Author: Mr. Khan's Reviews

Mr. Khan has completed his 1st Masters in Business Administration (Marketing) from Bahria University and 2nd Masters in TV Production from SZABIST. He has also done short course in Film Direction from SAAMPT (South Asian Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Television) and worked previously in many short, thesis films as an actor and writer.
TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Fraud – Episode XXVII (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 27 (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 – There seems to be some amount of irony in the back and forth between Maya and Shaan. They both have had difficult relationships in the past and have clearly become cold and distant towards any sort of intimacy. There are mostly bitter moments but once in a while, a sweeter one also slips in between them, leaving an impression that perhaps Maya and Shaan are not so different from one another after all.

+ Low Points

i – The show has rapidly become such a disappointment. It seems to have outlived its expiry date. The plot is forcefully being stretched to squeeze in a couple or so more episodes to artificially prolong its lifespan. Case in point, the Maya/ Tabriaz situation. This should have been the show’s big hurrah, the ultimate climactic moment where all the threads were to be undone and Tabriaz would finally be exposed for the fraud that he really is. But instead, Maya chooses silence for some reason. Not even tell her sister or her parents. Oh for God’s sake, why!? The show already created a flimsy reason for Shaan (her husband) not to find out because he is apparently unaware of Maya’s past. How can she even stand being with Tabriaz in the same house? It is beyond ridiculous at this point and it’s clearly hurting the credibility of this show.

ii – The subplot of Nisar and his sister was somewhat resolved in the last few episodes. Nisar finally forgave her and his nephew for the marriage debacle. So why are we still going back to it? This show genuinely seems to be creatively bankrupt and they keep going back to the old village well for fresh water. 

iii –  Even if one ignores the lackluster storytelling, Fraud as a show has been working on ‘auto pilot’ since the past few weeks. Episode 27 was just another hour filled with a barrage of dramatic lies and blackmails that are never going to go anywhere. Since it has become obvious that the plot has nothing new to offer, Fraud needs to end soon.

+ Overall

Repetitive, lackluster storytelling indicates the fact that this show has outlived its expiry date and needs to be put to sleep soon.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Meri Shehzadi – Episode VII (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 7 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.

+ Crew

  • Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
  • Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
  • Produced by Momina Duraid 
  • Production by MD Productions

+ Note

The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.

 + Main Cast

  1. Urwa Hocane as Dania
  2. Ali Rehman as Shehroz
  3. Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
  4. Muazzam Ali Khan
  5. Sonia Mishal
  6. Najiba Faiz
  7. Atiqa Odho
  8. Shabbir Jan
  9. Nauman Maqsood
  10. Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
  11. Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani

+ Plot

Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.

+ High Points

i – When it comes to building up a character, I appreciate the show’s depiction of Dania’s father. As he sat next to his ex Mother in Law at her deathbed, he finally admitted that the memories of his late first wife haunted him which ultimately made him make a clean break with everything associated with her. Although the name of his late wife was hardly ever present on his lips, the memory of her will forever live strong within him. Sometimes, the show has portrayed Dania’s father as a soulless monster who exploits his daughter for political gain but one can truly see that he is somewhat forced into all this. It is sadly the nature of politics.

+ Low Points

i – The death scene of Dania’s grandmother was handled with much maturity… till it wasn’t. As the scene went on, it indulged further and further into overdramatic and frankly speaking, pretty insulting methods of getting a reaction from the viewer. It glorified the final moments of a person’s life with nonsensical overacting and terrible writing. Anyone who has witnessed a person on their deathbed would realize the absurdity of the scene and how the show milked every possible moment to get the viewer’s sympathy while at the same time, so far removed from reality.

ii – The scene involving Cam and her mother in law was ridiculous to say the least. The whole exchange of insults back and forth was just a great example of how bad the writing of Meri Shezadi is at times. This show likes to present its characters with such less depth that it’s almost a parody at this point. The Mother in Law is just there to play the part of an antagonist; every word she speaks oozes of malice and spite. She calls her son an idiot because he loves someone and does not utilize them as pawns for their political agenda. Yes, such people do exist but it is important to also make your antagonist feel real. Regardless of their outlook towards the world and society, they also have certain personalities hidden behind their facade. The antagonists in Meri Shehzadi feel incomplete and cartoonish in their depiction. And this brings the quality of the show down.

