Mr. Khan’s Review on Raqeeb Se – Episode II (2021)

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Raqeeb Se – Episode 2 (2021). The new TV series is directed by Kashif Nisar and is a production of Momina Duraid Productions. Raqeeb Se is a HUM TV Production.

(Note: If you’ve already read the review of the previous episode, you can skip directly ahead to the High points section).

+ Crew

• Directed by Kashif Nisar
• Written by Beegul
• DOP by Hassam Mairaj
• Music Composed by Hadiqa Kiani
• Produced by Momina Duraid Productions

+ Note

Raqeeb Se is the newest HUM TV Production and is once again the collaboration of the award winning Writer/ Director duo of Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar. 

The title of the show is heavily inspired by a poem from the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz when the young poet fell in love with a girl next door in Sialkot. But alas, as luck would have it, she one day unexpectedly left the city, only to be reunited years later when Faiz was already an established poet in the circles of Urdu literature. This encounter inspired Faiz to write a poem “Raqib Se!”. The backstory of this poem plays a crucial role in the premise of the show.

 + Main Cast

1. Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina
2. Noman Ijaz as Maqsood
3. Sania Saeed as Hajra
4. Faryal Mehmood as Insha
5. Iqra Aziz as Ameera
6. Saqib Sameer as Rafiq

+ Plot

Raqeeb Se is a call of Maqsood’s dark past that could potentially destroy his present life. In order to escape her abusive husband, Sakina, along with her daughter Ameera, flees from her village to find shelter at her former lover’s place, Maqsood. Unfortunately Maqsood, who still holds a grudge against Sakina’s past actions, refuses to aid her in her most dire situation. But his wife, Hajra, seems much more sympathetic to the situation and lets Sakina stay at their home till things are figured out for the future.

But can Sakina be trusted to stay out of Maqsood’s life or will they be tempted to rekindle their lost love and in the process, destroy what Maqsood and his wife Hajra have built together?

+ High Points

i – While the first episode was busy in setting up the plot, the second episode had the time to flesh out its characters and make them resonate more with its audience. There is much depth into Ameera’s character as to why she lets out these sudden bursts of anger or even if Hajira is sympathetic to Sakina’s plight, she also has her fears of her seeping back into Maqsood’s life. This episode also had much more interactions of characters with opposite personalities which creates a certain sense of awe and excitement for the viewers.

ii – The cinematography was much more creative this time around. The camera floats around the huge bungalow, giving a sense of beauty but loneliness inside the mansion, the shot through the netting of a back of a chair to reveal Insha’s angst of entrapment in her world. Good stuff.

iii – What is also great about Raqeeb Se is the costume design of each character. Just by looking at the clothes, one could tell what kind of personality they possess. 

iv – The cliffhanger for episode 02 was great and much more impactful than last time. This will definitely make the viewers wait impatiently for episode 03 to come around.

 + Low Points

i – In terms of plot, episode 02 comes to a screening halt. Even though the episode obviously focused much more on character development, there is almost no sense in watching this episode IF you watch TV dramas for the sole purpose of plot progression (with exception to the last scene of the episode). The dialogue which jumps back and forth with:

“Mujhe tum ko usi Raat bahar phek dena chahiye tha!”

“Tuo mai kiya karta? Un ko usi Raat bahar phek deta!?”

And it does become tiresome after the first three times.

ii – The scenes between Insha and Raqib are only there for the sole purpose of expository dialogue, change of scenery and characters reflecting back on the current plot of the show. One can easily switch channels, come back to it after and wouldn’t miss a thing.

iii – The show depicts mother and daughter sleeping in one bed while Maqsood sahib sleeping alone in his massive, luxurious bed. Why? Will there be an explanation in the next episodes? I hope so because this seems extremely odd and unrealistic. Perhaps Maqsood sahib’s snoring is too extreme for Hajira’s tolerance…

iv – There are at times issues with how music is being used in the show. There plays a scene of high voltage dialogue between two characters; as a viewer, you could at times assume that it’s a tense moment but then light hearted music starts playing in the background to ease the tension out. Each scene is at times too reliant on the music to make the audience understand the mood of the scene, rather than just by dialogue and performances. A bit less reliant on the music please.

 + Overall

Although Raqeeb Se – Episode 02 is an improvement with its character interactions, it unfortunately has nothing to offer with its plot development. But the episode is never dull because the performances once again keep you engaged throughout the show. There might be one or two repetitive scenes but can easily be forgiven due to the cliffhanger of the episode.

I am still interested where the tale of Maqsood sahib’s mysterious past will lead us to. No real change in the rating for me since its premiere episode unfortunately but can very well potentially go much higher if Raqeeb Se plays its cards right and takes its audience in a direction where no other Pakistani TV drama dares to.

 Rate: 2.5 out of 5 stars