21 weeks and (47 episodes later), the drama serial Qayamat has finally come to an end. But the end could have been much better. Before I move forward, I have to state that it will be unfair if Ahsan Khan doesn’t win an award for the ‘Best Actor’ next season. The way he got into the skin of his character ‘Rashid’ was brilliant. There was not even a single occasion where Khan fumbled or went off track.
Amid tough competition, Qayamat started out on a phenomenal note with a strong premise, backed up by strong writing and performances. However, somewhere after episode 15, it all came crashing down. The way the episodes jumbled up, it seemed more likely that several writers were appointed midway to experiment and drag the story until it lost its purpose.
The Finale Episodes
Thankfully the last two episodes of Qayamat had quite a few moments of relief. Ifrah (Neelam Muneer) succeeded in seeking revenge; she cleverly sidelined Nadra (Zainab Qayyum) and made Urooj (Sidra Niazi) marry her father Fayyaz (Noor-ul-Hassan). The wedding sequence was shot perfectly; the timing and expressions of Mukhtar (Shabbir Jan), Nargis (Saba Faisal), and Rashid (Ahsan Khan) were perfect.
Rashid got the taste of his own medicine as he was beaten up badly by Pari’s (Sana Fakhar) ex-boyfriend. He recalled his bad deeds and sought forgiveness from Ifrah for all the injustice he did with Samra (Amar Khan). He forced Ifrah to marry Jawad (Haroon Shahid) to which she refused. Ifrah forgave everyone and decided to lead a happy life.
Why men aren’t held accountable for their wrongdoings?
The problem lies here, why do we make an anti-hero the hero of the drama? Rashid was an alcoholic, an abuser, he slept with other women and was responsible for killing his wife. In the end, he apologized and got a clean chit. Does the writer have any idea how problematic this notion is? This had a direct impact on Jawad, he was projected as a good guy, sacrificed the love of his life and turned out to be a loser. He deserved a better character arc. The entire nation was hoping for a ‘Jawad – Ifrah’ reunion but sadly that didn’t happen.
The Big Drag
I am clueless as to why did the writer dragged the script so much. There were numerous unnecessary scenes like Pari’s comeback. It seemed completely forced. It was a cakewalk for her to fool Rashid again with the same lollipop and get away so easily. The equation between Fayyaz and Afiya (Kinza Malik) was portrayed so beautifully; but once she was diagnosed with a chronic heart issue, the writer wasted no time in ending her track abruptly. It felt as if Afiya was the bad luck in Fayyaz life; the moment she died Mukhtar realized his bad deeds and gave him all his due property and money. Also unnecessary was the plot point that showed Fayyaz as the most wanted widower. First, the house help forcefully wanted to marry him; then Nadra started dreaming of a better future if she married Fayyaz. There was also a school principal who was interviewed by Ifrah. Had these filler episodes been reduced, Qayamat would surely have been a flawless blockbuster. Besides the script, everything was perfect especially the performances.
The performances were the saving grace
To depict a complex character like ‘Rashid’ is not everyone’s cup of tea and I doubt if any other actor could’ve portrayed this part as superbly as Ahsan Khan. His expressions and body language were the hallmarks of the enterprise. Amar Khan delivered yet another knockout performance. She is one daring actress who isn’t worried about the screen time to show her versatility. Her track ended in episode 14 but the impact she left was huge. Neelam Muneer’s act was strictly average. Her sequences with Samra were good but once she became Mrs. Rashid, God knows what happened to her expressions. Somebody should tell her that acting and screaming are two different things. She looked robotic and tried hard to prove her point. Noor-ul-Hassan was terrific. Saba Faisal did a wonderful job. Zainab Qayyum was a delight to watch. Haroon Rasheed was remarkable.
Final Word
Qayamat worked but in parts. It’s high time that the producers and most importantly the channel to get rid of the unnecessary melodrama in order to fetch top trending and TRP’s. I really wish Geo Entertainment would have chopped the excessive episodes to make the drama more tolerable.
