Month: August 2022

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 17 (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

1. Saba Qamar as Maya
2. Ahsan Khan as Tabriaz
3. Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shaan
4. Rabia Kulsoom as Maila
5. Adnan Samad Khan as Nael
6. 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 17 was a mixed bag but mostly entertaining. It’s high time that the show has finally connected all the three parallel plots together, bringing a much needed sense of cohesion to the main narrative of the show. Although there were no real surprises in the episode, it did (nonetheless) move all the three plots forward. I am somewhat intrigued where this is all heading.

ii – The redemption arc of Nisar sahib’s sister was genuinely a fantastic scene. The melodrama was well timed and executed, not to mention the great performances from Mehmood Aslam as Nisar. Its a real shame that the character of Nael has been almost non-existent ever since he left Maya at the altar because he has personality in spades compared to the other two male leads of the show.

iii – Tabriaz and his recent “project” will surely spell the end of him and his money making schemes. I find the narrative connection of Tabriaz and Shaan’s sister well written and makes perfect sense (considering the sister’s character and why she could only fall for guys who could lie their way to put a ring around her finger. In the past, I have criticized Fraud for a lot of terrible writing but this is a case where the writing truly excels in the whole narrative scheme of things.   

+ Low Points

i – I’m not sure if the show wants the audience to feel empathetic and sorry for Shaan’s ill fate in love or make fun of him (clearly, I have opted for the latter). Instead of sympathetic and loving, Shaan comes off as a whiny, overgrown manchild who can’t handle his personal life. It is an unfortunate conglomerate of bad screenwriting, direction and performance that truly makes Shaan the worst character on the show.

ii – The only reason the Nisar family was forced to move to Lahore is so that their narrative can finally connect with the Shaan family. And… this seems somewhat lazy writing. I really liked how the show connected Tabriaz with Shaan’s family as it felt more genuine and made perfect sense for the show. I guess we all have to wait for the inevitable confrontation of Maya and Tabriaz and hopefully, it will be as epic and melodramatic as it sounds!

+ Overall

Now that the “filler” episodes are in the past, Fraud seems somewhat interesting and fun to watch again. 

Rate: out of 5 stars 

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 16 (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

1. Saba Qamar as Maya
2. Ahsan Khan as Tabriaz
3. Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shaan
4. Rabia Kulsoom as Maila
5. Adnan Samad Khan as Nael
6. 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 – This week’s episode was undoubtedly an improvement from the previous five episodes. The narrative flowed flawlessly, never stagnated nor dragged on unnecessarily. There were some major developments in two of the three ongoing episodes and even though it was unintentionally comical at times, it was nonetheless very entertaining. The show has finally managed to bring in some life back into the plot and we finally are now going to witness a crossover between the two parallel stories.

ii – Speaking of intertwining the two stories, I genuinely like how they have managed to bring the two narratives together. Now, will they be able to make an engaging premise out of this? That still remains to be seen but push comes to shove, Ahsan Khan manages to carry the scenes almost single handedly. Granted, the script and dialogues were cheesy as hell but I can’t deny the entertainment factor that came along with it. 

iii –  I am glad that the show finally reveals the fact that the character of Shaan is nothing more than a grown up man child. Even though the show established earlier on to hate on his ex-wife, his character seems utterly clueless about what is happening around him. His mother, his sister and now his lover, they successfully mock him behind his back and he’s too naive to notice any of this. In short, Shaan has terrible judgment of character and this episode proves it.

+ Low Points

i – I may have enjoyed the episode but the dialogues were just too hard to digest. Especially during Tarbiaz (Sharjeel or whatever his name is) with his new pet project. And Naeema Butt’s stiff performance made the scenes even worse to watch.

ii – Unfortunately, I cannot care less about Maila and Talal’s relationship. The opening scene was not good and continued the trend of lackluster storyline. Luckily, the show picked up as soon as the storyline shifted towards Tabriaz and some rapid new developments in Shaan’s life. Maya and her father are not in the forefront of the plot anymore but rather relegated to the back burners of the plot. 

+ Overall

Finally, a welcome change in storyline for the show. 

Rate: out of 5 stars 

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 15 (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

1. Saba Qamar as Maya
2. Ahsan Khan as Tabriaz
3. Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shaan
4. Rabia Kulsoom as Maila
5. Adnan Samad Khan as Nael
6. 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 – The best thing I can say about Episode 15 is that it wasn’t boring and was (admittedly) entertaining in a few places (whether intentional or not). And at least it’s nice to see the main cast still trying to give their best performances for the show.

+ Low Points

i – … they ruined the only good thing that was going for the show. The Tabriaz group of con artists have officially broken up (well, at least Tabriaz got kicked out) and I genuinely feel that this was way too early. The show should have let this play along for at least another con job as it is still a fresh and novel premise for Pak television. 

ii – This week’s source of drama in Maya’s life was that the mom wanted to keep her away from any wedding celebrations of her sister. Not only was this a ridiculous point of tension but seriously, who cares? The audience wants to see conflicts that have consequences to them. Thankfully this subplot was contained in a single episode and did not overstay its welcome. But that’s not all. Apparently Nisar is now forcefully retired from his job so… I guess that’s a problem now? Didn’t feel like it as the wedding went along as planned. Seems like this show is utterly desperate to make new conflicts and hurdles in order to keep the show interesting.

iii – This week continues Shaan and his new found love. Or in other words, the secretary is forcing her way into Shaan’s life by proclaiming that she will be the new step mother for his child (whether he likes it or not). And if that sounds ridiculous then you really need to hear the dialogues of the scenes mentioned above. The script is awful in every sense of the word (“A poor girl is always afraid of poverty”. What does that even mean??). I will be extremely surprised if this new secretary/ future wife doesn’t turn out to be a con artist herself as she will “fraud” her way into Shaan’s life and steal all of his monetary assets.

iv – In addition to the point mentioned above, the scene in the car was incredibly cringeworthy. But admittedly, I did laugh out loud.

+ Overall

Every week, it is becoming increasingly difficult to watch the show due to its massive decline in writing quality (ever since the big Fraud revelation to be precise). Seems like Fraud is proving itself to be a one trick pony.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 14 (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

1. Saba Qamar as Maya
2. Ahsan Khan as Tabriaz
3. Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shaan
4. Rabia Kulsoom as Maila
5. Adnan Samad Khan as Nael
6. 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 – The only interesting storyline going on at the moment is the follow up con job of Tabriaz as the son of a wealthy landowner. But this time around, the audiences know fully well how they are manipulating the naive family of the bride into handing over all of their belongings. And honestly, that is entertaining to watch. Even the performances are mostly very believable and the production has done a great job in setting up the locations and costumes for this particular storyline. I’m curious to see how far Tabriaz and company will take this con job or will they finally be caught red handed.

ii – The “divorce” revelation scene was simple but actually brilliant writing as on one hand, the bride’s family now views the Tabriaz family as “open minded, pure hearted” people whereas her being a divorcee makes a lick of a difference to their ultimate plan of grab whatever you can and disappear.

+ Low Points

i – Unfortunately I cannot sing praises for the rest of the show as it has quickly become so mediocre and stale. The progression of the plot seems purposefully lethargic (in order to prolong the lifespan of the show) and the scenes have no urgency or depth to them. Maya is a supporting character in her own show who has absolutely nothing meaningful to do except to serve as a narrative prop for the characters around her (for example, being a vehicle for her sister to get married). The characters that did make a significant impact in the past like Nael are absent since past five weeks and Nisar seems to have outlived his usefulness to the plot of the show.

ii – A few reviews ago, I mentioned that Talal could be an interesting character if the show plays its cards right. Well, I was wrong. He is as generic and bland as any other “good guy” from any numerous Pak TV shows out there. If someone were to ask me what are the character traits of Talal, I will surely be dumbfounded. A plain piece of Cardboard has more character depth than him.

iii – Shaan is now setting his eyes on his new secretary. Sigh.. whatever. This subplot never (at any point) grew interesting, nor does this subplot fit into the world of Fraud. I don’t mind if a show has parallel storylines going on that only converge philosophically (films like Amores Perros (2000) is a perfect example) but they need to converge on some level. The acting, the backdrop, the writing; everything seems so out of place for this show. And quite frankly, Mikaal Zulfiqar is not talented enough to take the lead role of this storyline.

iv – And yes, the secretary interview scene was cringeworthy. After hearing her praises of her qualifications, she replies to her future boss with “Tell me something I don’t know”. Awful, pathetic writing.

+ Overall

The only thing that makes Fraud currently watchable is Tabriaz’s storyline. The rest of the show is utterly mediocre and forgettable.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 13 (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

1. Saba Qamar as Maya
2. Ahsan Khan as Tabriaz
3. Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shaan
4. Rabia Kulsoom as Maila
5. Adnan Samad Khan as Nael
6. 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 – The show (at the moment) is blessed with a colorful cast with various storylines heading parallel to one another. Currently the show gives you the option to dive into whichever subplot that grabs your attention whether it’s the Maya chronicles, the Tabriaz con artist, Shaan’s single parent storyline or the Maila/ Talal romance. Now, are they all quality storylines? Of course not but the show at least gives you an option to make itself appealing to the viewer (with whichever storyline it may be).

ii – Due to the three main plots taking place in different parts of Pakistan, it is refreshing to see the visual difference between all these storylines. From the countryside to the middle-class urban bungalows to the fancy upper class mahals, we get to see each and every facet of the Pakistani landscape.

+ Low Points

i – The show seems mostly lost. Ever since the debacle of a wedding between Nael and Maya, Fraud is struggling to stay relevant in the eyes of its viewers. Currently the show is revolving around three to four separate plots in order to sustain the viewer’s attention. While it does sound good on paper, one must ask if it actually ties into one another. The Shaan storyline seems so distant and up till now, irrelevant to the main plot of the show… which seems to be currently hijacked by the Maila/ Talal romance. And speaking of romance…

ii – The romance between Maila and Talal is too far-fetched and ridiculous. Do we really have to see this shameful trope yet again where the girl says no to the guy straight upfront but then the guy has to persist/ harass her till she accepts him? Even if we ignore the precedent this sets for our society, it is completely absurd and lacks any sort of character development.

iii – Episode 13 just was lackluster in every sense of the word. It had no originality and was just completely devoted to the Maila/ Talal love story so we can get that out of the way as soon as possible. Where is the sense of excitement, powerful performances and setpieces that we were promised by the first five to eight episodes? Sadly, the fall for Fraud has been swift and deep into the depths of mediocrity. 

iv – Once again, Maya has become a common supporting character yet again in her own show. Fraud has nothing interesting for her to do. She’s either too busy being the crying shoulder for her father or pushing her sister into her own marriage. 

+ Overall

With each passing week, Fraud is becoming more and more mediocre and the three parallel storylines are not going to change that.

Rate: out of 5 stars