Rah Noor Dashauq (Sumaira Hameed)- Novel Review by Shoby

Rah Noor Dashauq (Sumaira Hameed)- Novel Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

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This is the property of critic Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby) and blog Shobywood. Reproduction of any of its part without written approval of the owner is subject to punishment, as per prevailing law.

Gary Vaynerchuk said, "The chef that grew up with the grandma who cooks tends to always beat the chef that went to the culinary institute. It's in the blood." And our dear poor village girl Deena was the one same being. Rah Noor Dashauq is a success story about how a female village caterer went on to achieve the prime of her triumph with the blessings of ALLAH PAK, courtesy the art of cookery that was bestowed to her. Jaisey maa ko aulaad, kesan ko beej, ankh ko noor, aisey us ne masalon ko naam se nahi, khawaas se jaan liya tha... My regular readers, please don't get bored of my this one sentence. Sumaira Hameed manages well to surprise us all again with a story that is never ever tried earlier in our Urdu digest industry, as she has once again chosen a field of life that has never been explored may be in any mainstream media leave alone digests in Pakistan.

Deena, a village girl who has a passion to take her father's occupation (catering) to the next level by becoming a professional chef starts of her journey by catering in small functions, after demise of her father. Maut ke kaaley namak ne seedhey saadey zaiyqey nigal liye... The novels highlights  all the downs & downs (as she has not tasted even the minimal sugar of ups in the life till the very end) of Deena. It is an interesting tale about how she managed to take admission in a culinary institute and later on got expelled on drugs charges. She didn't lose hopes and started job as a helper of professional chefs but once again got struck badly by the fate. No matter what... Zindagi aap ko medaan mein sab se akhir mein hi le ja ker khara kiyo na ker dey... Kharey ho jaey... Buss girey nahi... Her lose-lose situation continued and she tried to stand up after every damn hit of the luck till the time she gave up. However destiny had some other plans for her and she was born to fly high, as she had a mystery ingredient which other's recipes lack. Sab masaalon mein sab se mehnga... Dunya ke bazaar mein sab se sasta juz... Aansoo... To know, how she managed to step in the game again, read the novel, as I don't want to be spoiler now. KHUDA ke ilawa kon hai, jo lain se pehley dain teh na karey...

Let me tell you, attempting this endeavor in a mainstream commercial digest writing is not an easy task to do and if I say, only Sumaira has the power to take this challenge, it wont be false. I remember, when R Balki announced Cheeni-Kum with a male chef as a protagonist, public & even some critics thrashed the idea but later on, it went on to be a huge success, not only critical but also commercial.

The best thing about this story was Sumaira's research on the subject matter. If you look closely at the things, you will be surprised to see that she had to undergo an extensive research on several entirely different environments. From the desi life of a Punjabi village & the things associated with a traditional caterer (read nayee) to the extra glittering life of a high class culinary institute and then lively atmosphere of central Lahore (Bhaati Gate & adjacent areas) including an old traditional haveli & its 25 odd inhabitant. You will be stunned to read the use of daigs along with the culinary terms she used all through the proceedings that really enhanced the overall taste of the story.  Ten on ten for this. 

This novel is a sparkling star as far as the dialogues are concerned. I don't know, how many times I have literally screamed in joy and vocally said WAH, while reading her dialogues. Barkat asmaan se insano ki niyyat per uterti hai... (Beshak... Subhan ALLAH)...

One thing about  Sumaira Hameed's writing is, she has a natural tendency to align her dialogues with the primary theme of the subject. For instance, here we are reading something based on cookery and Sumaira gives us a delightful aroma of the same in every second or third dialogue. Yahan ke log pather dil hain or main pather ko zaeyqa daar nahi bana sakti... Too good.

As every other struggling star's story, this one was full of pain & grief but Sumaira pulled some excellent slapstick one-liners that forced me to laugh. "Forun le jao per faut ker ke to na le ke jao na..." Her dialogue "Her cheez ki aik qeemat hoti hai... Huner ki bhi..." reminded me of one of the most extensively used dialogue in the series Once Upon A Time, "Every magic comes with a price..."

Sumaira has given all of us a universal lesson. No matter what field we belong to, if we consider ourselves as a true artist, we should always follow this simple & straight rule of thumb. Jean-Louis Barrault (A French Actor/ Director) said, A classic is like a hidden treasure. Its core is buried under so many layers of varnish that it can be reached only by patience and infiltration and in Rah Noor Dashauq Sumaira says, "Jo shakhs ujlat ka shikaar ho... Besabra ho or jaldbaaz ho.. Woh koi takhleeq kesey ker sakta hai...". True indeed.

Overall, this novel is a beautiful take on a wannabe chef's life including all the professional jealousy that a naturally talented person has to face in this world of fake & fad. It enlightens us with her struggle to make a carrier out of dust with a pertinent message written all over it. Takhleeq kisi bhi sinf ki ho, shafaaf dil per uterti hai... Kamiyabi kisi bhi darjety ki ho, musalsal jadojehad se milti hai...

PS: Don't forget to provide your valuable feedback on the review in the below comment box.

