ALIF (Umera Ahmed)- Novel Analysis by Shoby

ALIF (Umera Ahmed)-Novel Analysis by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

I am a 90's kid and many of us have grown reading Umera Ahmed. The name that is synonymous to some unforgettable stories with almost immortal characters. Well right from Haasil to La'Haasil, from Main Ne Khawabon Ka Sheher to Sehar Ik Ista'ara Hai, from Meri Zaat Zara e benishaan to Shehr e Zaat, from Mann o Salwa to Iman Umeed or Muhabbat and from the exceptional saga PEER e KAAMIL (saww) to relatively new epic Aks. I shall continue with mentioning the names of those epic write ups that we have been cherishing for so long and the list may not be concluded. So, let us summarize our discussion and focus on our primary object today. The latest offering by one of the legendary writers of our time Ms. Umera Ahmed, which she has tentatively titled as ALIF.

Do you know the meaning of ALIF. No, not that meaning which everyone "else" is telling us. I am talking about the Real meaning of Alphabet ALIF. ALIF, the very first ALPHABET of ISM of the CREATOR of everything (ALLAH). Get ready for the goosebumps now. While teaching the meaning of Bismillah al-Rahman alRahim, IMAM JAFER SADIQ (asws) said,  “ALIF is the Blessings [ala] of ALLAH over His Creatures from the bounty of our Guardianship [wilayah]. (Reference Book: KITAB AL TOWHID by Sheikh Sadooq, Page Number 237). So, all the BLESSINGS of our CREATOR ALLAH PAK are hidden in the meanings of LETTER "ALIF". Let me pause this discussion here and will resume the same somewhere in the middle of the review to give more insight about its relation with the novel ALIF.

ALIF (novel) is a combination of a plethora of  larger than life stories (and we know that it is the signature of Umera Ahmed to present larger than life tales). At one side, we get to see a maverick film director's journey from spiritual to materialistic and then reverting to his very own shade of nature (being spiritual). On the other side, we confront with a very common (read basic) story of an actress who went on to gain the triumph. Then there is a journey of a veteran actress who chooses ONE from the lot. And then there are two calligraphers both have a different dimension of love (ISHQ) to explore.

Now let us analyze the pertinent protagonists of the story. Qalb e Momin, being the talk of the town as the hit machine of Lollywood has been portrayed, just the way he was supposed to. Starting off with the grey side of his character, someone who knows the worth of being the only film maker with all commercially successful films under his banner, the hallmarks of his character from being rude & straight forward to arrogant and then his coming of age to sensible and noble person, he is undoubtedly, another gem of a character, penned by Umera. I found visible impact of different shades from Umera's earlier characters including Salaar Sikander (PEER e KAAMIL saww) and Sherdil (Aks) in this character. Character of Momina is crystal clearly written by the author. Various aspects of the character depict her struggle and continuous battle with the life. From an unsure struggling actress (Not A Wanna-Be but struck by luck), to an Academy award winner, her personality has been shaped by all the downs of the life with not even a hint of success negatively impacting her persona.

If we talk about the characters of Abdul ALI, Sultan, TAHA Abdul ALI and Husn e Jahan, I must say that the author has penned one of the most solid author backed characters this time. ABDUL ALI, heir of one of most cherished genre of calligraphy. His ancestors were considered the legends of this art form and they have painted/ calligraphed nothing but ALLAH (HIS ASMAA and Ayaat e Mubarka). His only dream was, to see his only Son (Taha) a true successor of his family heritage. Then comes Sultan, a make-up artist and a die-hard lover of Husn e Jahan, who can do anything for the love. Talking about Husn e Jahan, once a diva, a cherished actress who decides to marry a calligrapher cum dancer just in the love of SUPREME. Let us not forget probably the most pertinent character of Qalb e Momin in his childhood. A 10 years old kid, who has the strongest bonding with ALLAH. He loves to interact with ALLAH through postal medium. Innocence brought with the rock solid belief on ALLAH has been his biggest trait.

