Alif (TV series)

Alif (Urdu: الف) is a 2019 Pakistani spiritual-romantic TV series created by Sana Shahnawaz and Samina Humayun Saeed under their newly formed production house Epic Entertainment.[2] It was written by Umera Ahmad based on her novel of the same name and directed by Haseeb Hassan. It starred Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sajal Aly, Kubra Khan and Ahsan Khan in leading roles.

Alif
الف
Genre
Created by
Based onAlif by Umera Ahmed
Written byUmera Ahmad
Directed byHaseeb Hassan
Starring
Opening theme"Alif Bas"
Singer
Shuja Haider and Momina Mustehsan
ComposerShuja Haider
Country of originPakistan
Original languageUrdu
No. of episodes24
Production
Producers
Production locations
Camera setupMulti-camera setup
Running time~42 Minutes
Production companyEpic Entertainment[1]
Release
Original networkGeo Entertainment
Original releaseOctober 5, 2019 (2019-10-05) –
March 14, 2020 (2020-03-14)

The drama serial premiered on 5 October 2019 in Pakistan on Geo TV. The serial received acclaim, mostly from critics praising the direction, writing, location, performance and cinematography of the serial. At the 20th Lux Style Awards, the series won Best Television Writer for Ahmad out of nine categories.

Synopsis

Alif is the journey of Momin and Momina, where Momin's journey is to rediscover his roots and to choose the right path while Momina's journey is to maintain the livelihood of her family by fateful events their paths will join. The story also entails Momin's mother Husn-e-Jahan.

It depicts how a rebellious film-maker and a struggling actress, both having disturbed pasts come-across the same path and understand the terminology of the alphabet Alif illustrates the bond of an individual with his God.

Cast

Guest appearances
  • Shuja Haider as himself
  • Arjumand Azhar as Khalid
  • Anas Ali Imran as Abdul Alaa Fan

Reception

Despite not doing well commercially received instant acclaim upon its premiere but became the second-highest rated Pakistani Television Play on IMDb.

Writing for Images Dawn, Sadaf Haider wrote, "With a multi-layered storyline and intelligently developed characters, Team Alif deserves a standing ovation". She also mentioned, "The entire serial is studded with fantastic performances" with special praise for Khan, Abbasi and Aly labelling their performances as "outstanding" and "impactful" Further noting, "Overall, this is one of the most refined and artistically pleasing dramas we have seen on our screens in years" and concluded by writing, "Team Alif needs to take a bow and sit back and revel in the glow of all this praise; it's well deserved".[7]

Rameeza Naseem from Oye Yeah also lauded the play and exclaimed, "The play has been brilliantly written by the veteran writer Umaira Ahmed and kudos to the entire team for creating such a masterpiece, the script, performances, and execution everything is on point".[8]

Production

"Alif touches upon the questions you ask yourself; questions about life and what it means", Sana Shahnawaz told Something Haute and The Express Tribune. "You’ll see how the lives of all the characters are connected with this single alphabet".[9][10]

Filming

The principal photography began in June 2018, with initial filming in Turkey.

Awards and nominations
Date of Ceremony Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
February 7, 2020 Pakistan International Screen Awards Best Television Play Alif Nominated
Best Television Director Haseeb Hassan Nominated
Best Television Writer Umera Ahmad Nominated
October 9, 2021 Lux Style Awards Best TV Play Alif Nominated [11]
[12]
Best Television Director Haseeb Hassan Nominated
Best Television Writer Umera Ahmad Won
Best Female Actor - Critics Sajal Ali Nominated
Best Female Actor - Viewer's choice Nominated
Best Male Actor - Critics Hamza Ali Abbasi Nominated
Best Male Actor - Viewer's choice Nominated
Best Emerging Talent in TV Pehlaaj Hassan Nominated
Best Ost Alif Bas - Momina Mustehsan and Shuja Haider Nominated

References
  1. "Samina Humayun Saeed & Sana Shahnawaz join hands with IMGC to create new production house". Something Haute. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  2. Khan, Saira (6 August 2018). "Samina Humayun, Sana Shahnawaz, IMGC collaborate for production". HIP. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  3. "Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sajal Aly and Kubra Khan to star in 'Alif' | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  4. Shirazi, Maria (3 July 2018). "Ahsan Khan joins the cast of Alif". The News Interanational. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  5. "Yashma Gill joins the cast of Alif". The Nation. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  6. "Hina Ashfaque stars in Alif". The News. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  7. Haider, Sadaf (17 March 2020). "Alif is one of the most artistically pleasing dramas to grace our screens in years". Images. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. "Alif Last Episode Review: Qalab e Momin sets on a path of real success". Oyeyeah. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  9. "Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sajal Aly and Kubra Khan team up for 'Alif'". Something Haute. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  10. "Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sajal Aly and Kubra Khan to star in 'Alif' - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  11. Images Staff (26 August 2021). "Lux Style Awards announces nominations for its 20th edition". Images. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  12. "GEO LSA 2021: Full list of winners at 20th Lux Style Awards". www.thenews.com.pk. 10 October 2021.
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