03 Nov 2012 9 Comments

REVIEWS: Mi Raqsam GEO Full Drama Review

Mi Raqsam started with so much hype. It was labeled as the next Humsafar many, due to its supposedly romantic and interesting story with fresh casting. GEO put it on Saturdays, showing faith it had in A&B, and Sabiha Sumar, who makes her television debut in Pakistan with this serial.

Honestly, when you look at the ratings chart, Mi Raqsam did not do that bad initially. It was getting 2.5+ TRPs, which was good given the kind of competition it was facing at that time. The serial was successful in creating hype, but then it fizzled and the bubble burst.

Too much went wrong too soon. In simple words, it tells the story of an orthodox Maulana who gets married to a younger girl (his forth marriage), which results in the girl getting separated from her childhood lover, who finds shelter at Maulana’s madarassa to stay close to the girl and win her back.

I gotta admit, I found the synopsis interesting, but I had an idea the serial would sink because of Sabiha, who is more of an art house director. Don’t get me wrong, she has talent, which has been proven; however, she sticks to dark stories that are good for a few hours, but when you have to bear them on weekly basis, you lose interest due to no value.

However, I’d say Mi Raqsam still could’ve been an engrossing fair, had the writer not made some explicit mistakes. Let’s point out the positives first,

- The whole misunderstanding track is such conveniently handled, it is great on the director’s part. That short-lived tracked was also beautifully written and helps take the storyline forward.

- The serial walks an untaken path and have a few surprises for you in store with moments that sends chill down your spine.

However, the negatives seem to overshadow the positives in this scenario. For example:

n Why does Saadi’s father get her married? I find no justification in the storyline

n Maulana’s, and some other characters, are totally distorted. He is shown an orthodox, but is breaking Islam in the name of Islam. If he is a hypocrite, then why didn’t they put light on that part?

From religious point of view, some things are simply horrible. For Example: The Maulana allows Zeeshan in his house saying he is now my beta – wrong – nothing like that is allowed in Islam. Zeeshan starts living like a family member, roaming around all the time. This just broke the camel’s back for me. Alright, the maulana uses the religious for his own good, but why isn’t anyone complaining?

Did the writer/production house not do any research? I can cut the director some slack for obvious reasons, but this is the last thing I expected from those responsible. The serial at the end of the day turns out to be a mockery. The message it intended to give gets lost somewhere due to all these things, and it is sad mainly because it had potential.

If I neglect this part, I’d call Mi Raqsam watchable in bits and parts. It has acceptable dialogues and frolic twists to keep you hooked. In addition to this, the direction is also acceptable. The OST is melodious in its own way.

In acting department, it belongs to Ayeza Khan and Salman Shahid. Ayeza has tremendously improved as an actor. She was beyond belief in Zard Mausam, and here she continues the trend. The role doesn’t demand much, but she shines due to her expressions and body language. Salman Shahid on the other hand is in terrific form. He makes the evil maulana comes alive on the screen.

Shehzad Sheikh is a sad part. He needs a quick lesson in acting. He could not even pull off the simplest scenes without looking awkward. It is wrong casting on everyone’s part, because a more polished actor deserved to play this role with many shades – Shehzad just doesn’t cut ice. The rest of the cast, including Zeeshan’s first mother to Nausheen is terrific.

Over All, Mi Raqsam is a serial that will be remembered for the wrong reasons, mainly because it deserves so. If you can oversee the defects, you will somewhere find a pretty interesting serial that had a lot of potential. However, the difficult part is doing away with the flaws.

P.S: The serial isn’t for the masses. If you want light moments, the kind of romance you like or glamour, you won’t be able to bear this one.

Ratings: