Tag: Sania Saeed

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Raqeeb Se – Episode 11 (2021). The new TV series is directed by Kashif Nisar and is a production of Momina Duraid Productions. Raqeeb Se is a HUM TV Production.

(Note: If you’ve already read the review of the previous episode, you can skip directly ahead to the High points section).

+ Crew

• Directed by Kashif Nisar
• Written by Beegul
• DOP by Hassam Mairaj
• Music Composed by Hadiqa Kiani
• Produced by Momina Duraid Productions

+ Note

Raqeeb Se is the newest HUM TV Production and is once again the collaboration of the award winning Writer/ Director duo of Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar. 

The title of the show is heavily inspired by a poem from the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz when the young poet fell in love with a girl next door in Sialkot. But alas, as luck would have it, she one day unexpectedly left the city, only to be reunited years later when Faiz was already an established poet in the circles of Urdu literature. This encounter inspired Faiz to write a poem “Raqib Se!”. The backstory of this poem plays a crucial role in the premise of the show.

 + Main Cast

1. Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina
2. Noman Ijaz as Maqsood
3. Sania Saeed as Hajra
4. Faryal Mehmood as Insha
5. Iqra Aziz as Ameera
6. Saqib Sameer as Rafiq

+ Plot

Raqeeb Se is a call of Maqsood’s dark past that could potentially destroy his present life. In order to escape her abusive husband, Sakina, along with her daughter Ameera, flees from her village to find shelter at her former lover’s place, Maqsood. Unfortunately Maqsood, who still holds a grudge against Sakina’s past actions, refuses to aid her in her most dire situation. But his wife, Hajra, seems much more sympathetic to the situation and lets Sakina stay at their home till things are figured out for the future.

But can Sakina be trusted to stay out of Maqsood’s life or will they be tempted to rekindle their lost love and in the process, destroy what Maqsood and his wife Hajra have built together?

+ High Points

i – Episode 11 brings slight closure between Sakina and Hajira. They have a brief interaction about Life choices and how they were at times forced to continue those choices against their will. Although brief, this was a good scene for the audience to sympathise with the two characters who have had (unfortunately) the least amount of development throughout the show up till now.

ii – I have to admit, it is kinda fun to see Ameera try her hardest to please Maqsood sahib. She sometimes moves away from her personality just to be a bit more like her mother Sakina because it is her that Maqsood sahib fell in love with in the first place. 

iii – The confrontation between Maqsood and Sakina was the highlight of the show. His frustrations towards Sakina’s lack of self respect indulges him to face his past and make Sakina realize that she needs to grow as a person in order to have a better future. I can’t help but wonder that (like the audience) even Maqsood got sick of Sakina just moping and cursing her own fate.

iv – The show has always had great production value and this episode was no exception. Camera work, lighting and set design were all once again top notch!

 + Low Points

i – It is extremely odd that even with a few confrontational scenes between the main cast in this episode, nothing ever really happens in this show. As a viewer, you don’t feel as if the story has progressed, or the satisfaction of investing your time watching this show. Perhaps the reason is that the status quo of the show never ever changes; Maqsood sahib is always grumpy, Sakina is always whining about her fate, Hajira always acts like a doormat, Ameera acts erratic and Insha goes to her boyfriend to complain about her family. And it’s unfortunately getting real old now.

ii – In Episode 11, the scene between Insha and Abdul once again turned into unnecessary expository dialogue. Yes, Insha’s family is dysfunctional, we as an audience just saw that. Why repeat that same information? It’s just a waste of a scene which the writer could easily use to further develop the storyline. 

iii – Awkward greenscreen during car driving scenes of the show. Doesn’t look good to a show which otherwise, has good production value.

iv – Maqsood sahib’s anger outbursts in each single episode is becoming tiresome real fast. It’s obvious that he is frustrated with the current state of affairs but anger outbursts are only impactful if done seldom. 

+ Overall

Episode 11 is yet another tale in the life of Maqsood sahib and the women around him. Even though there are a few good scenes, the storyline still remains unmoved.

 Rate: 2.5 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Raqeeb Se – Episode 10 (2021). The new TV series is directed by Kashif Nisar and is a production of Momina Duraid Productions. Raqeeb Se is a HUM TV Production.

(Note: If you’ve already read the review of the previous episode, you can skip directly ahead to the High points section).

