Here's Why “Tanhaiyaan” Will Always Be One Of The Greatest Shows Of All Times

By Sarah Babar | 25 Nov, 2017

‘Tanhaiyaan’ has got to be one of the most iconic shows in the history of Pakistan. Back when we only had PTV and no rewind or save options on our set-top boxes. When there was no YouTube to binge on our favourite shows. There was ‘Tanhaiyaan’. The show that families used to gather around their television sets to watch. While most of us either weren’t alive or were too young, the stories of how streets used to be empty when the show was airing, still do rounds during family gatherings.

‘Tanhaiyaan’ was the kind of show that had something for everyone

Source: Shalimar Recording Company

Whether it was the comical Qabacha, lighting up the screen every time he came on. Or his equation with Marina Khan’s character, Sanya. Whether it was Buqrat messing around with Aapa Begum. Or the intensity of emotions between Asif Raza Mir’s Zain and Shahnaz Sheikh’s Zara. The show started out as a light-hearted comedy in a family setting. A simple drama that turns into a subtly complex compound of characters that make you reflect a little on your life, as well.

 

The story revolved around two young sisters who go to their aunt’s house to visit, unknowing of the fact that their parents will get into a fatal car accident while they were away

Source: Shalimar Recording Company

The two sisters have all their family members turn their backs towards them and go to live with their aunt. They discover that their father was heavily in debt and eventually have to sell off their assets, including their house, in order to repay it. The show then goes on to show the struggle of dealing with this loss for the sisters and how they find their footing back in Lahore.

 

The story further progresses into the lives of the two sisters and everyone who becomes a part of them

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Whether it was Zara’s obsession with making enough money to buy their father’s house back or her suppressed feelings for their childhood friend, Zain. The way that people who became associated with the sisters’ family, by association. So whether it was Faran sahab, Qabacha, or Aapa Begum. Whether it was Saad Salman or Vida. The key to the show also was the absence of unnecessary characters. Not a single second of airtime was spent on anything that didn’t add to the narrative of the story.

 

There is an element of simplicity that you see throughout the show

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The show is nothing short of a piece of art in the way that it’s made. There’s nothing too flashy about it. There are no exaggerated emotions. The clothes, while they stand out and are some of the latest trends even today, were plain and simple. There was no loud makeup. There was no dramatic background score. Instead, we got this gentle gift of music by Arshad  Mehmud.

 

The well-thought-out emotional balance that is prevalent in the show is unlike anything we see on our screens, today

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There was never a moment in the show that made one think that things were overdone. Whether it was khushi or gham. Whether it was anger or tears, everything was kept in check. You wouldn’t find yourself thinking ‘yeh kitna over tha’ or anything along the lines. The love between Zara and her family, the constant back and forth between Sanya and Qutbuddin aka Qabacha, or even the intensity of adoration that Zain and Zara had for each other, there was always a realness about it. The composure with which the characters professed their feelings for each other, it all translates in the sense of calmness that you feel after watching the show.

 

Each character brings something different to the table

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With Tanhaiyaan, you see something that you wouldn’t find in dramas, today. No two people were the same, everyone has a different personality and adds to the show. Whether it was Zara and her seriousness about life, her obsession with making money, or Vida’s gracefulness, or even Faran sahab’s ability to make sense of things. Bibi’s love for the two girls is as heartwarming as her angry breakdowns are hilarious.

 

So whether it is Shehnaz Sheikh’s Zara: the strong-headed woman

Source: Shalimar Recording Company

Who left behind her family and friends in her quest for making money and even accepting Saad Salman’s proposal (someone her family wasn’t very keen on marrying). Zara was the sort of girl who always kept her emotions bottled up inside of her, never letting on more than she wanted to, never flinching. Up until the point where it got so much that it ended up taking a toll on her mental health. When Zara finally manages to make enough money in order to buy back her family home, she realises that she’s left her family and friends very far behind. That on the journey that she had embarked herself on, she was pretty much left alone.