To be honest, it was quite difficult to give all these sub-plots an equal opportunity to blossom but hats off to Umera for handling the subject matter so delicately that you never miss a beat. You have no time to get distracted and bored as the proceedings operate so smooth, they do not allow you to derange and divert your thought process. At the heart of the mega plot, all these sub-plots are built, arranged and managed so evenly that you always look for what’s coming next. (Not after the ecstasy but in the plot :-) )

I am in no doubt to say that Umera has written ALIF in her very own signature style. The same sort of writing technique, for which she is famous. The treatment of Qalb e Momin childhood's part resembles to that of Chirya's in Aks. I love the way she expressed his relationship with ALLAH and steps to further strengthen this relationship (making a handmade postal box and writing letters). Somewhere I feel, I would have loved it even more, if he was shown writing a letter after his character’s make-over turn around, may be just to show his innocence shade of his character.

Dialogues in ALIF are pitch perfect. "Jo Tum Chor Ke Ai Ho woh dunya hai... Jo main chor betha hoon WOH ALLAH Hai..." Goose Bumps… hai na??? You always get to read a stunner in every paragraph. It was an amazing feel to see the magic sprinkling out from the same real Umera Ahmed's monologues. “Is ke kaantey hata diye hain main ne ta ke aap ki ungliyan zakhmi na hon... reminded me of “Aap ke paon bohat haseen hain... Inhain zameen per na utaiye ga, meley ho jaey ge” from Kamal Amrohi’s 20th Film-Fare winner Pakeezah. Similarly “aaj tumhain gaey 423 din ho gaey hain” made me recall another classic, theek kehtey ho tum dev… sirf dus saal from Sir Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic Devdas.

Now let me try to bridge the gap and create a sync between the real meaning of ALIF and the proceedings of this novel. As I mentioned earlier, according to the saying of IMAM JAFER SADIQ (asws), ALIF (ALPHABET) represents the BLESSINGS of ALLAH, which HE bestowed upon us (and every creation) due to the Wilayat of MUHAMMAD (saww) o AAL e MUHAMMAD (saww). In novel ALIF, we get to see several personalities, where everyone is dealing with this BLESSING in a diverse manner. At one hand Qalb e Momin becomes proud & arrogant, whereas on the other hand, Momina absorbs all the fame with utmost grace. Same goes for Husn e Jahan and Taha but ABDUL ALI is a bit affected negatively, which he later on realizes and tries to rectify.

Coming towards the scene creation, once again, she has proved her mettle here. There are many scenes in the novel, where you are spell bound by her masterstrokes. My picks are Death Scene of Jahangir, Scene where Momin discusses film on spirituality with screenplay writers and the scene, where Sultan comes to meet Husn e Jahan in Turkey.

Sultan: Main Pakistan se Turkey aa gaya aap ke liye… Aap ne chaey ka aik cup tak na piaya…

Husn e Jahan: Chaey ke liye aik cup doodh hai… Us se chaey baney gi to Momin raat ko kiya piye ga … Doodh piye bagher neend nahi ati usey…

Above all my most favorite scene of the novel is the dance sequence featuring Taha performing Rumi Dance on the stage and Husn e Jahan dancing at the back of the stage.

“This, my friends, is called the Sama—the dance of the whirling dervishes. From this day on, dervishes of every age will dance the Sama. One hand pointed up to the sky, the other hand pointing down to earth, every speck of love we receive from God, we pledge to distribute to the people.” (40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafaq). I felt like Taha and Husn e Jahan were doing the very same thing. Spreading love all around, the love they have gained from the CREATOR.

We all know that Umera Ahmed is best at imagery. From scenic locales of a Turkish sub-urb village to glitz & glamour filled life of a city with celebrities involved in the narration, from calm & content place of ABDUL ALI and Master Ibrahim to the house of struggling Momina in a mediocre place, everything is penned so authentically. Thank you Umera for not concluding the whole story in a mediocre way. If you would have made Qalb e Momin and Momina a happily everafter living lovey dovey couple at the curtains, it would have dented the story especially the primary theme of the novel. Leave everything for ONE and then you will be BLESSED with a need for Nothingness, something much above than Self Actualization (in the Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy).

