Ohkay so, it was definitely an emotionally charged episode of Fraud. I will definitely commend the entire team of Fraud for giving this drama a solid start but going by the pattern that usually Pakistani dramas have been following over the last few years, it is quite likely that things will now start slowing down. This episode was all about facing the consequences of blindly trusting others without doing much of a research. I also really liked the conversations that happened between the characters, there was a lot to absorb while also feeling sad for what Maya especially was going through.

The Betrayal

In normal circumstances, the couple always stays in touch but the way Tabrez & his family vanished into thin air, it was obvious that they were gone for good. It was unfortunate that it took Nisar so much of time to even realize that everything was a farce & that he made such a poor decision for Maya that was now going to haunt her for the rest of her life. I really liked Nayel’s usage of ‘benefit of doubt’ because it just showed the kind of blind trust Nisar had on Tabrez & his family that despite all the alarms, he was still quite hesitant in suspecting them.

Once again, I felt a lot for Maya because the flashbacks that she was having & the dejection in her body language showed the extent of emotional involvement & attachment she had towards her husband. It is hard to imagine that a girl who was literally on cloud 9 was now made to face such a reality that she never in her wildest dreams could’ve thought of. All this while, Maya could not even process what was happening to her & her family, that is why her disbelief just like her father was very much understandable. Also, it won’t be wrong to say that Maya saw & approached Tabrez & his family on the basis of Nisar’s opinion of them, therefore her reaction was very similar to her father’s too. When it came to Maila & Maya’s mother, their reaction was similar where they just couldn’t help feel immensely sad at the betrayal that their family faced. Maya & Nisar were in shock & disbelief whereas Maila & Shehnaz were emotional & sad.

I really liked the way the director executed this episode. The editing especially made it quite gripping & engaging. It all started with Nisar going to Khawar’s office only to find out that it was rented. The visit to their house was what sealed the deal that they have been swindled. I did feel that the owner of the house should’ve had better dialogues or at least should’ve given Nisar & Maya some clarity stating that Tabrez’s family rented this house for a month or something on these lines. I say this because the owner was present during the shooting so it showed that he was actually involved & knew who he was renting out his place to, therefore for him to show so much of oblivion when it came to Tabrez’s family wasn’t convincing.

Nisar’s conversation with the police officer was definitely the highlight of this episode for me. What made it even better was the way that entire sequence was directed where Nisar was being questioned & just as continued to answer, he himself realized all the things that were wrong with this proposal & how Tabrez’s family approached them. Also, right in the middle of that conversation, the snippets of Maya, a conversation of Shehnaz & Shazia & then Tabrez’s walk of victory after returning from a successful trip – it was all really very interesting to watch. It didn’t take much for the police officer to point out all the reasons on the basis of which Nisar decided to accept this proposal & no matter what Nisar said, he himself knew it was over. No matter how much he tried to reason with the police officer, it was quite evident that in the end, he had no one but himself to blame.

Brilliant Direction & Editing

This episode of Fraud was once again filled with some very important moments that were performed & directed brilliantly. Fraud definitely has become a drama that I actually look forward to. However, I won’t lie that I am skeptical about the upcoming episodes because I can foresee a long period of mourning. I wish just like they have kept the pace quite fast & episodes happening, the do not prolong this period of sadness & keep taking the story forward with a steady pace. Saba Qamar’s performance was superb because she did not have much dialogues & all she had to do was convey the thought process of Maya through her actions. I loved the scene where Maya calmly combed her hair at the end of a very long day. It did show that she was calm on the surface but deep inside there was a mayhem that was consuming her. Maya knew she could not do anything but she was just taking a moment to understand how she should process it all. Mehmood Aslam’s performance was outstanding as always. The supporting actors did a wonderful job too. I will say that I do not really enjoy much of Shaan’s scenes because there is actually nothing special happening in his track apart from a few emotional dialogues. It will be interesting to see when that track picks up. The editing & direction of this episode in particular was top notch & made this episode thoroughly enjoyable. The camera work of Fraud has been spectacular too. Also, going by the next promo, I really hope Nisar doesn’t do something irreversible, this is definitely something that he shouldn’t do but seeing the selfishness that he has displayed, anything can be expected from this character. Let’s see how things roll. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Fraud.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, this was one interesting episode of Fraud. What made it so gripping & engaging was the brilliant performance given by each & every single actor. On top of that, it was also well directed because the director succeeded in capturing every minute expression that told a tale of what was going to transpire in Maya’s life. This episode was also packed with emotions of all sorts & that’s what made it super interesting to watch.

