Suno Chanda (2018) Review: Ramadan's Feuding Fiancés

Is Suno Chanda worth watching?

Yes. Suno Chanda is one of the most beloved Pakistani comedies of recent years, a light, noisy and good-natured romance built on the chaos of a joint family during Ramadan. Its pleasures are simple ones: sparky bickering between the leads, a gallery of eccentric relatives and a festive mood that makes it genuinely comforting. The reservation is that the comedy is broad and repetitive, and the second season has less to add than the first.

What is Suno Chanda about?

Ajiya (Iqra Aziz) and her cousin Arsal have been promised to each other by their family, and neither is remotely happy about it. She is headstrong and has plans of her own; he is prickly and just as determined not to be told who to marry. Living under the same roof, the two spend their days scheming to break the engagement, while an overflowing household of aunts, uncles, cousins and a formidable grandmother, played by Samina Ahmed, has other ideas.

The story unfolds over the month of Ramadan, and the rhythms of the season shape the show: pre-dawn meals, the rush to prepare iftar, family gatherings and the build-up to Eid. It is less a will-they-won’t-they mystery than a comedy about how long two stubborn people can hold out against a family that has already decided.

Suno Chanda is a Pakistani serial in Urdu, produced by Momina Duraid and broadcast on Hum TV as a Ramadan special in 2018, with a second season following in 2019. This review covers both seasons, 60 episodes in total (30 per season, each broadcast across Ramadan); the story has ended.

A family comedy first, a romance second

The show’s real strength is its household. Pakistani drama is often associated with heavy melodrama about marriage and duty, and Suno Chanda takes the same raw material and plays it for laughs. The relatives are drawn in bold strokes, each with a running joke or a verbal tic, and the scenes where the whole family crowds into one room to argue have a lived-in energy that feels recognisable to anyone from a big family.

The Ramadan setting is more than decoration. The show uses the month’s routines to structure its episodes and give them a festive glow, and its warmth towards faith and family tradition is part of the appeal. It is the kind of series designed to be watched with relatives, and it wears that openly.

Iqra Aziz leads with real comic timing

Iqra Aziz is the show’s engine. Ajiya is loud, clever and frequently wrong, and Aziz plays her with a spark that stops the pranks from becoming grating. Her rapid-fire exchanges with her reluctant fiancé are the series’ most dependable pleasure, and the slow shift from rivalry to affection is handled with more patience than the broad comedy around it might suggest. Samina Ahmed brings authority and warmth to the matriarch who quietly holds all the cards.

Where the jokes start repeating

The comedy relies heavily on repetition. Pranks, misunderstandings and shouting matches return in similar shapes from episode to episode, and some of the supporting characters are more shrill than funny. The romance also moves slowly by design, which will test viewers who prefer tighter storytelling. The second season revisits the same family with new complications, but it lacks the freshness of the first and is best treated as a bonus for committed fans.

Who should watch Suno Chanda?

It is ideal for viewers who enjoy romantic comedy rooted in family life, for anyone curious about Pakistani television beyond its weepier dramas, and for households looking for something everyone can watch together. The content is clean and family-friendly. Each season is a Ramadan-length run of episodes, so it suits steady nightly viewing.

For more Pakistani drama after this:

• Zindagi Gulzar Hai, a gentler, more serious love story about two very different people learning to understand each other.
• Humsafar for a classic Hum TV romance with far more melodrama and far fewer jokes.

The verdict

Suno Chanda is comfort television done well: warm, funny and rooted in the specific textures of a Pakistani family Ramadan. The humour is broad and the second season is inessential, but Iqra Aziz’s lively lead performance and the show’s affection for its chaotic household make the first season a delight.

Rating: 4/5