A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 23 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
Produced by Momina Duraid
Production by MD Productions
+ Note
The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.
+ Main Cast
Urwa Hocane as Dania
Ali Rehman as Shehroz
Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
Muazzam Ali Khan
Sonia Mishal
Najiba Faiz
Atiqa Odho
Shabbir Jan
Nauman Maqsood
Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani
+ Plot
Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.
+ High Points
i – The story progressed to a minimal degree (and I am being extremely generous here).
+ Low Points
i – Episode 23 was just ridiculous. Meri Shehzadi has now entered the “trashy” section of Pakistani television (or as I would like to call it, Geo TV programs). Slaps galore! It has now become a staple that whenever a husband physically abuses his wife, the wife returns the favor. Our main protagonist is being constantly drugged and her pseudo doctor boyfriend also can’t figure this mystery out. Scheming maids, evil Mother in Laws and more!
Last week, I was being overly optimistic for the show’s future but this episode proved me wrong. This might be the lowest point of this show’s lifespan.
ii – The show runners clearly have no idea how drugs work since Urwa Hocane’s performance is unnecessarily exaggerated. All of a sudden, her entire character has changed as she is snapping at people who supported her left and right, smashing kebab plates (off screen) and whatnot. One could understand if such behavior came in phases but not as a constant entity. Comical writing accompanied by outlandish performance. Terrible!
iii – Look at this screenshot from the episode. The video on the phone apparently leaped out of its screen and overlapped the spoon. Is this the standard of Hum TV productions now??
iv – This show has currently no sense of direction. The character growth that we thought we witnessed has evaporated into thin air so the script can make room for some nonsense, trashy back and forth between the characters.This has to be one of the worst episodes that this show has put out. And we, as an audience, deserve better quality writing from Hum TV productions.
+ Overall
Unapologetic, trashy television that should have no place on national television.
A review on Pakistani feature length film, Joyland (2022). The controversial feature length debut is written and directed by Saim Sadiq. The film stars Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, and Salmaan Peerzada. The film centers around the Rana family as the head of the family yearns for the birth of another boy from his son, Haider. Joyland is distributed by Film Constellation.
+ Crew
Directed by Saim Sadiq
Written by Saim Sadiq and Maggie Briggs
Cinematography by Joe Saade
Edited by Saim Sadiq and Jasmin Tenucci
Music by Abdullah Siddiqui
Produced by Apoorva Guru Charan, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, Sabiha Sumar and Lauren Mann
+ Note
Due to its thematic elements of a married man falling in love with a transgender woman, the film Joyland has received massive criticism from religious groups within Pakistan (believing it was against “Pakistani and Islamic values”). But on the other end of the spectrum, the film has met with critical success and has been screened in film festivals around the world. Even with immense pressure from the religious groups, the film was eventually released in some parts of Pakistan (while heavily edited due to its content). Joyland was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and was short listed for Academy Awards for ‘Best Foreign Film’ but did not make the final five at the end.
+ Main Cast
Ali Junejo as Haider
Rasti Farooq as Mumtaz
Alina Khan as Biba
Sarwat Gilani as Nucchi
Salmaan Peerzada as Rana Amanullah
Sohail Sameer as Saleem
Sania Saeed as Fayyaz
+ Plot
In the inner depths of Lahore, lives the Rana family where the father (Salmaan Peerzada) wants his son Haider (Ali Junejo) to provide him a grandson. But with his marriage falling apart, Haider meets a transgender dancer Biba (Alina Khan) and against all odds, falls in love.
+ High Points
i – With all the hype and controversies surrounding the film, Joyland is indeed one of the best Independent films Pakistan has ever produced. The film explores the underbelly of our society as it casts a light onto individuals who apparently “do not exist” or are not worthy of being Pakistani. Joyland is a quintessential character exploration drama where our protagonist Haider is being forced to abide with the patriarchy of his father and his forefathers; he must produce a son in order to keep his family lineage going. But Haider, on the other hand, is a gentle soul who lacks the courage to stand up to his father and break the patriarchal shackles once and for all. He is afraid as we all are in our society. Afraid to stand up for one’s self. Afraid to speak out against a blatant lie. Afraid to be just ourselves. With its subject matter, Joyland undoubtedly divides its audience to the core but it also accomplished work of art by being an essential introspective of our Pakistani society.
ii – The film has a talented cast of actors. The chemistry between the onscreen married couple; Haider and Mumtaz (played excellently by Rasti Farooq) brings a sense of dread and remorse to its viewers. Haider is incapable of giving her the love and attention that she deserves. Like many Pakistanis, he is forced to live the life that fate dictates him.