The Blind Trust

Nisar has given all that he could to Maya, however what’s unfortunate is that he has done it to ensure lifelong happiness of his beloved daughter but little did he know that his haste was going to cost her as well as his entire family their peace for the rest of their lives. While watching Nisar trusting Tabrez to an extent of being naïve & blind made me feel a lot more for Maya. All I could think of was how Nisar was setting an example in front of his daughter to blindly trust Tabrez. To be honest, I felt bad for Maya because this kind of transparency was being taught to her by her own father; where she was deprived of inquisitiveness & skepticism in dealing with Tabrez & his family. Maya saw how Nisar was completely content with his decision, to the point where he literally taught his daughter that just because her in laws are wealthy, it automatically makes them trustworthy. Nisar’s logic behind finding a wealthy suitor has been flawed right from the beginning but he took it to another level where he entrusted everything to Tabrez without a second thought.

I will say, so far I didn’t get much to form an opinion about Maya but seeing her being a little analytical as well as skeptical throughout this episode made me like her character a lot more. Although she was taught to be giving, to be sacrificial by Nisar, which actually made her make those mistakes of handing over her jewelry & cheque to her new ‘family’, but somehow the unease that she felt & some of the questions that she asked did show that she was feeling a little uncomfortable. It is unfortunate that because she saw the level of trust Nisar had in Tabrez & his family, it made her follow her heart.

Tabrez, Jahan Ara & Khawar had definitely planned it all & the ease with which they continued to execute their plan clearly showed that they were quite experienced & knew exactly what had to be said & how in order to achieve their goal. They started off by playing with Maya’s fear, then it came down to a business loss & then a loss of a family member that made them leave immediately. This was all pre-planned & because the family that they were dealing with was so naïve & trusted them easily, it made their job a lot less difficult. Starting from Nisar to his wife, to Maya; each & everyone fell for their lies just so easily that fooling & swindling them wasn’t a big deal.

In this episode, the way they showcased different emotions made it a very strong episode. The emotions of a father, who did all he could throughout his life to save some money for his daughters. Emotions of a newly wedded girl who was trying to make sense of everything that was happening right in front of her eyes, the disbelief in her eyes that her life was going to be perfect, her efforts of showing it to her husband that she was ready to give him everything that she had. Emotions of a younger sister who was way too happy for her elder sister that she finally found a perfect husband. Also, in the end, emotions of a heart-broken nephew who couldn’t help but feel bitter because of what his uncle did & then last but not the least, all the negative emotions depicted by Tabrez & his family who were a bit too eager to finish of this ‘project’ & move on to the next – it was all simply brilliant.

Phenomenal Performances

This was definitely a very enjoyable episode of Fraud & the credit definitely goes to Ahsan Khan, Ainy Zaidi & Saife Hassan for carrying it on their shoulders. Their subtle expressions, body language as well as the looks that they exchanged amongst each other was really interesting to watch. Saba Qamar acted really well & just so effortlessly, she showcased all the thoughts that were running in Maya’s mind. Mehmood Aslam was again brilliant as Nisar. I also enjoyed the scenes of Rabya Kulsoom, the way she teased her sister & simply showed how happy she was for her. At this stage of the drama, I do understand the relevance of Nayel’s rants but I really hope they do not become a repetitive occurrence in the episodes to come. I don’t know why but I felt a sudden loss of interest when his scene began & he continued to speak against Nisar with his mother trying to stop him. Shaan & family’s scenes can also look repetitive if this is what they are going to talk about. I really hope we do see a progress in Shaan’s track because if it will continue to be happening, it also has the potential to hold the audience’s interest. So far, Fraud is definitely going strong & has all the factors that make it a very interesting watch. Props to the director as well as all the actors for doing their part brilliantly. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Fraud.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, this was comparatively a slower episode of Fraud. It won’t be wrong to say that the pacing of the drama is such that if double episodes are aired every week, it will benefit a lot & make it easier for the audience to keep on watching it. The drama is past the stage where the story is established & the characters are introduced properly, therefore every episode should be happening to keep it interesting. Needless to say, the performances once again made this episode of Fraud worthwhile & despite knowing the reactions of the characters, you just want to watch the actors perform.

