A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Parizaad Episode 13 (2021). The new TV series is directed by Shehzad Kashmiri and written by Hashim Nadeem. Parizaad is a Momina Duraid 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 Shehzad Kashmiri
- Written by Hashim Nadeem
- Produced by Momina Duraid Productions
+ Note
Parizaad is based on a novel by Hashim Nadeem and is a case study of a protagonist who cannot seem to find his place in a world where illicit behaviour and exploitation is rewarded over truth and kindness. The show explores the lower middle class societal problems of Pakistan and how a wallflower like Parizaad is never appreciated by our society.
The director of the show Shehzad Kashmiri is a well respected cinematographer who then moved towards directing TV shows. He also directed a feature length film Bin Roye in 2015 which earned him a nomination for Best Film Director at 15th Lux Style Awards.
+ Main Cast
- Noman Ejaz
- Ahmed Ali Akbar
- Syed Muhammad Ahmed
- Urwa Hussain
- Ushna Shah
- Yumna Zaidi
- Saboor Ali
- Mashal Khan
- Tipu Shah
- Kiran Tabeer
+ Plot
Born in a world of neglect and hurt, Parizaad is an innocent soul that differs from everyone. He is kind, thoughtful and a gentle soul who due to his nature and appearance, does not fit the societal norms of Pakistani culture. Will the devious modern society engulf Parizaad into its darkness or will he remain a beacon of hope and all that is good in Life?
+ High Points
i – Episode 13 went in a direction I never expected. It was bold and represented minorities which are very likely deprived of any coverage from our media and entertainment. They are the underbelly of our society that either are mostly refused to be accepted or are mistreated and abused. It makes me proud that Parizaad had the gall to represent them and depict “their” side of the story as well. Unfortunately I cannot say more as that will lead to spoilers. It’s points that I will discuss from here on out so fair warning!
Spoilers Alert!! If you would like to avoid it, please skip to the Overall section:
ii – “Bubbly” Badmash makes a triumphant return to the show. While it is true that I was neither a fan of the character’s comedy segments nor the actress’s performance, Episode 13 brought a whole new light onto the character and his backstory. This time “bubbly” has been much better handled by the writer Hashim Nadeem and the needless comedy segments were replaced by understanding the psyche and motivations of Bubbly. And one cannot help but feel sympathy for him and the conflict that he has to go through for the society to accept him the way he wants to be represented. Such themes are almost never spoken of in Pakistani Television these days but Parizaad once again proves why it is an authentic representation of the Pakistani society that we live in.
iii – Some of the quieter moments of the episode were arguably the best parts of the episode. The “Guru” character seems like yet again, another eccentric but true to life character that you might stumble upon if you observe closely the underbelly of Karachi night life. He represents the voice for the minority, the sexually oppressed and the rejects of society. The Guru is a great addition to the ever growing cast of characters for Parizaad and I hope we get to see more of him in the next few episodes.
+ Low Points
i – The train fight scene was poorly executed to say the least. The obvious fake sound effects, the fight choreography, the ludicrous green screen. Even without a proper budget, I’m sure with some effort, the director Shehzad Kashmiri could have come up with something better than this. High quality writing but terrible visual effects unfortunately do not work well together and brought this episode a notch down for me.
+ Overall
Even though Parizaad only had a minor appearance, Episode 13 is a surprising yet bold representation of Karachi and its colorful, diverse list of citizens.
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