+ Overall

Overly dramatic with exploitative agendas, Meri Shehzadi desperately needs a new path of storytelling to make it interesting enough to tune in every week.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Fraud – Episode XXVI (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 26 (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 – Unfortunately I can’t defend this week’s episode too much. There were hardly any high points throughout its runtime but at least the episode was coherent, the storyline moved along nicely and there were some dramatic twists and turns.  

+ Low Points

i – Since the past few weeks, the quality of writing from Fraud has really gone the drain. It is absolutely clear that the show is being forcefully pushed on to milk every dramatic scenario from their premise. And hence, the show has become stagnated and lackluster. It clearly lacks the charm and intensity that the earlier episodes had. In short; the show has reached its boiling point and its time to take it off the stove. 

ii – So finally… FINALLY, Maya meets Tabriaz after their fraudulent marriage and…. It wasn’t epic or dramatic as one would have hoped for. For some odd reason, this meeting wasn’t even used as an episode cliffhanger! Isn’t that basic 101 soap opera storytelling? And even though Maya instantly recognizes Tabriaz, she quickly flees the scene and does not even discuss this either with her husband nor her family! Why are characters in Pak dramas so devoid of logic? This should have been the climax of the show, how long are they going to prolong this?

iii –  The chemistry between Shaan and Maya is non-existent. I still cannot fathom why they are even together. Yes, their respective parents practically forced them together but was the situation so desperate for Shaan to agree to this marriage? Was the situation so worrisome for Maya and her parents that they agreed to hide her past from her fiance? The scenes between Shaan and Maya lack any sort of dramatic tension and are just there to prolong the life of the show. 

+ Overall

It is high time that the show should reach its natural conclusion and not overstay its welcome.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Meri Shehzadi – Episode VI (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 6 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.

+ Crew

  • Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
  • Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
  • Produced by Momina Duraid 
  • Production by MD Productions

+ Note

The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.

 + Main Cast

  1. Urwa Hocane as Dania
  2. Ali Rehman as Shehroz
  3. Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
  4. Muazzam Ali Khan
  5. Sonia Mishal
  6. Najiba Faiz
  7. Atiqa Odho
  8. Shabbir Jan
  9. Nauman Maqsood
  10. Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
  11. Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani

+ Plot

Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.

+ High Points

i – It’s fascinating how Sheroz is literally toying with both of his life partners and playing them against each other. For Cam, Dania is the culprit; the fraudulent wife who is only there as a public display for the press. On the other hand, Cam is the devil incarnate for Dania who is solely there to keep Sheroz’s affections away from her. There are some negative implications attached to this storyline but I have to admit, the psychological catfight does make for some engaging onscreen drama.

ii – I like the way the show has fleshed out Sheroz’s character. With the last couple of episodes, he has shown a lot of depth and emotions behind his actions. At times, he comes off as cold and unsympathetic but on the other, he kneels next to you and makes you emotionally comfortable with his sweet talk. And in both instances, you never can figure out which is the genuine Sheroz. Is he really trapped and forced to lead his political family or he just likes emotionally abusing people around him? It’s a great source of argument and that is what good writing should do.

+ Low Points

i – This show makes its two female protagonists weak in spirit. At least for Cam, it is understandable since she does not live in Pakistan and her marriage has been kept secret from the world but it’s disappointing to see Dania run after the double faced Sheroz like that. I hope that Dania grows out of this soon as all of this drama makes her look very gullible and a tad bit pitiful. And she should be neither of those. Dania should be above Sheroz’s lies and misdemeanors and live her life the way she imagines it. 

ii – A perplexing decision by the show to have two back to back episodes with the exact same premise; the tale of two wives. Could we at least have a ‘B story’ accompanying all this? With Sheroz’s background, there could be numerous side stories like political intrigue, power struggle and family drama; why is the show forcing us to just focus on the tension between the two wives? I hope we get to see a more diverse storyline in the next coming episodes as this could get old real fast.

iii – The “evil” characters of Meri Shezadi are really daunting and not in a good way. As I mentioned in my previous reviews, they all lack any sort of depth in their writing and are just portrayed as evil for the sake of it. At least Sheroz has been depicted a bit desperate and frustrated at times, the rest of the characters do not seem realistic in the slightest bit. 

