A review on Pakistani drama TV series, Tan Man Neel o Neel (2024). The eleven episode TV mini-series is directed by Saife Hassan and written by Mustafa Afridi. Tan Man Neel o Neel is a story of the Pakistani dance entertainment industry along with the politics and corruption that surrounds it. Tan Man Neel o Neel was aired on HUM TV late 2024.
+ Crew
- Directed by Saife Hassan
- Written by Mustafa Afridi
- Produced by Sultana Siddiqui
+ Note
Tan Man Neel o Neel might have a deceivingly simple narrative on paper but it pertains dark complexity within its plot dealing with controversial issues like sexual abuse, corruption, torture and blasphemy.
+ Main Cast
- Shuja Asad as Sonu
- Seher Khan as Rabi
- Sammiya Mumtaz
- Saleem Mairaj
- Nadia Afgan
- Nauman Masood
- Muhammad Usman Javed
- Haseeb Khan
+ Plot
The story takes place in a city of dreams where Sonu (played by Shuja Asad) wants to become a professional dancer in the Entertainment Industry. After his performance in a small gig, he comes across Rabi (played by Seher Khan), a social media video blogger, who takes a shine at Sonu and forms a professional business partnership with him. After Sonu’s dancing partner becomes a victim of an unspeakable incident, Sonu and Rabi fight to find justice in a society where corruption runs the entire system.
+ High Points
i – This drama serial takes a massive chance with its highly controversial subject matter. Tan Man Neel o Neel is inadvertently a throwback to a time in the 90s where Pakistani dramas did not shy away from dealing with subjects that were detrimental to our society. Unfortunately I cannot discuss this “controversial subject matter” for readers who have not seen the show but will discuss it below in the spoiler section.
ii – Although I was not fully convinced in the beginning with the performances of our two young main leads, they did kind of grow on me as the series progressed. The naivety and lack of experience actually proved to be vital in their characterizations. Sonu grew up with a single parent while Rabi’s parents are loving and at times, lenient with her adventures into a dangerous, rogue world of online entertainment. Seher Khan’s interpretation of Rabi is a bold faced sweetheart who is never shy to speak her mind whereas Shuja Asad’s Sonu thinks perhaps a bit too much, before he speaks. In the world of Television, they are made for one another.
iii – The very first episode itself has a gut punch prepared for its audience with one, very controversial scene. It is very subtle in its visual and spoken presentation but for most viewers, it is obvious what has just happened to Sonu’s close friend. Without spoiling any plot point, let’s just say I did not expect a Pakistani TV drama to tackle such a taboo subject on public television. Kudos to the creative team for going through this.
iv – I always love watching Sammiya Mumtaz on screen. Her calm yet emotional performances always bring out the best in any TV show she is a part of. She plays a retired singer who is haunted by her past. As the show progresses, we get to learn more and more about it which involves her, her fiance and a jealous lover. This side story is well written and honestly, could have been a separate show in itself.
v – The surroundings of old city Punjab plays a vital role in creating an atmosphere for the show. I love the small, narrow streets, filled with deteriorating rows and rows of apartment buildings, wet clothes hanging on wires, rooftops, kite flying and so on.
vi – The cinematography and framing at times, is so brilliant. The interior architecture is perfectly utilized in capturing the essence of the scene. Take for example this picture below, Rabi’s father had just revealed a terrible secret to his wife and the framing conveys the emotional claustrophobia that they feel now within the situation. Such visual storytelling adds so much to the entire atmosphere of the show.
SPOILER!!! If you haven’t seen the show yet, please skip to the ‘Low Points’ section below:
vii – The crescendo to the show, the plot that was leading up to the final confrontation; the blasphemy law. This law that has been shoved into Pakistan’s Penal Code since the early 90s, has been responsible for countless deaths of innocent muslims and non-muslims. This modern day witch hunt destroys the vision of Quaid’s Pakistan to its very founding principles. Salman Taseer, a Pakistani PPP politician was assassinated just for tackling this highly controversial topic and since then, no serious opposition was ever brought up against it due to backlash or worse, death.
I genuinely applaud the creative team behind Tan Man Neel o Neel for actually tackling this topic head on and making it very clear where they stand on this issue. And the ending itself is not just used for mere shock value. If we listen closely to the dialogue with each episode, the topic was hinted at beforehand and is cleverly executed.
+ Low Points
i – With all its strong characterization and brilliant pacing, the plot can get slightly repetitive and convoluted at times. With each episode, the revenge scenario between different factions started dominating the show a bit too much and as a viewer, one can easily be confused where our sympathies are supposed to lie.
ii – The “singing” sequences were badly synchronized with the actors. The show did not even attempt to make them believable. Obviously they had a professional singer singing on behalf of Seher Khan but the audio mixing was utter nonsense and laughable. Thankfully these scenes were very few but nonetheless, took me out of the scene every single time.
iii – When it comes to the antagonists of the show, nothing really stood out for me. Nauman Masood’s performance was commendable but the characterization and motivation was quite two dimensional. He is a terrible person because the script requires it. There was no nuance, no hint of what shaped his character in such a way. He’s just a troublemaker who wants to control Rabi.
+ Overall
Tan Man Neel o Neel is unapologetically a controversial show and it lives by that reputation.
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