Whenever the actors share a scene together, Rasti and Ali bring out the best in each other. They laugh, make fun of each other but at the same time, cannot convey the claustrophobic sense of dread that is killing them from the inside. And that, in its own way, is poetic to the landscape of cinema.
iii – The chemistry between Bibi and Haider on the other hand is vastly different. Here, Haider finally has the chance to break away from the ever watchful eye of his father and become an individual that he did not even dared in his wildest dreams. But ever the pessimist, Haider’s joke of the mosquito and chicken falling in love and eventually dying of each other’s diseases set up the tone to the life Haider is accustomed to. He knows pursuing Biba is off limits and won’t end well for either of them.
Alina Khan as Biba is abrasive but honest in her performance. To implement one’s real life experiences of being a Transgender in a conservative society like Pakistan is never an easy task but Alina gives a fantastic performance as the dream girl for Haider. The woman who can force out the hidden rebellion out of him. Joyland thrives the most when both such contrasting chemistries play on screen and make the viewers understand just a little better where Haider comes from.
iv – The film is shot in an aspect ratio of 4:3 (which is more of an “equal box screen size”) and it plays an essential role for the film. The aspect ratio gives the cinematographer Joe Saade ample chance to create claustrophobic images which heightens the sense of unease and angst. Our characters at times want to break through the limited space of the frame, leap out of the screen and run towards a better, carefree future. Throughout the film, we get to witness numerous close ups of individual character heads as they feel trapped inside the images, yearning to escape. The director Saim Sadiq made an excellent decision with the aspect ratio which certainly paid off for the film.
v – There are some mesmerizing imagery in the film which bring a sense of fever dream at times. The scene where Biba and Haider share a drink in a room lit by the neon lights from the exterior was executed with perfection. Moving pictures are always visual narratives first and Saim Sadiq has a keen eye in presenting that without relying too much on spoken dialogues. The tone and the atmosphere that the film creates speaks volumes about our characters and what dystopian atmosphere they are forced to grow up in.
vi – But all is not doom and gloom. The actual “Joyland” scene of the film is the only time where we saw our characters (just for a brief period of time) forget their troubles, their hardships, their pessimistic futures disappear just so they can enjoy this one moment in time together. On the surface level, this scene might seem inconsequential but it was essential to the overall narrative of the film.
+ Low Points
Major SPOILERS ahead. If you would like to avoid it, please skip to Overall section:
i – Joyland unfortunately suffers from a shift of narrative half way through the film which did not work. The first half of the film focuses on Haider, his struggles with the expectations from the family, his forbidden romance with Biba and coming to terms with his sexuality. The second half focuses on Mumtaz, her need of attention from her husband, the unexpected pregnancy and the eventual suicide. I am not entirely sure why the narrative of the film was constructed in such a way as it would leave many viewers perplexed as to who the main character of the film is. The first half is about the forbidden love of Haider and the second half is the consequences on his wife because of it? Would she have committed suicide regardless of Haider’s affair? On one hand, the film wants us to root for Haider to embrace his sexuality but later on, the character of Biba and the love affair is completely ignored as the film decides to focus on Mumtaz who inadvertently becomes the main character of the film.
It’s great that the film shows the consequences of the decisions that our protagonist makes onto the supporting characters but by completely shifting the focus of our main character creates such a divide and leaves the viewers with a lingering thought of what they were supposed to take out from all this?
ii – The whole father’s love affair with the neighbor felt unnecessary and a distraction to the film’s main narrative. Yes, it showed that even hardliners of the family also do not like the patriarchal system that they have been brought up in but the whole scene felt like an afterthought to the main premise of the film.
+ Overall
Abrasive, cruel and an honest case study of our society, Joyland is a film that dawns a new light onto Pakistani cinema. An essential watch.
A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 22 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
Produced by Momina Duraid
Production by MD Productions
+ Note
The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.
+ Main Cast
Urwa Hocane as Dania
Ali Rehman as Shehroz
Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
Muazzam Ali Khan
Sonia Mishal
Najiba Faiz
Atiqa Odho
Shabbir Jan
Nauman Maqsood
Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani
+ Plot
Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.