Unrealistic Expectations

I will be honest, I find Maya’s parents, especially her father a little too selfish. His selfishness when it comes to his daughter’s happiness is understandable & to some extent justified but for him to be selfish to this extent where he expects others to do the heavy lifting for him makes him look unreasonable. He absolutely didn’t think for a second before rejecting Nayel, didn’t bother thinking about the fact that his only nephew will be heart-broken & will find it hard to deal with this rejection. However, ever since Nayel has retaliated, Nisar hasn’t stopped talking about it, as if it was Nayel’s responsibility to now do the damage control & help Nisar with his face saving.

In the matters concerning Talal & his proposal, Nisar once again behaved irrationally. He almost guilt-tripped them for not doing the heavy lifting for him by seeking Maya’s proposal, which was actually absurd. Nisar has dealt with so much, therefore for him to still think that he is in the position to impose his decisions & pick & choose seemed a little unrealistic. Nisar’s entire family likes Talal & holds high opinion of him, so in stead they should have been relieved that they got a decent proposal for Maila, in comparison to what others told them after Maya’s divorce & a called-off wedding. Nisar didn’t even hold himself back from showcasing his disappointment, which actually made him look a little too self-absorbed & selfish!

I have really liked Maila’s character too & also for the fact that it has been performed brilliantly by Rabya Kulsoom. However, I just didn’t quite understand Maila’s overreaction as well. At this point, she seemed just as selfish & ignorant as Nisar. She too made it look like it was Talal’s fault for not liking Maya, only because this is what her entire family assumed. I think it would’ve been better if they had shown Maya aloof to Talal’s presence & not really thinking on those lines. In the scene where Maila teased Maya about him, she smiled, as if she too was ready to move on with him – which seems a little too quick considering how that entire fiasco was so recent.

Maya did redeem herself when she spoke to Maila & tried to change her perspective. It was nice to know that she understood where Talal was coming from & she didn’t hold him responsible for liking Maila & not her. Their family has already been through a lot & throughout their difficulties, Talal was right there to support them, therefore he didn’t have to prove himself that he genuinely wanted the best for this entire family. I actually like the bond these two sisters share, how Maila supports Maya & how Maya always with her wisdom tries to shift her younger sister’s perspective. It was also interesting to see how Talal remained unaffected by Maila’s rude behavior, he has been a little too understanding when it comes to dealing with this entire family because I am sure if it was someone else, he definitely would’ve been offended!

The swindlers have now approached Rihana’s family for the proposal & they have already made quite a statement. In the upcoming episodes, I think it is pretty obvious what to expect from this track where they will try to wrap this project quickly & Rihana’s entire family will be left heart-broken yet again. However, I do hope that they will wrap this family’s heart-break in a couple of episodes & won’t span it over multiple episodes just like they did with Maya’s family.

Strong Performances

This episode of Fraud was definitely interesting to watch but yes, the slow pace has definitely started to show its traces in the execution. I am glad that the proposal scene was done with in this episode because we got a new preview of the next episode. I am definitely keen to see Maya’s growth now that she has started working in a boutique. I think they should definitely shift focus on her character & career path. Overall, this episode once again had some really strong performances by all the actors. They all should take a bow for putting their heart & soul in these performances. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Fraud.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, Fraud is definitely going to be one such drama that will be remembered for phenomenal performances of all the actors that are a part of its team. It is indeed a treat to watch all these actors breathing life into all these characters & putting their heart & soul into their performances. I will say that despite being a predictable storyline, Fraud has everything going for it that makes me look forward to its episodes every week. The only thing I do have a concern about is the pace of the drama which can easily be resolved with double episodes per week but it seems the mega episode was just a Pre-Eid bonus & after that we’re back to the regular programming, which makes the development slow with almost no progress in the story.

