“Angna” has been a mammoth of a family drama, focusing on Azfar Baig (Javed Sheikh), his four daughters and their lives after marriage. Written by Sameena Aijaz and directed by Saqib Zafar Khan and Tehseen Khan, “Angna” stars stars Areeba Habib, Ali Abbas, Rabab Hashim, Javed Sheikh, Atiqa Odho, Sajjad Pal, Laiba Khan, Asim Mehmood, Knawal Khan, Danial Afzal Khan, Mohsin Gillani, Rabia Noreen, Gul E Rana, Ismail Tara and Rubina Ashraf in lead roles. “Angna” has been, overall, a good watch that kept audiences tuning in on a daily basis. However, when a show balances many storylines, 66 episodes are acceptable……but to end on a note that leaves audiences entirely unsatisfied with a haphazard ending? This is not acceptable.
In the last episode, Abeeha (Areeba Habib) is seen happily living at her in-laws house with Musa (Danial Afzal) discussing his plans for remarriage – and the fact that he has his eyes on a girl. Did this feel like a logical conclusion for the writers? This is not independence, showing a young girl living as a widow forever when she is young, childless and was only married for a few months. Was there any reason for Abeeha to continue living alone instead of finding happiness with Musa? Both of these characters are so sweet and got along fabulously, so this decision is a poor one.
Moving on to Nayyab (Laiba Khan), she is seen happily caring for her young daughter while potentially thinking about a future with her co-worker. And while this is a perfectly acceptable ending, giving Nayyab time to get over her past while also hinting at a possible future with a loyal young man, Raza’s (Sajjad Pal) ending is not acceptable. Whenever writers do not know what to do with a character, they write them into the “crazy” corner. Why would a young man suddenly lose his mind? He has been surviving without Nayyab just fine, working, functioning and encouraging his sister to live a happy life. Being suddenly driven mad does not sit well. A better ending would have been to show Raza as a changed man (which he had become), leading his parents on the right path to realize their mistakes, show Raza getting married and treating his second wife kindly, rectifying the mistakes he made with Nayyab. Would he miss his child? Sure and this we could accept as an audience. But being driven to the brink of insanity? This is completely unpalatable and, honestly, we’re tired of seeing this unrealistic “madness” in every story.
The storyline with Eeshal (Rubab Hashim) and Zain (Ali Abbas) is the only story that ends in a manner as expected. Zain’s mother (played fabulously by Rubina Ashraf) has always been a different level of crazy and that has been visible throughout. This woman needed a psychiatrist from day one and so, when she loses her mind after losing her son – and control over him -, this feels fitting for her character. Meanwhile, Zain’s realization that he cannot live with his mother is realistic. This young man loves his mother, but she has also been a toxic influence on his entire life. Eeshal and Zain moving to Germany is the right choice for this pair.
And last, of course, we can’t forget Ayeza (Kanwal Khan), a death that was most unnecessary. But while we’ve made peace with that death, what is the reason for completely axing Amar’s (Asim Mehmood) storyline? He still has a daughter out there and was last seen still recovering from his nervous breakdown and thinking about his daughter. He is not even seen in the finale!
Overall, the finale of “Aangan” does not feel like a finale. Rather, it felt like a second last episode where the actual last episode would wind up loose ends – but there isn’t any room for those loose ends to be wound up. Honestly, all the actors did justice with their parts, particularly the girls, Ali Abbas and Rubina Ashraf. This has been an entertaining show that has kept loyal viewers coming back for more. But with this ending, it has left a bitter taste in the mouth.
