:

Andheyara, 

Jeewan ko Sooni Raeyn Karey Hai.

Mere ander ki khamoshi

Oonchi oonchi awazon mein

Bayn karey hai

(Poet: Shahbaz Ali Naqvi)

Most of the times, we do not realise the importance of something in our life unless we are deprived of that very thing. And when it comes to living beings, it is needless to say that human beings cant live in isolation what-so-ever. They need someone who is a listener and they need someone who is their talking partner. I feel somewhere in the heart, both of them (Saadia and her grandmother) were looking for a listener cum speaker but the problem arise when quotient of one trait lead the other.

This short fiction is written in a very innocent way. Aymal has tried top kept the things pretty simple by using just two characters (ignoring a small cameo of father) in the narrative. I feel, Aymal has achieved the real objective within these three, four pages of writing, i.e. to highlight the importance of relationship.

Phir Tanha (Asim Tanha)- Poetry Book Review by Shoby

Phir Tanha (Asim Tanha)- Poetry Book Review by Shoby

Douglas Coupland said, The time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Perhaps this is why this young artist has found his true self and has exhibited all of his own through his poetry. While reading Asim Tanha's preface which he has written for his debut poetry book "Phir Tanha", one thing was striking my mind times & again. He has very innocently & intelligently revealed his true identity with this introduction and believe it or not, the biggest challange for someone in life is to reveal his true identity in front of this filthy, brutal & barbaric world.

He hails from the deserted land of Thal (Punjab) and it is obvious from his preface that his motherland has never been so kind to knowledge dissemination leave the art & literature things but one thing that has literally compelled him to write was his sheer imagination and thirst of discovering & sharing his own self.

Coming towards his poetry, let me tell you one thing, you can witness the very real Asim Tanha in each & every poetic piece he has written. To start of, he has given a mandatory homage & tribute to the personalities for whom this whole Universe was created Prophet MOHAMMAD (saww) o AAL e MOHAMMAD (saww):

Meri pehchaan bhi hain AAL e RASOOL (saww)

Mere her sher ka hawala bhi

NABI (saww) ki AAL (asws) pe jo Karbala mein guzra hai

Zamee'n pe is se bara saniha nahi hona

It is quite obvious from the very first glimpse of his writing that all the pain, agony, helplessness, rage, love, and above all the strongest feeling of being alone that he has went through in the span of his life has become an essential component of not only his personality but also his poetry. I feel, this is one thing that you actually will feel in his poetry. He was alone but his lonliness has never tenpered with the artist developing inside him. In fact, he has pictured his loneliness in an extremely engaging manner through his words:

Saath mat chor meri tanhai

Mujh ko rehna yahan hai phir tanha

Kiya hua dost chor den tanha,

In ke hotey bhi hum akeley hain

Hai assaasa hayat ka meri

Ishq soghaat or tanhai

Ik tamasha meri tanha ka

Dekhiye shehr baam per nikla

On one note, if Asim Tanha has written some beautiful Ghazals, he has also penned some extremely innocent full of gloom Nazm (poems). I just loved his way of expression in the poem "Zero". Just like his couplets & Ghazals, his poems are also full of feelings. Feelings that have been originated as a byproduct of being alone.

Somewhere in his poetry & prose (in preface) I have observed the social phenomenon which he has been going through all of his life. In totality, his every poetic piece be it a Nazm, Ghazal or a couplet, he has told a comprehensive story which will surely leave a strong impact on the readers when they will get to read the book.

I would like to congratulate Asim on his debut poetry book and wish him best of luck for the super success of his poetry. I believe the journey he has started is sort of no-ending trail and he will certainly leran mroe with hte passage of time and his learnt lessons will surely be exhibited in his future poetry. 

At the end, I would like to share some of his very beautiful couplets with you... Enjoy reading...

