It seems like Ishq E Laa makers have finally realized the audience’s pain and decided to turn the tables with this one by a quick plot development. Each episode gives the audience enough food for thought to sit back and think. This episode was no different and to be honest we think that the drama has picked up pace now and it will be a roller coaster ahead. From Shanaya and Azlaan’s cute moments to further insight into Azka’s struggles, this episode had it all.

Sultan – The Ideal Pakistani Man?
Sohail Sameer has won our hearts with his acting skills. We wish to see more characters like Sultan on television who by true definition have shown what an ideal man looks like. His interactions with Azka and his mother were sensitively executed and we loved how he continued to support Azka without an ounce of guilt.

The dialogue by Sultan, “Jo mard apni maa behen ki izzat nehi karta wo apni biwi aur beti ki kar he nehi sakta,” was a great depiction of how a man should conduct himself and the beginning of a man’s training begins from how he conducts himself at home with his mother and sister which later gets translated in his relationship with his wife and daughter.
Likewise, we adored how Sultan continues to try to mend his relationship with his wife. The scene where Sultan comes to mend his differences with Kanwal who is played by Uzma Hassan were quite natural and close to the dynamics shared by many real life couples. Such scenes are rarely shown on television and are foreshadowed by toxic and abusive relationships. Kudos to writer Qaisra Hayat who wrote these characters so articulately and to Amin Iqbal who executed these scenes so brilliantly.
Shanaya And Azlaan- The New Couple in Town
We cannot deny that Shanaya and Azlaan were the highlight of this week’s episode. From being friends in one to becoming spouse-to-be in the next episode, their relationship dynamic changed drastically and we do have a lot to say about it!
All of a sudden we see that a realization hits Azlaan that he will no longer be able to share the same bond with Shanaya after she gets married and this required a heavy lecture by the business tycoon’s mother since Azlaan, in all those years wasn’t able to realize this on his own. Nevertheless, Azlaan decides the best time to propose to Shanaya is when her prospective husband is sitting right in her house asking for her hand in marriage. Typical of him isn’t it?
Well, moving forward…Azlaan and Shanaya share some awe worthy moments and sweet exchange of words (which were at least enough to sway Shanaya of her feet). Shanaya inevitably says yes to Azlaan’s proposal on the condition that he will experience a snippet her life.

We cannot take away credit from Azlaan for trying here. He joins Shanaya in her journalism adventures and even sips gur ki chai (which is a big deal for Azlaan) and also munches gulgappas. It only takes an eye to realize the differences between Shanaya and Azlaan which has already started to creep into their relationship. Their visit to the shrine and then their debate about spiritual love is probably an indication about what the future holds for them. Their is a strong indication that we will see Azlaan venturing on a spiritual journey and will have his calling.
As for Shanaya and Azlaan’s relationship, we can expect ups and (lots!) of downs and a lot of differences in opinions. We still did not understand why would Shanaya continue to pursue Azlaan knowing how different they are. Then, we can see why they say that love is blind!
What Does The Future Hold For Azka?
It seems that a storm is about to hit Azka with full force and she is going to find herself surrounded in an unfavourable situation. We can see that Azka’s sister-in-law Kanwal and her cousin, Abid (Adnan Samad Khan) have joined hands to frame Azka and question her integrity of character. We could not help but feel sorry for Azka, whom we can see from the promos, will be eventually be forced to marry Abid after being character shamed.
We appreciate how strong the women are depicted in this drama; even the shy Azka did not back off from standing up for herself against those goons instead of waiting for someone to come to her rescue. We wish to see more scenes like these in our dramas that highlight how powerful a woman can be. We are expecting Azka to show the same strength as she tries to prove herself innocent to her brother and pursue her dream of being a doctor. It seems that finally Azka’s story has kick-started and now we will see a more diverse emotional range of her character and highs and lows in her narrative.
Next episode’s promo surely looks promising and we have our eyes on this one!