Final words, let me confess that before ALIF, last novel of Umera Ahmed (Aab e Hayat) was not up to the mark, considering two primary things. First thing first, it was projected as a sequel to cult classic PEER e KAMIL (saw) but it miserably failed to have the same impact as of its predecessor. Secondly, considering Umera is at the prime of her writing carrier and Aks was a mind boggling read, Aab e Hayat fell short of my expectations in many ways (Read my review on Aab e Hayat at my blog Shobywood for reasons and details). But looks like in ALIF, Umera Ahmed has made a gigantic come back with all the success already written on the wall. Obviously, till date, PEER e KAAMIL (saw), Mann o Salwa, Aks and Haasil are my favorites and ALIF has not beaten their fan following as far as my views are concerned but yes, ALIF is a winner in every domain, if it is not compared with Umera’s earlier classics. As a matter of fact, I have not watched a single episode of dramatized version of ALIF and I really don’t want to watch it. Don’t want to spoil my mood if drama version couldn’t do justice with its written piece. Yes, I am not at all a fan of Pakistan’s current drama/ film industry. Leaving you guys with this from my one of the favorite seasons Penny Dreadful (Season One).

I have never seen, so much nothing…

Look closer… Recognize the pattern of nature

…THE END…

PS: This review is the property of Shahbaz Ali Naqvi and blog Shobywood. No part of this review is allowed to be reproduced without consent of Shahbaz Ali Naqvi, however blog link can be shared anywhere.

Bandhan (Dr Saba Khan)- Book Review by Shoby

Bandhan (Dr Saba Khan)-

Book Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

Watch The Video Review at Below Mentioned Link at Official Youtube Channel of Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Official Shoby)

Watch The Video Review By Clicking This Link

Margaret Atwood said, "You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built in the human plan. We come with it.” We are living a life full of stories. I feel there are only two type of people in the world. First one, the rare category, the storytellers and the second one, the public, who are the story listeners. No matter what medium you use, if you are an artist, you are a storyteller for sure. As a matter of fact, one can never claim to be an artist, unless he has the tendency to tell stories through his respective art form.

Its always pleasing to see new writers coming up with their books. Thanks GOD, there are still few people, who dare to get their written stuff published for public in this world full of book drought environment. One name in this blessed list is our Social Media star writer Ms. Saba Khan. Saba has been sharing her write ups in both forms (poetry and prose) through social media and her write ups are getting quite a handsome volume of acceptance and fame in the public. Now she has come up with not a single but TWO books simultaneously. (Good Job done girl... Take a bow)...

Well, let me keep my comments aside for a limited time for her poetry book (Muhabbat Hai Saba Jaisi) and let us focus on her first ever prose collection the book tentatively titled as "Bandhan", a collection of 16 different micro fiction stories. The first thing that catches your attention in the book are those beautiful lines from veteran novelist Mr. Mahmood Zafar Iqbal Hashmi. You also get a surprise bonus when you get to read our dearest poetess Naheed Akhtar Baloch's preface.

Now lets dive deeper into the ocean of Bandhan. First thing first, Bandhan is a winner, in the sense that it clearly states the primary objective of the writer in a very simple manner. You dont need any Einstein's brain to grasp the proceedings. Looks like author was very much clear about the message she has to give to the audience, without being preachy. There is nothing right or wrong here, suggested by the author. She has just told you the real life fiction fabricated stories in simplest of words and left it to the reader to be a judge and decide which section of society has gone wrong and how.

All the characters in different stories are fortunately (or unfortunately) an integral part of our society, be it a child beggar or a woman suffering from domestic violence to a prostitute etc. Writer has depicted her characters in such a way that you feel sympathy for them. Although the overall feel of the book is gray and a bit sad but you are bound to admire the bravery of the writer. She has shown her wordy prowess to write some very difficult characters in a very sensitive attire. I loved the way, she demonstrated the character of Jaan e Ada. It reminded me of those classical courtesans like Umrao Jaan e Ada, Chandrmukhi and Sahib Jaan. See, how negligently writer has narrated the small sensitive moments of the story.

Coming towards the dialogue writing, I feel, Saba has the power to write in the same lingo in which her character is being portrayed. From the redefined and sophisticated courtesan to someone behind bars, from a happy go lucky chap (Shaheer) to the insane hurt violent woman, the writer has a complete recipe for every character. She is a poetess and she has told her quite randomly merely through the use of those beautiful defining poetic one-liners in various stories. To be honest, I love this one monologue to the core. To me, the whole book Bandhan is at one side and this one sentence has such a power to overshadow every other written thing in the book.

Main aik muddat se chain ki neend nahi soya Naina...

Kaisey so saktey they Ali... Jab meri ankh Neend ka Zaiyqa bhool chuki hai...

