Ishq Zahe Naseeb: an underrated masterpiece

Read time: approx 15-20mins

Today I'm taking you back a couple years to shed light on a drama that is not talked about enough- Ishq Zahe Naseeb. With back-to-back repetitive storylines about dysfunctional family relationships we see on TV these days, I thought its time to take a trip down memory lane and shed light on one of my personal favourite dramas which is all about mental health issues- a script truly like no other! The drama boldly attempts to break stereotypes and highlight key issues in society that are seen as 'taboo' and aims to educate people on the importance, impact and consequences of mental health issues. Let's take a look at some reasons why this drama still deserves all the hype even today...

Themes

The drama narrative revolves around Sameer who suffers from a split personality disorder which spirals into many other important social issues such as: acid attacks, sexual abuse and child abandonment. The writer Hashim Nadeem deserves a round of applause for the way he has subtly embedded so many key issues into the storyline.

Sameer (Zahid Ahmed), due to child abandonment suffers from a split personality disorder. Sameer was made to believe from a young age that his real mother had an extra-marital affair and left him when in actual fact it was his stepmother Sabiha who trapped her into this and had her thrown out of the house. Sabiha was just greedy for wealth and there is no sign of her reaching out to establish a relationship with the child. In fact, she had him thrown into the basement for hours crying to be let out. It was during this time- to a certain extent- you could say Shakra (Yumna Zaidi) was grooming Sameer due to her own trauma.

Shakra's character in itself suffered from major mental health issues due to Sameer's father. She had so much poison in her mind against men which trickled down into Sameer and caused so much mental and emotional destruction in his life growing up. Shakra was a maid in Sameer's house who got raped by Sameer's father and then gave birth to a baby boy. Sameer's father ordered his men to have the baby killed, but Shakra, who was quite young then, couldn't bear to separate herself from her baby boy. It is from this point that her mind was set on only one thing: all men grow up to be jaanwar. So she instilled this hatred into Sameer all his life and to an extent, he probably hated himself for being a man.

Music

It's one thing to create a catchy and memorable OST and it's another thing to create a meaningful OST that adds to the depth and dynamics of scenes. Ishq Zahe Naseeb's lyrics are highly impactful during scenes-more than they may seem when listening to it as a song outside of the drama's context. The OST has been used in the right places at the right time in the right way to amplify the impact of scenes and create a real adrenaline rush. The tempo of the music really picks up during climatic scenes- you know there's a surprise right around the corner coming from Sameera at this point! The same music is used slightly slowed down to create sympathy for Sameer and awaken emotional responses from the audience-you really feel for him when his eyes become sad and the lyrics playing in the back is 'main mareez hu'. It just sounds like he's so helpless but wants to get better- it's really none of his fault and he just needs someone to understand him and pull him out of this dark tunnel of emotional turmoil. Okay and it's just another level of romantic intensity and excitement when Sameer pulls Gohar's hand to put his ring on her and in the background, the music is just repeating the words 'zahe naseeb' (meaning my good luck/my lucky charm), in a very different way to the OST but we love it! 

The lyrics were carefully written by the drama's writer Hashim Nadeem and he really did well in capturing and showcasing the key aspects of the drama's narrative. Let's take a look at some of the lyrics below and how they relate to the storyline:

'hoye yaar dushman, na koi habeeb': my friends turned into enemies, and there is no friend left

This really highlights Shakra's character in Sameer's life, how she bought him up to be her friend and now as he is a grown man and she is dead, she still controls and lives on in his life. She doesn't like Sameer giving anyone else her importance and therefore has Zoya (Azekeh Daniel) killed and influences Sameer to kill Gohar (Sonya Hussyn) too. Shakra was the only person who really cared and looked after Sameer in his childhood, the care and attention he never received from his parents growing up. But this later became dangerous in his life as it is her who has poisoned his mind resulting in his split personality disorder. She indirectly has become Sameer's life's biggest enemy- even after she has died.

'murshad hai tu main tera mureed': you are my guide, I am your follower

Throughout Sameer's life, he has always only quietly followed and accepted everything Shakra has said, even as a child he would allow her to put lipstick on him- a small boy never even questioned this even from a stereotypical mindset. The various childhood flashbacks show Shakra poisoning and confusing Sameer's mind into him believing he is her friend Sameera, and the child would always repeat after her. 

'main mareez hu tu mera tabeeb': I'm a patient, you are my doctor (physician)

This one line beautifully encapsulates the entire drama's narrative. Sameer has split personality disorder (the patient) and Gohar is essentially the medicine he's needed. Someone who understands and challenges his mentality to get over those emotions and difficulties. The way Gohar speaks to Sameer, even when he's under the influence of Sameera, she remains calm and collected and tries to reason with him.

Zahid Ahmed as a victim of split personality disorder

Without a doubt, the character of Sameer has got to be Zahid Ahmed's most memorable and powerful role in his career. He's set the bar very high for himself there and we couldn't be happier for him to take up the role with such a strong-headed approach. It's like an act of bravery and risk for an actor to take up such a 'taboo' script where mental health issues are not understood by the Pakistani audience or even taken seriously so props to him for even stepping up courageously in taking up such a difficult role. Sameer is seen in many scenes dressing up as a female with heavy makeup and walking with the posture of a woman which isn't an easy and 'acceptable' character for a man to play with a critical Pakistani audience who are always ready to point fingers. Zahid Ahmed has expressed that it was Imran Ashraf's character of Bhola in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi that inspired him to take on such a role. If we don't push the boundaries in showing the audience something different how will we be able to show off ourselves as versatile actors?