+ High Points
i – Episode 22 starts off with Shahana Bajhi a.k.a Dania’s Mother in Law as she wants to retaliate and take everything away from Dania. With each passing meal, Dania is being secretly drugged to deteriorate her health and present her as a mother who is incapable of taking care of her children. With each scene, we can see Dania growing irritable and incapacitated. On the other hand, the Mother in Law is also trying to manipulate her other daughter in law, Cam. Brought up in her “western culture”, Cam has a hard time adjusting to the requirements presented by her Mother in Law. Episode 22 was good because it presented storyprogression from both ends and each character played its role with significance to the overall plot of the show.
ii – It’s fairly interesting that even though Cam craves for her husband’s approval, she is still unwilling to sacrifice her character in the process. She likes to wear western clothing, hug her male friends and dance into the night. Even with immense pressure from Shahana Baji, she is unwilling to conform to the “norms” of a Pakistani housewife. It is also intriguing to notice that the show does not really take sides but rather, let the viewers decide who is right in this situation; the overbearing mother in law or the stubborn daughter in law?
+ Low Points
i – The “party” scene was so utterly ridiculous. For some reason, the footage was sped up to make the scene “chaotic”, the camera was entirely focused on hors d’oeuvres and not the guests mingling with one another. The scene felt flat for what the show was trying to accomplish.
ii – Dr. Hasan has been a very disappointing character for me. Even though he has mellowed out since the last few episodes, his romance with Dania feels non-existent at this point. Aren’t we supposed to root for them to be together? And speaking of ignored characters, Shehroz has become non-existent at this point which is such a shame.
iii – Drugged or not, I cannot imagine that a character like Dania would throw the kebabs plate onto the wall because they were “too spicy”. From what we have been accustomed to, it is not in Dania’s character.
+ Overall
With devious plans and the clash of polar opposite characters, Episode 22 was an entertaining one.
A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 21 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
Produced by Momina Duraid
Production by MD Productions
+ Note
The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.
+ Main Cast
Urwa Hocane as Dania
Ali Rehman as Shehroz
Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
Muazzam Ali Khan
Sonia Mishal
Najiba Faiz
Atiqa Odho
Shabbir Jan
Nauman Maqsood
Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani
+ Plot
Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.
+ High Points
i – Unlike the previous episode, this week had better plot development. Dr. Hasan is now trying to convince Dania to reconsider a second marriage with him in order to maintain her public image. The mother in law of course wants to destroy everything around Dania and take her place once again as the head of the table. Meri Shehzadi suffers from plot structure and bad writing but the events of each scene are communicated with clarity to the viewers which makes it easy to follow and revisit each and every week for the next plot development.
+ Low Points
i – Meri Shehzadi has just drizzled down to mediocrity. All characters have just become cartoonish caricatures of themselves, plot development from previous episodes are ignored or incomplete, the individual personas of the main cast do not matter anymore as the plot has finally gone into auto pilot. Events need to happen not because they had been carefully developed throughout the show but rather to the requirement of the script. Case in point; Dania’s marriage to Dr. Hasan. In the last episode, the doctor indirectly insulted Dania and let out his frustration towards his mother for not agreeing to his previous love interest. And now, he just wants to “save” Dania. Not only is this plot point so far removed from the real Princess Diana’s affair with the Pakistani doctor but it also makes no sense to the plot of this show. If Dania ends up marrying the doctor, would that not make the rumors true that she did indeed have an affair with him behind her husband’s back?
ii – The chemistry and romance between Dania and Dr. Hasan is surprisingly one of the weaker parts of the show. And the fault not only lies in the performances but the script itself. The written dialogues try so hard to sound deep and meaningful but end up being cliche and uninteresting. The scenes shared between the two could have made or break the show but unfortunately for Meri Shehzadi, the romance feels forced and unmotivated.
iii – There were a couple of times in episode 21 where I openly groaned while watching the show. The writing has drastically become incredibly lame and the scenes like the mother in law using the chess board to hammer down the game of politics. Yes, politics is like a game of chess. Thank you for that visual reminder! And later on, the doctor and the grandpa also find some time to play a game of chess. Just a word of advice from the viewer; Symbolism only works if it’s subtle. Otherwise, it just comes off as contrived.
iv – It’s a pity that Shehroz has been almost entirely removed from the plot. He was always one of the few interesting characters of the show and Dr. Hasan unfortunately does not possess the complexity that Shehroz had.
