A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 7 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Saqib Khan and written by Zanjabeel Asim. Fraud is a story of love, innocence and treachery as our protagonist is manipulated into marrying a forged personality. Fraud is an iDream Entertainment and ARY Digital Production.
+ Crew
- Directed by Saqib Khan
- Written by Zanjabeel Asim
- Produced by Abdullah Seja
- Production by iDream Entertainment
+ Note
Fraud is a case study of Pakistani families who always strive for betterment of their children. Obsession with wealth and power almost always ends up leading to unfavorable consequences. The director Saqib Khan is known for his numerous television projects and his upcoming cinematic film Ghabrana Nahi Hai (2022).
+ Main Cast
- Saba Qamar as Maya
- Ahsan Khan as Tabriaz
- Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shaan
- Rabia Kulsoom as Maila
- Adnan Samad Khan as Nael
- Mehmood Aslam as Nisar
+ Plot
Fraud is a story of Maya whose father wants her to marry into the richest family that he could find. But wealth does not equal character as she ends up marrying a wealthy man named Tabriaz who, through his trickery, makes life for Maya full of deceit and fraud.
+ High Points
i – Episode 7 brought nothing new to the table. At least not the first half. The second half was much more eventful as we got to witness the follow up to Tabriaz’s betrayal and their upcoming next victim. The subplot with Mikaal Zulfiqar finally seems to converge with the main storyline so that’s some good news. While nothing out of the ordinary, Episode 7 tried to build further upon their plot and introduce new characters into the mix. The writing was unfortunately not on par with their previous few episodes but only time will tell how the quality of the show will develop in the next coming weeks.
ii – Initially, it was fun to see Tabriaz and his “mother” revealing their true personas and even though their portrayals were too over the top for my liking, it did somewhat bring a new dimension to the ongoing storyline. With the next coming episodes, the show can really have fun with these characters and switch back and forth with their “in-character” personas and the real devious ones.
iii – It is commendable the fact that Fraud shows the aftermath of such a situation where the entire neighborhood continues to ask ridiculous questions and further rub salt on the family’s wounds. Most of the society out there is solely interested in gossip and undeniable entertainment it brings to their dull, daily lives. That (unfortunately) is the true face of most societies around the world.
+ Low Points
i – I have some serious fear that this show will inevitably dip in quality once the pivotal moment of the show (i.e. the fraud case) has been revealed. Will this show keep the consistency of its quality writing in the coming weeks and months? It’s hard to judge at the moment but episode 7 clearly felt down a notch compared to its previous episodes. Can this show keep its storyline interesting? This is a vital question as a show being a one trick pony isn’t good enough to make it a modern classic.
ii – The acting in this week’s episode was very hit or miss. The “miss” particularly came from the Tabriaz’s family as Annie Zaidi and Ahsan Khan’s portrayal seem so ridiculous that I had to chuckle at times during the entire scene. Eating a watermelon with a knife instead of a fork? Ohhh that’s so tough! Tabraiz with a soft sweater around his shoulders during the hot season of Punjab? Is this supposed to be taken seriously? What were the show runners thinking?
iii – Way too many tragic, self pity scenes. I realize that Maya just went through a traumatic experience but I am guessing that a few months have passed and she is still wallowing in despair? As a viewer, I’m more interested in how she is dealing with her daily life like going out for groceries or perhaps finding a part time teaching job to move on with her life. Does she have nothing else to do than lie in bed and pity herself?
+ Overall
A mediocre episode but could lead into much more interesting situations in the next coming weeks.
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