Chaand ki chhhilmano mein doob gai

Woh jo chehra shanaas thi meri

Dua mein manga tha tum ko, miley bhi, kho bhi gaey

Tumharey baad kisey ab dua ki khuahish hai

Mere sir per bhi aa ke beth huma

Or mujhey jhat se badshah ker de

Teri yaadon se lipat ker rona

Mashghala shaam ka yehi to hai

Famous Poet Zain Shakeel's Exclusive Interview... Coming Soon Only At Shobywood

Famous Poet Zain Shakeel's Exclusive Interview... Coming Soon Only At Shobywood

What an incredible age is this, where we are living. I mean if you have an internet connection, know a bit more of some nice Urdu phrases and have a gentle know-how of few software applications like Inpage and Photoshop... Congrats, you are a poet, ready to launch yourself in this almost limitless universe of social media. And I term these kind of poets "Facebookish Poets", who literally have no idea about what actually they are doing in the name of poetry. 

Last year, while roaming around here & there on Facebook in search of some nice good poetry, I came across this couplet:

Kabhi aa ker inhain shafaaf ker de

Tere waadon pe matti jamm chuki hai

And I got freeze... Tere waadon pe matti jamm chuki hai, I mean wholesomeness of this unique idea compelled me to read this real poet some more and I hit the "Like" button on his official page and then I was almost in a state of pleasure quoted shock. I dont want to be looked as ugly & proud but I really believe that today's world is seriously facing a drought in terms of good Urdu poets but this one person has seriously modified my thoughts. Genuinity, uniqueness & delicacy of his thoughts & concepts amalgamated with unbelievably beautiful execution by him has no doubt made myself his fan. He is the author of an excellent book Chalo Udaasi ke Paar Jaey and many other great poetic pieces. He is none other than Zain Shakeel and believe it or not, he is coming very soon at #Shobywood in an exclusive chit chat.

Zain enjoys an excellent repute not only among the critics but in general public as well and he has a handsome number of of fans all around. This phenomenon is pretty much obvious from the number of fan made & operated poetry pages that he has on Facebook. I believe a world of is waiting to know what he actually thinks of about his own personality & his art (i.e. poetry). So fasten your seat belts and keep on visiting my blog for more updates regarding this upcoming extravaganza, where you will get to read some real insight information related to your very favourite poet.

With Zain Shakeel's this one couplet,. I would say Happy Waiting :-)

Zain hoon, yaad kijiye mujh ko...

Aap ne naam to suna ho ga...

HBL PSL 2- New Season, New Celebrations...

HBL PSL 2- New Season, New Celebrations...

Last year we all were (like) in a doubt, whether it can happen or not. Many of us were thinking if it has to be happened, will it be happen in our own country or its going to be held abroad. This cricket in fact sports & entertainment hungry nation was craving for this cricket fiesta and then ALHAMDO LILLAH, we witnessed sort of a transformation on Pakistani TV screens. Guess what, prime time slot which has exclusively been dominated by TV serials & news programs was totally dedicated to one game only. Yes you guessed it right... First season of our very own Pakistan Super League (HBL PSL) was inaugurated in style by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and it went on to become a huge & grand success.

HBL PSL is returned with its season two that is going to be started today Thursday (February 9, 2017). Matches of the series will be played in the grounds of UAE and we all hope that this time we get to see at least the glimpse of the actual thrill & action at our very own Ground, even if it is for just one game only.

Just like last year, this time too PSL features five teams Islamabad United, Lahore Qalanders, Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators & Peshawar Zalmi and Misbah ul Haq lead Islamabad United, being the winner of first season is going to defend the trophy. Other teams are lead by:

Islamabad United Misbah-ul-Haq

Karachi Kings Kumar Sangakkara

Lahore Qalanders Brendon McCullum

Quetta Gladiators Sarfraz Ahmed

Peshawar Zalmi Darren Sammy 

Many international cricket stars will showcase their superb talent in the most excited matches which are going to be held in the famous T-20 format. Lets keep our fingers crossed and wish the deserving team lift the trophy.

Prolific Writer Bano Qudsiya Passed Away...

Prolific Writer Bano Qudsiya Passed Away...

INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI RAJIOON...

Yet another legend has left us... The prolific novelist, play writer and spiritualist, the writer of famous Raja Gidh, Respected Maam Bano Qudsia is no more with us. Her play Aadhi Baat is considered to be a classic.

I offer my condolence on this great loss. World of literature will always remember Maam Bano Qudsia and her name will be regarded as one of the most respected names of Urdu literature.

Yet Another Award For Globally Recognised Poetess Fakhira Batool Naqvi...

Yet Another Award For Globally Recognised Poetess Fakhira Batool Naqvi...

ALHAMDO LILLAH

When I say Pakistan, I mean a country having talent in volumes much above than anyone think of. We have art & literature embedded in our culture and we have produced gems in almost every walk of life.

Fakhira Batool Naqvi is one name that never required any introduction. After having published 17 plus books that comprises of her poetry & prose, she went on to become the first ever Pakistani poetess to receive two major Global literary awards Frang Bardhi Prize in 2014 from ATUNIS Albania, and International Best Poet Prize 2013, conferred by International Poetry Translation and Research Centre China.

But it looks like this was not enough and Ms. Fakhira has no stopping whatsoever. ALHAMDO LILLAH, she has recently won the prestigious title of "World Epitome of Humanity" by World Institute for Peace (WIP) Nigeria for her book "The Alien Eyes" translated in English by Mr. Muhammad Shanazar.

“World Epitome of Humanity” is a prestigious award offered by World Institute Peace. The purpose of the award is to encourage and recognise God fearing men and women who throughout their life work for humanity and mitigate their miseries by rendering the deeds of charity. It is the award meant to boost morale of the people all around the world, engaged selflessly to share troubles especially poverty of the destitute indiscriminately.

The best thing about this award is that the Governing Body performs screening and finally announces ‘World Epitome of Humanity” which is not awarded virtually, the nominated recipients receives the award in person in the awarding ceremony.

It is pertinent to mention here that Ms. Fakhira has always spread the true message of Islam and that is peace. Her literary work has always focused on love, peace & harmony. On one hand, if she has been blessed with poetry in the praise of Prophet MOHAMMAD (saww) and HIS PAK AAL (asws), she has also touched some serious social topics like in the poems Yeh Maein Behney Beityan (written in the backdrop of Kashmir),  Gharon Mein Kaam Kerney Wali Maiyan, Khud'Kushi, and many more, which belongs to the problems that common people face in the society. She has given a special emphasis on the issues pertaining to women and her various poems poems have highlighted certain social issues with respective to women of our society.

I congratulate Ms. Fakhira Batool and the whole nation  on this grand achievement as I believe this triumph is for the whole nation. Here I would also take this opportunity to pay her my regards and thank her on the behalf of whole nation for making us proud yet again in the field of literature. I believe sky is not a limit for this great talent.

Don't Forget, you have read it first only & exclusively at SHOBYWOOD.

Sooraj Ke Paar (Aymal Raza)- Introduction by Shoby

Sooraj Ke Paar (Aymal Raza)- Introduction by Shoby

Famous Scottish fiction writer Iain M. Banks said, “The trouble with writing fiction is that it has to make sense, whereas real life doesn't.” I believe this really sums up all. To say, writing fiction is difficult is a very mediocre term. To encompass what is really going on in the living society and writing it in an absolute make-believe manner is something marvellous and demands to be cherished.

Today, we have a handsome number of writers who are doing their best in their respective capacities and Aymal Raza is undoubtedly one of those who has invariably come up with diverse, sensitive & intriguing writing pieces in the recent times. After writing, magnificent novels Taveez e Hubb and Piyal Saaz, she has just launched her latest collection of short stories titled as Sooraj Ke Paar.

I believe, Aymal needs no introduction and so does her stories. She is one of those writer who does not want to reinvent the wheel times and again. She has always come up with assorted & novel ideas and has successfully executed them in a meaningful distinguished way. She really knows the secret recipe of writing a good fiction.

