SEASON 2

 SUNO CHANDA

Now that viewers have such a wide variety of options, they tend to get confused most of the time about which one to prioritise as their first watch. All the more because viewers now have access to dramas from every country. To clear out that hassle, we have curated a list of the best binge-able watches for all the rom-com lovers out there.

Suno Chanda is the ultimate comfort rom-com for all its lovers out there. The story revolves around the lives of ‘Jiya’ and ‘Arsaal’ and their families. The two cousins are set to get married in an arranged set-up, but the duo join hands to plot against it as they ‘supposedly’ can’t stand each other. Watch the two fall in love in season 1.

Last season fans tuned in nightly to see sworn enemies Arsal (Farhan Saeed) and Jiya (Iqra Aziz) fight their way to love while living under one roof with a motley crew of a stereotypically zany joint family.

This season begins with the now-married Arsal and Jiya waking up the morning after their wedding with guns ablazing because Arsal spent the night snoring and is refusing to give Jiya her moun dekhai.

Some things are already refreshingly different this season. Farhan Saeed’s OST has been reworked. There are new romances and new characters (including a kite-flying, hookah-smoking Punjabi khala). And, to the utter joy of #Arjiya fans, the couple has a lot more chemistry-loaded, lovey dovey scenes.

Iqra Aziz and Farhan Saeed are back with the most loved comedy series of last year, Suno Chanda. Four episodes of the second season have been aired so far and although the drama has yet again garnered love and appreciation — the first episode is trending at number one spot on YouTube with over 3.7 million views — some fans are disappointed.

What triumphs all is that some of our most favourite characters are back. Jiya, Arsal, Shahana, Nazakat Ali, Joji and Jalal (played by Iqra Aziz, Farhan Saeed, Nadia Afgan, Sohail Sameer, Ali Safina and Adnan Shah Tipu respectively) are very much part of the second season. Writer Saima Akram Choudhry has introduced new characters — Pari and Mithoo (played by Arjumand Raheem and Raza Talish) — who are nice additions.

Although Arjumand Raheem doesn’t ‘look’ convincing as a Punjabi who hails from a village in Gujrat, unlike Nadia Afgan or Ali Safina, her dialogue delivery as Pari is spot on. For a moment one can’t seem to fathom that she is the same woman whose voice-overs we hear on almost all Pakistani TV commercials. Raza Talish as Mithoo is impressive; one can instantly fall in love over his naivety.

Hit sitcom Suno Chanda's writer Saima Akram Chaudhry, who, following the success of her most recent Ramazan offerings, declared that she will pen a third season for the Iqra Aziz and Farhan Saeed starrer if fans continued to shower the same love, has now clarified that another installment of the show will not be happening.

Urging her fans to look forward instead of the past, Saima started off by saying, "I am not writing Suno Chanda 3, I am not writing Chupke Chupke 2, I am not writing Ishq Jaleebi 2." In a message on her Instagram Stories, she went on to reveal, "I am writing Neeli Khoti, I am writing Chaand Tara, I am writing just a light mood romcom."

Asking everyone to be happy and stay away from seasons 2 or 3, she went on to reinstate that "season tou pehla he achcha hota hai," suggested that the rest are mostly attempts at milking views and ratings from already existing, successful narratives and formulas. "The rest only bank on high expectations and serve disappointment. Love you all," she concluded.

The beauty of Saima Akram’s writing is that she has kept true to her characters. Arsal and Ajiya are a complicated couple. From season 1, we witnessed Jiya and Arsal at their immature best, two characters that thrived by bickering with each other. It’s been said in Desi families many times that “Iski shaadi karwaa lo, khud ba khud zimidaari ka ehsaas hojaayega” (“Get him married, he’ll automatically learn how to be responsible”). This mentality does not hold true in practical life. If an individual is not mature, marriage will do little other than to throw an immature individual into a scenario that requires maturity. With Suno Chanda 2, this point is being laid out clearly for the viewer. Arsal and Jiya, the beloved lovebirds of the show, have not automatically changed their ways and learned to compromise simply because they signed a piece of paper and now share a bedroom. If anything, their inability to communicate effectively and their egos have driven a wedge in their relationship.