Ohkay so, the first part of this episode was boring but the second part was decent, especially the bits related to Khayyam & Sassi.
I swear ever since Tipu’s character has made an appearance, he has made it impossible for me to take this drama & the entire situation seriously. He has turned into a pet peeve of mine & no joke, I have a hard time looking at my TV screen during his scenes. Though the writer is trying to use Meena’s character to convey something but it still isn’t making an impact. I so wish the writer hadn’t introduced the characters of Tipu & Meena because before them, the drama was doing great & it had that intensity which kept my interest intact but now everytime I see Tipu, I see him as a result of Mamo & Khayyam’s faulty upbringing & their failure as parents. Tipu seriously makes me wonder ke is family mai koi mentally sane, koi normal hai bhi ya nahi?
I think we were doing just fine with two difficult characters of Khayyam & Sassi therefore there was no need for another twisted character Tipu who abuses & assaults his girlfriend that he says he loves. I think we were also fine with two similar characters of Mamo & Qasim who only knew how to love selflessly that is why to see another selfless lover Meena isn’t really making an impact. I really hope the writer here is not trying to show that a girl who comes from such an environment which is all about woman’s independence & empowerment, settling for an abusive guy like Tipu? Meena’s reaction after she got slapped left me baffled & even before that, a lot of emphasis was made on the fact that Meena does everything that pleases Tipu, so I think she is another Mamo in a modern packaging. I don’t know how many readers will agree with me but I feel the writer has put all the characters into 2 catagories & it is becoming way more evident now. Catagory 1 is of characters like Khayyam, Sassi & Tipu who are selfish to the core & Catagory 2 is of characters like Mumtaz, Qasim & Meena who are a bit too selfless. Even though the situation may look interesting or engaging but this similarity is making everything seem a bit too monotonous & one dimensional!
Tipu definitely has committed some fraud back in London that is why he has come to Pakistan to get some money. His character is absolutely useless & what irks me more are his random ghairatmandi fits that he gets the moment he sees Qasim? Seriously? Anyways!!!
I loved Sassi’s character for the fact that she was unapologetically herself, she had her vision, she had her mind, yes, even though she saw things through her father’s perspective but still she had her own personality, her own thinking but now I have started to feel as if she doesn’t have that personality whatsoever. It is like Sassi gets fascinated by just anyone who isn’t like Mumtaz – first Sonia, like she was literally striving to be like her that is why she went through the hassle of trying to become an actor & now ever since Meena has come into her life, she is a bit too impressed & is trying to be like her too. I know it is natural that people do get inspired by people who are different to them but I wish the writer had kept her personality a little stronger in this regard because we all see her as that Sassi who had the nerve to look into Khayyam’s eyes & tell him that he was wrong! That is the Sassi that I loved when the drama began as she had so much to promise but now she looks like a lifeless simpleton who has nothing to do so she just keeps on wasting her time in things that don’t even matter!
Well, my favorite part of this episode was the conversation between Khayyam & Sassi. Since Sassi is a carbon copy of Khayyam & since she has experienced what is it like to be loved by someone to such an extreme that he sacrificed everything for her, she could relate to what her father was feeling & going through ever since Sonia Jahan went missing & how it was taking a toll on Mumtaz. Sassi may be tried to show him a mirror that Mumtaz’s love for him was way too strong because of which she was tolerating everything. It was good to see Sassi trying to advocate her mother this time but what’s even better was her question regarding Sonia’s return. Since Sassi herself is like Khayyam & she thinks like him too, she knew exactly how Khayyam Sani will change when Sonia will come back. Sassi knows that all of his guilt, his realization, his remorse will go out of the window the moment he will see her as he loves her a bit too much!
Oh well, it was disappointing seeing Qasim hovering in the background like a paid audience. Also to see him getting shoved by a half man like Tipu isn’t pleasing too. Chalo, he can’t take a stand in front of Sassi, like he likes being that way in front of her as it’s his way of displaying his love but why does he act like a fish out of the water in front of Tipu? Qasim had his strong reasons for what he did & why he backed out of marriage so to see him taking Tipu’s crap makes it look like he himself feels guilty for what he has done? Well, even though the writer has tried to showcase double standards of men, I was majorly disappointed by most of Mumtaz’s dialogues in this episode too because she kept on highlighting that it was ok for men to do cross all the boundaries but when it came to women, they had to abide by all the rules!?! Oh well!
Anyways, this episode was strictly alright. I still like the original lot & still find their bits interesting but since Tipu & Meena are getting so much of coverage & unfortunately a good chunk of story is dedicated to them, it is upsetting & disappointing that despite wanting to, I can not ignore them. I think it is safe to say that I will be screening Hamza Firdous’s projects in the future because like they say first impression’s the last impression & oh boy, I don’t think I need to say some more. Sajal Ali & Noman Ejaz’s performance was perfect like always. Anyways, please share your thoughts about this episode of O Rangreza.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.