“Laapata” is a show that has been going from strength to strength each week. As far as dramas go, “Laapata” has emerged as a dark horse of sorts, gaining momentum as it moves forward. Starring Sarah Khan, Ali Rehman Khan, Ayeza Khan and Gohar Rasheed in lead roles, this drama has been written and directed by Khizer Idrees. However, in the last episode, the plot and Falak’s actions felt forced and unnecessary, only in an effort to create suspense.
In episode 18, Falak (Sarah Khan) continues to be haunted by dreams of Daniyal (Gohar Rasheed), her husband who turned out to be a nightmare of a human being. And while Falak tries to conceal her feelings and, well, the truth, Shams (Ali Rehman Khan) struggles with his feelings for Falak. As soon as Falak arrived back on the scene, all the headway Shams and Geeti’s relationship had made fell apart and now Shams finds himself in the same place he was before his arrest – in love with Falak, wanting to marry her. Of course, Geeti (Ayeza Khan) is every bit as manipulative as she once was and she sees the writing on the wall with Shams and Falak – and so she calls the police to inform them of Falak’s whereabouts, which leads to Falak being questioned about Daniyal’s disappearance.
Here is where the show has become a bit far fetched. Falak has always been this strong, confident woman who knows her rights and the difference between right and wrong. Falak’s actions towards Daniyal were in self-defense, therefore it’s not easy to understand Falak’s reasons for keeping everything hidden. Why wouldn’t she just have contacted the police on her way out of Munira’s home? Why wouldn’t she have told her family the truth? Why wouldn’t she have told the police the truth or gone to a lawyer right away? Yes, of course she has a fear due to how things played out with Shams, but again, this is a marital dispute where Daniyal was clearly in the wrong and also has a past record with wives that does not check out. Her word would mean something in this case. This doesn’t sit well in a show that has otherwise been written intelligently.
In this episode, it’s Ayeza Khan who steals the show as Geeti battles between her soft side and her “love” for Shams while also allowing her dark side to take over when targeting her latest enemy – Falak. Ayeza Khan is such a seamless actress, she slips easily into any role and any “mood.” Geeti may not receive as much audience sympathy as Falak and Shams, but it’s clear why Ayeza took on this role – Geeti is a complicated, layered, heavily grey character and that is what makes her fascinating to watch. Next week will be interesting with Shams and Geeti’s marriage taking place when the police arrive to arrest Falak (of course). And while this scenario is so cliched and this situation could’ve been avoided, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.