The book Sooraj Ke Paar consists of seventeen short stories that looks like a galaxy of their own ingrained beautifully. Every story is a separate universe with characters speaking their heart out of what they are going through. 

This feature is just a a teaser of what we have in the store for us in this collection. You will surely get to read my reviews on each of these stories very soon at my blog. Meanwhile, I suggest you not to wait and get your own copy of the book to have the real taste of this nice productive read.

The OA (Season 1)- Web TV Series Review by Shoby

The OA (Season 1)- Web TV Series Review by Shoby

The OA, which was released by Netflix last year on December 16, 2016 is a mystery series with the touch of super natural & science fiction elements in it. It was created and executive produced by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. The first season of The OA comprises of 8 episodes, all of varied lengths in terms of time duration and all of these episodes were directed by Zal Batmanglij.

In The OA, Brit Marling herself played the role of a mysterious women (Prairie Johnson) who was shown coming back home after so many years. It was told by her parents that she was disappeared several years back and the interesting part is that when she was disappeared she was a blind child but now she has returned with her eye sight restored completely.

On her return, Prairie gathers a group of four other persons to make a group of five and she narrates them her story, which reveals that she was an adopted kid and she actually belonged to Russia. She further tells the team that she was kidnapped and abducted by Dr. Hunter Aloysius "Hap" Percy (played by Jason Isaacs) with five other people and he used them as objects for his experiments related to NDE (near death experience). She asks the team to join her in a mission to save others.

Story line of Tha OA looks very promising on paper but unfortunately the loosely written messy screenplay spoils the show. The pilot episode of the show "Homecoming" starts with the very right tone and it gives you a teaser of something magnum coming your way. But with the progress of the show, it looses the charm. A couple of episodes in the season are no doubt written & executed marvellously and a few portions within the show are spin chilling but overall impact of the show is not that big.

Brit Marling and Jason Isaacs have done a commendable job in acting department and supporting cast of the first season managed well to play their parts in a good manner.Dialogues are also written nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography and the background score in the whole series.

The show could have been a much better product, provided if mysteries involved in it have been revealed in some more logical way. Certain phenomenon have remained unexplained and perhaps this is the major flaw of the show. The show ended rather abruptly without clarifying what actually has happened in the whole series. The first season of The OA was mostly about the story of Prairie, how she became The OA, in fact all the 8 episodes carried on with the story, showing the background history of The OA.

PS: Dont forget to comment in the below box

Ehd e Sakoot (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Ehd e Sakoot (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Jane Austen said in Pride and Prejudice, “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” ... And Washma was almost identical to this. Promises are never meant to be broken, especially something which one commits with his own self in all high times. Washma was under a contractual obligation and this time, her contract was with her own self. She decided to remain silent and she lived true to the words. She remained silent so much so that she became a proverb, a superlative, a synonmous to the word "silence".  Ab woh itni khamosh ho gai... Itni ke us ki ankh ke uthney or jhukney ki goyai bhi jati rahi...

Sumaira Hameed, this time becomes a lot more symbolic in the sense that every single world of this fiction was holding thousands of alternative meanings. Apparently it is a very simple tale of how sensitive is the self esteem of someone especially when it comes to the female fraternity. Washmna was demoralised by certain acts of her husband Affaaf and she reacted the way she was meant to react. Jald hi us ne dhaaga lapeta... Zewraat utaar diye... Or haath bandh ker beth gai.. Ke baba ko pegham bhijwa diya jaey... Woh usey aa ker ley jaeyn... Brutally innocent way to put up your stance. She was daringly enraged up to the prime.

Looks like Sumaira Hameed's Ehd e Sakoot was an excellent elaboration of Oscar Wilde's saying, Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship. Here the story started off with love & passion (love for the husband by the faithful wife and passoin for singing). Love & passion which was almost touching the term worship (Ibadat ke lafz woh kufr ke darr ki wajah se na le saki). With the passage of time, these emotions were transformed into enmity.