+ Overall
The chemistry and romance between Dania and Dr. Hasan is surprisingly one of the weaker parts of the show.
A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 20 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
Produced by Momina Duraid
Production by MD Productions
+ Note
The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.
+ Main Cast
Urwa Hocane as Dania
Ali Rehman as Shehroz
Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
Muazzam Ali Khan
Sonia Mishal
Najiba Faiz
Atiqa Odho
Shabbir Jan
Nauman Maqsood
Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani
+ Plot
Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.
+ High Points
i – Even though the confrontation scene between Dania and her mother in law was abysmal, at least we (as the viewers) got to see character development from our protagonist. From the meek, impressionable girl to the strong, independent woman; Dania has grown massively as a character in these past 15 to 20 episodes. It is a reward that the viewer feels when they chose to stick by the show since its premiere episode and it has finally somewhat paid off.
+ Low Points
i – Episode 20 was lame and inconsequential at best. Nothing of note ever took place in this hour’s time. Dr. Hasan’s mother is forcing him to create a romance with Dania but to no avail. The confrontation between the Mother in law and our protagonist was as cliche as you could have imagined and the narrative felt nothing more than padding for the next coming weeks of the show. Entirely skippable of an episode.
ii – You know when the show has run out of its creative juices when you see a slap and a blocking of the slap routine. The Saas/ Bahoo storyline has come to a dead end by now. The confrontation between Dania and her mother in law is beyond its expiry date and apart from being treated with line after line of pure repetition and nonsensical dialogue, Dania has finally taken her kids away and I hope that is the end of that storyline.
iii – It is still astonishing to me that the real life married couple of Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane can be so devoid of onscreen chemistry. None of the scenes that they share feel exciting and engaging in any shape or form. The scenes feel rushed and a practice recitation of dialogues so they can end the day’s shoot as quickly as possible. And on top of it all, Dr. Hasan is now arguably turning into an unlikeable character.
iv – It is obvious that Dr.Hasan makes intrusive remarks towards Dania in the episode just to push her further away but I am not really sure why. If Hasan is not interested in Dania then these actions could make sense but if it is just for spite since his mother refused the last girl he brought home then that is just ludicrous. In episode 20, Dr. Hasan just comes off bitter and unapproachable to the viewers and I am sure that is not what the show wants us to feel about him.
+ Overall
An inconsequential episode, riddled with cliche scenes and dialogues, Meri Shehzadi can do much better than this.
A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 18 and 19 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
Produced by Momina Duraid
Production by MD Productions
+ Note
The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.
+ Main Cast
Urwa Hocane as Dania
Ali Rehman as Shehroz
Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
Muazzam Ali Khan
Sonia Mishal
Najiba Faiz
Atiqa Odho
Shabbir Jan
Nauman Maqsood
Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani
+ Plot
Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.
+ High Points
i – Episode 18 starts a new phase in Dania’s life. Her political career looks uncertain, her family life is in shambles, the only thing she has going for her is her grandfather who is currently in the hospital. Enter; Dr. Hasan. Inspired by the real life lover of Princess Dania, Dr. Hasan is played by the real life husband of Urwa Hocane, Farhan Saeed. And immediately, one could see why this was such an ideal casting. Farhan’s performance possesses a certain arrogance with a hint of empathy to create a character for Dania whom she could eventually fall in love with. A total 180 if in comparison to her husband. Initially, Dr. Hasan comes off harsh and unsympathetic but as you get to know him, he eventually warms up and reveals his inner thoughts and emotions. All in all, Farhan Saeed as Dr. Hasan is perfect casting the show.
ii – With everything imploding around Dania (her marriage, her career), it’s nice to see some good fortune bestowed upon her. The romance with her husband was doomed right from the start. Since then, Dania has faced countless hardships with no silver linings in between so Dr. Hasan is undoubtedly a sigh of relief for the show.
