Aangan Tehra

If Half-Plate can be considered the best teleplay by Anwar Maqsood, Aangan Tehra (آنگن ٹھڑا) is his best TV Drama Serial. It’s an old serial, which was presented by PTV in the late 1980’s. It was directed by Qaisar Farooq.

Almost all the episode of the series are shot indoors, which is depicted as the house of Mehboob Ahmed (a retired civil servant played by Shakeel). Each episode is based around some characteristics of Pakistani society ranging from the effects of Marshal Law on the society to the life of journalists.

Several guest stars appear in this series include Moeen Akhtar, Muhammad Ali Shehki and Anwar Maqsood himself. He appears in the last but one episode to announce that the series is about to come to an end. Within this episode, he gathers all the characters and tells them which ones stay to perform for the last episode and which ones have to leave. The last episode brings a nice end to the series.

Main Cast

Shakil, Salim Nasir, Bushra Ansari, Durdana Butt, Arshad Mahmood and some guest stars

1. Mehboob Ahmed, played by Shakeel, is a retired civil servant with meagre resources.
2. Jehan Ara Begum, played by Bushra Ansari, is Mehboob’s wife. They don’t have any children. Jehan Ara Begum always cribs about Mehboob’s financial condition.
3. Akbar, played by Salim Nasir, is the servant who lives with the family and is never paid his salary. Yet he remains loyal and doesn’t leave Mr. and Mrs. Mehboob. He is previously a classical dancer, and his only desire is to earn fame with his skills in dancing.
4. Chaudhry Sahib, played by Arshad Mehmood, is Mehboob Ahmed’s neighbour. He is easily impressed by whatever Mehboob Ahmed says or plans to do.
5. Hamsheera Sultana, played by Durdana Butt, is Chaudhry Sahib’s sister. She is unmarried and secretly admires Mehboob Ahmed for his personality and character. Of course, she isn’t liked by Jehan Ara at all.

Trailer

Trivia

1. The name Aangan Tehra seems to be derived from the Urdu proverb: Naach na janay aangan tehra (ناچ نہ جانے آنگن ٹھڑا), which literary means that if someone doesn’t know how to dance, he complains that the flooring is not balanced.

Tanhaiyan

Tanhaiyan (تنہائیاں) literally means “the loneliness”. In fact, the Urdu word is stronger than its English counterpart. Tanhayian is a Pakistan drama serial, produced by Shalimar Recording Company (SRC), and originally played on Pakistan Television (PTV) in the 1980’s. It was written by Haseena Moin.

Tanhaiyan is the sotry of two sisters who lose their parents in an accident, and are shocked to know that their family was heavily in debt. Life is further upset when their family house is sold. Fortunately, an aunt makes arrangements for them to live with her.

The elder of the two sisters becomes determined to become rich and buy back their family house, and it’s her obsession with become financially sound versus the lack of attention she gives to people closer to her which is the main plot of the drama serial.

The drama serial belongs to the era attributed to be the “golden era of Pakistan Televsion.” Having said that, at that time, there was a sheer lack of a choice with the viewers in Pakistan, and the standards of television entertainment were completely defined by PTV itself. People do have fond memories of the drama serial, but with no doubt, younger generations will have a hard time believing that the acting and direction can be thought of being “extra ordinary.”

Main Cast of Tanhaiyan

Shehnaz Sheikh, Marina Khan, Behroze Sabzwari, Qazi Wajid, Badar Khalil, Asif Raza Mir and others

1. Zara, played by Shehnaz Sheikh, is the elder of the two sisters. She is determined to work hard and buy back her family house. She starts a business in partnership, becomes successful in that, and eventually manages to get what she wanted. But it doesn’t end the way she expected! In her quest, she distances herself away from everyone, including her younger sister. Eventually she also meets an accident and then realises how fragile it all was!
2. Sanya, played by Marina Khan, is the littler sister. After their parents death, she is emotionally dependent on her elder sister. But as time passes by, her elder sister has less and less time for her. Sanya is lively and loud; she loves to play pranks on others, especially on Qabbacha, who is her neighbours secretary.
3. Qutbutdin (aka Kabacha), played by Behroze Sabzwari, adds a light touch to the drama serial. He is an introvert and dry person who becomes victim to Sanya’s pranks.
4. Faran, played by Qazi Wajid, is also a light character. He is a thoughtful businessman, living next to Zara and Sanya’s aunt’s house.
5. Zubi, played by Badar Khalil, is the aunt who keeps the two sisters with her after their parents demise. She is eventually proposed by Faran.

Can I watch it online?

Trivia

1. A sequel of Tanhaiyan, with the name “Olper’s Tanhaiyan: Naye Silsilay“, was aired by ARY Digital and PTV in 2012. Most of the cast was replaced. This new 13-episode drama serial was co-written by Haseena Moin and Mohammad Ahmed. It was directed by Marina Khan.