Sang-e-Mah Leaves Fans Torn With Polarizing Final Episode

HUM TV’s masterpiece, Sang-e-Mah came to an end. Although the drama didn’t come at par with its predecessor of a similar name (Sang-e-Mar Mar) it did, however, make a place for itself in the hearts of the masses. Addressing the social taboo of “Ghaag” at is core, Sang-e-Mah managed to shine a light on the practice of claiming a bride for oneself by the aerial firing of shots outside her house, and how this Ghaag has been at the heart of a lot of atrocities conducted in the tribal areas of Pakistan, even today.

Sang-e-Mah: The Story

Sang-e-Mah featured the story of a tribal Pashtun family – a dysfunctional one to be more accurate. This was a tribal family where pride and honor were held in the highest regard and given the utmost priority. Empathy and forgiveness were considered traits of the weak. The story of Sang-e-Mah was loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Hilmand, the son of Zarsanga and Nasrullah Khan was strong willed and obstinate. His purpose in life was to avenge his father’s death, believing that his step-father Haji Marjaan killed him to marry his mother. On the other hand, Hikmat – Marjaan and Zarsanga’s son, happened to be in love with his cousin Gulmeena, the daughter of Zarsanga’s sister. When Gulmeena rejected Hikmat’s interest in Gulmeena, he decided to perform Ghaag outside her house, but animosity ensued when everybody discovered that Hilmand performed the Ghaag instead. As the events of the story unfurl, Hilmand comes face to face with his grandfather, Masha’Allah Khan, and he is the one who reveals the true story of his father’s murder.

In a parallel universe we had Sheherzade, a reporter who went to the village of Laspiraan to research on the practise of Ghaag. This is where Sheherzade met Marjaan, bonded with him, and also built an interest in Hilmand.

Sang-e-Mah focused on hard hitting topics like relationships between dysfunctional family members, and forced marriages and deceit – all elements transpiring to create a universe where hatred triumphed love for generations.

The Performances

Without a doubt, the ensemble cast of Sang-e-Mah delivered beautiful performances, each one in its own capacity. Each one of the veteran actors belonging to the star cast, whether it was Sania Saeed or Samiya Mumtaz, Naumaan Ijaz or Omair Rana, delivered performances that were remarkable. One actor, however, stood out of the entire cast, even though it happened to be his debut performance. Atif Aslam as Hilmand was simply brilliant. The singer-turned-actor nailed not only his expressions but his body language, his postures and his dialogue delivery. Kubra Khan as Sheherzade was outstanding, expressing naivety and strength where needed with thorough expertise. Hania Aamir as Gulmeena was good and Zaviyar Nauman as Hikmat, another good package. All in all, the entire cast of Sang-e-Mah did deliver on point performances, not failing to hold the audience captive for even a single second.

The Review (Spoilers Ahead)

When it was discovered that it was Zarsanga behind her husband’s murder and the real face of his father was revealed to Hilmand, we feel the boy should have gone on to forgiving his mother and Haji Marjaan. He did eventually repent for his hatred that he harbored over the years but it all came too late, when Haji Marjaan and Zarsanga valued suicide over repentance. The fact that Haji Marjaan had been shown as a very religious and pious man, it came as a shock that he would consider suicide over repentance, alongside his love, Zarsanga – and that too, with substance abuse. This has not settled well with the audience either.

Zarghuna making a place for herself and her female community at the jirga was a commendable feat. The tribe’s mutual decision to end Ghaag and consider it a crime to be punished in the future was a high point, but then, when a drama is favoring such a hard-hitting point, it shouldn’t have promoted something like suicide, even if it was committed to save face.

Performances by each and every member of the cast were spot on. While a lot of people might have had reservations about Atif Aslam playing Hilmand, for us, he happened to be an outstanding addition to the cast and he truly made the character of Hilmand his own. Samiya Mumtaz as Zarsanga was amazing. Sania Saeed has our endless praise as Zarghuna. Kubra Khan as Sheherzade was beautiful while Hania Aamir as Gulmeena, played her part well. Zaviyar Nauman has a long way to go, if compared to his father, Naumaan Ijaz, but the actor did portray his character of Hikmat to the best of his ability. Its a shame that we got very little of Masha’Allah Khan as he did bring his A-game as the best antagonist on the show. However, the way he deserted the jirga to save himself the embarrassment was rather unlikely of his character.

All in all, Sang-e-Mah ended on a relatively positive note when it comes to abolishing Ghaag. However, the suicides of Zarsanga and Haji Marjaan will definitely be a thorn prickling in our side, whenever we discuss Sang-e-Mah and how it ended. Perhaps the makers wanted to keep it similar to Hamlet and that’s how they thought it should have been. All in all, Sang-e-Mah has been a good watch.