I feel that it is a very complex debate that who is more stubborn in their attitudes, male or females. I firmly believe in this beautiful relationship of marriage, one should never try to impose the strength of his or her tenacious. Man, by default, has that instinct of being the all in all super power of the house hold. He loves to play the dominant part always. On the other hand, it is narrated by Al-Bukhaari and Muslim from the Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). The Prophet MOHAMMAD (saww) said: “Treat women kindly, for woman was created from a bent rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part, so treat women kindly.” 

Unfortunately all the three characters of the story (Washma, Affaf and Farusiya) were at the prime of their self esteem. Obviously, I am not discussing here that whether Washma's behaviour was valid or not and it is also needless to say that whatever Affaf has done all through the story was not less than a crime. In fact, author has also left it to the readers to make up their decisions by themselves.

Coming towards the narrative part of the story. Its now a habit of Suamiara Hameed to choose diverse yet delicate topics and she nourishes the ideas by giving all of her heart. Ehd e Sakoot can be categorised as an excellent love-hate drama with the most unpredictable ending. I don't know but overall ambience of the tale was full of sorrow & agony. See how delicately she has penned the phenomenon, 

Like always, this writing price of Sumaira Hameed was yet another road trip for me.  This time we travelled in Uzbekistan through Sumaira's words. I would love to see the flowers blooming in the crops of village and the nightingale singing in Salyam, after reading this tale. :-)

This story appealingly encompasses the behaviours of the three main characters. Affaaf, as the most ruthless, man with extreme level of self esteem (read conceit), Farusiya with the most proactive feeling of narcissism and Washma, the ever stubborn. While reading the story, Jaun sb's poetry was roaming around my mind:

Main bhi bohat ajeeb hoon

Itna ajeeb hoon ke buss

Khud ko tabah ker liya

Or malaal bhi nahi.

(Jaun Elia)

PS: Dont forget to comment in the below box

Raees (2017)- Movie Review by Shoby

Raees (2017)- Movie Review by Shoby

2.25 Hearts out of 5

Here comes Rahul Dholakia with his eagerly awaited postponed film Raees starring the super star Shahrukh Khan along with excellent artists Nawaz ud Din Siddiqui and Mahira Khan. No points for guessing that many of the hopes were attached to this one film and it is the time to see if it has stood up to the marks.

First thing first, let me clarify one thing categorically here, do not anticipate any out of the box thing from Raees. It is almost the same story which has been tried & tested in Bollywood multiple times earlier. A child becomes a product of the bad society and ends up becoming an threatening dangerous criminal who on the other hands is a savior for the common people . You must be thinking, if this is the case, what is so new in this Raees. My answer is sorry "Nothing".

Athought Raeees has a beautiful plot with a very predictable Bollywoodish climax, the only problem with Raees is its mediocre screenplay. Dialogues are good especially those which were written for Shahrukh Khan and Nawaz ud Deen Siddiqui. First half of the movie flows pretty smoothly but the second half looks dragged. Film would have been a much better affair if its editing was a bit more crispier.

One department in which Raees shines is the acting. Watching Shahrukh Khan in a tailor made role is a sheer treat and he has done full justice with this director backed powerful role. To me, Nawaz ud Deen is probably the most adorable factor in the whole movie. I loved all the times when he appeared on the screen, especially his very first appearance. Mahira Khan was good in the little cameo looking role, however her acting skills should have been utilised in more efficient manner, considering the prowess of her acting talent.

Music of the film is just OK and unfortunately songs stays on to you only till the proceedings end. Even, Zaalima is not an evergreen sort of product.

On the whole, Raees is a nice one-time watch and nothing more then this.

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In Conversation With Kashaaf Iqbal (The Writer)... Interview by Shoby

In Conversation With Kashaaf Iqbal (The Writer)... Interview by Shoby

He started his career with his debut Urdu Novel Zulekha and he has No Stopping from then onward. He went on to write Mohabbat Rooh Ki Ghiza Hai, Mus'haf and Humari Adhoori Kahani... 