+ Overall

A bit of a repetition from the previous week but Meri Shezadi has some strong redeeming factors to its unoriginal storyline.

Rate: out of 5 stars

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Fraud – Episode XXV (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 25 (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 – Even though Tabriaz’s parents do not play a major part in the storyline, they still bring some sense of humanity to Tabriaz’s character. Perhaps a subtle explanation why Tabriaz ended up being the way that he is. It is indeed a clever way to shed some light into a character’s background without having an hour long exposition behind it.

+ Low Points

i – Episode 25 was pretty uneventful. Undoubtedly a filler episode for the show to complete its quota. We had Tabriaz’s fake court case failure which cemented his place in the Shaan family and speaking of Shaan, we had the (once again) forced marriage of Maya. And none of these storylines were even remotely interesting. There was no real storyline development and weaknesses of the writing of Fraud just became more apparent than ever. With a couple of good episodes beforehand, the show has unfortunately shifted back into its ‘zombie’ mode where the episode feels devoid of any sense of originality.

ii – How is it still possible that Maya and Tabriaz have not crossed paths!? This is beyond ridiculous now. They are both part of the same family now, living in the same city and perhaps the same location. The show is milking this catastrophe for all its worth but by now, the event seems more farcical than anything. Whenever Maya is at home, coincidentally Tabriaz is distracted with something else. A couple of episodes back, Maya was slightly suspicious of Tooba’s husband so why isn’t she eager to meet him? Did she not even look at her sister in law’s wedding pictures?? How is any of this logical!?

iii – Speaking of being devoid of logic, why did Maya agree to marry (yet again) under less than ideal pretenses? Is Nisar Sahib and his family greedy for punishment? Do they not realize by now that this could all end very badly for them once again? How did Maya even agree to this? As the show nears its final episode, the storyline makes less and less sense. Fraud started off with such fireworks and is now ending with such farcical storytelling. 

+ Overall

A filler episode which was devoid of any logical storytelling.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Meri Shehzadi – Episode V (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 5 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.

+ Crew

  • Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
  • Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
  • Produced by Momina Duraid 
  • Production by MD Productions

+ Note

The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.

 + Main Cast

  1. Urwa Hocane as Dania
  2. Ali Rehman as Shehroz
  3. Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
  4. Muazzam Ali Khan
  5. Sonia Mishal
  6. Najiba Faiz
  7. Atiqa Odho
  8. Shabbir Jan
  9. Nauman Maqsood
  10. Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
  11. Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani

+ Plot

Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.

+ High Points

i – Most of the Episode revolved around Sheroz and his secret first wife Cam. While not the most engaging of episodes, it did explore the complexities of being married to a man of a higher stature. Sonia Mishal did a wonderful job in playing the neglected wife who is always casted in the shadows away from the public eye. The scenes between the two devolve from the blame game to career ending threats. Although not perfect, I do appreciate how the show managed to play along this storyline with a certain sense of maturity.

ii – While the whole episode was dominated by the Cam storyline, it never felt lethargic in its pacing and was accompanied by some engaging dialogues and good performances all around. Ali Rehman and Sonia Mishal had good chemistry and played well off one another. I really wouldn’t mind if Cam makes a return in some future episodes.