+ Low Points
i – Even though casting Farhan Saeed as Dania’s eventual lover was a no brainer, one would have expected a much better chemistry from the real life married duo. Urwa Hocane’s one note dialogue delivery seems like a bad mix with Farhan’s calculated performance.
ii – So this move left me somewhat perplexed. After the grandfather’s heart attack scene, Qavi Khan as the ‘Nana’ just retired from the role and was handed over to a new actor who physically looks nothing alike! The subtitle underneath claims no real reason behind it so why was this decision made? Did Qavi Khan have other commitments or was he physically not well? Such decisions break the immersion of the viewers and unless there is a vital reason behind it, these actor swaps should be avoided.
iii – We are two-thirds way into the life of the show and Meri Shehzadi has been a poor (loose) adaptation of the life of Princess Diana. Urwa Hocane has been very disappointing with her performance in the lead role, the plot has strictly focused on uninspired family drama that has been depicted countless times on every Pak TV show and the show hardly gives you any reason to re-visit it each and every week. I would wish the show to end on a high note, develop the romance between Dania and Dr. Hasan, make the audience root for them to be together. With such an interesting narrative platform, Meri Shehzadi should have been a much better show than it is.
+ Overall
A silver lining in the form of Dr. Hasan but Meri Shehzadi continues to walk on familiar territories and never challenge itself with originality.
A review on Pakistani feature length film, The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022). The feature length epic is written and directed by Bilal Lashari. The film is an adaptation of a 1979 Punjabi cult classic ‘Maula Jatt’ starring the legendary Sultan Rahi. The film stars Fawad Khan as the protagonist with Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik, Faris Shafi and Mahira Khan. The Legend of Maula Jatt is produced by Encyclomedia, Lashari Films and is distributed by AAA Motion Pictures, Geo Films and Mandiwala Entertainment.
+ Crew
Directed by Bilal Lashari
Written by Nasir Adeeb and Bilal Lashari
Cinematography by Bilal Lashari
Edited by Bilal Lashari
Music by Sarmad Ghafoor
Produced by Ammara Hikmat and Asad Jamil Khan
Production by Encyclomedia and Lashari Films
+ Note
The development of a new adaptation of the Punjabi cult classic started around 2013 by the director Bilal Lashari and later on, Ammara Hikmat and Asad Jamil Khan came onboard as producers for the film. In an effort to make the film grasped firmly into the roots of the original, Nasir Adeeb (the screenwriter of the original) was hired to co-write the script. With a hefty budget of PKR 45 crore, the adaptation was initially supposed to be released around 2018/19 but due to various copyright lawsuits and the pandemic, was pushed further back. The film was finally released on 13th October 2022 and quickly became the highest grossing Pakistani film of all time.
+ Main Cast
Fawad Khan as Maula Jatt
Rehan Fareed Hiraj as Young Maula
Hamza Ali Abbasi as Noori Natt
Mahira Khan as Mukhoo Jattni
Humaima Malik as Daaro Nattni
Gohar Rasheed as Maakha Natt
Faris Shafi as Mooda
Shafqat Cheema as Jeeva Natt
Saima Baloch as Rajjo
Nayyer Ejaz as Jagoo Natt
Ali Azmat as Gogi
+ Plot
Born out of a tragic past, Maula Jatt grows up to take revenge against the Noori Natt clan and fights for the justice of his people.
+ High Points
i – So I just would like to get this out of the way, The Legend of Maula Jatt exceeded my expectations. Not only did Bilal Lashari create an engaging, three hour long Punjabi epic with fast paced action and breathtaking visuals but it also did not forget its humble roots of our low budget Punjabi cinema. From the interesting cast of characters to the final epic battle between Maula Jatt and Noori Natt, the film will undoubtedly keep you entertained throughout its runtime. Bilal Lashari and his crew have done a marvelous job in bringing Maula Jatt to mainstream pop culture without desecrating its source material. The film rapidly became the highest grossing Pakistani film of all time and with its continuous legal troubles behind the scenes, it was well worth the wait.
ii – Bilal Lashari is undoubtedly the genius behind the film. With just his second directorial film, Lashari is also credited as the writer, cinematographer and editor of the film. This is truly a herculean effort from the filmmaker who was hellbent on bringing Maula Jatt to the big screen once again and should rightfully be applauded for all his hard work. Since it was a singular vision in a lot of aspects, it is difficult for me to distinguish each individual aspect apart. The masterful cinematography truly complimented the emotional turmoil of the character, accompanied by numerous match cut edits, making the transition brilliant from one scene to the next. The Legend of Maula Jatt could truly be Bilal Lashari’s magnum opus.
iii – The best decision that Bilal Lashrai ever made was that he recruited Nasir Adeeb to co-write the script with him. Adeeb served as the screenwriter of the original Maula Jatt (1979) and dialogues have been written with uttermost perfection for each and every character. Never did any set of dialogue felt out of place or unnecessary to the story but in fact, some comedic ones also left me chuckling under my breath. Apart from Lashari, Nasir Adeeb has had a major role to play in the success of this film.
