Why I like (most of) the Nazir family

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog December 2014, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There have been a lot of blog posts about the Nazir family on Coronation Street and a lot of comments left by fans on each post. It seems as if there's a love/hate thing going on with the Nazir family as a whole, and individual members of the clan have their own strengths and weaknesses too.  I've stayed out of the debate so far but feel it necessary to vent my spleen now.  I've had enough of the Nazir family - but not all of them. In fact, there's one I like a lot.

Yasmeen is the one I like best. She's gobby, forthright, strong - all the qualities of the typical Coronation Street woman. She's not a battle-axe although she does have a sharp tongue, not afraid to say what she thinks. In addition, not only did she endear herself to me with the sit-in at the library with Roy, she's opened Jamila House, the new Community Centre of the Street.  Yasmeen is the best of the lot and the one that should stay, if indeed Corrie were ever thinking of axing any of them, which they're probably not, but I do wish they would.

Sharif is next on my list of those I like most, but only because he acts as a feckless foil to Yasmeen's big plans. He's become a member of the Square Dealers, another nod to Corrie's history, and am  I over-thinking this, or are his chickens a cunning and not very subtle nod to Jack's pigeons?  Or maybe a fox will come and eat them, who knows?  Sharif can stay too, but only so that he extends his reign as the downtrodden husband, a type that we know on the Street only too well.

Alya is one I have mixed feelings about. I think putting her into Underworld with Carla could be a joy to watch in coming weeks. Or it could turn sour, my inner-Corrie jury is still out on this one. I like what I've seen of Alya so far except for the wrongly-matched relationship with Gary Windass, which I haven't enjoyed watching.  As a huge fan of both actor Mikey North and the character of Gary Windass, Alya was never going to be good enough for Gary, in my eyes.  Mind you, I'm not sure who would be.  He needs to get back with Izzy.  The poor lad also needs to get back to counselling for his post traumatic stress disorder too.

And then we come on to the other two Nazirs - Kal and Zeedan.  This is the tricky bit, because I was excited when I read the news that Jimi Mistry was joining Corrie as Kal, and that Chesney from Shameless was joining Corrie as Zeedan. These were two actors I have watched and admired on telly and in film, in other shows, in other dramas and always thought they were great.  But for me, neither of them fit in with Corrie and both should leave soon.
There, I've said it. It's just my tuppence worth.



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