+ Crew

• Directed by Kashif Nisar
• Written by Beegul
• DOP by Hassam Mairaj
• Music Composed by Hadiqa Kiani
• Produced by Momina Duraid Productions

+ Note

Raqeeb Se is the newest HUM TV Production and is once again the collaboration of the award winning Writer/ Director duo of Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar. 

The title of the show is heavily inspired by a poem from the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz when the young poet fell in love with a girl next door in Sialkot. But alas, as luck would have it, she one day unexpectedly left the city, only to be reunited years later when Faiz was already an established poet in the circles of Urdu literature. This encounter inspired Faiz to write a poem “Raqib Se!”. The backstory of this poem plays a crucial role in the premise of the show.

 + Main Cast

1. Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina
2. Noman Ijaz as Maqsood
3. Sania Saeed as Hajra
4. Faryal Mehmood as Insha
5. Iqra Aziz as Ameera
6. Saqib Sameer as Rafiq

+ Plot

Raqeeb Se is a call of Maqsood’s dark past that could potentially destroy his present life. In order to escape her abusive husband, Sakina, along with her daughter Ameera, flees from her village to find shelter at her former lover’s place, Maqsood. Unfortunately Maqsood, who still holds a grudge against Sakina’s past actions, refuses to aid her in her most dire situation. But his wife, Hajra, seems much more sympathetic to the situation and lets Sakina stay at their home till things are figured out for the future.

But can Sakina be trusted to stay out of Maqsood’s life or will they be tempted to rekindle their lost love and in the process, destroy what Maqsood and his wife Hajra have built together?

+ High Points

i – Episode 10 was the introduction of Insha’s boyfriend to her family and the whole sequence of events were very well handled throughout the episode. Abdul’s anxiety and nervousness to Maqsood seeing a bit of his younger self in Abdul brings some much needed tension and interest other than the main plot of the show (which is unfortunately slowly deteriorating into obscurity).

ii – It is also worth a mention that the dynamics between Insha and Abdul have also significantly improved since the earlier episodes. The interactions between them seem better written and acted. Also their body language gives off fairly well that they have known each other for years now.

iii – The show’s production is excellent since its premiere and one of the most visually unique shows out there on Pakistani television at the moment. Most Pak TV shows heighten the color saturation just to make it more “eye catching”. Raqeeb Se achieves just that and much more by merely playing with light and shadows. Props should go to the Raqeeb Se’s production design team.

iv – While her performance during the show is slightly over the top, Iqra Aziz is nonetheless always entertaining whenever she is onscreen. And that is a God sent compared to the rest of the lifeless, dull characters of the show.

 + Low Points

i – As a reviewer, it is at times so frustrating to watch this show. Repetition, illogical scenes and dialogues have become so common that it becomes a chore just to sit through the entire episode without feeling exasperated. Half way through the episode, Rafiq Ali is sitting at Maqsood sahib’s Bungalow, having tea with Hajira. How!? Why? How did he get here? Why was he invited in? They know he can be dangerous, could potentially take Sakina back home by force, why take the risk? Would the show care to explain this to the viewers?

ii – In the last five episodes or so, Sakina and Hajira have undoubtedly become mere plot devices to the show rather than having any sort of characterization of their own. Sakina curses her fate while Hajira does everything Maqsood wants and praises him for it. A white sheet of paper has more dimension than these two characters!

iii – The crush that Ameera has on Maqsood sahib is incredibly tacked on and awkward. For now, it serves nothing to the overall plot of the show but perhaps the writer Beegul has something up her sleeve that we as viewers are not aware of. But for now, it does not work.

iv – The background music during the Rafiq Ali/ Hajira scene was extremely odd. I wish I could comment on it more but I have absolutely no idea what kind of feeling they were going for there.

+ Overall

Episode 10 goes back again to status quo. Lethargic plot development, lack of strong character motivations, repetition of scenes/ dialogues. Even though Adbul and Insha’s subplot is well integrated into the story, Raqeeb Se needs to give a clear reason why viewers should stick around till the end.

 Rate: 2.5 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Raqeeb Se – Episode 9 (2021). The new TV series is directed by Kashif Nisar and is a production of Momina Duraid Productions. Raqeeb Se is a HUM TV Production.

(Note: If you’ve already read the review of the previous episode, you can skip directly ahead to the High points section).

