A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Sang-e-Mah Episode 14 (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 the 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 – All the scenes involving Samiya Mumtaz as Zarsanga were fantastic. There was tons of drama and emotion behind each scene but at the end, it was Samiya’s performance that knocked them out of the park. The hair coloring scene which was shared between Zarsanga and Zarghuna was not only well written but was also visually compelling to watch. As the news dawns upon Zarsanga that her son might be fighting for his life in the hospital, tears stream down her face with a slow momentum of the camera forward to frame the two sisters together. These are the kind of scenes that make Sang-e-Mah feel natural and realistic. I hope the next coming episodes contain more scenes like this.
ii – I also loved the on screen chemistry between Marjaan Khan and his wife. Earlier in the episode, they share a wonderful scene together which makes it obvious how much they are still in love with each other without uttering the words to signify it. For the two veteran actors, it just comes naturally to them as they have tons of acting experience behind them to make it work.
+ Low Points
i – Apart from scenes involving Zarsanga, the rest of the episode was a letdown. The only plot that saw some form of development was the uninteresting and pointless backstory of Sherherzaad. Although tragic, the backstory feels incredibly tacked onto the overall narrative of the show. Firstly, you have the tension between Marjaan and his step son Hilmand, then the forcibly marriage situation between Hilmand and Gul Meena which has prompted her lover Hikmat to take revenge against his own brother. Then you have the side story of Mastaan Singh, not to mention Zarghuna’s unresolved beef with her past. Do we really need to be involved with yet another tragic backstory? Apart from that, the story itself is dull and lifeless, including caricature, mustache twirling performance by the antagonist. Let this be clear that I am always up for strong female leads on Pak television but not when it feels irrelevant to the overall plot of the show.
ii – Later in the episode, there were way too many nonsensical exposition scenes which dragged the episode way too much for its own good. As a viewer, do I really need to sit through why slapping the doctor who is heading the medical operation of Hilmand was a mistake? Sang-e-Mah undeniably has a vast list of characters and a supporting cast. We really don’t need any more. Develop the ones you already have.
iii – The police raid at the hospital also felt reckless and out of the blue. So apparently the law enforcers are searching for the Khan family now? And this buffoon from the Hilmand gang just decided to reveal the identity to a couple of police guards? This was just incredibly lazy writing. No prior information, no scene build up, just random events happening to keep the show going.
+ Overall
An improvement from the previous week but not by much. The needless exposition scenes are ultimately killing the narrative flow of Sang-e-Mah.
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