Ohkay so, what a spellbinding episode filled with spellbinding performances, like I seriously just didn’t want this episode to end & when it did, I was actually disappointed. This drama takes you to some other world, I haven’t felt like this in ages about a drama but O Rangreza is proving to be something else. I love love love the detailing with which this drama has been directed, like there are so many moments where you actually see how the director made sure to convey something without making it a bit too obvious. It ends up looking like a mystery box where you keep on exploring so many different things & it keeps you engaged. Loving it so far!
Who would’ve thought that the episode that began on such a light-hearted note would turn out to be so intense & deep. This shows the intelligence of the writer & his vision because he succeeded in grabbing the attention of the viewers through some very easy-going moments & when the viewers were having a good time, the story took such a turn that it engaged them further. I awed at the scene where Sassi went to meet Qasim, like it is so obvious that she misses him, but since her ego gets in the way, she doesn’t want to admit that. It was amusing how Sassi used Qasim to drift two friends apart & her strategy worked, whereas the one who was being used i-e Qasim was oblivious of the rumor Sassi had spread. Seeing Sassi standing alone while feeding the birds also showcased how she missed Qasim’s presence around her, even if she doesn’t realize but Qasim is like her one & only buddy that she grew up with, that is why she is used to the idea of him being around & now when he is gone, she finds ways to see him.
So, Sassi planned a big surprise for her father & she assumed that since Sonia would be with her, it will make her case stronger & she will be able to convey what’s in her heart to Khayyam because she knows he sees things differently every time Sonia is in the picture. Obviously Sonia had to fulfill Sassi’s dream because for her, Sassi is quite special too & there was no way she was going to refuse her request. Speaking of the overall ambiance that was created for Khayyam’s birthday at his home, I will say it was magical, all those candles & the sparkling hangings reflecting those lights were just beautiful. Coming to the performance of Sonia & Sassi, who would’ve thought that the scene which was appeasing Khayyam would turn into his worst nightmare. It showcased the double standards of Khayyam Sani perfectly where he didn’t mind everyone looking at Sonia Jahan; the one whom he is in love with but he just couldn’t stand seeing his daughter in front of the same crowd.
Coming to the confrontation between Khayyam & Sassi, it was intense & perfect, like I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen during that scene I must say Noman Ejaz & Sajal Ali were beyond brilliant during that conversation. So, Sassi like an immature child came & told her father that she wants to be like Sonia Jahan, while completely ignoring the fact that her father was not only disturbed but was furious as well. Since Sassi has never seen Khayyam like that, she couldn’t even read his expressions but just one slap changed everything. The inquisitiveness in Sassi’s eyes said it all, it was like she was seeing her father Khayyam for the first time & the man that she was looking at was unfamiliar to her so she was trying very hard to figure out who he was. Sassi, who all her life has seen Khayyam idealizing Sonia Jahan, looking at her with so much appreciation & affection in his eyes, could never imagine that he would react so sternly when she will try to fit in the same image too. Khayyam was open about it, he didn’t appreciate what Sassi did so he made sure to convey it to her & there were no two ways about it but for Sassi it was a shock of her life as she never could’ve imagined that she will be met with such a response from her father. From there onward, it was a bitter reality that Sassi had to deal with because now the image of her father has changed in her eyes & she has to figure out how she will deal with him.
‘Wo bachay nahi bigarte jin ke ghar mai koi bigaar dalne wala mojood na ho, bahar ka rang usi pe charhta hai jiss ka apna rang kacha hota hai’, oh well, it was ironic that throughout this conversation, Khayyam was blaming Mumtaz whereas if he would’ve had some insight, he would’ve realized that he was talking about himself. It is so obvious that Khayyam uses Mumtaz as a punching bag & for him, she is a soft target to put the entire blame on. It is surprising that it hasn’t occurred to Khayyam till date that Mumtaz has no influence on Sassi & she is basically his own carbon copy, because if he had paid a little more attention to Sassi in stead of directing all his energies on demeaning & blaming Mumtaz, he would’ve seen that he is the one who Sassi takes after. Khayyam has turned a blind eye & since he is so used to the idea of holding Mumtaz responsible for everything, he thinks everything that Sassi says or does is only because Mumtaz is a bad mother & she has failed at motherhood. However, one thing really caught my attention was Khayyam’s dialogue ‘na tum betay ko sambhal saki, aik beti baqi reh gai thi usay bhi barbaad…’, did they just imply that Khayyam & Mumtaz also had a son & may be they lost him? Is this the reason why Khayyam is so cold towards Mumtaz? Does he hold her responsible for it too? I wish they lift the curtain from this in the upcoming episodes as well.