+ Crew

• Directed by Kashif Nisar
• Written by Beegul
• DOP by Hassam Mairaj
• Music Composed by Hadiqa Kiani
• Produced by Momina Duraid Productions

+ Note

Raqeeb Se is the newest HUM TV Production and is once again the collaboration of the award winning Writer/ Director duo of Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar. 

The title of the show is heavily inspired by a poem from the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz when the young poet fell in love with a girl next door in Sialkot. But alas, as luck would have it, she one day unexpectedly left the city, only to be reunited years later when Faiz was already an established poet in the circles of Urdu literature. This encounter inspired Faiz to write a poem “Raqib Se!”. The backstory of this poem plays a crucial role in the premise of the show.

 + Main Cast

1. Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina
2. Noman Ijaz as Maqsood
3. Sania Saeed as Hajra
4. Faryal Mehmood as Insha
5. Iqra Aziz as Ameera
6. Saqib Sameer as Rafiq

+ Plot

Raqeeb Se is a call of Maqsood’s dark past that could potentially destroy his present life. In order to escape her abusive husband, Sakina, along with her daughter Ameera, flees from her village to find shelter at her former lover’s place, Maqsood. Unfortunately Maqsood, who still holds a grudge against Sakina’s past actions, refuses to aid her in her most dire situation. But his wife, Hajra, seems much more sympathetic to the situation and lets Sakina stay at their home till things are figured out for the future.

But can Sakina be trusted to stay out of Maqsood’s life or will they be tempted to rekindle their lost love and in the process, destroy what Maqsood and his wife Hajra have built together?

+ High Points

i – These past few episodes has really fleshed out the love story of Abdul/ Insha and is finally now being integrated into the overall narrative of the show. Also the development of both characters has significantly been improved upon and is slowly becoming the highlight of each episode.

ii – In Episode 9, the dramatic tension within Maqsood sahib’s compound was very well written and brought some life into the ongoing tense moments of the show (which for the past few episodes have been frankly dull and repetitive).

iii – Noman Ijaz as Maqsood finally gets to emote and show his full potential in this episode. Maqsood eventually breaks his stoic mannerisms and lets his true emotions be put on display for the audience to witness. Noman Ijaz seems very comfortable playing the main protagonist who has an obvious chip on his shoulder.

iv – With tense, visual atmosphere and soft lighting, Raqeeb Se might be one of the best looking TV dramas out there at the moment. Even if the narrative falters at times, the visuals are always pleasant to marvel at.

v – Compared to other episodes, Episode 9 had good pacing/ plot progression and was a slight improvement from the rest of the show. The scenes were well set up, the actors got to display their acting chops; from here on-out, this is how the show should move forward!

 + Low Points

i – Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina has really become a drag to watch. Her one note line delivery and lack of any character development has really hurt her performance in the show. She has never had anything interesting to say, her regret of “setting foot into Maqsood sahib’s house” is over and done with by now. The show really needs to give her something more interesting to do than just mop and whine about her fate. 

ii – As far as one note characters, Hajira’s motivations have also not developed since the first episode. She is by far the least interesting character of the main cast. She has nothing to do throughout the show other than to remind the audience how grateful she is to Maqsood sahib and lacks any motivations of her own. The manner in which Hajira is written makes her a mere “plot device” to the overall narrative rather than having a character of her own.

iii – Although the cliffhanger of the show was an interesting one, let us also not forget that Hajira is not onboard with any of Maqsood’s decisions. Are we supposed to sympathize with how noble Maqsood is in vowing to take care of Sakina? If his own wife is not completely in agreement with this “new arrangement” then it is not a noble but selfish act from Maqsood’s part. If the show wants us to sympathize with Maqsood’s selflessness without his wife’s consent then that is an abhorrent decision from the creative team of Raqeeb Se. Whether the show runners will work on this upcoming angle remains to be seen…

+ Overall

Episode 9 brings back some of the tension and drama from the first few episodes. It’s a much needed character dynamic that the show was lacking in the previous few weeks. With a stellar cast like this, Raqeeb Se most certainly has the potential to become a must see television show.

 Rate: 3.0 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Raqeeb Se – Episode 8 (2021). The new TV series is directed by Kashif Nisar and is a production of Momina Duraid Productions. Raqeeb Se is a HUM TV Production.