He is an emerging talent and believe me guys, he is having this thing called "sheer talent" in loads & loads of volume which speaks itself through his various achievements within the span of minor time that he has spent in the digest writing industry.

Masha ALLAH, he has got a handful of Urdu novels & short stories published in famous digests of the country. Besides this, he is one of those luckiest winners of a famous story writing contest, which was recently held and judged by one of the top most writer of Pakistan. Last but not the least, his novel is all set to be dramatised sooner than soon.

As commuted by us, Shobywod is giving you an opportunity to read the firest ever interview of this writer of romance at our blog... Dont forget, you are reading it first, exclusively at Shobywood.

Shobywood: Tell us something about yourself. Especially your family & educational background???

Kashaaf: I have two sisters and an elder brother. I am in the 3rd year of BE (Chemical Engineering). I live a simple life and love to spend time with family. I don’t enjoy a lot the gathering in my friend’s circle. I love the companionship of my dreams. Dreams that arise while I am awake. Dreams that insist me to pen novels & song’s lyrics.

Shobywood: How you started writing???

Kashaaf: An Indian movie Yaariyan's trailer was launched almost two years back. The film had a song titled Baarish. I was so inspired by the melody & lyrics that from that very moment, I started writing songs & novels. Initially I started writing an English novel titled "A Cocktail of Friendship" but I paused writing it and it still remains as it is. Basically, my interest shifted towards Urdu writing. That is why I left writing that English novel.

Shobywood: Who is your favourite writer, the one who became your inspiration to write.

Kashaaf: I am not inspired on the totality from one specific individual. In one way, I like someone's story line and on another hand, I like someone else's writing style. In the department of writing style I am a big fan of Umera Ahmed and in the case of story line, Nicholas Sparks is my favourite. Their story elements are just wow (Kashaaf literally used the term Ufff :-) ).

As for the lyricist, I love Saeed Quadri. Each & every song that he pens simply touch my heart. Be it Maule Mere Maula, Humnava or Baatein Yeh Kabhi na...

Shobywood: What is the source of inspiration for your own writing?

Kashaaf: With all due respect to him, I always try to write like Mr. Khalil ur Rahman Qamar whenever I write something good.

Shobywood: What writing means to you?

Kashaaf: Writing is a way of expression. It is an expression to convey a nice message through your writing whatever you feel good inside.

Shobywood: As you said, you like writing songs lyrics. What you personally enjoy the most novels or lyrics?

Kashaaf: To be honest, I like writing lyrics way above than writing novels. I love to write romantic lyrics and Insha ALLAH, you will find many songs penned by me, for a big budget Pakistani movie, composed by one of the finest musicians of our country very soon.

Shobywood: Today, reading habit has drastically declined. People has almost stopped reading poetry & even prose. What is your take on it?

Kashaaf: To me, reading habit is something that one heirs from the background. People may have lost the charm in reading because now a days, lyrics of songs are so much rich & excellent that people are no more interested in reading. My personal opinion is that they like listening the composed form of poetry much more now a days.

Shobywood: You belong to the new creed of writers. Something which they call, young blood. Tell us, can we compare today's writers with our legends that belonged to the past times or should we compare them?

Kashaaf: Why not. They can be compared as I believe talent is independent of age and era.

Shobywood: What is the most important thing that triggers the writing???

Kashaaf: Certainly reading. I would say that the most important thing that is mandatory for good writing is habit of better reading. Furthermore, you need to develop an excellent plot. You need to prepare the complete story from A to Z in your mind, before you start writing it. However lyrics writing is an altogether different module. It is necessary to make a sketch of a story line in your mind before writing a song. I believe nice words are not as important as better sentences. You need to concise these sentences for writing the songs. And it is an art that everyone does not possess.

Shobywood: Do you think it is mandatory to have the basic knowledge of poetry for writing songs lyrics?

