Every now and then there comes a drama that is so different from its competition that it captures the hearts and minds of the viewers easily. HUM TV’s Parizaad is one such drama that makes you want to fall in love with the lead character, not because he is extremely good-looking, but because he isn’t. In simple words, he is the biggest loser you will ever meet, yet the way this loser’s quest for success has been shown is what makes the drama worth your while. Let’s find out the five reasons that set this drama from its competition and into the category of ‘a class apart’. Read on:

Ahmed Ali Akbar – The Perfect Parizaad

No one could have played Parizaad better than the extremely underrated Ahmed Ali Akbar; he was remarkable in Ehd-e-Wafa yet wasn’t nominated for his brilliant performance. However, this year he will be leading the Best Actor category for this performance, where he transforms from an extremely charming, good-looking fellow into a loser no one takes seriously. Add to that a heavy makeup, a laidback posture, and a confidence-less personality and you have Parizaad, who no one loves. How he manages to carry that role is Ahmed Ali Akbar’s brilliance who looks every bit the character that the writer wrote, and makes the viewers relate to him one way or the other.

The Bold and Beautiful Parizaad Girls

In a time when our drama industry revolves around two heroines – one hero arcs or one heroine – two heroes arc, Parizaad is like a breath of fresh air. It not only has some of the most extremely gorgeous actresses in its cast, but each one of them has been cast perfectly. No one would have been able to play Naheed better than Ushna Shah who breaks Parizaad’s heart without being sorry; Saboor Aly was brilliant as ‘Bubbly Badmaash’, who broke the already broken heart by running away from her home on the eve of her Nikaah with Parizaad, and finally there was the beautiful Mashal Khan as Lubna who couldn’t be Parizaad’s because of her mother’s future planning.

Each girl looked the part and came out as well-prepared for the characters they were playing. The viewers are still waiting for Urwa Hocane and Yumna Zaidi’s entrance and are thrilled to find out how they will break Parizaad’s heart, for Parizaad belongs to that lot that gets their hearts broken but ends up once it is finally mended.

The sibling bond between Parizaad and Saeeda

Although Kiran Tabeir has been around for quite some time, her character Saeeda in Parizaad makes you miss your sister, if you have one. She plays Parizaad’s defender whenever he is in trouble, listens to his ordeals, and even advises him what to do, and what not to in life. She is the elder sister we all wish we had, and in the age of Nand and Jalan, that’s remarkable.

The scenes in which Ahmed Ali Akbar and Kiran Tabeir feature together are the most iconic sequences of the play. Be it the moment when she is leaving for her susral, or the scene where he gives her the money she needs, or the one where she bids farewell to her baby brother, they make you teary-eyed every time, such has been their sibling chemistry.

One must also mention the two bhabis here who represent the ‘dark side’, and have the brothers in their grasp. When you have actors like Adnan Shah Tipu, Paras Masroor, and Madiha Rizvi in the cast, you get the best performance because they have been doing the ‘grey characters’ for a long time and excel at it.

Hashim Nadeem’s brilliant script

For a writer it is impossible to churn out hits after hits, but then Hashim Nadeem is not an ordinary playwright. The man behind Ishq Zahe Naseeb, and Raqs e Bismil delivers another gem where his hero isn’t the most handsome man in the room, yet he has everyone’s sympathy because of his background, the way he looks, and above all, his simplicity. He has created so many memorable characters in this drama that one loses count after Shoki, Majid bhai, Nasaaz, Kalloo Ustad, and most recently Janoo. Would he be able to bring the story to a full circle isn’t what makes the viewers lose their sleep, it is how he would be able to do that, which makes them restless.

Director Shehzad Kashmiri at his best

I had my apprehensions when I heard that Shehzad Kashmiri would be calling the shots for Parizaad but after watching the drama, all my issues went out of the window. For he has executed the script to the best of his abilities, and gave every actor a chance to shine, no matter how big or small that role was. There was nothing extra, nothing less in the execution where characters overshadow actors, where the pace is smooth and shocking, and where the viewers are engaged without giving away the plot. Good job, Shehzad, I am glad you directed Parizaad and given it your best!