Mann Mayal

 ( Hum Tv ) 

However, Sheeba Khan of HIP lauded the series positively praising it script, Haseebs's direction, Shuja's background score, and acting - particularly of Hamza and Aiman Khan, she also praised for family orientation script saying, "that old, traditional feel is hard to find in dramas these days... Diyar-e-Dil was the last family drama on air so it is grateful for Mann Mayal and how it was presented!". Writing for same publication Khan heavily praised the screenplay, direction and acting for third episode particularly raising Maya Ali's character saying, "Maya Ali delivered a performance that has now pit her against the best of the best in the industry." And said, "A flawlessly written episode, with flawless acting and direction!."

In a less enthusiastic review for The Express Tribune Kanza Riaz said that, " Mann Mayal is teaching our society some horrendously wrong things." She heavily criticized the serial saying, "the director and producer chose to tell a story of a weak woman who falls in love with her neighbour/friend's brother for no apparent reason. She then employs every cheap trick in the book to attract him and convinces him to ask her parents for her hand in marriage." She further evaluate the role of women in society being "powerful" not "weak" and condemn "love marriage" concept in Pakistani culture. She praised the previous women oriented dramas such as Daam, Durr-e-Shehwar, Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Alpha Bravo Charlie. She concluded by saying "our entertainment media has become extremely commercialised and rating-oriented." Ayesha Siddique of The Nation opposes the idea of spreading "wrong message" to the people and said, " Mann Mayal is attempting to make girls more expressive and bolder," and explained that, "If a girl likes someone she should express her feelings. It is not against the dignity of a woman. It is not against anyone’s dignity at all. The taboo over a woman proposing to a man should be revisited."

The soundtrack of the series was heavily praised and has garnered more than a million views on YouTube, according to Saavn, the series ranked the top charts for three consecutive weeks of its release, and on the new official Pakistani music app Taazi, the song was among the highest-rated original soundtrack of series followed By "Yar-e-Man" of Diyar-e-Dil. In lukewarm reviews for Dawn News Sadaf haider felt that series suffers from "obvious plot holes" and stated "What doesn't make sense is that each character can see a clear path out of distress but they refuse to take it." She also said, "Despite the soaring music Hum TV uses to invoke a pavlovian response out of its audience, much of the dramatic tension required to connect emotionally with the plot is lacking." She further said, "Team Mann Mayal has managed to produce a very slick product, easily digested by the masses. While there are complaints of plot loopholes and one dimensional characters, this started off as a very popular serial and still is. So far, Mann Mayal has offered nothing new or challenging. It confirms every stereotype and comforts its audience’s prejudices, making it a winning and very commercially viable combination."

The character of Mikaeel (portrayed by Gohar Rasheed) received critical appraisal from critics, but he faces criticism and harsh reaction as Mikaeel from public, in an interview he said, "a woman came up to me and asked if I am Mikaeel from Mann Mayal, when I said yes, she responded, You are a bad person and you should leave this place before we slap you." He further said "when the drama aired, I received messages from women on my Facebook page and profile saying, ‘Thank you so much for playing your character so well, our ex-husbands used to behave exactly like that; mistreating us while we used to sit naïvely and thinking no, he is my husband, there was also the societal pressure. Now after watching Mann Mayal we realise we were only ill-treating ourselves. Thank you so much for playing this role and you’re a terrible person’." Gohar has been associated with organization that run for Down Syndrome Program causes and in a wake of this cause he auctioned all of his wardrobe from series to raise funds for this programs, he said, "I am honored to be a part of this auction and to do something for these children and I hope everyone to be a part of this auction and raise money for Karachi Down Syndrome."

Despite receiving highest-ratings, Mann Myal has been a subject of skeptical reviews and reception. In addition to critical reviews Jeenas character received wide media attention and has been a subject of controversy since beginning. Commenting on her character Ayesha Khan said, "With Mann Mayal, people hate my character Jeena but that’s the success of the character. What is frustrating though is when people can’t seem to differentiate between my onscreen persona and who I am in real life."mean I'm going to take their words to heart and change who I am over it. For me these judgments by bloggers are trash and that's exactly where they go," She further said, "social media has given a voice to every idiot – that doesn't mean I'm going to take their words to heart and change who I am over it. For me these judgments by bloggers are trash and that's exactly where they go".

Sadaf Haider of Dawn News wrote, " Mann Mayal is an undeniable runaway commercial success, it will not have the repeat value or iconic status that Humsafar, Diyar-e-Dil, Pyarey Afzal, Dastaan, Aun Zara, or other great iconic serials have. It will go down as just another pot boiler that made a lot of money, which is shame because this serial started off with a spark of brilliance." Furthermore, it was criticized for its storyline with critics saying it "senseless", and was panned for its overrun which initially was to have only twenty-four episodes. The finale episode of series revived widespread criticism and critical reviews both from public and critics. In a brief review of series, Sadaf Haider of Dawn News wrote, "even Mannu's newfound feminism couldn't save Mann Mayals last episode," she further said, " Mann Mayal had some great production value in the first 20 episodes, the script still had some internal logic and it has always been beautifully picturised. High ratings may well have been the reason for its decline in quality, as the producers realised that this cash cow could be milked for another 10 episodes." Haider, also equipped " Mann Mayal may well be a testament to the patience of the Pakistani public, the dogged determination of watching a serial to the end once it's started but the real X factor was, of course, Hamza Ali Abbasi," and advise him that he should concentrates "on quality before his brand starts to lose its luster."