Kashaaf: It is like it is important and not at all at the same time. We have many lyricists who are established poets like Gulzar sb, Javed Akhtar, Manoj Muntashir & we have lyricist who are not conventional poets like Amitabh Bhattacharya, Rashmi Virag and Kausar Munir.

Shobywood: How you differentiate between writing prose & poetry?

Kashaaf: There is a big difference between the two. Poetry is something like a very much concise form of prose that is presented in a rhyming way. Prose, on the other hand, is a sort of statement that does not relies upon rhyming words, couplets and also expression of feelings in a musical way (mostly).

Shobywood: Songs that are being written now a days are not considered to be evergreen. Their charm fades away within days, weeks or may be a couple of months. Why is this so? Is there something lacking in poetry or the musical compositions?

Kashaaf: No doubt, in terms of music we are going way above and we have witnessed excellent advancement in music or should I say it is like a complete transformation. As far as poetry is concerned, yes I agree, we get to listen those excellent lyrics seldom now a days. Compositions, Melody, in fact everything is good but in most of the songs, good lyrics are lacking. We should come up with new ideas in lyrics as anyone can write normal lyrics. Have u seen the Filmfare awards nominations for Best Lyrics? They always nominate songs with unique lyrics. Come up with something unique in your lyrics. Make a list of different qaaafiyas in your pass time and come up with a story element.

Shobywood: What is the importance of detailing in a story? How you make sure that your reader does not get bore of detailing?

Kashaaf: It is way too important for a writer. Every writer wants his readers to see the characters living around him while reading the story, the way he has sketched & conceived them. Readers like to think what was the atmosphere & ambience of a particular scene. I would stress that the start and end of the novel should have an elaborated scene detailing.

Shobyood: What is the biggest success of Kashaaf Iqbal till date?

Kashaaf: Sahir Ali Bagga appreciated my lyrics. Getting appreciation from the musician of such a class & caliber is may be my best achievement. Secondly, Umera Ahmed not only selected my novel "Bas Ishq Ho..." & enlisted it in the winner's list but also shortlisted it for the script.

Shobywood: What was your position at Alif Kitaab contest?

Kashaaf: As stated earlier I was selected by Ms. Umera as one of the winners in the list and Alhamdo LILLAH, I am satisfied that I am standing in the winner's bracket along with such seniors & big names of digest writings and my story was selected for a script.

Shobywood: Will you like writing for dramas & movies scripts in future?

Kashaaf: Insha ALLAH... For sure... I am not an astrologer and don’t believe in astronomy as well but I believe that we all are astronomers of our own fate. I get a feeling that year 2017 will be a successful year for me in terms of lyrics and screenplay.

Shobywood: Kashaaf I (Shoby) have reviewed many of your novels earlier and I always get a feeling that you are more attracted towards romance or horror/ thriller domains. Please tell us, what else genre you want to discover.

Kashaaf: (Smiles) You are right up to some extent... Actually I don’t like getting out of romantic genre. But I would definitely love to write some romance plus mystery in future.

Shobywood: If you have been given a chance to be one artist, what will you prefer to be? World's best novelist or world's best lyricist?

Kashaaf: Definitely, world's best lyricist. I would further like to add that my goals include a nice Chemical Engineering job. To write script for a movie or drama in a year and to make my parents proud by doing all this.

Shobywood: Besides being a writer, you are a student as well. How you take time for all this?

Kashaaf: Believe me, if you have the intention, it you are confident & focused on your objectives, you always get that time, that chance to do whatever you like. Regardless of whether you are studying a tough thing like Chemical Engineering.

Shobywood: Can you please share your thoughts on my blog Shobywood and our regular visitors?

Kashaaf: I personally like your reviews at Shobywood, especially yours English. For followers, I have just one message. Dream, no matter how bigger the dream is. Don’t quit the dreaming part. As every dream has the tendency to come true at some time. You just need to be focused on your dream and work hard.

On this note, we thanked him a lot for his kind favour, for giving us his time for this exclusive chit-chat. We wish him all the luck for the success of his future endeavours. May he achieves the best of what he deserves.