A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Sang-e-Mah Episode 19 (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 – Episode 19 was a noticeable improvement from the previous two weeks. There were some well directed, dialogue heavy set pieces throughout the episode which were engaging and brought a new light to some of the characters and their motives. As always, the best part was Nauman Ijaz and Samiya Mumtaz sharing the screen together.
ii – With the new “revelation” from Hilmand as to who really tried to murder him, the plot thickens yet again. Is this a deliberate attempt to take Hikmat out of the picture or was Hilmand completely blindsided by the incident? Probably the latter rings more towards the truth but after such a long time, the main plot of the show is taking center stage once again.
+ Low Points
i – Although it was courageous from the creative team to go for a dialogue heavy episode but with that move, the acting range of each performer became clear to us as viewers (for better or for worse). It is fairly obvious by now that Atif Aslam and Kubra Khan have absolutely no on screen chemistry together. Their performances also felt clunky and unconvincing as they tattled through their inner emotions and expectations. Since it’s his first major role as an actor, Atif Aslam cannot emote much with his limited acting skill set. He is desperately in need of sharing scenes with more veteran actors who can guide and support him. The scenes shared by Kubra Khan and Atif Aslam could have been great with some well known veteran actors but as of now, the scenes felt long, tedious and single note.
ii – Sigh, can we please never revisit Hilmand’s friends ever again? One can find more comedic, entertaining moments in Pakistani politics these days. It was absolutely unnecessary to reveal how Hilmand’s lackey escaped his prison sentence. It plays no part in the main plot of the show and neither was it even a tad bit hilarious.
+ Overall
A better outing this week around but it is fairly obvious now where Sang-e-Mah is lacking when it comes to storytelling and performances.
Rate: 
Mr. Khan's Reviews 