iv – As far as the performances go, I have no complaints. The theatrical, exaggerated performance of each actor complimented the essence of the source material with its core. It is one of the few instances where the film required exaggerated expressions and played quite well in creating a unique world of love, murder and vengeance. Fawad Khan, Maria Khan, Gohar Rasheed; everyone played their roles brilliantly. But all in all, it was Hamza Ali Abbasi’s Noori Natt who stole the show for me. His tragic past, deranged concept of justice and unfiltered violence made him such a unique figure in the history of Pakistani cinema.
v – Some audience members might have been turned off by the gratuitous violence in the film but it is an essential part of the saga. Bilal Lashrai smarty utilized such horrific imagery in order to heighten the atmosphere of the film. Maula Jatt grows up in a world of injustice and he is not afraid to use his Ghandasa in order to fight for his people. Frankly, I would have been very disappointed if they didn’t abrasively use violence in the film.
vi – Thankfully, the film is devoid of any song and dance numbers… except for this one instance.The ‘Chann Pichay’ was a wonderful melody that was strategically placed right in the middle of the film. It was as some might say “The calm before the storm”.
vii – The music by Sarmad Ghafoor and sound mixing did a stupendous job in bringing Maula Jatt to life. From the galloping of the horses to the verbal defiance of Maula Jatt, each scene was made engaging through its wonderful music composition and brilliant sound mixing.
viii – Now this is how you pay an homage to the source material! None of the famous dialogues of Noori Natt or Maula Jatt were misused or felt out of place in order to nudge the viewers into loving the film. All the callbacks of scenes, dialogues and violence were appropriately used to pay homage but at the end, have an identity of its own.
+ Low Points
i – The three hour runtime was never an issue for me but lack of quieter scenes unfortunately were. By the end of the film, the gratuitous violent imagery did become tad overbearing and one would imagine a couple of more character building scenes here and there might have helped the film in the long run. Such as…
ii – Mahira Khan as Mukhoo Jattni. Her character sadly feels shortchanged as she never developed beyond the characteristic that she loves Maula more than anything. Great but what is Mukhoo herself as a person? A few more scenes could have been utilized in developing her character, her back story, what role does she play in the story apart from being our main protagonist’s love interest.
iii – This is of course, a nitpick from my side but Fawad Khan is too handsome to play the role of Maula Jatt. His performance in the role was great but visually, his movie star looks hindered my attention towards believing in him as the vengeful protagonist. Before the original 1979 film, Sultan Rahi was never perceived as a star. He always played the role of an extra in numerous films, mainly because he looked like any other person you would meet on the street. Similarly, Maula Jatt represents the common man, anyone of us can take the mantle of him. Fawad Khan’s visual appearance never went beyond ‘a movie star playing a character on screen’.
+ Overall
Brilliant storytelling, great performances and direction, The Legend of Maula Jatt might just be one of the best Pakistani films ever made.
A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 17 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
Produced by Momina Duraid
Production by MD Productions
+ Note
The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.
+ Main Cast
Urwa Hocane as Dania
Ali Rehman as Shehroz
Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
Muazzam Ali Khan
Sonia Mishal
Najiba Faiz
Atiqa Odho
Shabbir Jan
Nauman Maqsood
Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani
+ Plot
Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.
+ High Points
i – Even with all its flaws, Meri Shehzadi always has at least one scene per episode which combines all the best elements of the show. And for episode 17, it was the confrontation between Shehroz and his mother in the garden. The tension and frustration on Shehroz’s face was quite evident as he contemplated the future scenario where he will have to officially announce his relationship with Cam to the general public. What follows is the talk that his mother gives him through her life long experience working as a politician. “Allow your loved one to die and you will finally be free of having anyone close to you again”. This is the sort of mentality I could expect from her character and plays a perfect role in morphing and corrupting Shehroz’s way of thinking.
ii – Unlike Dania, Cam’s character has always been on point. Bringing up the son on her own, she is desperate for Shehroz’s love and attention, and wants him all for herself. Dania will always be a major threat to her because to the general public, Dania will always be Shehroz’s one and only wife. Cam’s treatment by the family as an imposter is taking a toll on her mind and Cam finally want to break the shackles and achieve the goal of finally being Shehroz’s one and only love.