+ Low Points

i – Dania was a mere spectator in her own show. That was arguably the biggest flaw of this episode. Why is the show not from Dania’s perspective? That could be a very interesting way to engage the audience through the eyes of a newly wedded “princess” of the Sheroz family. Throughout the episode, Dania is left perplexed and feeling sorry for herself. “Why is she here? Does my husband love her more?”. There was little to no attention given to Dania and how this political world of lies and deception plays an effect on her. There is so much potential in this storyline but very little is being utilized in the end.

ii – The post production effects of the ‘video chat’ scene were truly awful. The “video” seemed obviously shoved into the cellphone frame in editing and it looks as fake as it should. Was it so hard to have a video call between the two characters? Regardless of the video quality, it would have looked much more authentic than this! And also, who holds a phone in a landscape position to video chat with someone?

iii – It seems like Meri Shehzadi is laying way too thick on the “Princess Diana” references. There are constant conversations on how she will become the new “Princess/ Shehzadi” and he should have been running the “kingdom”. It all sounded so ridiculous because no politician talks like that.

+ Overall

Even with the lack of our main protagonist, the episode was engaging enough for its entire runtime.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Fraud – Episode XXIV (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 24 (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 24 started off timid but ended on a high note. There was some high level of drama throughout its runtime but in terms of quality, the episode was a complete mixed bag. The Shaan/ Maya storyline moved along nicely but some character’s decision making (which I will elaborate in the low points section) is questionable to say the least. But overall, it was a somewhat entertaining hour of television.

ii – The fake assault on Tabriaz by unknown “goons” was a perfect setup/ alibi by Tabriaz to find his way into Shaan’s home and ultimately, his wealth. Although it’s a temporary solution, it was nonetheless smart writing by Zanjabeel Asim. Fraud may have its own set of mishaps, poor writing etc but when it comes to Tabriaz and his hustle towards the good life, the writing and performances have been excellent and undoubtedly carries the whole show forward. 

iii – And now for the crème de la crème of the episode; the confrontation between the mother in law and Tabriaz. Living on lies and deception her whole life, Asma Abbas as the mother in law plays the devil’s game as she recognizes Tabriaz for who he really is; a con artist. This was a fantastic and memorable scene from the episode and opened a whole new scenario of opportunity for the show. A strong ending to a somewhat mediocre episode.

+ Low Points

i – With all due respect, is Nisar sahib really that short sighted? Will he once again roll the dice on his daughter’s fate by agreeing to hide Maya’s past from her future husband? Did he learn absolutely nothing from his two life shattering experiences? Yes, he is desperate to see his daughter have a new home but no, this cannot be. Unless Nisar sahib has completely lost his marbles, this makes no sense. 

ii – The conclusion to the episode was great but one line of dialogue left me a bit perplexed. After the whole conversation of the mother in law understanding Tabriaz’s true motives, she ends up asking him “How is the situation moving along with the legal case regarding his family’s house?”. Was that supposed to be a sarcastic question? If not then how in the world can she still believe all the hogwash? 

+ Overall

A mixed bag of lethargic moments, accompanied by great storyline opportunities, Fraud still has some flair up its sleeves.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Meri Shehzadi – Episode IV (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 4 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.

+ Crew

  • Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
  • Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
  • Produced by Momina Duraid 
  • Production by MD Productions

+ Note

The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.

 + Main Cast

  1. Urwa Hocane as Dania
  2. Ali Rehman as Shehroz
  3. Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
  4. Muazzam Ali Khan
  5. Sonia Mishal
  6. Najiba Faiz
  7. Atiqa Odho
  8. Shabbir Jan
  9. Nauman Maqsood
  10. Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
  11. Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani

+ Plot

Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.

+ High Points

i – Four episodes in and the show already seems incredibly repetitive. But with that said, it was good to see Dania finally realize that it is the life that she has to deal with now. After constantly being threatened and insulted by her In-Laws, Dania finally realized that in order to maintain her individuality, she has to play the game. This means that she will have to behave as a royalty should and for the time being, leave her old past self behind.

ii – The death scene of Sheroz’s father was well executed. With the use of music, visuals and lack of dialogue; the scene was very effective and memorable. A great reminder to all the other Pakistani shows that less is always more.

