A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Sang-e-Mah Episode 01 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Saife Hassan and written by Mustafa Afridi. Sang-e-Mah is the spiritual continuation of the saga introduced in the Hum TV drama Sang-e-Mar Mar (2016). Sang-e-Mah is the acting debut of the famous Pakistani pop star Atif Aslam and the drama is a Momina Duraid Production.
+ Crew
- Directed by Saife Hassan
- Written by Mustafa Afridi
- Produced by Momina Duraid Productions
+ Note
The drama Sang-e-Mah serves as a spiritual sequel to the show Sang-e-Mar Mar (2016) with Noman Ejaz, Sania Saeed and many others returning to same cast and crew. The drama deals with life in the Pakhtoon region of Pakistan and explores such hard hitting topics like forced marriages and integral family relationships. According to the director, Sang-e-Mah serves under similar themes as its predecessor, in a three part trilogy, ending it with the next planned show, Sang-e-Siyah.
+ Main Cast
- Atif Aslam as Hilmand Khan
- Nauman Ijaz as Haji Marjaan Khan
- Kubra Khan as Sheherzaad
- Hania Amir as Gul Meena
- Zaviyar Nauman Ijaz as Hikmat Khan
- Sania Saeed as Zarghuna
- Samiya Mumtaz as Zarsanga
- Omair Rana as Mastaan Singh
- Najiba Faiz as Harshaali Kaur
- Hassan Noman as Badam Gul
+ Plot
Sang-e-Mah is a story of a dysfunctional Pakhtoon family in the tribal regions of Pakistan where pride and honor mostly triumphs over empathy and forgiveness. The show deals with issues such as young love and opposing families who are engaged in a tribal battle with one another.
+ High Points
i – Admittedly, I have yet to watch Sang-e-Mar Mar, which visited similar themes of another Pakhtoon family saga. But suffice to say, the premiere episode was a breeze and enjoyable to sit through. Beautiful scenery, accompanied by traditional Pakhtoon music was visual serenity at its finest. The performances from the main cast were satisfactory and the plot moved along at a brisk pace to keep the viewer engaged throughout its runtime. What was especially exceptional from the writing of Mustafa Afridi was the fact that I could follow the plot and characters with such ease and did not necessarily needed to have any prior knowledge of the show beforehand. So if there are any readers out there who feel at unease of this show being integrally linked to the previous one, your fears will prove unjustified due to clever, easy to follow writing of the show.
ii – Speaking of great performances, the show consists of a mixture of veteran, seasoned TV actors such as Noman Ejaz and Sania Saeed accompanied by young and newcomers such as Atif Aslam. This makes for an interesting viewing for the audience as we get a diverse group of acting talents, all together at the center of the stage.
iii – So a lot of the viewers would be curious to know how Atif Aslam played out in his first ever on screen acting performance. Since he was hardly five odd minutes in the first episode, it is not easy to judge how much acting talent he possesses but for now, he seems right at home. His character has a strong presence, Atif delivers his dialogue with a certain weight and tenacity that is vital to any main cast performer. So far so good and I am excited to see more of him in the upcoming episodes.
iv – I also enjoyed the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ plot that took the centerstage of the premiere episode. Hania Amir is especially good in her loving but yet vulnerable character who is torn between sticking to her family’s principles or following her heart.
v – Apart from cultural diversity, it is also fantastic to see the show shed some light on the religious diversity that Pakistan has. Granted, it is nowhere near as diverse as India for example, but characters such as Mastaan Singh (played by Omair Rana) taking semi-center stage to the show is something that many Pakistani TV dramas should be encouraged to do.
+ Low Points
i – Even though I praised the performances above, I do have to admit, the Pashto accents from all the actors seem much more stereotypical than authentic ones from the actual region. Now granted, it is not distracting enough to derail the viewer’s sense of concentration but still, a little more depth and research into the actual dialects would have been appreciated.
ii – The dialogues do sound at times, lofty and pretentious as they should. It is obvious that the writer opts for an epic, dramatic vibe (Shakespearean even) to the spoken dialogues but they come off at times unnatural. Which makes it hard as a viewer to relate to these characters and their problems. Perhaps it would have been a bit more compelling viewing if we got to witness the ‘day-to-day’ aspects of a Pakhtoon (man or woman) in the tribal regions. But since the show has a lot of episodes to go, let’s see how it all plays out in the end.
+ Overall
A solid premiere episode of the show. Even though Sang-e-Mah serves as a spiritual sequel, the writing is inviting to all potentially new viewers in the saga of the Khan Pakhtoon family.
Rating: 
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