+ Low Points
i – Its very disappointing to see Meri Shehzadi doubledown on the narrative path towards a more “family melodrama” approach and less focused towards the “political aspect” of the plot. We now get to see Dania and Cam constantly fight one another for the affection of Shehroz and quite frankly, it’s very demeaning to the women of the show. By this point, Dania should be moving on with her life and focusing on her political career instead. Shehroz has made it very clear that he will never love her the way he does Cam so it all makes Dania seem desperate for attention. Wasn’t the real life Princess Diana also stuck in a loveless marriage? But she made something of her career as a philanthropist and a public figure instead. And so should Dania.
ii – Oh, the dialogue! “Please do not go to the event because I fear if you see Dania there, you will instantly fall in love with her!”. This is clearly how people do not talk in real life.
iii – Dania has been very poorly presented in the show. She pretends to be strong but cannot stand to leave her husband’s side. It has been proven time and time again that Shehroz’s approval is all that she needs to make her feel special and I feel it is a total disservice to how the show wants to portray Dania to the viewers. She should be smart enough to let go of this loveless marriage and pursue helping those in need.
+ Overall
Decent but tad disappointing that the show continues to focus on the family melodrama and Dania refuses to mature as a character.
A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 16 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
Produced by Momina Duraid
Production by MD Productions
+ Note
The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.
+ Main Cast
Urwa Hocane as Dania
Ali Rehman as Shehroz
Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
Muazzam Ali Khan
Sonia Mishal
Najiba Faiz
Atiqa Odho
Shabbir Jan
Nauman Maqsood
Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani
+ Plot
Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.
+ High Points
i – Episode 16 brings in a closure for Dania as to which direction she should like to move; fighting injustice towards her in the Shehroz household or furthering her career as a politician? The chairman of the party personally calls Dania, strongly advising her to return back to her family and not throw away her potential political career in the process. I am glad that the show has brought in a new perspective to the plot which deviates away from the usual ‘Saas/ Bahu’ politics at home. Dania should have aspirations beyond being a good wife/ mother, she should be smart enough to understand that quarreling with her In-Laws the whole time will ultimately spell the end of her.
ii – I like minor details in the show like the Photo session scene. It brings a sense of realism to the world of Dania and how her life is divided between the public image and the tortured personal life behind the curtain.
+ Low Points
i – Meri Shehzadi is becoming incredibly repetitive with the tug of war between Dania and her mother in law. Every episode contains at least two scenes where they both hit off at one another without adding anything new to the plot of the show. I believe it is high time that the show should move on from this plot point and Dania should focus now more on her career as a politician.
ii – I sincerely do not understand what the motive of the Shehroz family was to publicly defame Dania by accusing her of having an affair. By publicly humiliating her, they are inadvertently denying the trust of the people. And how is the chairman of the party allowing all of this without interference of any kind?
iii – Although some characters like the Mother in Law have had hints of sustainable emotional torture behind the facade (as she admitted once that her husband also in fact betrayed her trust), the rest of the cast is still incredibly devoid of any real characterization. The father, the stepmother and other supporting characters bring nothing substantial to the table. They either defend or plot revenge against Dania. Everything revolves around her. They have no ideas or aspirations of their own. The lack of in depth characterization has clearly made the show repetitive and centered solely towards the internal family conflict rather than playing along the political life of the family as well.
+ Overall
Meri Shehzadi definitely has the potential to be unique with its storyline if it manages to create a good balance between the political and the social drama.
A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Last Episode (2022). The new TV series is directed by Saqib Khan and written by Zanjabeel Asim. Fraud is a story of love, innocence and treachery as our protagonist is manipulated into marrying a forged personality. Fraud is an iDream Entertainment and ARY Digital Production.
+ Crew
Directed by Saqib Khan
Written by Zanjabeel Asim
Produced by Abdullah Seja
Production by iDream Entertainment
+ Note
Fraud is a case study of Pakistani families who always strive for betterment of their children. Obsession with wealth and power almost always ends up leading to unfavorable consequences. The director Saqib Khan is known for his numerous television projects and his upcoming cinematic film Ghabrana Nahi Hai (2022).
