A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Laapata Episode 15 to 20 (2021). The new TV series is written and directed by Khizer Idrees. Laapata is a Momina Duraid Production and currently airs on HUM TV.
(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 Khizer Idrees
- Written by Khizer Idrees
- Produced by Momina Duraid Productions
+ Note
Laapata is a comedy/ drama which focuses on young love who aspire to fulfill all their wishes 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
Spoilers Alert!! If you would like to avoid it, please skip to the Overall section:
i – With all its flaws (oh… we will get to that in a sec!), Laapata has a dedicated creative team working behind the camera. There are few moments of originality beaming through the utter nonsense storytelling of the show. With some creative camera angles and inventive editing techniques, the creative team is trying their best to be original.
+ Low Points
i – I am utterly perplexed in what the creators want to accomplish with this show. Is Laapata about the horrors of being abducted for false accusation? Is it a comedy about Geeti’s antics as she rises to Stardom as an actor? Is it supposed to create awareness about abusive husbands? Or is it a murder mystery? Since the first few episodes, this show has been directionless, trying to please every member of their audience that watches the show. And now 20 episodes in, Laapata is still struggling to maintain an identity.
ii – Apparently, Daniyal is dead. Or is he? Logically, he should be as the police found his body. I really cannot tell if he actually died as he was axed with either a frying pan or a metal jug or some other various kitchen utensils (I wish I was making this up!). This has been, without a shadow of a doubt, the most unceremonious, anti-climatic death of an antagonist that I have ever seen. Khizer Idrees’ writing brain feels “Laapata” as well as he cannot even conjure up a simple satisfying conclusion to the Falak and Daniyal confrontation. Maybe Daniyal’s rotting corpse will burst into the courthouse and feed on the brains of the supporting cast of the show. Hey now, there’s an idea!
iii – The police bursting onto the scene of the wedding of Shams and Geeti was the cheesiest, cringeworthy cliche scene ever. I’m not sure if I should’ve laughed at it or… nope, there were no other emotions coming up. The dialogue, the acting was so incredibly mediocre, it was very courteous of the police waiting to arrest Falak till the wedding happened, giving Shams a convenient moment to fight for his love. This show is the pits….
iv – Surprisingly enough, since the past few weeks, the Geeti character was very tolerable. She was restrained from most bad comedy segments, we didn’t get to listen to her god awful TikTok videos (or just being a horrible person in general). Because she was so obsessed with gaining Shams’ love, Geeti was confined towards the “lesser third side” of the love triangle. But Episodes 19 and 20, oh boy… she is back at her annoying self. During her wedding, Falak got arrested which gave her yet another reason to hate her and now, she gets the idea to become a TV/ movie star! My only question being; who cares!? How does this subplot tie in to the overall plot of Falak being falsely arrested for murder? Why does this subplot feel like a massive waste of time? Apart from bad comedy, her character has contributed NOTHING to the show. You can easily take her out of the story and it wouldn’t impact the show one bit. Shams will still go “Laapata” and come back, in the meantime, Falak will still get married to that psychopath so…. Why is Geeti character essential to the show? Shouldn’t there be the love triangle between Shams, Falak and Daniyal instead?
v – Even though I have always liked the music, dialogue-less montages and dream sequences in the past, the show has used and abused it to such a point that it never feels special anymore but a drag to sit through it. How many times will we witness the dream that Falak is being hung by Daniyal or a music montage where our three main protagonists are just lying on the bed contemplating? Interesting visuals but the show runners have run these storytelling techniques to the ground.
vi – Too many bad and abandoned subplots; Shams’s fight with the union workers, Falak’s sister’s problems with her sister in law, countless Geeti’s adventures with her “lovers”, jeweller and wedding band that never went anywhere. Each passing episode that most of them were not only badly written and executed but were a massive waste of time!
+ Overall
Since the past few weeks, Laapata has nosedived into cliche, illogical plot development and terrible acting. The dramatic moments feel like comedy segments and the comedy segments feel like you want to switch the channel to a better show.
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