While initially taking a slow start, “Laapata” has taken off post episode 6 and has now reached an interesting point. Starring Ali Rehman Khan, Sarah Khan, Ayeza Khan and Gohar Rasheed in lead roles, “Laapata” has been written and directed by Khizer Idrees. Following the lives of a joint family and three cousins, Shams, Falak and Geeti, “Laapata” tells an interesting story while also making a statement on feminism, female empowerment, the importance of education and the consequences of going down the wrong path.
In episodes 9 & 10, it’s an Ali Rehman Khan show all the way as Shams makes his return on the scene. Finally released from jail after a higher up realizes he was wrongly imprisoned, Shams arrives back home. Throughout his time in jail, Shams dreamed of Falak waiting for him – but in his last dream in jail, he realizes Falak was not present in his dream at all. This prepares him, somehow, for the news of Falak’s marriage to Daniyal (Gohar Rasheed) when he is safely back with his family. The pain on his face is visible, torn apart not only by the grief he put his family through, but also losing the most important person in his life – Falak.
Falak (Sarah Khan) waited patiently for Shams, never allowing herself to give up hope on his return. However, after two years, that hope slowly gave way to the thought that maybe that return would never happen – and so, she chose who she believed to be a good life partner. However, Daniyal isn’t all that he seems to be. There is clearly something very wrong with this man, a man who has secrets. But what are those secrets? His house help is shocked at Falak’s arrival and in the preview for the next episode, we see Falak at a party while a woman makes a remark on how beautiful Daniyal’s “wives” always are. How many wives has he had? Is Daniyal a serial marrier (is that even a word?)?
Geeti (Ayeza Khan) is still living in her own world, let down by her disaster “boyfriend from Dubai” who ran away with her mother’s set. It’s great to see how she (with the help of her friend) manage to track down this man and reclaim her property. Geeti isn’t a fool and while she’s horribly manipulative and not mentally stable at all (as seen through her conversations with herself), it’s still great to see a woman standing up for herself. After seeing so many losses, Shams’ return marks another potential relationship for Geeti. Will Shams, in his depression, choose to marry Geeti after losing Falak?
It’s the performances that are the winners of the episode this time. Ali Rehman Khan steals the show as pain and grief envelop Shams. He returns home ashamed of his actions leading to his arrest, along with the “terrorist” tag that has now been attached to his name. To top it all off, he has lost Falak and is unable to come to terms with his place in the world – which is nowhere. The phone call between Falak and Shams is heartbreaking to watch as Shams tries to explain himself, but his explanations only cause Falak more grief, realizing she lost Shams due to his own bad habits. Ayeza Khan’s Geeti provides comedic relief and she performs very well. But knowing that Geeti has a sinister side, how long will she be able to hold it together? And will this side be revealed after she marries (assumedly) Shams? This would be an interesting angle if the storyline actually chooses to go there. The entire cast is doing a wonderful job and with a large chunk of episodes left, one has to wonder where the story will go next. Is anyone else getting “Doraha” vibes?