The first two episodes of the new drama serial Raqaas aired this week on Green Entertainment. The story has a traditional flavor of negative social norms and victimization of women, as well as music, which becomes a source of expression — of love and other feelings.
Story and script:
The first two episodes have introduced the story quite well. The main conflict is obviously controlling women and even killing them as punishment for defiance of traditions. Urooj (Komal Meer) is a young art-loving girl who has to become a doctor according to the wishes of her father (Babar Ali). Now he wants her to marry Fawad (Hunain Shahid), while she wants to pursue the field of arts.
One thing is pretty clear in the story: patriarchal norms and their effects on the lives of women. We hope to see resistance against it from Urooj and Hamza.
A past story also has a significant place and impact on the present events, and that is the honor killing of Urooj’s maternal aunt.
Music as part of the story:
We see different musical instruments like piano, guitar, and rabab. Music has its own place and significance in the story and gives it another dimension that is lacking in our stories. Seeing a person playing an instrument is always refreshing, as music is food for the soul. Urooj feels the same emotional nourishment when she listens to a tune played by Hamza. This very thing — love for the arts — attracts her to him and deeply inspires her. In a scene, she stops to listen to his guitar and stands still for a while, lost in the melody. We hope to see more musical tunes in the coming episodes.
Characters and performance:
Komal Meer and Danyal Zafar are working as a pair for the first time in their career.
Urooj’s character symbolizes herself as a caged bird who can see the outside world through her cage but can’t fly freely. Hamza’s character is another tradition-defying one who, in the end, may become a source of rescue for Urooj from the bondage and subjugation of traditions.
Babar Ali as Dilawar and Farah Sadia as Nighat are doing well as senior actors. Komal as a young art and music lover also fits the character well. Daniyal Zafar has previously worked in Faraar for Green Entertainment.
Writer-director duo:
Radain Shan and Shahid Shafaat have formerly worked together for Duniyapur, the most expensive drama of Pakistan in terms of production cost. It was rightly called Pakistan’s Game of Thrones; however, this time they have come with a lighter and romance-oriented story. How impactful and attention-grabbing Raqaas can be is yet to be seen.
Natural beauty and cinematic Exposure:
Shot at the real locations of Nathia Gali, with plenty of natural beauty,
makes our drama stories more natural-looking and striking. Cinematography with a cinematic angle and aerial shots reveals more greenery in hilly areas and breathtaking views.
What to expect next?
We can expect the next episode to be more intense as the conflict is now becoming wider in scale. Fawad is going to show his harsh side as Urooj has refused to marry him. Hamza also has his own personal problems and may hesitate to come forward for Urooj. So let’s see how things move ahead!
