#pakistani serial

The best male lead character I have ever seen portrayed has to be Shehram from Jaan e Jahan played beautifully by Hamza Ali Abbasi. I'm a bit shocked that this character came from a Pakistani (desi in general) drama serial tbh. I kept waiting for the character to fuck up and do something toxic/unhealthy BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED!! I don't think I've ever seen a character written and portrayed to be such a gentleman and with such a progressive mindset. Truly a feminist king. Usually the softer gentler male characters have a more old school mentality, which has its own charms, but old school usually comes with some conservative values as well. Shehram, however, is consistently respectful. He is consistently gentle. He is consistently progressive in his values. He is consistently a man who wants the best for his love, even if that means he loses the love of his life.

He speaks to Mahnoor with the utmost respect and expects everyone else around him to do the same. He admires Mahnoor for her intelligence, honesty, and passion. He clearly is floored by her beauty but that's not all she is reduced to. He listens!! when she speaks and seeks out her opinions and thoughts on the projects they collaborate on together. He reassures her about the brave decisions she made in life and encourages her to stand up for herself and her honor. He loves the fact that she speaks her mind and is truly independent. But also wants to be there for her and protect her when necessary. He finds her funny and endearing and laughs at her jokes/comments. He's as close to a perfect partner as a man can be.

And if you want to look at the character aside from the love story, Shehram truly is such a strong character. He goes through such a difficult time in his life but as he gets better and learns the truth he doesn't become vindictive and cold. Instead he merely opens his eyes to the reality and makes different choices. He's smart. He doesn't let people walk all over him and stands firm on his decisions. He stands up for the people around him. He doesn't back down from a fight and that doesn't necessarily mean he wants to fight/be violent. He merely will use his words to take his opponent down. Throughout all the darkness in his life, he doesn't let it take away from his gentle and loving nature. He greets everyone with a smile and open arms, but makes it known he is to not be messed with.

I think what makes this amazingly layered and well written character even better is the way Hamza Ali Abbasi portrayed him. Hamza really brought out that gentleness. The love oozed out from his eyes any time he was looking at Mahnoor/the actress Ayeza. He stood with such a powerful stance but never did he ever come off as rigid or overdramatic. Hamza played Shehram with a quietness and subtlety and it was absolutely perfect. It also doesn't hurt that Hamza is so goddamn handsome and looks AMAZING in those kurtas he always wore. His chemistry with Ayeza was amazing and even though they touched like maybe 3 times in the whole show (to my dismay, but it is a pakistani serial lol) the love and attraction between the two was so loud and clear. I loved all the romantic lines we got from them once Shehram realized his love for Mahnoor. Maybe it was a little cheesy but it was the right amount of cheese! I quite literally would be grinning like an idiot and squeal and then replay their scenes like 7 times.