Talal’s Entry

The Nisar family is still dealing with the betrayal caused by Nayel with Nisar still hospitalized & ladies saddened to the core. Nisar himself hasn’t fully recovered & healed therefore he keeps on mentioning how heart-broken he is. Nisar continuously tells that he raised Nayel as his own, but then again, he should also understand that everything Nayel did was also a consequence of how Nisar rejected him.

I really like Maila’s character so far. It won’t be wrong to say that she definitely is my favorite character & I wish to see more of her in the rest of the story. The way she takes a stand for her family & even reasons with her parents every step of the way make her a very refreshing character to watch for sure. Rabya Kulsoom also has performed it wholeheartedly which makes Maila come across as a very strongly written character. Although Nisar himself spent his savings on Maya’s wedding but it still didn’t stop Maila from taking such a decision because she wanted her father to recover soon.

Inspector Talal’s story has been introduced at the right time because things started to seem a little too grim & stagnant. It is good to see that Talal lives a wholesome life with his mother & sisters always by his side. Talal is definitely a gentleman who has been raised perfectly, that is why he still remembers everything that Nisar did for him. It was interesting to note that even Talal’s sister was very much aware of the favors Nisar has did for her brother, which makes it obvious that this entire family is indebted to him. In this scenario where there’s absolutely no one to help Nisar & his family, Talal definitely has been doing what it takes to comfort & support them. I would’ve definitely liked if they had shown a different equation between Talal & Maya, more like that of an elder sister & younger brother because to see Maya’s expression hinting about a soft corner for him seemed a little unnecessary. It was like she acknowledged that Talal was being nice but then she started assuming that his niceness was linked to her.

Shaan’s wife has left their daughter behind & she has made it very clear that she wants a fresh start with her second husband. Zimra could have all the justifications for leaving Shaan because of his step mother & sister but for her to leave her daughter only because of her new husband was hard to digest & seemed unjustifiable. Before getting married, she never really spoke to Shaan about the possibility of shared custody. She took the child because she wanted to & now once again, she left the child only because this is what she wanted. This entire scenario has obviously created a lot more pressure on Shaan to get married so that his wife can at least look after his daughter.

Sajih & his group have finally arrived in a small town in Punjab & have already started fabricating their story. With towns like these, the communities are so close-knit that the news is obviously going to spread, which will help them further their agenda. The family they have been targeting already started showing interest after they found out that Hashim is unmarried & his parents want to get him married. This entire scenario at the moment is keeping my interest alive in the show & I want to see how things progress in this track. I wish there is more development in Maya’s track & she gets back on her feet ASAP. I think it was a very nice conversation where Talal discussed Maya’s future plans, asking what she wants to do next? That should give her the motivation to at least do something in stead of letting her family & herself suffer.

Strong Performances

This episode of Fraud was definitely interesting but I must commend Rabya Kulsoom for her brilliant performance in the previous episode showcasing Maila’s outburst on Nayel. The way she wrapped her hair in a bun, giving her character a realistic look took her performance on another level. It clearly showed that for her, what mattered the most was conveying the emotions of character rather than how she looked on the camera. As always, Mehmood Aslam & Saba Qamar’s performances have been phenomenal too but Rabya Kulsoom definitely has stood out more in the latest episodes. I will say that the preview of the next episode has been deceptive, they showed the same scenario last week & again, in this week’s preview, they repeated Talal’s proposal & Maya’s parents’ reaction to it. If they actually show disappointment at Talal not seeking Maya’s hand, I think it would make them look highly unreasonable because after 2 disastrous experiences, they should give Maya a break. They should also stop expecting that others will do the damage control for them & will take away Maya because they have been hurt. The least they can do is graciously accept Talal’s proposal for Maila & respect the fact that he actually likes her. Anyhow, Fraud has definitely been a very interesting drama to watch so far & I am looking forward to the next episode. Please share your thoughts about these episodes of Fraud.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so, the production of iDream Entertainment, direction of Saqib Khan & the writing of Zanjabeel Asim Shah; drama serial Fraud has definitely had the kind of start that hooked the audience immediately. Another factor that played to its favor was the teasers that were released that were intriguing & promising at the same time. In a typical Zanjabeel Asim fashion, the story has been established pretty quickly & now all that remains to be seen is how the protagonist will fight for her rights after she will be faced with he misfortune at the hands of her husband. So far, the initial episodes have shown a good progress in the story & have been a reminiscent of Cheekh as to how it kept the audience guessing about some of the characters.

