A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Laapata Episode 1 & 2 (2021). The new TV series is written and directed by Khizer Idrees. Laapata is a Momina Duraid Production and currently airs on HUM TV.
+ Crew
- Directed by Khizer Idrees
- Written by Khizer Idrees
- Produced by Momina Duraid Productions
+ Note
Laapata is a comedy/ drama which focuses on young love who want to fulfill all of their aspirations in Life. The drama also highlights modern obsessions with social media such as Tik Tok and its impact on the Pakistani youth of today.
The writer/ director of the show, Khizer Idrees is most well renowned in the TV industry for his work as a Cinematographer for films such as Manto (2015) and Verna (2017).
+ Main Cast
- Ali Rehman Khan as Shams
- Ayeza Khan as Geeti
- Gohar Rasheed as Daniyal
- Sarah Khan as Falak
+ Plot
Shams (Ali Rehman Khan) loves Falak (Sarah Khan) and they predict something big for their future. On the other hand, Geeti (Ayeza Khan), the big Tik Tok star, is always looking for a new toy to play with. After being faced to decide upon her secure future, Geeti might have her eyes now set on someone… and that someone could perhaps be Shams?
+ High Points
i – I am a firm believer that the opening scene for a TV show or a Film should encompass the vibe of the content the viewers are going to watch. And Laapata does exactly that. The opening scene was goofy, comedic but also depicted the aspirations (or delusions) of Shams flawlessly.
ii – The chemistry between Shams (Ali Rehman Khan) and Falak (Sarah Khan) is great. Both actors know how to play off each other which in turn creates fun banter between the two love birds. As far as casting goes, these two were spot on.
iii – The gambling scenes in the first two episodes are visual art at its finest. The colors, the low key lighting emphasizing on tension and devious atmosphere, the music also plays off great in these scenes without any dialogue. While gambling, one could instantly tell what each character is pondering without even any spoken dialogue. Great stuff.
iv – Speaking of visuals, Laapata is also very well shot with lots of creative camera movement accompanying the scenes. Since Khizer Idrees started off as a cinematographer first, it is not at all surprising that his shows will incorporate a lot of his experience behind the camera.
v – Most of the supporting cast also play their parts well. Actors such as Gohar Rasheed, Amna Malik, Rabia Noreen, Munazzah Arif and Khalifa Sajeer Uddin work brilliantly as our protagonist’s close acquaintances who want to guide their child/ sibling on the right path of success.
+ Low Points
i – First of all, this really needs to be addressed; why does Ali Rehman Khan’s face have touches of “browness” to it? Its definitely subtle but after watching the first two episodes, the only reason could be is a cultural one where “Browness = lower class”. Such casual racism unfortunately plagues our TV screens and Film Industry. First it’s the drama Parizaad and now this? The power of Media has such influence on the masses to combat bigotry and racism but dramas like these only throw fuel to the fire.
In Laapta In other shows.
ii – When it comes to the main plot and narrative, Laapata is nothing out of the ordinary. Due to its themes involving comedy and melodrama, the show plays it safe and uncreative (which is a disappointment since the cast of the show is great). While Hum TV currently has shows like Parizaad which proudly makes itself distinctive from the rest of the shows out there, Laapata is yet another Love Triangle/ Comedy of Errors mixed with melodrama that we all have become accustomed to. The main plot of the show is nothing flawed of sorts but it is also nothing creative.
iii – Ayeza Khan as Geeti is a tad bit annoying as the famous Tik Tok star. Now granted, she might perhaps be an ideal representation of a Tik Tok influencer but I wish she was not one of the main cast members of the show. Let us hope that with each passing episode, her character’s facade melts a bit and we get to see some depth in her character.
iv – The humor of the show, while nothing offensive, is also not really hilarious and most of the comedic scenes are with Geeti the Tik Tok star. This probably was not a good idea since she pretty much has no comedic timing. Most jokes are connected to her overexaggerated gestures and not the best comedic dialogue so unfortunately, Comedy is not Laapta’s strong suit. It also should be mentioned that the show tries to make subjects like “runaway marriages” a short term joke. Personally, I love dark humor if done right but here, not much thought was given to this set piece by Khizer Idrees. He may be a competent director/ cinematographer but the writing is lacking in originality and dialogues that could’ve been written much tighter for better results.
v – Now this is something really odd. In Episode Two, one of the supporting cast (in the midst of a conversation) gets off his chair, turns on the radio which is playing the Soundtrack of another Hum TV’s drama Raqeeb Se (sung by Hadiqa Kiani). Admittedly, the soundtrack is great but why was this necessary to shoehorned in the middle of a scene??
+ Overall
Laapata has a solid cast with gorgeous visuals but the writing lacks in creativity which could’ve distinguished it from the rest of the shows on Pak TV.
Rate: 2.5 out of 5 stars
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