+ Main Cast
Saba Qamar as Maya
Ahsan Khan as Tabriaz
Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shaan
Rabia Kulsoom as Maila
Adnan Samad Khan as Nael
Mehmood Aslam as Nisar
+ Plot
Fraud is a story of Maya whose father wants her to marry into the richest family that he could find. But wealth does not equal character as she ends up marrying a wealthy man named Tabriaz who, through his trickery, makes life for Maya full of deceit and fraud.
+ High Points
i – So Fraud has finally wrapped up. All the loose ends neatly tied together, all the pieces of the puzzle in place. The women of Fraud finally have their sweet revenge over their ex-fraudulent husband, Tabriz (or Sharjeel or whatever he wanted to call himself these days). All is well. Honestly, all the positives I had from the show were fairly long gone by the end of it. Each episode tried to prolong the life of the show, squeezing and stretching each storyline to their limits. The conclusion that we all waited for finally came but was unfortunately dead on arrival due to the number of months that led to the finale.
But here lies a massive positive from me for Fraud; the show had a fantastic premise. The first several weeks of the show had some impeccable writing and a unique, eerie atmosphere. The movie set/ blurred reality sequence will forever be one the most brilliant scenes ever written for Pakistani television. The main cast had some fantastic scenes to display their wide range of performances, particularly Mehmood Aslam and Adnan Samad Khan. Regardless of how late the final curtain was pulled, Fraud will always be remembered to have a unique, uncharted storyline that addressed real life incidents that unfortunately occur on a semi-daily basis in Pakistan. And just for that, Fraud was well and truly ahead of the shows produced at the time in Pakistan.
ii – The earlier episodes of Fraud would not have been great, if it were not for its main cast of characters. Although reluctant at first, I did finally warm up to Tabriaz’s character once they started focusing on his back story, further developing the reasoning behind his heinous actions. Nael was yet another character I felt could have easily been a stand in as the main protagonist of the show. The rejection and the ultimate revenge he pulled off against Nisar sahib was a memorable episode for me and the scenes of it lingered on in my head weeks after the episode first aired on television.
+ Low Points
i – Well, now that all the good stuff is out of the way, it’s time to address the bad. The (well and truly) bad of the show. Fraud should not have ever been 35 episodes long! According to the content of the script, it should have lasted no more than 15 episodes but given the reasoning of making the show financially viable, it went on and on, dragging each storyline to its bitter end. After the 30th episode, the show reached a point of no return. All the good will the show created from its earlier episodes was long gone and most of the viewers like myself betrayed for all the time that we invested into it. Ending before its time but on a high note is infinitely more praiseworthy than tedious, long stretches of any beloved show.
ii – There were some major inconsistencies throughout the show’s lifespan. Why did all the bad luck happen to knock on Nisar sahib’s doorstep? Why did Maya not immediately contact the police or her parents once she found out that Tabriaz had adopted yet another alias? How did the murder of Maila’s husband play any role in the story of Fraud? The list could endlessly go on but I digress.
iii – Shaan is truly one of the worst written characters that I have ever come across on Pak TV. Each week, he whined and complained how his wife betrayed him and took his frustration out on people around him. Throughout the show’s lifespan, Shaan acted like a perpetual man child who complained to the world when things didn’t go his way. Writing 101; if you want a character to be liked by the audience, you should deliver hints of sympathetic character traits and even though Fraud tried, it failed miserably. But all of this might possibly have been avoided if Mikaal Zulfiqar’s performance made up for the shortcomings of the writing. Unfortunately it did not.
iv – Characters acted dumb and elusive because the script required it. Nisar sahib and his family were constantly made a fool of time and time again till it became highly unrealistic and phony. Nael betrayed and embarrassed the family on the highest stage imaginable but still, he was not only forgiven by the end but managed to marry the younger sister instead!? Poor Shaan was blinded (by his own stupidity I suppose) that he could not look past the facade of his step mother and sister’s ulterior motives. Maya did not meet her sister in law’s husband Tabriaz till several episodes later. So is the show trying to tell us that Maya saw no pictures, no wedding videos of her sister-in-law?? All of this was Fraud’s writing was at its worst.
+ Overall
Judging from its fantastic premise, Fraud brought such high promises with itself but ended on a complete whimper. From one of the most creative shows on television to a show that most of its viewers likely stopped watching halfway through. A truly valuable lesson why TV shows should have tightly written scripts and always end on a high note.
out of 5 stars 
out of 5 stars 
out of 5 stars 
out of 5 stars 
out of 5 stars
out of 5 stars
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out of 5 stars 
out of 5 stars
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