''Ranjha Ranjha Kardi'' () is a 2018

Pakistani drama Pakistani dramas, or Pakistani serials, are Serial (radio and television), televised serials produced in Pakistan. Although most of the serials are produced in Urdu, an increasing number of them are produced in other Pakistani languages such as ...

serial that aired on

Hum TV Hum TV HD is a 24-hour Urdu general entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on the Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Net ...

. It is directed by

Kashif Nisar Kashif Nisar () is a Pakistani television director, producer and screenwriter. A nephew of Pakistani TV director Tariq Mairaj, Nisar has carved his own niche in the industry. His work as television director has earned him recognition, along wi ...

and written by Faiza Iftikhar, starring

Iqra Aziz Iqra Aziz Hussain ( Aziz; born November 24, 1997) is a Pakistani actress who works in Urdu television known for her portrayals in social to comic girl next door. She is the recipient of several accolades, including three Lux Style Awards and f ...

Imran Ashraf Imran Ashraf Awan (born 11 September 1989) is a Pakistani actor, screenwriter, and host. Ashraf has been noted for his acting in television serials such as ''Dil Lagi'' (2016), '' Alif Allah Aur Insaan'' (2017–2018), and ''Raqs-e-Bismil'' ( ...

and

Syed Jibran Syed Jibran (; born 14 October 1979, Jhelum) is a Pakistani actor and entrepreneur. He started his career with Pakistan Television Network in 2001 while he made his film debut with '' Ghabrana Nahi Hai'' in 2022. Early life and education Syed ...

. It emerged as one of the most iconic dramas in Pakistan television history. The serial is produced by

Momina Duraid Momina Duraid (, born 30 June 1971) is a Pakistani director and producer. She is a senior producer and creative head of television network Hum TV and CEO of her own production company MD Productions. She has produced and created several series ...

under their banner

MD Productions Momina Duraid (, born 30 June 1971) is a Pakistani director and producer. She is a senior producer and creative head of television network Hum TV and CEO of her own production company MD Productions. She has produced and created several serie ...

in collaboration with SBCH Productions.

Plot

revolves around Noori a young woman from a poor background. Her parents live by picking garbage from streets, therefore she is uncomfortable with the environment around her. She rejects her parents' lifestyle and wishes for a better and respectable life. To fulfill this wish of hers, she moves to a city and starts a respectable living by working in a factory. In this journey, she learns of Sahir and Bhola. Sahir is a greedy young man, who works in a shop and wishes for a better future; whereas, mentally weak and childlike Bhola owns a mansion and agricultural land in a village, (which his paternal uncle, Nusrat Chacha, takes care of). Bhola is loved deeply by his mother, Fehmida. Sahir and Bhola both get attached to Noor Bano's life, one which is by total deceit and the other is an ordeal. Sahir is not serious about Noori, but she is always daydreaming about her marriage with Sahir. Noori somehow convinces him to marry her, to which he nonchalantly agrees. One day, when Noori comes to visit Sahir, she sees that there is some investigation going on and becomes worried when Sahir is found guilty of stealing money from the shop he works in. The police demanded ransom for Sahir's release and Noori is thinking of the ways she could get the money. When Noori asks her baji for money, she refuses and her husband also sexually harasses Noori by offering her money to be with him. Noori confronts the factory owner and says she does not want his money and quits working at the factory. She steals her Baji's jewelry to pay for Sahir's release. Afterward, Sahir gets released, whereas Noori is jailed for stealing the jewellery. Noori's father makes a deal with Shokha, an aged smuggler, to free his daughter and marry her. On the other hand, Noori threatens her former boss to either take back the case or she will expose him. The Haji (former boss) does it and Noori is free. However, she still has to get rid of Shokha, so she runs away and goes to Sahir, who is arranging to leave the city. Sahir refuses to marry her, (as he was not sincere with his intentions), saying that she had spent a night in the lock-up and who knows if any lustful policeman had disgraced her. Noori, heartbroken, returns to her mentor, Amma Jannate's house. She asks Amma Jannate to help her because she does not want to marry Shokha and is considering suicide. Amma Jannate tells her the only way out is to wed, which will also fulfill her desire of living a respectable life. The person Amma Jannate is talking about is actually Bhola, but Noori is not aware of it until after her marriage. Has all this happened to her for good and a better future? Initially, Noori can not stand him, even feeling for Bhola. She then realizes that Sahir is a Cunning and Deceitful greedy man and she would not want anyone else to have him as a life partner so in an attempt to break Komal and Sahir's alliance, she exposes him to everyone and succeeds. It is revealed that 23 years before Bhola's mother made a wish at the Mazaar that she will sacrifice him and give him to a Peer. And it was her belief that if you aren't having any children but as soon as you have your first child and you leave it at the Mazaar you will have many more, but her heart doesn't listen and she doesn't leave him at the Mazaar and then she never had any other children and Bhola became mentally ill and her husband died. She misunderstands the situation as the Peer being angry and that is the cause of the whole problem and says that if Bhola and Noori have any children she will leave the first one at the Mazaar but her daughter-in-law Noori explains to her that this can happen to anyone and we should not associate partners with Allah (God) and that if you have a child that is because of God and not a Peer at a Mazaar and that she is doing Shirk. Noori tries to get away from Bhola, but later she develops love, care, and empathy for him, due to his innocence and pure love for her. This intense story develops from there, and so does Noori and Bhola's unconventional romantic relationship. It ends with Bhola's mental condition becoming mostly fine and then she has a baby boy whom Bhola refuses to meet as he is afraid of him being like Bhola, but when Noori convinces him to see his baby, he kisses him on the forehead and starts to cry.