+ Low Points

i – The episode felt very repetitive and not easy to sit through. The whole theme of the episode was if Dania would be allowed to meet her grandparents or forever be imprisoned by her in-laws. The writing was not clever enough to pull this episode off as each scene went far too long with characters portrayed as real life caricatures of themselves. It is unfortunate that Meri Shehzadi is going for the obvious, low hanging fruits with no real character studies or believability behind it. The in-laws are evil for the sake of being evil, there is no depth or justification behind it. A great villain is only a memorable one when you could understand (or relate) to their thought process.

ii – The depth that the characters in Meri Shehzadi have is no thicker than a cardboard box. Their primal instincts have divided them into the good/ evil categories. As a viewer, you are blatantly forced by the show to like and dislike the characters they want you to. Obviously, we are supposed to sympathize with Dania and her journey into the life of a “princess” but at least leave some scenes for viewers to interpret for themselves and not spoon feed us who we are supposed to love or hate. 

iii – Amongst all of the characters that are living in the Sheroz political family, there should be at least one character that could sympathize with Dania. This would be the perfect window to opportunity for Dania to not completely lose herself in this environment. On the other hand, this also creates diversity in the story and someone that the audience could root for. So far, that has not been the case for Meri Shehzadi. Apparently everyone in the family is evil whose main concern is solely the political stature of the family. Also, the reasoning behind Dania (of all women out there) being chosen as the one to produce offspring of the Shehroz family is still not convincing enough for me.

+ Overall

Episode 4 felt very repetitive at times including dialogues and scenes which really made this into a mediocre experience of television.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Fraud – Episode XXIII (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Fraud Episode 23 (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 plot thickens further. I like the way the show is building tension (and eventual collision) between the two parallel storylines of Maya and Tabriaz. Building a connection through props like the gold bracelet I feel is clever writing. Now the seed has been planted in Maya’s mind, the payoff will eventually follow soon.

ii – Although I was not interested in exploring Tabriaz’s background in the beginning, the show has somewhat warmed me up to it a lot more now. The broken, desperate relationship that Tabriaz has with his parents speaks a lot about his actions as an adult. At times, it is undeniably sad how he keeps justifying his actions by repeatedly reminding himself that it is for the good of the future for his parents when in truth, it is solely for himself. The dialogue back and forth between Tabriaz and his mother was also a powerful and telling one as she seems utterly perplexed what lies and misdemeanors has he involved himself into.

iii – This was one of the few episodes where Ahsan Khan seems impressive with his performance. My theory is that Ahsan Khan plays the part of a “desperate” man more convincingly than a suave, swindling one. There were numerous scenes where his performance shined through and held the scenes up on their own.

+ Low Points

i – It still makes no sense to me why the destruction of Maila’s life was necessary for the plot to continue. Not only that but they doubled down on last week’s farce with Talaal’s mother as to how she forcefully rejected Maila from her family for the “good” of “her” future. What kind of twisted logic is this? The Nisar family had already suffered enough, so why turn it into a complete farce? 

ii – Any scene now involving Maila seems very tedious and unnecessary to me. First, the audience had to go through the healing process of Maya and now it’s her sister. What is the point of all this? These scenes only dragged the episode and brought nothing new to the table.

+ Overall

A much needed improvement from the previous week, Fraud is now heading once again into the right direction but with somewhat questionable events.

Rate: out of 5 stars 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Meri Shehzadi – Episode II & III (2022)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Meri Shehzadi Episode 2 & 3 (2022). The new TV series is directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah. Meri Shehzadi is a story of a girl with a tragic past but is destined to become Royalty. Can she handle the responsibilities that come with it? Meri Shehzadi is an MD Productions and HUM TV Production.

+ Crew

  • Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed
  • Written by Zanjbeel Asim Shah
  • Produced by Momina Duraid 
  • Production by MD Productions

+ Note

The story of Meri Shehzadi is inspired by the real life story of the late Princess Diana from the United Kingdom. The show explores the expectations that corrupts the innocent and discourages empathy towards the common man.

