A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Sang-e-Mah Episode 21 (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 21 was heavily centered around Haji Marjaan Khan as we get to know his childhood through a flashback right up to the present day as he is on the brink of his own Jirga. Throughout the series, Marjaan has evolved into a more sympathetic character even though one might not agree with his past actions. Under the facade of a leader, lies a character who has genuine regrets and unfulfilled promises which haunt every single day of his existence. Sang-e-Mah has some underdeveloped characters (and some overdeveloped) but with each passing episode, Marjaan has truly shined not only through some impeccable writing but also great performance by Nauman Ijaz as he is, without a doubt, one of the finest actors in the business.
ii – And when it comes to Marjaan Khan, you cannot leave out Samiya Mumtaz’s heartfelt performance as Zarsanga. Her and Nauman Ijaz share some truly emotional scenes together. Without even uttering the words, one could see how much they love each other. The closing scene of episode 21 was undoubtedly the highlight of this week as we witness the two reminiscing about their past selves and how times have changed since then. As a viewer, I would now hate to see any harm done to either of these two characters but it is unfortunately inevitable.
iii – For the most part, episode 21 had some great scenes and none felt time consuming or out of place. We get an emotional yet fun interaction between the two young lovers Gul Meena and Hikmat as they shed their indifferences and finally come together. On the other end of the spectrum, we witness Mastaan Singh confess his attempted murder to his fiance. Through fantastic writing and poignantly well crafted scenes, Sang-e-Mah has really elevated itself back on top to retain its position as one of the best shows currently out there.
iv – Great cliffhanger! I am now genuinely interested in how the Jirga proceedings will follow. Will Marjaan finally be pronounced guilty? We shall find out soon enough.
+ Low Points
i – Not much to complain about this time but one of my few big gripes with Sang-e-Mah has always been the portrayal of the elders of the village. They have been depicted as nobodies, a group who everyone in the village disobeys or talks back to. They seem to have no authority and yet, they are supposed to be the judge, jury and executioners of this village. Apart from that, the attempted murder case of Hilmand has been so quickly swept under the carpet as if it was a daily occurrence. This just goes to show that any major decision and event will always be met with no real consequences.
ii – The chemistry/ romance between Hilmand and Sherherzaad has been pretty much non-existent. They have shared some poorly written scenes, accompanied by lackluster performances. To put it simply, it was the complete opposite to Marjaan and Zarsanga. I guess this major flaw in the show cannot be rectified now as we are now soon reaching the conclusion of the show.
+ Overall
Another week, another great Sang-e-Mah episode. And with a tremendous cliffhanger, I am cautiously looking forward to how this could all end.
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