Ishq Zahe Naseeb is a show that has kept its audience on the edge of their seat for the last few months.  While viewers patiently waited for clarity on Sameer’s childhood, some of those blanks have finally been filled in.  This latest episode of Ishq Zahe Naseeb is both riveting and confusing, bringing along with it some answers….which also raise many questions.

Sabiha and Jahangir Plot Against Goher

In episode 28, Sabiha (Ismat Zaidi) and Jahangir (Khalid Malik) team up to destroy Goher’s (Sonya Hussain) life.  This indicates Sabiha’s lack of understanding towards what’s good for Sameer and this is possibly the first time the audience is left wondering – does she actually care about him at all or is this all about money and control?  Jahangir meets Sameer (Zahid Ahmed) and tells him that Goher is sneaking around under his nose, having an affair with Kashif (Sami Khan) and actually spins a believable story, saying Goher only married Sameer to rid herself of her debts.  Jahangir unintentionally hits a trigger for Sameer by calling Goher “badchalan” (characterless), something Sameer grew up hearing about his biological mother.  Of course, Sameera (Yumna Zaidi) plays upon Sameer’s insecurities and continues to turn him against Goher.  While I personally find this entire segment with Jahangir irritating and unnecessary, it is understandable how Sameer’s insecurities about himself cause him to doubt Goher – and will lead to his own downfall.

Goher and Donia Discuss Kashif

Goher and Donia (Zarnish Khan) are seen having a conversation, Zarnish fishing for answers from Goher, but while Donia seemed to be a mature character initially, her petty behavior seems exactly that – petty.  Donia was aware of Kashif’s past and understood that he was not over the woman he loved.  So now that she’s discovered that the woman is Goher, how does that change things for her exactly?  That being said, her reaction falls in line with the way her character has been written overall as Donia is a woman who lost her will to fight (and walk) after her fiancé left her, so this level of passionate anger is not indigestible.

The Truth of Shakra’s Connection To Sameer

The editing in this episode is choppy, to say the least.  Goher leaves a letter after an argument with Sabiha and yet, viewers are as blind-sided as Sameer is.  Why would Goher, who has promised Sameer to stand by him, suddenly leave him to fend for himself?  That too after a conversation with Sabiha that was more accusatory than anything and not particularly fired up.  Also, Sameer seems confused when he’s told about the fight – but he was standing their for most of it, so was he escaping into his head and talking to Sameera while Goher and Sabiha were fighting and simply not taking note of it?  Strange.

The most important part of the episode focuses on the reveal with Shakra.  Goher leaves Sameer a letter, apologizing for leaving, but pointing him in the direction of Akbar, his Mamoon.  Sameer meets with him and discovers the truth about his biological mother.  Viewers are taken into the past – Shakra is seen talking to Sameer’s father after her release from the mental hospital where It seems that she was sexually abused by the male medical staff, worsening her already unstable mental condition.  We also witness a conversation between Shakra and Sabiha where Shakra talks about Sameer and his love for her.  From these conversations, the following is deduced:  Shakra is actually Suraiyya, the first wife of Sameer’s father and Sameer’s mother.  After Sabiha worms her way into his life, Shakra is accused of infidelity by Sabiha and her child is taken away from her and Shakra is placed in an institution.  In the meantime, Sameer is raised, being told that his mother was characterless.  When Shakra is released from the institution, she returns and talks to her husband – this is probably where she killed him.  She then returns to the house and works as Sameer’s Ayah, believing her own son is dead and exacts her revenge on her husband by playing with the psyche of his only son.  Unfortunately, she does not realize that Sameer is her own flesh and blood – and obviously succeeds in messing him up mentally and emotionally.

Sameer, amazed at all that has been revealed to him, decides to take his mother home with him and care for her himself – but he’s too late.  He arrives to find his mother dead and as Akbar wails, the viewer sees something snap in Sameer, weighed down by the injustice in his life, the sheer irony of his mother passing away moments before she could meet her only son, the son she has been pining to meet for the majority of her life.

Final Thoughts

Zahid Ahmed and Yumna Zaidi’s acting in this episode is phenomenal.  There is so much depth to both their characters and the level of heartbreak that is conveyed by these two performers only intensifies the pain and injustice regarding Sameer and Shakra/Suraiyya’s lives.  Sameer’s mental state is now prime for what viewers (generally) know comes next.  Some viewers have complained that Sameer’s path is sending a bad message – but is it?  Coming from a psychological perspective, doesn’t this show the importance of mental health and mental health awareness?  If Sameer had received help from an early age, couldn’t all of this have been avoided?  If he had been nurtured and cared for by a loving adult figure, wouldn’t he have grown up differently?  Hopefully the remaining 2 (or 3?) episodes will fill in all the blanks that viewers have regarding the story.  Ishq Zahe Naseeb has all the ingredients necessary to make a perfect show, but as is often done with Pakistani dramas, the show can be ruined with a rushed, unsatisfying ending.