“Laapata” is a show that started off slow, but has arrived as a surprise package of sorts. The OST never truly revealed much about the overall storyline, which means that even fourteen episodes in, the audience is still left questioning where the story is headed exactly. Starring Ali Rehman Khan, Sarah Khan, Ayeza Khan and Gohar Rasheed in lead roles, the story has been written and directed by Khizer Idrees.
In episode 14, the story focuses on Daniyal and Falak’s track, which makes for a strong, interesting episode. Shams (Ali Rehman Khan) and Geeti (Ayeza Khan) get engaged, leaving Falak with a multitude of emotions – missing Shams along with dealing with her own marital problems. Gohar Rasheed’s Daniyal has been more of a side character up until now, showing hints of a mysterious past, but that past had not come to light- until now. In episode 13, we see Falak (Sarah Khan) and Daniyal face-off as Daniyal erupts in anger after being questioned about his first wife. Fortunately, the house help, Munira, comes to Falak’s aid and knocks Daniyal unconscious, allowing for Falak’s escape. With Falak safely out of Daniyal’s reach, the audience is introduced, through flashback, to Aaliyah (Momina Iqbal), Daniyal’s first wife. Daniyal lured Aaliyah in, starting a romance with a girl from the family that murdered his grandfather and left his parents in exile. With revenge on his mind, Daniyal married Aaliyah and then cut her off from her family. However, Aaliyah, loyal to her younger brother who helped Daniyal and Aaliyah to escape, keeps in touch with him. Munira, in her innocence, reports to Daniyal that an unknown man comes to the house while he’s at work and Daniyal, in his anger, shoots Aaliyah, killing her – before realizing the other man was her younger brother, who he also kills.
Momina Iqbal makes a strong impression in an episode mostly dedicated to her character, allowing her the scope to perform. Aaliyah’s end is tragic, but propels the story forward, especially with Falak now aware of Daniyal’s past actions. Daniyal, in turn, is now a true villain, making Shams’ work enemy seem like a sitting duck. Gohar Rasheed has done an incredible job showing the ruthlessness, the unpredictability and the psychopathic behavior that resides within this man who puts on a smooth, charming façade. If there’s something that does not sit well, it’s this addition of what appears to be dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities) within Daniyal. Daniyal did not attack anyone in self-retaliation nor was he injured as a child, causing him to put up these defenses. What happened to his grandfather happened before he was born and his issues stem from a desire to live a lavish life, claim back what’s “his.” It would have been better had he simply been depicted as a dangerous, imbalanced individual. Still, this isn’t anything to criticize heavily and Gohar Rasheed does a wonderful job with his performance. The Daniyal character is now something to truly get excited about. How will things unfold now that Falak is aware of his past and is actively seeking to separate from him? Falak is a strong girl, but is she strong enough to protect herself from someone as ruthless as Daniyal?