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
- 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 – 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.
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