Cast & Characters

Maya (Saba Qamar) happens to be the eldest daughter of Nisar (Mehmood Aslam) & Shehnaz (Nida Mumtaz). Maya’s younger sister Maila (Rabya Kulsoom) is her strongest support system & plays an important role in Maya’s life. Although Nisar himself belongs to the middle class, it has made him quite staunch regarding his approach for his daughter’s proposals. Nisar comes from a good place though but he has failed to make the people around him understand why he thinks getting his daughters married into rich & wealthy family is important. Initially it did look like he was being irrational with his approach but as the episodes progressed, he did share his reasons.

Nisar’s sister Shazia (Nazli Soomro) is a widow & has a son Nayel (Adnan Samad Khan). Maya & Nayel liked each other to an extent that they actually wanted to get married but somehow, despite the love Nisar has for his sister & nephew could not make him change his mind about the criteria that he had for Maya’s future husband. Nisar has been always there for his sister & has been supporting her financially, therefore it didn’t take him long to make Shazia realize that this kind of financial condition was only going to create problems for Maya & this wasn’t the kind of life he wanted to choose for his daughter.

Tabrez (Ahsan Khan) has agreed to the marriage easily & has assigned this ‘project’ to his mother (Ainy Zaidi). Tabrez’s father (Saife Hassan) seems to be playing along as well & has left every decision on his wife. On the surface, this family seems a bit too perfect but deep down, only they know what they are trying to achieve.

On the other hand, there is another family of Shaan (Mikaal Zulfikar), who trusts his step mother (Asma Abbas) & sister Tuba (Naeema Butt) more than he should. Only because of the problems created by his step-mother, his wife Simra & their daughter Zimmal have left for the USA. She tried her best to take him realize all that was wrong with his step mother & sister but he failed to see through them.

The Story So Far

Nisar at first did come across as a rigid father but as the episodes progressed, it changed my perspective about him. He is just someone who hasn’t been able to make it big in life but does not want that to happen to his daughters. He only comes from a place of concern & love for his daughters but unfortunately, his tunnel vision has deterred him from seeing the negative side of the picture. Although Nisar himself is a mature & experienced person, but for him to literally think that wealth is going to bring every single happiness into his daughter’s lives makes him look a bit too naïve. The way he hastened in getting Maya married to the very first suitor that approached him does show that he wasn’t too wise to begin with or that he saw goodness in others a bit more than he should have.

I definitely would’ve liked if Maya had something going for her because to see a girl lurking around the windows & doors of her house, awaiting a proposal as if it was the only purpose of her life wasn’t appeasing. I liked how Maya’s younger sister had a lot more personality & character though. The two sisters are definitely different from one another but they share a strong bond. Maya has always been the submissive one, that it why she decided to be what her father expected her to. Maya did have feelings too but she felt none of it was worth standing against her father for. It is unfortunate that Maya’s obedience & submissiveness is going to cause so much pain to her & she will be left betrayed & exploited, however I am keen to see how she will bounce back & what she will do with her life. So far, Maya has lived her life as per her father’s wishes & he has done all he could to keep her protected in a bubble, but now when she will be exposed to the harsh realities, she will find her potential.

In these 3 episodes, the dialogue that caught my attention was regarding the ‘project’ that Tabrez handed over to his mother. If you have watched enough dramas of Zanjabeel Asim, you’d know that she always relies on such hints to complete the picture, therefore for Tabrez to call this marriage & proposal a project was a clear hint that he & the couple playing the role of his parents were definitely in it for an ulterior motive. I must say Ainy Zaidi’s subtle expression at the mention of 20 lacs that Maya was going to get were spot on. She tried to show that she wasn’t affected by any of it but deep down, it was obvious that this is exactly what they all are expecting from Maya & her family.