 

Or Marina Khan’s ever-quirky-yet-sensitive character, Sanya

Source: Shalimar Recording Company

The younger sister, Sanya was the life of the family. What people don’t seem to realise is that Sanya’s character also had so much depth, and she wasn’t all hassi khushi. You see parts of darkness within her character, whether it is her thinking about her family or Zara’s future. While she’s shown as the non-serious sister, Sanya has been the voice of reason for Zara on more than one ocassion.

 

With Asif Raza Mir and Zain, we saw a very gentle version of the Pakistani male

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Zain was not your stereotypical Pakistani mard. Yes, he would never let harm befall anyone he holds close, but there was an air of gentleness about him. He was sensitive, he was never afraid to express his emotions, and he always knew the right thing to say at the right time. He made sure everyone around him was happy, even if it meant giving everyone preference over himself. The way he changes after seeing Zara in the hospital showed us a whole different side to his, otherwise chirpy, character, revealing far a lot more depth than was let on earlier.

 

Qutbuddin aka Qabacha aka in-house cutie was possibly everyone’s favourite character

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Poor Qabacha was always at the receiving end of some form of torment or the other by those who surrounded him. Whether it was Sanya always giving him a hard time for just existing, or his employer, Faran sahab asking him to chill out. He was a solid guy, throughout. Just a little uptight, but adorable! He has underlying feelings for Sanya, and all hell breaks loose when he professes it.

 

One of the strongest characters of the show has got to be Vida’s

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Vida came into the show as Zain’s fiance and ultimately became Zara’s partner in their clothing business. There was not a moment in the show where Vida conspired against Zara for taking her fiance away from her, nor did she ever make a big deal about the breaking off of her engagement. Instead, she supported Zara in her dream, and eventually left the country for Canada – where she was supposed to go with Zain once they had gotten married. The grace with which she conducts herself with the unfair card that life dealt her, is an inspiration to many. On the flipside, had a character like Vida’s been in a modern Pakistani drama, she would be plotting and conspiring against Zara, in order to get her man back.

 

The smaller, yet still significant, characters like Bibi, Buqrat, Aapa Begum, Farhan, Aani and Vida are all modelled around one character trait or the other

Source: Shalimar Recording Company

Whenever I watch the show, I’m always amazed at how every character has some form of relatability or the other. If not for yourself, you’ll definitely have known a Bibi or an Aapa Begum in your life. A lot of us have had an Aani in our lives – a constant model of support, a reliable shoulder to bank on. Buqrat is that one person we know who will always have something quirky to say.

 

The equations that the different characters had with one another added so much more to the show

Source: Shalimar Recording Company

Whether it was the tu-tu-mein-mein between Qabacha and Sanya, the forcefulness of a wisp of love between Zara and Saad Salman, the way Aapa Begum treated Buqrat and his reactions, the relationship that Faran sahab and Aani shared, the equation that Sanya has with Zain – with Zain being the elder brother figure in her life. And lastly, the care, love, and affection that Zain and Zara share.

 

The best thing about ‘Tanhaiyaan’ is the fact that there were no loose ends in the show

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Towards the end of the show, each character got their own little forms of closure. Whether it was Zain and Zara finally getting together, or Vida accepting the love that Zain had for Zara. With Aani and Farhan sahab finding each other, at the end, it really is true what they say, you find love in the strangest places. Zara finally fulfilled her dream of getting her family home back, having an established business. And Qabacha has professed his love for Zara.

 

‘Tanhaiyaan’ is one of those shows that never gets old

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Even now, if you put the first episode on, chances are you will end up binge-watching it. It’s something that your entire family can sit down and watch together, and everyone will enjoy. With the ups and downs of the show, the emotions, the equations that the family has with each other, might just remind you of certain aspects of your life. There is no pretense, nothing you need to be wary of while watching this drama.

 

Here’s to never getting tired of watching and rewatching ‘Tanhaiyaan’

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