She is an ardent advocate of good cinema,
mainstream or otherwise. And now, when excellent creations for the small screen
have overtaken movies, their big brother, both in terms of quality and
quantity, she has accepted them with open arms.
I came across her review of Zindagi Channel on
Rediff and got hooked.
Some excerpts from her writings:
September 14, 2014 16:01 IST
The
television shows aired on Zindagi channel are intelligently scripted and
elegantly mounted, writes Rinki Roy Bhattacharya.
A chance remark about Zindagi channel’s women-sensitive
content made me curious enough to switch it on. The channel airs Pakistani
syndicated shows in India.
What I discovered were intense human dramas of love,
betrayal, deception and exploitation, with a special emphasis on man-woman
relationships.
Few other channels portray complex human drama with such
undivided attention, especially in a society conflicted by political ideology.
The stories aired on Zindagi are intelligently scripted and
elegantly mounted.
Pakistani cultural values are at play in these stories and
yet they have a universal appeal. Human emotions are so alike in most cultures,
that these stories could be staged anywhere from Lahore to London.
I stumbled on the channel at the precise point when the
poignant Maat had reached its suspenseful second half, and have been a
regular watcher since.
Zindagi’s realistic portrayal of Pakistani society does not
shy away from showing its ugly underbelly.
The people we see are real, their aspirations and
frustrations very convincing. This is one of its greatest triumphs.
Kahi Unkahi, for example, is
preoccupied with a class-ridden society where the working class is treated with
contempt bordering on inhumanity.
Zindagi Gulzar Hai is about campus life,
student politics and the youthful romance between two students, who hate each
other and then prove that opposites attract.
In Kaash Main Teri Beti Na Hoti, a nobleman hires
the womb of a pretty but poor girl with the intention of discarding her once
the progeny is born. It is a shrill melodrama, rather like our familiar telly
dramas.
Zindagi has successfully seduced urban Indian viewers,
especially those who can recall Dhoop Kinare and Tanhaiya from 30
years ago.
Indian viewers fell head over heels in love with the bubbly
intern, Dr Zoya in Dhoop Kinare. Viewers held their breath as her
romance with Dr Ansari progressed quietly in its old fashioned style through
stolen glances and unspoken words. A dear friend recently confessed he is
waiting to find a Dr Zoya! The compelling power of this medium cannot be
ignored.The
Zindagi channel also shows some fine telly films, such as Behadd, a
deceptively simple love story.
The film explores a relevant universal concern -- the guilt
single parents suffer in asserting their individual choice.
It revolves around an attractive widow, who is a working
mother. Friends, including her boss, worry about the way she is raising her
15-year-old daughter Maha. If the mother is overprotective, the daughter is
fiercely possessive.
The opening scene establishes Maha’s power over her mother.
It is obvious that Maha resents sharing her mother. Maternal fragility and the
overwhelming emotional demands of selfish adolescents are familiar issues in
any contemporary urban society.
The Behadd subtext gently probes how younger men
find older, mature women less challenging and thus extremely desirable.
The Zindagi channel also shows some fine telly films, such
as Behadd, a deceptively simple love story.
The film explores a relevant universal concern -- the guilt
single parents suffer in asserting their individual choice.
It revolves around an attractive widow, who is a working
mother. Friends, including her boss, worry about the way she is raising her
15-year-old daughter Maha. If the mother is overprotective, the daughter is
fiercely possessive.
The opening scene establishes Maha’s power over her mother.
It is obvious that Maha resents sharing her mother. Maternal fragility and the
overwhelming emotional demands of selfish adolescents are familiar issues in
any contemporary urban society.
The Behadd subtext gently probes how younger men
find older, mature women less challenging and thus extremely desirable.”
=============================================
.
And then I watched Maat. Saba Qamar, picture
above, is the greedy and beautiful younger sister Saman. She wants the entire
world for herself and is bold enough to lie, cheat or steal her way through
life. 
Eman( Aamina Sheikh) is the elder, homely, protective, caring. She ends up
slaving for Saman. In return, Saman
hijacks her savings for her
wedding, her dresses and even the man she is engaged to, Faisal. And when she
finds a richer alternative in Azhar, she switches sides with her sweet talk.
Adnan Siddiqui portrays Faisal perfectly as the simple man helplessly in
love with a scheming woman. He tries in vain to please her and ends up being
blamed by everyone. What leaves you always craving for the next episode is the swift movement of the plot and the intense acting. One side glance from Saba Qamar at Eman’s wedding dress reveals Saman’s greed.
Adnan Siddiqui’s school boyish smile as he opens the door of his new car for Saman is a picture of Faisal’s helpless surrender. Aamina Sheikh’s moist eyes, as Saman leaves Faizal for Azhar and blames Eman , pleads to deaf ears for Eman’s innocence.