Another positive sign in the book is writer's ability to conclude the proceedings. She knows how to start and sum up the things. Reader is never allowed to get distracted or bored as the fictions are quickly moving towards their finishing lines. A strong sense of observation is depicted by the writer in almost all of the stories. She has written some beautiful scenes in the book, which states that she can write a screenplay for sure with a bit more effort.

Now let me focus on a few things that should be taken care by the writer in the future. The very first thing that I observed (and read sort of a bit confused) is that considering the abilities writer have, she has just touched the upper epidermis of our plagued society. As far as this prose is concerned, looks like she was short of subjects. Although she used different characters from multiple domains but you always feel like reading one same story with same sort of plot and same sort of endings. 

Another shortcoming that I feel is, writer's one sided exhibition. Only one complaint from the writer is written all over the book. She has shown the woman as an object of violence. The female characters in almost all the stories are helpless, abused, distressed and exploited. I am not arguing that she has shown a wrong image of society. Obviously our society is plagued, in fact has been rotten with this syndrome of male domination and women here are mostly suppressed. But I feel, women now are showing their power and brighter image. Being a writer, it is our responsibility to be a true interpreter of the society without being biased. Having said this, I believe, Bandhan was her first experience and this is just a beginning of a long going journey. She will surely explore new domains and more diverse topics in her upcoming projects.

Concluding my review on this note that writer has been successful in establishing her very own place in the literature field with just her first book. I am sure she will continue the efforts and will definitely come up with much more interesting concepts with more beautiful executions. Do purchase hte book, read it and give your honest opinion to the writer. It will work as an oxygen for her literary life.

Mujasma Saaz (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Mujasma Saaz (Aymal Raza)

Fiction Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

Victor Hugo said, "There is a sacred horror about everything grand. It is easy to admire mediocrity and hills; but whatever is too lofty, a genius as well as a mountain, an assembly as well as a masterpiece, seen too near, is appalling." So what does it take to make a masterpiece, something that comes out of your inner side, being an artist, while going through a phase of Writer's Block (read Artist's Block). Aymal Raza has this time explored a different genre, which deals with complexities of human nature as well as relationship of two mutually exclusive human beings.

It is so true that every artist, regardless of the genre of art, has to tell a story and every artistic piece is a complete story of something. Mujasma'saaz is a definite cry of the writer over the gray shades of an artist. Marvin Gaye said, “Great artists suffer for the people.” I believe, one cannot be a true artist unless he has a specific pattern of feelings & emotions for other creations and the responsibility increases even more when the other creation is of GOD's. How can one dare to claim to be an artist, if he does not have the compassion for others, no matter, how great your (so called) artist emerges out to be in front of the world.

Analyzing the two pertinent character of Aymal Raza's Mujasma'saaz, we get to see two altogether different set of personalities. "Mujasma'saaz" is shown as a shrewd Carver, who can go to any extreme just for the sake of creating a perfect creation. On the other hand, "Rustam", the carver's servant, is depicted as a symbol of devotion. 

Rustam, who once used to enjoy the premium status of being the most trusted person of Mujasma'saaz falls right from the sky to the bottom of all the Earths, when a beautiful scripture gets broken down, courtesy his little extra love. This leads to leash an inhuman face of the mujasma'saaz which ultimately ends at the fatal fate of Rustam. You can feel a very unusual feeling of love and emotional attachment of Rustam with Mujasma'saaz but as Debolina Bhawal said, “Never fall for anyone. It's only sadness that is gifted by them to you in your rest of the life. Kills the loving person inside you.” This happens in this very case. 

Talking about the narrative part of the fiction, it is a short but comprehensive take. Considering the fact that it was written for monthly Suspense digest, the fiction had overall feel of a mystery but it has the signature of Aymal Raza. Somewhere in the proceedings, you feel this time Aymal was a bit short of producing the mind blowing one-liners in a big number, which she is undoubtedly capable of writing. I feel, the writer is immensely inspired by Auguste Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker" as she has once again used it in this writing. (I guess she has used the same somewhere earlier too. Apologies, if I am wrong). The name of both sculptures "Khamoshi" and "Pashemaani" were awesome and went good with overall theme of the story, which to me was more Noir than sad. However, keeping the story intact with exactly two protagonists with just a glimpse of a side character (to make a narrative more strong) was the winning factor of the story.