Faisla (Episode 1)- TV Show Review by Shoby

Faisla (Episode 1)- TV Show Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi

When trust is broken, the relationship fails to prevail. Faisla, the debut written TV serial of Aymal Raza kicked off last week on ARY Digital with a double episode. In this inaugural episode of Faisla, the whole focus was on the character of Maryam (Sonia Mishal), who is shown truly madly deeply in love with her husband Umair (Ali Abbas) and how their love marriage concludes in a devastating manner in the form of a divorce, courtesy Umair's extra marital relationship with another girl. It was also told in the script that all this was a by-product of Maryam's nature where she was always in doubt with respect to Umair's behavior. Meanwhile we are also introduced with Asad's  (Gohar Mumtaz) love for Maryam who belongs to relatively lower class as compared to rich birds Umair & Maryam.

So considering it as a introductory episode of the play, let me tell you that the serial was much successful in building a strong premise for the story. Seems like Asad will be able to turn the table in his favor, considering Maryam is now divorced. In the acting department, Sonia has done a fabulous job. Right from the first frame, where she was shown cutting (read destroying) her wedding anniversary's cake to the scene where Umair gives her the divorces, she was at her very best in almost every scene. The best thing about this acting was, her being natural. Ali Abbas & Gohar were good in bits. I like Ali's conversation with his mother post divorce. Waseem Abbas & Saba Hameed are seasoned actors and they have surely implanted a positive energy through their acting prowess.

Coming towards the story, it was a signature start of Aymal. We all know, whenever she writes episodic, the first episode starts & ends like this very way. She shows her characters in agony & pain and then eventually re-evolves her characters and bring them back to life. Maryam is presented in the same affliction which we are used to of observing in Aymal's characters (Nigaar in Piyaal Saaz & Bianca in Taveez e Hubb).

Aymal tried to keep the things simple & self explainatory in the innaugural episode. She never looked in a hurry to tell what she was up to. Dialogues were natural and much related to our daily routine life. I expect some solid punches in upcoming episodes from Aymal, the type of dialogues she is famous for. However we have seen a glimpse of it in, Maaon ko weham nahi, ilhaam hotey hain...

Aymal is famous for giving unorthodox titles to her writings. This time, we have seen rather a traditional one (i.e. faisla). I feel, may be this is so, because the word Faisla (decission) is going to be the key factor in the script. But as a regular reader of her, somewhere in my mind, I was perhaps looking forward for something more out of the box.

One thing is for sure that Aymal is going to show us the glimpses from the past in flashbacks and in this regard, we shall get to see the warm romantic side of the story. We all know, Aymal is at her prime best in writing both the feelingsof pain & romance. People still cherish the exceptional conversations which took place between Basil and Zimel in Piyaal Saaz.

Upcoming episodes will unfold the story more. Leaving you with two questions to answer. What will Umair do now, after divorcing Maryam and how will Maryam reacts over the same, once the things move further.

Kis Se Munsafi Chahey- Article by Saima Tasmeer

Kis Se Munsafi Chahey- Article by Saima Tasmeer

This article is written by Ms. Saima Tasmeer highlighting the actual current situation of Myanmar (Burma) Muslims.

Disclaimer: The article is the property of Ms. Saima Tasmeer and we are sharing the same at Shobywood with her consent... Reproduction of any of its content without her consent is prohibited.

Eid Tum Sang- Hina Abrar

Eid Special Story- Eid Tum Sang

by Hina Abrar

for Shobywood

Composed & Designed by #Qd

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This content is the property of writer Hina Abrar, Designer Quandeel Qamar and blog Shobywood. Reproduction or Copy of any of its part without written consent of Shobywood is prohibited and will be punished according to prevailing law.

Qurbaani- Alishba Anam

Eid Special Story- Qurbaani

by Alishba Anam

for Shobywood

Composed & Designed by Qd

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This content is the property of writer Alishba Anam, Designer Quandeel Qamar and blog Shobywood. Reproduction or Copy of any of its part without written consent of Shobywood is prohibited and will be punished according to prevailing law.

Aik Sabaq Yeh Bhi Hai- Hajra Saeed

Eid Special Story- Aik Sabaq Yeh Bhi Hai

by Hajra Saeed

for Shobywood

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This content is the property of writer Hajra Saeed and blog Shobywood. Reproduction or Copy of any of its part without written consent of Shobywood is prohibited and will be punished according to prevailing law.

Qurbaani- Fatima Abdul Khaliq

Eid Special Story- Qurbaani

by Fatima Abdul Khaliq

for Shobywood

Composed & Designed by Qd

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This content is the property of writer Fatima Abdul Khaliq, Designer Quandeel Qamar and blog Shobywood. Reproduction or Copy of any of its part without written consent of Shobywood is prohibited and will be punished according to prevailing law.

In Conversation With Syed Tariq Sabri- Shobywood Exclusive

In Conversation With Syed Tariq Sabri (FM Radio Presenter)... Interview by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

Syed Tariq Sabri started his radio presentation carrier in 2006 and debuted with FM 101 Islamabad station. His unique style has made him an instant success in the industry and he is enjoying a great fan following. This is his first ever interview given to any international platform. We hope you will like this exclusive chit chat with Tariq.

Disclaimer:

This content is the property of blog Shobywood. Reproduction or Copy of any of its part without written consent of Shobywood is prohibited and will be punished according to prevailing law.