Cast

as Noor Bano "Noori" *

as Mohiuddin "Bhola" *

Asma Abbas Asma Abbas () is a Pakistani actress, producer, singer and host known for her supporting roles in Urdu films and television. She played the role of Fehmida in 2018 acclaim serial '' Ranjha Ranjha Kardi''. She hosted celebrity talkshow ''Awaz Da ...

as Fehmida; Bhola's mother *

as Sahir * Ammara Butt as Komal; Bhola's cousin *

Kashif Mehmood Kashif Mehmood ( Punjabi, ) is a Pakistani television actor. Filmography Television series Films Awards and nominations * 2012 - Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony which has been held annually in Paki ...

as Nusrat Mian; Bhola's uncle *

Munazzah Arif Munazzah Arif is a Pakistani actress who predominantly appears in Pakistani television serials. She earlier starred as recurring roles and mostly plays the role of mothers. She made her cinematic debut in Azfar Jaffri's film ''Heer Maan Ja'' a ...

as Rizwana; Bhola's aunt *

Zaib Rehman Zaib Rehman is a Pakistani lawyer and actress. She was one of the most popular actresses of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. She started in television in her early teens and made her movie debut in the 2011 blockbuster '' Bol''. Early life During her ...

as Amma Jannate; Noori's mentor * Ismat Iqbal as Noori's mother * Faiz Chauhan as Nazeer; Noori's father *

Noor ul Hassan Noor Ul Hassan (in Punjabi and ) is a Pakistani actor, television presenter, television host, and compère. He hosted the Ramadan transmission in 2011 and in 2014 for PTV Home. He appeared in acclaimed television serials such as ''Ishq Jalebi'', ...

as Shokha * Ahmed Abdul Rehman as Mumtaz Begum * Umer Darr as Darr; Bhola's friend * Zaryab Haider as Shafiq; Bhola's friend * Haseeb Muhammad Bin Qasim as Haji Sahab; Noori's employer * Aisha Khan as Qudsia Begum; Haji Sahab's wife * Momina Aayla as Young Noori * Shabana Bhatti as Shakoorun

Themes

The series shed light on various societal issues like

marital rape Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and doesn't always involve physical violence. Marital rape is considered a form of dome ...

Production

was selected to portray the lead role of a mentally challenged person ''Bhola'', while talking to ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/ Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London th ...

'' he shared that, for the preparation of the role, he observed and studied such people and their body language. Alongside Ashraf,

was chosen to portray the female lead of Noori which was previously rejected by

Zara Noor Abbas Zara Noor Abbas Gill (), also known by her married name Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui, is a Pakistani actress. She is best known for her role as Arsala in Momina Duraid's '' Khamoshi'' (2017), and has also acted in serials ''Dharkan'' (2016), '' Lamh ...

International broadcast

The series aired in India on Zindagi, started from December 2022.

Reception

The show's first episode has over 10 million views on YouTube and the TRPs of the show several times were the highest for the timeslot. The drama and its story has gained critical acclaim for various things;

's performance as Bhola,

's performance as Noori,

's performance as Amma Jee, dealing with hidden social issues, such as awareness about mentally challenged people, wrong perceptions of society on castes and social status, misinterpretation of Islam and made up religious practices, and messages on sensitive issues.

Soundtrack

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Hum TV Programs 2018 Pakistani television series debuts 2019 Pakistani television series endings Television shows set in Lahore Hum TV original programming Pakistani romantic drama television series Television series by MD Productions MD Productions Television series created by Momina Duraid Urdu-language telenovelas Television series set in Punjab, Pakistan Television series about dysfunctional families Pakistani telenovelas