A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Sang-e-Mah Episode 04 (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 honour 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 – The plot thickens. Episode 4 provided a bit more clarity with the main plot and individual storylines. This week, we got a lot more exposure towards the Hikmat Khan and Gul Meena’s Romeo and Juliet situation. We also got to see some more investigative journalism from Sheherzaad (aka Kubra Khan). So in spite of some minor flaws, the episode was well paced, engaging throughout and ended with an interesting twist at the end.
ii – What Sang-e-Mar does better than most shows is the slow teasing each week of the entire plot which in turn, keeps the viewers coming back every week. And the individual subplots are also fascinating in their own right. Although we already know just the glimpses of the plot, exactly what sin did Marjaan Khan commit in his past that has left his “son” to disown him altogether? Essentially it is all just family drama but the twist that Sang-e-Mar presents is the Pakhtoon cultural backdrop (for which many Pakistani viewers are not too familiar with). This one quintessential factor makes the show stand out from everything else on Television right now and if you include a star studded cast with it, you can potentially have a hit show on your hands.
iii – Speaking of Star studded cast, everyone is out there playing their A game to bring some levity into the dramatic storyline. Although probably none of the cast members do a convincing Pakhtoon accent, their onscreen presence is strong enough for the viewers to go along with its storyline and have an entertaining time dealing with the woes of the Khan family.
iv – The twist at the end was great with Hilmand intentionally taking the place of his brother in order to anger and further humiliate his ” father’s” name. A splendid setup and would be interesting to see where the show goes from here.
+ Low Points
i – As mentioned previously, the actors are giving it their all in the performances but none of them ever feel like they have enveloped the Pakhtoon culture. The accents and mannerisms are still not convincing enough. It seems like each of them are there to be ‘Nauman Ijaz’ or ‘Sania Saeed’ but with some stereotypical Pakhtoon accents. And it’s a bit of a shame cause I genuinely feel they are all great actors who can do better than this.
ii – While we had some progress with the Hikmat/ Gul Meera storyline, Mastaan Singh was completely ignored and four episodes in, we still do not know what major role he plays in the main plot of the show. Probably just a minor complaint but love if each episode can continue giving glimpses of each subplot without sacrificing the other.
+ Overall
Episode 4 was an obvious improvement from the previous week as it had better pacing and none of the “comedy” nonsense.
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