Khayyam was obviously feeling bad for what he did & how he treated Sassi, but then again, he should know that this is exactly what is going to make Sassi believe that she can do anything that she wants because her father will always take a step down in front of her. Khayyam did tell Mumtaz that she should never ever blame Sonia, which is right, because in this entire situation, neither Mumtaz is at fault nor Sonia, it is Khayyam himself who still hasn’t realized that it was because of his obsession with Sonia Jahan, that Sassi started idealizing her too!
Sonia Jahan has met Khayyam & now she has started to desire more from this relationship, due to which she is compromising on her career, for which she has worked so hard all her life. This is exactly what her manager Mushtaq tried to convey to her that she is sacrificing her success, her career, everything because she has been distracted but Sonia chose not to pay heed to what he was saying. It is so obvious that Sonia Jahan is tired of putting up a facade, faking an image, that too for those people who only look at her from the outer surface & do not bother getting to know who she, as a person, as a human being is. May be this is what she has seen in Khayyam that his curious eyes are trying to get through her fake image, only to get familiar with her true-self, that is why she is ready to give up on everything because she wants at least someone to love her for who she is & she believes it is Khayyam who would do that.
Since Sonia has also started to expect so much more from Khayyam, she didn’t notice how he was screening her phonecalls, she just didn’t see how he was ignoring her because for him, what happened the other day was way too much of a burden to deal with. However, Sonia actually came to know what’s in his heart because may be she wants to make some final decisions regarding both her personal & professional life & Khayyam Sani’s answer will help her as like she said, what he thinks of her is what matters to her the most & nothing else. It did look like Sonia spread the news/pictures herself, as a publicity stunt because Mushtaq did remind her that the competition was cutthroat & she was being forgotten. I don’t know why but the way Sonia reacted to the news in front of Khayyam made me feel that it was basically a way for her to know what he was thinking, like if his opinion about her would change or will he still be as smitten by her as he was before this news made it to the media. This will definitely put Khayyam & his feelings to test because he never would’ve imagined that there would come a time when Sonia Jahan would expect something more from him & he’d have to prove himself to her!
Even though Qasim is pretty much out of the family, I like the fact that he isn’t forgotten & he always has these amazing moments which give us so much to love about him & Sassi together. His dream sequence again with Sassi was spellbinding, it was perfect & just beautiful. Also, the fact that the entire scene was shot in one go goes to show Bilal Abbas Khan’s & Sajal Ali’s caliber as actors, they just performed brilliantly & their chemistry is something else. Qasim has put Sassi on such a higher rank in his heart, he has the most beautiful feelings for her & he words them in such a unique way too for her but sadly, she had no idea about it. I want to see what will Qasim say in the future that will actually strike a chord & melt Sassi’s heart away for him because I am sure that moment would be magical too!
Overall, this episode was beautiful & I just didn’t want it to end. Once again, like I always say, the wait for next Friday is looking never-ending. I loved the way this episode was directed & written, like it started off from a light-hearted note but ended at such an intense moment. What will Khayyam’s reaction be? Really looking to find that out. Also, looks like Sassi will tell Khayyam what she is made of. Khayyam’s worries are far from being over, I wish in the course of Sassi’s rebellion, Khayyam himself realizes that he is solely responsible for how Sassi has turned out to be because in front of Sassi, he never gave Mumtaz an opportunity to have some authority, some control, some hold over their child & this was his biggest mistake. Noman Ejaz & Sajal Ali were the stars of this episode followed by Bilal Abbas Khan. I must say the amount of effort & hard-work the entire team has put in is evident. It shows that all the actors have put their heart & soul in these characters, that is why they are just exceptional. I must say I loved the detailing as well, especially during the dance performance, like it was so obvious that Sassi wasn’t good at dancing but she was just copying Sonia Jahan out of excitement, like where Sonia’s dancing was perfect, Sassi’s lacked finesse. Sajal Ali looked like a doll in that attire & Sana Fakhar looked beautiful in this episode as well, in both heavy dresses as well as simple ones. I will definitely appreciate the no-background-sound strategy in the scenes where the characters were having serious conversations, like it just helped so much in keeping the entire focus on what they were saying, it’s small things like these that make it a unique drama-watching experience. Massive props to the entire team. Please share your thoughts about this brilliant episode of O Rangreza.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