(Note: If you’ve already read the review of the previous episode, you can skip directly ahead to the High points section).

+ Crew

• Directed by Kashif Nisar
• Written by Beegul
• DOP by Hassam Mairaj
• Music Composed by Hadiqa Kiani
• Produced by Momina Duraid Productions

+ Note

Raqeeb Se is the newest HUM TV Production and is once again the collaboration of the award winning Writer/ Director duo of Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar. 

The title of the show is heavily inspired by a poem from the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz when the young poet fell in love with a girl next door in Sialkot. But alas, as luck would have it, she one day unexpectedly left the city, only to be reunited years later when Faiz was already an established poet in the circles of Urdu literature. This encounter inspired Faiz to write a poem “Raqib Se!”. The backstory of this poem plays a crucial role in the premise of the show.

 + Main Cast

1. Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina
2. Noman Ijaz as Maqsood
3. Sania Saeed as Hajra
4. Faryal Mehmood as Insha
5. Iqra Aziz as Ameera
6. Saqib Sameer as Rafiq

+ Plot

Raqeeb Se is a call of Maqsood’s dark past that could potentially destroy his present life. In order to escape her abusive husband, Sakina, along with her daughter Ameera, flees from her village to find shelter at her former lover’s place, Maqsood. Unfortunately Maqsood, who still holds a grudge against Sakina’s past actions, refuses to aid her in her most dire situation. But his wife, Hajra, seems much more sympathetic to the situation and lets Sakina stay at their home till things are figured out for the future.

But can Sakina be trusted to stay out of Maqsood’s life or will they be tempted to rekindle their lost love and in the process, destroy what Maqsood and his wife Hajra have built together?

+ High Points

i – Whenever Sabiq Sameer and Saba Faisal are part of an episode, that is where Raqeeb Se shines the most. Their performances and characters are compelling enough to keep you interested throughout the episode. Salman Shahid’s introduction in the past few episodes is also a great addition to lower the monotony of the four main core characters.

ii – Episode 8 might be the first time that Abdul showed some depth in his characterization. His inability to find a decent, secure job makes him uncomfortable in front of his lover and brings some inferiority complex into the mix. Great! This actually gives a purpose of sorts why the viewer should be interested in the development of their relationship. More of this please!

iii – The tension and banter between Maqsood and Rafiq is always fun to watch. Noman Ijaz and Saqib Sameer always have great onscreen chemistry together and their performances show that they are having fun playing their respective roles.

iv – When it comes to production, Raqeeb Se is one of the best looking TV dramas in Pakistan. The cinematography, lighting, editing (with exception to music selection) are all brilliant. What is commendable about the show is that even with minimal plot progression, the visuals command the audience to continue watching the show. 

v – The dynamics between Maqsood and his estranged elder Brother is intriguing and would love to see where it develops by the end of the show. The car scene near the end of the episode was a clear reminder that Raqeeb Se can have great writing and excellent conflicts whenever it needs to. 

 + Low Points

i – Raqeeb Se is primarily a show centered around its five main protagonists and its takes its time with its plot progression. Which is all great but you need sharp writing in order to pull this off. And unfortunately, this show does not accomplish that. The characters are not compelling enough to rely solely on them and therefore, suffers from repetitive scenarios and plot stagnation. 

ii – Even though Hadiqa Kiani has mostly been great throughout the show, Episode 8 was not her best outing to date. Her character Sakina has slowly become a one note character, crying and complaining about leaving back to her village, never should’ve set foot at Maqsood sahib’s door etc. Due to repetitive writing and lack of developing character arcs, Hadiqa Kiani’s acting chops are also proving to be monotonous, one note dialogues. Please give her something else to do. I’m sure Hadiqa Kiani is more than up for the task of showing a different range of emotions!

iii – Faryal Mehmood and Hamza Sohail still remain the two sore spots of the show as their performances are significantly lesser in quality compared to the other leads of the show like Noman Ijaz, Sania Saeed, Saqib Sameer  or even Iqra Aziz. But they are not the ones at fault here. They both feel uncomfortable whenever they are sprouting out their dialogues which clearly shows that the director Kashif Nisar is not guiding them enough with their performances. 

Iv– Even if Episode 8 was a slight improvement from the previous one, the show still lacks stakes and has major pacing issues. And with lack of plot progression from episode to episode, the characters are not interesting enough to hold the viewer’s interest on their own. And sadly, I don’t see any new developments in the near future.