 + Main Cast

  1. Urwa Hocane as Dania
  2. Ali Rehman as Shehroz
  3. Sabeen Farooq as Bisma
  4. Muazzam Ali Khan
  5. Sonia Mishal
  6. Najiba Faiz
  7. Atiqa Odho
  8. Shabbir Jan
  9. Nauman Maqsood
  10. Qavi Khan as Dania’s Nana
  11. Shamim Hilaly as Dania’s Nani

+ Plot

Raised by her loving Grandparents, Dania is born in a royal family who is destined for greatness in life. After meeting her future husband and entering the political monarchy of Pakistan, Dania must face the trials and tribulations that come along with the life of royalty.

+ High Points

i – Episodes 2 and 3 brought a new era in Dania’s life and with that, comes misery. Dania is now forcefully thrusted upon the life of Politics and backstabbing. Her ‘wide-eyed’ vision of the world and humanity does not work with Sheroz’s family and their household. Meri Shehzadi is a study of a young woman who has to now live a ‘fish out of water’ life which means for her to shed all of her empathetic attitude and mold into whatever Sheroz’s family wants her to become. It’s a simple story but so far, has been effective to say the least. And both episodes have had an incredibly natural progression with the plot of the show. 

ii – Urwa Hocane as Dania might have been the perfect role for her as her physical appearance certainly conveys the naive, tenderheartedness just from her visage. For Dania to be trapped inside the palace of lies and mistrust is a great visual representation of the show. Accompanied by the cool yet dastardly performance from Ali Rehman as Shehroz brings a lot of possible opportunities for friction and melodrama between the two opposite sides of the coin.

iii – I do have to admit, the role of Grandparents play a vital supporting role for Dania in the show. Where there is dark, there shall also be a contrast of light on the other end of the crossroad. Qavi Khan and Shamim Hilaly provide quite possibly the best performances of the show. It may not seem much but they play a pivotal role for our main protagonist, making valuable sense as to why Dania is such a kind hearted person in the first place. Nobody was born this way, it is her upbringing that makes all the difference in the world.

+ Low Points

i – Meri Shehzadi needs subtlety to elevate the show’s quality of writing and unfortunately, that has not been the case. The show is strictly divided into ‘Good guys’ and ‘Bad Guys’; Dania’s grandparents: Good, Sheroz’s family: Evil. And that is just not good writing. Admittedly, the first episode seemed somewhat promising in providing complexity in these characters. For example, Dania’s father still has kindness hidden behind that political exterior of his which creates great intrigue for the viewer to keep watching the show, hoping that one day, he will redeem himself for the sake of his daughter. Episodes 2 and 3 unfortunately went into the opposite route; Shehroz’s family provides no subtlety in their performances as we are supposed to hate them because they are very mean to our protagonist. Let’s make the antagonists a bit more grounded and realistic and I hope the show can rectify this problem in the next coming weeks.

ii – There is obviously a fine line between empathetic, kindhearted and naive. And judging from the two episodes, Dania comes more off as delusional than anything. Her ‘pure heart’ makes her spend thousands of rupees on the poor, the troubled. Her Grandpa did not have change so she decided to give the big rupee bill instead. It’s crystal clear what the show is going for but it makes Dania look too naive instead as she does not understand how the real world works. Dania should visit the slums, look out for the unfortunate ones but should not come off as naive towards the ills of humanity. The viewer needs to feel proud and sympathetic towards Dania, not pity her that she is getting ripped off by someone’s ‘needy’ act.

iii – But there is another problem with Dania’s story. It is her background. So the story goes that Dania is all of a sudden, being forced to live a life of a royalty and a celebrity which is great but the problem is that Dania comes from a very wealthy family herself. Look at her Grandparent’s house, the clothes she wears and so on; there is no massive contrast between the environment she was in before to where she is now. Yes, being a wife of a politician goes a long way but visually for us, her previous background plays a spoil sport in this scenario. But I guess that cannot be changed now but a genuine problem I feel with the show’s premise.

+ Overall

Not a bad outing but the cliches of Good versus Evil need to be avoided in order to make the show standout from the rest.

Rate: out of 5 stars