Aashti

Aashti (Urdu: آشتى) is a Pakistani drama television series that was aired on Hum TV. The producer is Mehroz Karim; it is written by Seema Ghazal and directed by Adnan Wai Qureshi.^[1] Aashti depicts the lives of Bengalis settled in Pakistan, showcasing their lifestyle.^[1]^[2]

GenreRomance
Family drama

Written bySeema Ghazal

Directed byAdnan Wai Qureshi

StarringResham
Faisal Qureshi
Humayun Saeed
Madiha Iftikhar
Sajid Hasan
Fahad Mustafa

Quick facts Genre, Written by ...

Aashti
Title screen
Genre	Romance Family drama
Written by	Seema Ghazal
Directed by	Adnan Wai Qureshi
Starring	Resham Faisal Qureshi Humayun Saeed Madiha Iftikhar Sajid Hasan Fahad Mustafa
Country of origin	Pakistan
Original language	Urdu
No. of episodes	27
Production
Producer	Mehroz Karim
Production locations	Karachi, Pakistan
Running time	45 minutes
Original release
Network	Hum TV
Release	22 March (2009-03-22) – 27 September 2009 (2009-09-27)

Plot

Aashti is a Bengali girl working as a maid for a wealthy family. Despite being engaged to Nazr-ul-Islam, Aashti has secret feelings for the family's son, Abrash, who supports her dreams and encourages her to pursue education.

However, Aashti's world is turned upside down when she discovers Abrash's impending marriage to Zarnish. After his marriage, their relationship faces challenges, Zarnish departs for London, with Abrash following close behind to resolve their issues once and for all.

Due to some circumstances, Aashti also travels to London, where Abrash's father Ali Alam, also arrives who complicates the matter further.

Cast

Resham as Aashti^[3]
Faysal Quraishi^[4] as Nazar ul Islam
Humayun Saeed as Abrash
Sajid Hasan as Ali Alam; Abrash's father
Seemi Pasha as Sherry; Abrash's mother
Angeline Malik as Zarnish; Abrash's father
Madiha Iftikhar as Aqeela; Saeed's wife
Fahad Mustafa^[5] as Saeed ul Islam; Aqeela's husband
Salma Zafar as Zamani, Nazar and Saeed's mother
Parveen Akbar as Jameela, Aashti's mother
Sohail Asghar as Aashti's father
Waqar Kayani as Saeed and Nazar's father
Rashid Farooqui
Farah Nadir as Khala

Production

Mustafa describes the role as his "filthiest role and also the best experience of his career". Playing Saeed ul Islam, a Karachi-based Bengali poor worker, he became deeply immersed in the character, often adopting Bangla undertones in his speech even after filming.^[6]

Reception

Critical reception

In a review by Herald, the reviewer praised the series for its authentic portrayal of Bengali culture and attention to detail, but criticizes the script for relying on clichés and unnecessary plot complications.^[7]

Accolades

More information Year, Award ...

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s) / nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2010	Lux Style Awards	Best Television Play - Satellite	Aashti	Nominated	^[8]
		Best Television Writer	Seema Ghazal	Nominated
		Best Television Director	Adnan Wai Qureshi	Nominated
		Best Television Actress - Satellite	Resham	Nominated

References

[1]
"Adnan Wai Qureshi". Urdu Wire. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
[2]
Muhammad Ali (22 May 2017). "Pakistani dramas that once appealed to every group have now glued themselves to feminist issues only". The Nation. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
[3]
Ifra Abbas (19 April 2020). "Resham 's Classic Tv Dramas to Binge-watch!!". Niche. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
[4]
"Resham and Faysal Qureshi in an upcoming drama". reviewit.pk. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
[5]
"These Pakistani celebrity transformations will leave you speechless". Retrieved 1 October 2018.
[6]
"Firstperson: Fabulously Fahad". Dawn. 7 February 2010. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024.
[7]
"DRAMA Aashti - review". The Herald. 41 (1–2): 1. January 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2024. Among the plethora of dramas offered by Hum TV, "Aashti" caught the viewers' attention for its unusual theme - the Bengali community in Pakistan, providing a rare insight into the lives of an immigrant people who usually do not register on the radar of society because of their illegal status and relative poverty. But an unusual theme and good intentions do not make for an equally good play. So the scriptwriter's inability to avoid the usual pitfalls (or shall we say the essential masala) meant that the main storyline was-ho-hum- a love triangle. Aashti (Resham) who works as a maid in Ali Alam's house (Sajid Hasan) is smitten by her employer's son Abraazh (Humayun Saeed) who in turn adores and marries his fiancée Zernish (Angeline Malik). But a few twists of fate later, Aashti becomes Abraazh's stepmother- apparently in the world of scriptwriters, complicated is good. Nonetheless, the play's strength lay in its effort to offer an authentic depiction of immigrant Bengali culture and language; the attention to make-up and wardrobe was meticulous. And just for that the relatively unknown director Adnan Wai Qureshi and producer Mehroz Karim have to be given credit. Maybe next time, they could also work equally hard at the storyline.
[8]
"9th LUX Style Awards 2010". Fashion Central. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.