''Chandni Raatein'' (also spelled ''Chaandni Raatain'') is a Pakistani drama centered on certain

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

n cultural backgrounds, and issues such as

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

motherhood ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...

and the distanced mother and daughter-in-law bond. The show aired on Pakistan Television Corporation, Pakistan Television in 2002, and repeat-telecasted from the same channel in 2008.

Plot

Head of her family, Bee Jan (Safia Khairi) has her own strict set of rules and cultural values, which she enforces in her home with zeal and zest. The all-mighty but too traditional mother has two sons, Aamir (

Javed Sheikh Jawed Sheikh (also spelled Javaid and Javed; born 8 October 1954) is a Pakistani actor, film director and producer who works in Lollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for working in the Hindi films ''Om Shanti Om'', '' My Name Is Anthony Gon ...

), who is married to Abginey (

Faryal Gohar Faryal Gohar is a Pakistan actress, television writer and human rights activist. She is known for her roles in dramas '' Waris'', '' Uraan'', ''Chaandni Raatain'', '' Chand Grehan'', ''Wisal'' and '' Mohini Mansion Ki Cinderellayain''. Early lif ...

); and Aasim (

Humayun Saeed Humayun Saeed Ansari (born 27 July 1971), professionally known as Humayun Saeed, is a Pakistani actor and producer. He has appeared in dozens of Pakistani television dramas and limited number of films, and earned Lux Style Awards, and ARY Fil ...

), who is unmarried. Aamir and Abginey are childless, despite eight years of happy marriage. Seeing how Abginey can not bear a child, Bee Jan decides to marry her elder son off to a younger, prettier girl. A submissive son with an almost scary mother, Aamir can not stand up and fight for Abginey. The result is his marriage to Maha (

Mahnoor Baloch Mahnoor Baloch (born 15 February 1970) is an American-born Canadian Pakistani actress, film director and former model. Baloch made her television debut in 1993 with the drama serial ''Marvi'' aired on PTV. She is often praised by critics for her ...

). Maha is a rude, unorthodox girl, who lives life the way she wants, and clearly refuses to follow Bee Jan's rules. Bee Jan is angry but, when Maha becomes pregnant, all of her fury vanishes. Abginey is still childless, and her position in the house continues to deteriorate as Maha treats her like filth. It is during these circumstances that Abginey's London-residing family - her parents (Badar Khalil and Shehryar Zaidi) and her younger sister, Zarmeeney (Aaminah Haq) - pay a surprise visit to Abginey. They are shocked to learn of Aamir's second marriage, which Abginey had not told them of. They try hard to take Abginey back to London with them, but she refuses outright. Maha, meanwhile, wants Aamir's younger brother, Asim, to marry her cousin, Iraj. Defying Bee Jan and Aamir, Asim declares his love for Zarmeeney. Bee Jan is afraid that Zarmeeney might, like sister Abginey, be infertile, but Asim refuses to listen. They marry and, despite a lot of problems, come together as a happy couple in the end. A subplot also reveals how Maha had been married previously, and has a son from that marriage.

Reception

"The role of a woman towards/against/supporting nother woman has been called the 'essence of the drama." Review of Chaandni Ratein In 2008, ''Chandni Ratein'' was repeatedly telecast on PTV Home. The drama was aired from Monday to Friday for thirty minutes each day during the Matinee Time show, which re-telecasts quality television serials to provide home, family entertainment.

Cast

as Abginey Aamir (Abi) - Aamir's first wife (Badi Dulhan) *

as Maha Aamir - Aamir's second wife (Choti Dulhan) *

as Asim *

as Aamir *

Aminah Haq Aaminah Haq ( ur, ), also variously spelled as Aamina Haq and Amna Haq) is a Pakistani model and actress. Haq has modelled for magazines including ''She'', ''Libas'', ''Visage'', '' Women's Own'', ''Fashion Collection'' and '' Newsline''. She ...

as Zarminay - Abginey younger sister married to Asim *Safia Khairi *

Zaheen Tahira Zaheen Tahira (1931 – 9 July 2019) was a Pakistani film and television actress, producer and director. She also worked for Radio Pakistan and on stage. Early life She was born in 1931 in Lucknow, India (according to some sources, she was ...

as Bee Jee *

Badar Khalil Badar Khalil ( ur, ; born 15 October 1944), also known as 'Baddo Aapa', is a Pakistani television actress. She gained popularity for her role in the TV play Bi Jamalo portraying herself as Bi Jamalo. Later on, she appeared in many as hit TV se ...

as Abiney's mother *Latif Kapadia *Kulsoon Sultan * Tamanna *Jahanzeb Khan

Lux Style Awards

* Best TV Play-Won * Best TV Actor-

-Won * Best TV Actress-

-Nominated

References

{{PTV Programs Pakistani drama television series Urdu-language television shows Pakistan Television Corporation original programming 2002 Pakistani television series debuts