Zindagi Gulzar Hai

Zindagi Gulzar Hai (, English: "Life is Wonderful") is a Pakistani television series directed by Sultana Siddiqui, produced by Momina Duraid under the banner Moomal Productions, which was first broadcast on Hum TV. Based on the novel of the same name by Umera Ahmad, who also wrote the screenplay, it originally aired from November  30,2012, to May 24, 2013, in Pakistan. The story revolves around two people, opposite in thoughts and financial status, and has a strong female protagonist, contributing to its popularity amongst women.

It was viewed widely across the Indian subcontinent, especially in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. It was described by DAWN Images as an iconic Pakistani dramas.

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. 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.

Kashaf gets a scholarship to a prestigious university. She meets Zaroon Junaid, who leads a life completely different from hers. Zaroon's affluent arrogance irks Kashaf deeply. Due to her distrust of men and her views about the class difference, she does not mix with other students. She and Zaroon don't get along, primarily due to Zaroon's flirtatious nature and jealousy of her outperforming him academically. Despite that, Zaroon tries to reconcile with her, but his attempts are repeatedly rebuffed. One day she overhears Zaroon saying that he was only trying to be friendly as a challenge and to trap Kashaf and tarnish her image. They have a massive fight in the library, and Kashaf starts hating him outright. Osama, Zaroon's best friend, holds Kashaf in high regard and comes to her defense.

In the meantime, Shehnila gets admission to an engineering college. Sidra is married to a doctor and settles in the US. Zaroon and Kashaf appear for CSS exams and get admitted to Pakistan's Central Superior Services. Kashaf's becoming a DMG officer changes her father's and extended family's thinking and behaviour. Zaroon and Kashaf meet in the line of duty, and he makes amends and attempts to be friendly with her, only to get turned down as always. Kashaf believes him to be the same flirtatious and arrogant man as before. Osama proposes to Kashaf, but she does not give him a reply.

Shehnila receives a marriage proposal from a good family, but Rafia wants her eldest daughter, Kashaf, to be married first. Sidra moves from the US to help her mother find a suitable match for Kashaf. She convinces Kashaf to agree to Osama's proposal, and Kashaf calls him to say yes, only to realise that he will marry someone else. Meanwhile, Zaroon talks to Sir Abrar and a close family friend, also their professor at the university where he and Kashaf studied. He is a mentor to Kashaf, and she respects and listens to him. Zaroon confesses that he wants to marry Kashaf and asks him to talk to Kashaf on his behalf. After initially rejecting his proposal, the two agree to meet at Abrar's house. Zaroon prevents Kashaf from getting scalded by hot tea and burns himself. Kashaf accepts Zaroon's proposal, and they get engaged and married. After the wedding, Zaroon establishes a good rapport with Kashaf's family.

Zaroon and Kashaf eventually become better acquainted and realise their differences, but Kashaf also falls in love with him. Kashaf overhears Zaroon's mother telling him he should not give Kashaf too much money. Kashaf feels hurt seeing her mother-in-law's approach towards her family. Later, Zaroon becomes upset when Kashaf takes a loan for her mother's home without informing him, but they reconcile.

Later, they fight about Kashaf hiding Osama's proposal, and they reconcile when they learn that Kashaf is pregnant. In due course, Kashaf discovers that Zaroon is secretly in touch with Asmara. Assuming Zaroon is having a romantic affair with her, she leaves his house and returns to her mother's home. She starts missing Zaroon and dreams that Zaroon has divorced her. Zaroon also misses Kashaf but does not contact her. Kashaf realises she is in love with Zaroon and yearns to return to him, but she doesn't call him either. When she realises that she has twin daughters, she is scared. She is afraid to have daughters, as she knows how her mother had to pay for it. She calls Zaroon at midnight to tell him and expects him to be angry. But she is deeply relaxed when she realises that he is ecstatic. Zaroon flies the same night to meet her, and they reconcile. As their love triumphs, their mutual love and respect grow. 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 Junaid, Zaroon's wife, and the daughter of Murtaza and Rafiya.
 * Fawad Khan as Zaroon Junaid, Kashaf's husband, and the son of Junaid and Ghazala.
 * Ayesha Omer as Sara Junaid: Zaroon's sister.
 * Mehreen Raheel as Asmara Tariq.
 * Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui as Osama.
 * Mansha Pasha as Sidra Murtaza: Kashaf's younger sister.
 * Sana Sarfaraz as Shehnila Murtaza: Kashaf's younger sister.
 * Samina Peerzada as Rafiya Murtaza: Kashaf's mother.
 * Waseem Abbas as Murtaza: Kashaf's father.
 * Javed Shaikh as Junaid: Zaroon and Sara's father.
 * Hina Khawaja Bayat as Ghazala Junaid: Zaroon and Sara's mother.
 * Behroze Sabzwari as Abrar: Teacher and Zaroon's uncle.
 * Maheen Rizvi as Maria Khan: Kashaf's university friend.
 * Shazia Afgan as Nigar Murtaza: Second wife of Murtaza.
 * Muhammad Asad as Hammad Murtaza: Nigar and Murtaza's son (Kashaf's Step/Bal- brother.)
 * Kanwar Nafees as Farhan Zaid.
 * 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.

Broadcast
Zindagi Gulzar Hai was originally broadcast on Hum TV in December 2012.

Netflix
Netflix launched Pakistani dramas, and Zindagi Gulzar Hai was added to Netflix on December 15,2015. It held a 4-star rating. Currently, it has been removed from Netflix.

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.

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 May 3,2013, 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
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.

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." 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.