+ Overall

Episode 8 showed some signs of improvement but the core pacing issue of the show is still a major factor for me to further recommend this show. Raqeeb Se is far from engaging television but at least it’s great to have something in the background if you have some free time on your hands.

 Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Raqeeb Se – Episode 7 (2021). The new TV series is directed by Kashif Nisar and is a production of Momina Duraid Productions. Raqeeb Se is a HUM TV Production.

(Note: If you’ve already read the review of the previous episode, you can skip directly ahead to the High points section).

+ Crew

• Directed by Kashif Nisar
• Written by Beegul
• DOP by Hassam Mairaj
• Music Composed by Hadiqa Kiani
• Produced by Momina Duraid Productions

+ Note

Raqeeb Se is the newest HUM TV Production and is once again the collaboration of the award winning Writer/ Director duo of Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar. 

The title of the show is heavily inspired by a poem from the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz when the young poet fell in love with a girl next door in Sialkot. But alas, as luck would have it, she one day unexpectedly left the city, only to be reunited years later when Faiz was already an established poet in the circles of Urdu literature. This encounter inspired Faiz to write a poem “Raqib Se!”. The backstory of this poem plays a crucial role in the premise of the show.

 + Main Cast

1. Hadiqa Kiani as Sakina
2. Noman Ijaz as Maqsood
3. Sania Saeed as Hajra
4. Faryal Mehmood as Insha
5. Iqra Aziz as Ameera
6. Saqib Sameer as Rafiq

+ Plot

Raqeeb Se is a call of Maqsood’s dark past that could potentially destroy his present life. In order to escape her abusive husband, Sakina, along with her daughter Ameera, flees from her village to find shelter at her former lover’s place, Maqsood. Unfortunately Maqsood, who still holds a grudge against Sakina’s past actions, refuses to aid her in her most dire situation. But his wife, Hajra, seems much more sympathetic to the situation and lets Sakina stay at their home till things are figured out for the future.

But can Sakina be trusted to stay out of Maqsood’s life or will they be tempted to rekindle their lost love and in the process, destroy what Maqsood and his wife Hajra have built together?

+ High Points

i – Regardless of the problems with writing and plot development, what Raqeeb Se has been consistently good with is its presentation. The Director of Photography Hassam Mairaj’s work has been great throughout the show. And the praise should also be upheld for the entire crew behind the camera. 

ii – Saba Faisal’s performance as the sassy, uptight Punjabi lady is outstanding. Since her introduction, she is magnetic in every scene she is a part of and brings a much needed flair to the show.

iii – Even though nothing much happens in Episode 7, the interaction between characters with conflicting personalities was interesting enough for the episode to breeze through.

iv – The short biryani scene between Insha and her lover was a nice touch and visually depicted that even with so much uncertainty surrounding their secure future, they still love each other enough to just simply enjoy the finer moments in Life.

 + Low Points

i – “Like watching paint dry…”. This perfectly sums up Raqeeb Se’s plot development since its premiere on Hum TV. Episode 7 yet again adds nothing to the overall plot development of the show. It’s characteristically tedious and lingers far too long on its premise than it has any right to. And the worst part is, Raqeeb Se has such a stellar cast and creative team but nothing engaging to offer to its viewers. It’s been quite a letdown up till now.

ii – It has to be mentioned that Insha’s interaction with her parents is extremely cold and alien at times. There seems to be a total loss of love and affection that one has for her parents. She even sometimes refers to her father as “Maqsood sahib”. Even with the backstory of Maqsood that we know now, her actions are not justifiable. Is there any other reasoning behind all this that has currently not been revealed?

iii – Hajra is unconvincingly depicted as extremely naive and quite frankly, ridiculous at times. She has mentioned a couple of times how Maqsood has done so much for her but why is Hajra so eager to keep Sakina at their place when ultimately, it’s clear that this will bring nothing but trouble to her marriage? The writing of the show is very vague and inconsistent on this issue and it’s getting really hard and frustrating for the viewer to sympathise with Hajra anymore.

+ Overall

Although Episode 7 was interesting enough through its compelling characters, the consistent plot development is still severely lacking in order to make the viewer look forward every week to watch the show. But with the recent cliffhanger of Episode 7, can Raqeeb Se make a comeback?

 Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars