A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Nadaan Episode 5-8 (2024). The new TV series is directed by Mehreen Jabbar and written by Saji Gul. Nadaan is a story of an honest police officer, trapped in a world of corruption and deception. Can he defy all odds and stand up for justice? Nadaan is a Moomal Productions and HUM TV Production.
+ Crew
- Directed by Mehreen Jabbar
- Written by Saji Gul
- Produced by Sultana Siddiqui
- Production by Moomal Productions
+ Note
‘Nadaan’ plot tackles the complexity of a police officer in search of justice from a corrupt system driven by outerior forces of religion, money and power. The plot displays how naivety can lead citizens into believing myths of miracle cure as opposed to medicine and doctors.
+ Main Cast
- Ahmed Ali Akbar as Officer Haider
- Ramsha Khan as Dr. Tabeer
- Hammad Shoaib
- Ahmed Ali Akbar
- Kashif Hussain
- Ahmed Randhawa
- Ali Gul Mallah
+ Plot
In search of justice, a police officer Haider ends up entrenched in the world of corruption, drug addiction and societal follies. Along the way, he is befriended by a young Dr. Tabeer who is willing to join him in the battle to protect the vulnerable and expose the wrongdoers.
+ High Points
i – Episode 5 started off with a bang! The plot takes a major turn and all hell breaks loose. Now the lives of Dr. Tabeer and the medical staff are in severe danger as the radical mob tries to overthrow and burn down the hospital itself. But could Officer Haider save the day? Episode 5 was truly intense and the most engaging episode of the entire series.
Major SPOILERS ahead. If you would like to avoid it, please skip to Overall section:
ii – As I have previously mentioned before Kashif Hussain’s performance as the devious second in command is truly remarkable. He is perfectly casted and lives up to his role quite magnificently. His performance entails various sets of emotions; from his disturbing devotion to his Peer to utter insanity at the end, Kashif Hussain proves his wide range of acting masterclass throughout the series.
iii – I also found the plot redirection of Peer’s wife taking over the empire quite an interesting take with such great opportunity for further plot development. From the meek, obedient wife to powerhouse overlord; her sudden character development had great potential to bring something new and unpredictable to the show.
iv – The romance between Officer Haider and Dr. Tabeer is much better handled in the last four episodes as the dangerous circumstances naturally bring them closer to each other. This, I believe, is a much more convincing way of creating chemistry between the two protagonists as in comparison to some forced conversations and dialogues in the earlier episodes.
v – I love this shot (pictured below). The bars of prison visually divide the two protagonists but as they talk through their past trauma, it threatens to break the walls that divide them and bring them closer together.
vi – The last shot and the wrapping up of the plot from past to present is well executed and nicely brings the story to a close.
+ Low Points
i – I was not a fan of the last episode. The overall conclusion felt abrupt and rushed as too many plot threads were quickly resolved because the story needed to end at this point. It also felt very unrealistic how quickly the wife of the late Peer was convinced of the innocence of Dr. Tabeer and quick turnaround of the mob against Tayeeb. The series could have used an extra episode to wrap things up in a proper and natural way.
ii – Also I felt there were way too many instances where Dr. Tabeer was arrested and then set free but then once again arrested. This whole plotline felt a bit convoluted and repetitive.
iii – The plot twist with the wife of the late Peer, taking over the empire was a completely wasted opportunity. It was such an interesting move by the writer but was way too quickly resolved. The sudden loss of her husband could have had some severe consequences and made her into the new villain of the show. And perhaps she did not even need to turn “good” by the end. The corruption of power could have left her in a state of agony. Nonetheless, it was disappointing that the show did not follow through with this plotline.
+ Overall
Nadaan was a short but exciting TV series with some good performances and an engaging plotline but due to its not following through its plot into bold new directions, I cannot claim it to be one of Mehreen Jabbar’s best works to date.
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