A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Parizaad Episode 18 (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 – There is not much to be said about the episode as there were no incredible revelations or major character development. This week’s Parizaad was arguably just an introspection towards all the previous events that have led up to Parizaad’s position of absolute power, Episode 18 had a clear distinction between its first and second half of the episode. The first focused on Parizaad still filling in the big shoes that Behroze Karim left for him, a lifestyle perhaps he might never be suited for but the second half focused more on his homesickness; an opportunity to finally break away from all this “get money, get power” life and reunite briefly with his past life. The reunion with his family, his brothers and most importantly, his loving sister was undoubtedly the highlight of the episode.
Spoilers Alert!! If you would like to avoid it, please skip to the Overall section:
ii – The return of Lubna was also an interesting throwback to Parizaad’s life when he was not in the position of power. Although I do admit it is fun to see the high society’s shock/ realization of Parizaad’s success, I do hope they do something more with Lubna and not just a brief cameo.
iii – If the family reunion with the brothers and their respective wives could be summed up in a sentence; Money talks! The sudden embracement of his brothers and sister in laws was very predictable and a grim retrospective of the world we live in. The only family member who stood by Parizaad thick or thin was his sister and the final shot of the episode where Parizaad embraces his sister was emotional and heartfelt.
+ Low Points
i – Admittedly, the “master don” part of Parizaad’s life doesn’t seem all that engaging. The barrage of important meetings, the rebuttal of Parizaad towards his opponents… It unfortunately felt uninteresting and didn’t create enough drama and tension as the rest of the show did throughout its 18 episodes. Perhaps the audience needs something more than just “Look at Parizaad, now he is the talk of the town!”. But let’s see in the coming weeks how the writer tackles this scenario further.
+ Overall
No massive plot development this week but episode 18 still continues to show why Parizaad is one of the most relatable and down to earth shows on Television.
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