A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Raqeeb Se – Episode 12 (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
- Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina
- Noman Ijaz as Maqsood
- Sania Saeed as Hajra
- Faryal Mehmood as Insha
- Iqra Aziz as Ameera
- 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 – Episode 12 pertains nothing new when it comes to plot development but was a breeze to watch thanks to interesting banter between the main cast of the show. This time, the episode was rich rather in character development and explored more the motivations and struggles of each individual locked within the world of Maqsood and his past.
ii – “So what do you enjoy in Life, Maqsood sahib?”
The back and forth between Maqsood and Ameera was excellent in this scene. It really showed the contrast of personalities or perhaps… Maqsood outer exterior is one hammer strike away from opening up to reveal his true emotions? Great stuff.
iii – It’s satisfying to watch that in this episode, Abdul finally fulfills a milestone in his own personal achievements and when done right, the scenes between Insha and Abdul can be very charming to watch.
iv – A new character has been introduced into the show and without revealing anything, I think he/ she could prove to be a valuable asset to the show.
v – Because of the emotional struggle that Sakina and Hajira face within themselves, they now (understandably) share an unspoken bond between each other. This is good writing from Beegul and breaks the stereotype that women who love the same man just need to constantly throw venomous insults at one another.
vi – The production value of the episode is once again top notch in quality. As said before, Raqeeb Se is the most unique looking show right now on Pakistani television. It relies on its skills of setting up lighting and contrast with shadows rather than just pulling the saturation high to hide its lack of team’s skills behind the camera.
+ Low Points
i – Raqeeb Se has always been a slow burn of a show. But regular plot progression is absolutely necessary in a weekly televised show if it wants to maintain its audience on a weekly basis. Although Episode 12 was not the worst offender, I really hope the show picks up its pace pretty soon.
ii – There has been too much teasing going on about why Hajira is really grateful to Maqsood and why she decided to marry him even though she knew he could never be hers. The revelation at this point of the show is necessary in order for the audience to feel empathy towards her. Right now, it just feels that show needs to go through this monotonous routine of:
“Maqsood has done so much for me…”
“But what has he really done?”
(Change of subject matter).
iii – Faryal Mehmood’s performance can be very effective in short bursts but in Episode 12, she has a long monologue just unfortunately felt slightly awkward due to her dialogue delivery. But with the right direction from Kashif Nisar, I’m certain she can improve upon this hurdle in her performance.
+ Overall
Episode 12 is a definite improvement from the last few weeks and if the lack of regular plot progression is resolved within the coming weeks, Raqeeb Se has the potential to become must see TV.
Rate: 3.25 out of 5 stars
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