Does Suno Chanda 2 live up to its hype?

Last Ramazan, Suno Chanda hit our TV screens like a breath of fresh air. As someone who avidly watches Pakistani dramas, the drama serial with its wildly relatable characters and storyline had me and pretty much everyone around me hooked. It was the perfect post-iftar fix and something you could watch with your entire family.

Following the phenomenal success, Hum TV announced that the drama would return for a second season and fans waited with bated breaths to catch the chaos.

The drama began on the first day of Ramazan and till now 11 episodes have aired. If I’m really honest, the first six were borderline boring. It picked up in the eighth and ninth episode, only to go down again in the tenth.

The second season picks up from where it left in the last season i.e. at Arsal and Jiya’s wedding. The bickering and larai jhagra between the two continues, making you wonder why they’re even together in the first place. The writers take their sweet time to introduce the new characters slowing down the pace of the season. Sadly, the new characters, fail to impress and are more annoying than funny. Add to that lots of overacting and you ask yourself why you’re even tuning into it every night.

But before we go into why I end up watching the drama every single night, let’s just first get over the bits of the show I found problematic. First of all, the fact that Jiya’s aspirations and dreams were of no importance to her family now that she is married scream internalised misogyny. But as the drama progressed, I realised that the whole issue was created because that is usually what happens in most desi households. That aside, Arsal is turning out to be a suffocating husband who wants to dictate his wife. The way he gets upset at every small thing or keeps asking Jiya to refer to him as aap makes him nothing more than a spoiled brat.

Another point of concern was Jalal Phuppa who ends up having eyes for every new female character that comes. Last season it was Billo and this season its Pari. Either the writers should establish him as a nuisance tharki or stop weaving in this narrative every time. The other men of the family are also shown swooning over other ladies, even in front of their wives, adding a lot of cringe to the show. Always better to avoid such crass humour.

Next up, the new characters, Mithu and Pari are annoying. I understand they are supposed to be people from small towns, but Mithu needs to grow up and stop asking his mother every time he wants to do something. Most people might find his innocence or naivety cute but to me, it’s plain annoying.

But despite all the drawbacks, the show has its moments; some of which have you chuckling. The biggest pull has to be Shahana aka Shanno. Her dialogues, comic timing and body language is impeccable and I do wish she was given more screentime. In fact, I would say she is probably the only reason why this ship hasn’t sunk yet. Shanno’s relationship with her daughter-in-law is also noteworthy. She supports Jiya’s ambitions and stands by her when her son tries to bully his wife.

Apart from that, some cutesy moments between Arsal and Jiya make you smile as does when the family gets together to solve a crisis. Nazakat and Jamshed’s characters are entertaining as always and Farhan Ali Agha and Sohail Sameer are natural in their roles. Sherry, Kinza and DJ are missing from most scenes and their absence is duly felt. Hoping to see more of them in the upcoming episodes.

However, what really sells the drama is the fact that after a long day of fasting and work, Suno Chanda 2 gives us the mindless, comic relief we all want. The show may have its flaws but in the sea of dramas, which are heavily dramatised and centred around unrequited love, this one is a refreshing watch.