“Fraud” is a show that was highly awaited due to Saba Qamar’s return to television along with being a reunion with her past co-stars, Ahsan Khan and Mikaal Zulfiqar. Written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah and directed by Saqib Khan, “Fraud” also stars Mehmood Aslam, Adnan Samad Khan, Nida Mumtaz, Annie Zaidi, Saife Hassan, Rabya Kulsoom, Asma Abbas, Alee Hassan Shah and others in prominent roles. In the last episode, we saw Talaal, played by Alee Hassan Shah, step in to help Nisar and his family through their current phase of tragedy.
In episode 12, Talaal’s position as a romantic angle is confirmed – but for which sister? While the family believes he is interested in Maya (Saba Qamar), they are surprised when he proposes for Maila (Rabya Kulsoom). The character of Nisar, played by Mehmood Aslam, is an intriguing one, because he can be seen in more than one way. While Nisar is a loving father who technically has the best intentions for his daughter, he is, ultimately, the greatest villain in their story. Nael (Adnan Samad Khan) proved himself to be, well, to be blunt – a loser. However, Nisar was still wrong in his reasoning for rejecting him. Sure, he wanted his daughter to be financially well-off, but is money the only thing a parent should look at in their child’s future spouse? We can see where this thinking got him and while Nael did not take rejection well and turned into a villain of sorts himself, couldn’t Nael have made a good husband for Maya under different circumstances? And while Nail’s situation is a little more “sticky” due to Nael’s own revealed nature, the situation with Talaal is fairly simple….black and white.
Talaal has proved to be a firm support, not only for Nisar and his wife, but also for Maya and Maila. Talaal loves Maila, but is kind-hearted enough to see what Maya needs – which is a career, independence and self-confidence. Unfortunately, Nisar’s mentality (can we call it small-mindedness?) sees Talaal’s concern for Maya as love and interest in her. Therefore, when Talaal proposes for Maila, the entire family is shaken by this suggestion, including Maila who oddly feels Talaal has betrayed her sister. It’s in this moment that one has to stop and wonder if Nisar’s mentality has rubbed off on this entire family and they are unable to see past their own noses. Still, what’s commendable is how Talaal handles this situation. Talaal is now facing the same rejection that Nael did, but he’s handling that rejection differently. He is optimistic and has belief that Naila and Nisar will realize his value – and won’t force himself on them if they do not. Nisar would be lucky to have Talaal has his son-in-law, but unfortunately, this man has not learned from his past mistakes. At times, one feels that parents themselves, no matter how well-intentioned, can be the ones to destroy the lives of their own children.
On the other hand, we have Shaan (Mekaal Zulfiqar) who is now left with his young daughter. This is an emotional time for her, one where she feels abandoned by her mother and is hearing rumors from her friends about her mother’s remarriage and new child. It’s difficult for a young kid to go through this sort of abandonment and it’s nice to see how Shaan attempts to reassure her. Shaan is a good man and a good father, but he’s unable to see his stepmother and stepsister for who they really are. And yet, will it be their manipulations that bring Maya into Shaan’s life?
At this point, both the Maya & Shaan relationship and Talaal and Maila’s relationship are two exciting story arcs for viewers. Meanwhile, Tabraiz (Ahsan Khan) has lured in a new victim, continuing his path of destruction. “Fraud” is a show that makes for a great watch due to the good balance of emotional content along with natural story progression.