Zahid Ahmed slides smoothly into both Sameer and Sameera through the change of posture, body language and tone. When he is Sameer by day, he is seen as a successful businessman that leads a huge company and can make financial decisions on his own. When he is Sameera by night, he is seen in heavy glam makeup and almost sounds like a seductive woman. It's the confidence and bold personality of Sameera that stuns an audience in the way she applies the lipstick and comes across as superior to Sameer.

The character of Sameer comes with so much emotional baggage not just due to the fact that he suffers from a split personality disorder, but rather childhood abandonment. In one scene, Sameer explains to Gohar how he grew up with little care and love from his parents and mostly in the presence of Shakra so for his mental state to be the way it is was only expected. It's the way the tears roll down his cheeks that one just has to sympathise with the character because it's like a child's cry for help. He rests his head in Gohar's lap in this trust that she too can empathise with him.

Yumna Zaidi as an extended cameo

Yumna Zaidi's character deserves all the hype for pulling off the character of Shakra who is like a shadow to Sameer's character but speaks volumes. Her character in itself was powerfully portrayed just by subtle gestures unique to the character. Shakra's character is full of thrill and suspense as shown by her body language and dialogue delivery. She articulates every sentence at a pace slightly slower than normal which creates a sense of fear of what she's about to say next...Her body language moves with the camera in such a way that she's interacting with us- many times she tilts her head and speaks right into the camera. Her animalistic sounds play a key part that ties in with her thoughts about all men being "jaanwar" and implies this feeling of her surroundings being like in a cage. It's like she's imprisoned Sameer into turning him into an animal too. It's the click of her fingers, the way she comes down close to Sameer's shoulder, the ghostly faint face makeup with a blood-red lip- everything about the character has been well thought out. The role was initially offered to Ayeza Khan and Neelam Muneer- both rejected due to a lesser screen time but Yumna Zaidi proved how to leave an impact and capture the spotlight even in such a role. No role is too small- it's how you choose to portray it to make it memorable for an audience which Yumna Zaidi definitely did well!

Relationships

Gohar and Kashif (Sami Khan) from the start of the drama are a very happy-go-lucky couple who do have serious intentions of marrying each other. It's cute to see their childish and immature relationship and excitement for the future when Gohar spots an expensive jewellery set in a shop she wishes for Kashif to gift her. They plan to run away and get married but both realise they have duties and responsibilities towards their families they cannot leave behind. So they both return home halfway, believing they betrayed each other that day. There's growth and maturity in their relationship when they meet each other after a long time and Gohar accepts that Kashif has moved on and helps Duniya (Zarnish Khan) to understand there is nothing between her and Kashif anymore.

Gohar and Sameer's relationship may not have started off as something so romantic but that's okay because there was growth and healing over time for them to get to know each other and trust one another. Sameer was always concerned for Gohar, especially when he found out that Jahangir (Khalid Malik) was her fiance. He would always be caring and considerate towards her family issues and in dropping her home. It was clear that in her presence he felt warmth, support and a sense of security. Gohar acts maturely when it is revealed to her that Sameer suffers from a split personality disorder- she does not run away or ask for a divorce or create a scene about how this was hidden from her before their marriage. Instead, it's Gohar's curiosity about trying to understand Sameer's emotions and how things have turned out so bad for him. She challenges his other personality threatening to leave Sameer alone. Sameer wants to set Gohar free and asks her to sign divorce papers but Gohar refuses to do this- it's like she wanted to wait for Sameer to get better. The ending is just so wholesome- Sameer is now mentally stable and he reunites with Gohar at a mazhar.

Similarly, Kashif and Duniya's relationship comes from a caring nature. Kashif, who is surrounded by 3 sisters at home naturally has a nice persona with women as we can see he cares for and loves his sisters very much. Therefore, he's almost seen as a gentleman in Duniya's eyes when she sees how loveable Kashif's relationship is with his sisters. Duniya is very bitter in life due to a previous abusive and materialistic relationship. She doesn't trust Kashif's intentions and does not like to depend on anyone or come across as vulnerable just because she is in a wheelchair. However, through his performance at work and mannerism in speaking, Duniya's father explains to her that not all men are the same and Kashif is genuinely a good person. Over time, we see Kashif helping Duniya by giving her hope that she can stand on her two feet without any aid from a wheelchair. 

Ending-open to interpretation?

The drama does leave us however with some different avenues the drama didn't clearly cover and we do still have some questions that maybe the writer intended to be left open to interpretation?

What if Sameer was Shakra's son?

Did Shakra romantically like Sameer?

Why did Sabiha demand for Sameer in his childhood to be left isolated in the basement? 

Where was Sameer's father during his childhood?

Did Shakra fully understand the consequences of her actions in Sameer's life growing up? Did she intentionally mean to hurt him this much mentally or was she just lashing out in frustration?