Zindagi Gulzar Hai

Plot

The story revolves around the lives of Kashaf Murtaza and Zaroon Junaid. Kashaf comes from a lower-middle-class family background and lives with her mother, Rafia, and her two sisters, Sidra and Shehnila. Rafia's husband, Murtaza, had abandoned Rafia because she didn't give birth to a son. Murtaza married another woman, who eventually gave birth to his son, Hammad. The family faces many hardships, leaving Kashaf embittered, insecure, and distrustful of men. Rafia works as the principal of a government school and gives tuition to children in the evening to make ends meet. Her daughters, too, make various sacrifices to live a basic life.

Zaroon Junaid's family consists of his father, Junaid, who is calm and mature. His mother, Ghazala Junaid, is an independent working woman. Zaroon's sister, Sara, has the same views about life as her mother. Leading to clashes with Zaroon and his views on societal standards. Zaroon's circle of close friends consists of Asmara and Osama. He remains unaware that Asmara is in love with him. Their families get them engaged, but they break off the engagement due to irreconcilable lifestyle differences. Meanwhile, his sister's marriage also fails. Zaroon develops some notions about his ideal wife.

Zaroon and Kashaf eventually become acquainted, and dislike each other. Through a series of events, they fall in love, Kashaf learns not to be so bitter, secretive, and insecure. Zaroon understands not to be impulsive and judgmental. A few months later, Kashaf gives birth to twin girls.

Cast

• Sanam Saeed as Kashaf Murtaza/ Kashaf Zaroon: Zaroon's wife; Murtaza and Rafiya's; Sidra and Shehnila's sister; Tooba, Tanzeela and Hammad's half sister.
• Fawad Khan as Zaroon Junaid: Kashaf's husband; Junaid and Ghazala's son; Sara's brother; Asmara's ex fiancé; Osama's friend.
• Ayesha Omer as Sara Junaid: Junaid and Ghazala's daughter; Zaroon's sister; Farhan's ex wife. Ghufran's wife.
• Mehreen Raheel as Asmara Tariq: Zaroon's ex fiancée; Osama's friend.
• Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui as Osama: Zaroon and Asmara's friend.
• Mansha Pasha as Sidra Murtaza: Murtaza and Rafiya's daughter; Kashaf and Shehnila's sister; Tooba, Tanzeela and Hammad's half sister.
• Sana Sarfaraz as Shehnila Murtaza: Murtaza and Rafiya's daughter; Kashaf and Sidra's sister; Tooba, Tanzeela and Hammad's half sister.
• Samina Peerzada as Rafiya Murtaza: Murtaza's first wife; Kashaf, Sidra and Shehnila's mother.
• Waseem Abbas as Murtaza: Rafiya's husband; Kashaf, Sidra, Shehnila, Tooba, Tanzeela and Hammad's father.
• Javed Shaikh as Junaid: Ghazala's husband; Zaroon and Sara's father.
• Hina Khawaja Bayat as Ghazala Junaid; Junaid's wife, Zaroon and Sara's mother.
• Behroze Sabzwari as Abrar: Junaid's friend.
• Maheen Rizvi as Maria Khan: Kashaf's university friend.
• Shazia Afgan as Nigar Murtaza: Murtaza's second wife; Tooba, Tanzeela and Hammad's mother.
• Muhammad Asad as Hammad Murtaza: Nigar and Murtaza's son; Kashaf, Sidra and Shehnila's half brother.
• Kanwar Nafees as Farhan Zaid: Sara's ex husband.
• Khalid Ahmed as Wahab: Murtaza's elder brother.

Soundtrack

The Zindagi Gulzar Hai title song is sung by Ali Zafar and Hadiqa Kiani, composed by Shani Arshad with lyrics by Naseer Turabi.

Release

Broadcast

Zindagi Gulzar Hai was originally broadcast on Hum TV in December 2012. It was later broadcast on Netflix for a few years.

Production

Zindagi Gulzar Hai was author Umera Ahmad's first story written for the digest magazine. In an interview, she stated that the character of the lead female, Kashaf, in the novel is based on her own character. The story captured the interest of readers, and Ahmad was approached to write a full-length novel by Moomal Productions. In 2012, the production of the series began with Sultana Siddiqui as the director. It was Siddiqui's return to direction after a hiatus of eleven years.

Reception

Television rating points (TRPs)

Zindagi Gulzar Hai started very well, averaging 6.4 TRPs, but after the climax episode, i.e., EP. 7, ratings increased dramatically, averaging and topping the charts each week. Then, after the marriage of the protagonists, ratings started increasing further, and later, Zindagi Gulzar Hai averaged 6+ TRPs, with 6.6 TRPs as the maximum until then. But, on 3 May 2013, Zindagi Gulzar Hai achieved 8.7 TRP, as declared by Hum TV. Many said it would set a new record when its last episode aired. And it did by reaching a point of 9.5. It became one of the highest-rated Pakistani television series of 2013.

Critical reception

Izzah Khan of The Express Tribune praised Sanam Saeed and Samina Peerzada's acting and the portrayal of the middle-class family but criticized the depiction of the elite family as self-righteous and unrealistic, with some scenes and dialogues being overdone and irksome, and the performances of Mehreen Raheel and Ayesha Omar. While writing for Dawn, Nadeem F. Paracha compared it with the blockbuster Humsafar and praised the series for the strong female character and the non-judgmental discourse of competing ideas of class, morality, and faith. Sabahat Zakariya of The Friday Times critiqued the series for perpetuating submissive female stereotypes, failing to depict the range of experiences of Pakistani women, and projecting a restrictive image of Pakistani womanhood, contrary to the real-life achievements and independence of the women involved in the production of the series.

Samina Peerzada's character of an abandoned wife yet supporting mother was widely praised. In the year-ender list by The Express Tribune, the reviewer described that her performance "stole many hearts with its emotional depth and true-to-life portrayal."{{cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/article/20351/the-award-for-best-pakistani-drama-of-2013-goes-to?|title=The award for best Pakistani drama of 2013 goes to... |author=Sadaf Haider |date= December 30, 2013 |work=The Express Tribune}} In a 2015 article published by DAWN Images, the author credits the success of Pakistani television serials of that time to compelling storytelling and relatable characters like Kashaf, who inspire and resonate with audiences.

In May 2020, DAWN Images listed it among the inconic Pakistani TV series.

While reviewing for *The News International * in July 2025, Gaitee Ara Siddiqi praised the series its strong female protagonist, the on-screen chemistry between the leads, commends the performances of supporting cast mainly Samina Peerzada, script, dialogues, and direction, and the portrayal of social issues, such as women's treatment and class divides.

Awards and accolades

References

References

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