Although I really like Nayel’s character & Adnan Samad Khan has played it to perfection, I feel some of his scenes were a bit too stretched. Yes, he definitely is suffering from a heartbreak & also, he feels burdened because for him Nisar won’t be the same father figure that he was before, but I felt those scenes could’ve been easily cut short because I struggled to be attentive for the remaining parts of the episodes after seeing his never-ending scenes. Nayel has now stepped into a practical life & he will also use this heartbreak as a driving force to do better in life, not for any other reason but to prove himself as well as Nisar that he was rejected for all the wrong reasons. Shaan’s scenario is very much inspired by the Bollywood movie Dharkan, the only difference is that here an added step brother has not been included. Apart from that Shaan himself is a decent person who is selfless & kind, because of which he has wholeheartedly accepted his step mother & sister. Shaan will also learn a lesson or two but sadly, it will happen when he won’t be able to undo the pain & sufferings of his wife. It seems she has decided to end this marriage, which will allow Shaan to get further exploited by the step mother & sister.

A Promising Start

So far, Fraud has had a promising start & with convincing performances & strong direction, it definitely makes you look forward to its episodes every week. Fraud is the kind of drama that has everything working in its favor right from the beginning. There is suspense, there is emotion, a highlight on the relationships, heartbreak & things related to it. All the actors have given such convincing performances, that has helped in making Fraud a very good watch. The director has made sure to put the expertise of all these seasoned & measured actors to good use & that has definitely been one of the strengths of this drama. it is definitely good to see Saba Qamar back in a drama after a long time. Mehmood Aslam continues to give yet another strong performance. Adnan Samad Khan too has given a very strong performance as Nayel. I have always found Rabya Kulsoom a very strong performer. She always fits in her characters effortlessly & brings a lot of charm to the screen.

Ahsan Khan is a good actor too but I feel after Fraud, he really needs to pause & make different choices. This has been a case with Ahsan Khan right from the beginning where he always ended up doing similar roles. Years ago he was always seen as a hopeless romantic hero & now especially after Udaari, he has decided to play negative characters only. Qissa Meherbano Ka, Qayamat, Mere Humnasheen & now Fraud, I think Ahsan Khan has definitely shown his caliber as a villain, but now especially after this project, he should take something different for a change. However, it is worth appreciating how he had changed his look to fit the character of Tabrez better like a tattoo, ear piercing as well as a cut on the eyebrow. It will be interesting to see how many looks he’ll change in the upcoming episodes. Fraud definitely has all the factors to keep the audience engaged & I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the story. The production value is great & it definitely is refreshing to see a drama set in Lahore, all the shots capturing the essence of the life in Lahore were stunning. How have you guys found the first three episodes of the drama. Please share your thoughts about the initial episodes of Fraud.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Fraud

Drama serial Fraud marks the return of Saba Qamar to Pakistani TV screen after almost 3 years. Her last project was drama serial Cheekh which became quite popular & allowed Saba Qamar to leave a mark with her performance. This year, Saba Qamar has returned in a never-seen-before avatar where she is a submissive daughter who only wants to make her parents, especially her father proud. Drama serial Fraud has already gained popularity because of strong cast and the different characters that Pakistan’s favorite actors will be seen playing. The teasers have already set the tone & promise an complete package. Drama serial Fraud has been written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah and directed by Saqib Malik. One of the main attractions of this drama happens to be the character played by Ahsan Khan; a swindler who will definitely get married to Saba Qamar’s character. Mikaal Zulfikar also happens to be playing an important role in the story and it definitely is going to be worth a watch.

Writer: Zanjabeel Asim Shah
Director: Saqib Khan
Producer: Abdullah Seja
Production House: iDream Entertainment
Channel: ARY Digital
Airing Date: May 14, 2022
Day: Saturday
Time Slot: 8 PM

Cast

Mehmood Aslam
Saba Qamar
Ahsan Khan
Mikaal Zulfikar
Asma Abbas
Nida Mumtaz
Adnan Samad Khan
Nazli Soomro
Ainy Zaidi
Saife Hassan and others

OST

Singers: Ali Zafar & Hina Nasrullah
Lyrics & Composer: Ali Zafar

Teasers