“Neeli Zinda Hai” is a show that should have been a rage with viewers due to its novel genre (horror) and interesting storyline. However, due to its dragged out story and lack of a focused plot, the show found itself floundering before even hitting the halfway point. Starring Mohib Mirza, Sonia Mishal, Urwa Hocane, Mohammad Ahmed, Kinza Malik, Osama Tahir, Shamim Hilaly, Agha Mustafa and others, the story has been written by Adeel Razzaq and directed by Qasim Ali Mureed.
In the finale, Parvaiz (Osama Tahir) meets Neeli (Urwa Hocane) and shows her their daughter’s “body,” which has now turned to dust. As they mourn the loss of their daughter together, the Aalim and Aman (Mohib Mirza) “capture” Neeli and remove her from Minal’s life….though it’s unclear how exactly, as Sumbal later has a conversation with her, asking her to stay away from Minal. The family leaves the house after winding up loose ends in a very lengthy, drawn out manner.
Ironically it’s the last twenty minutes that leave the greatest impact on the viewer. Now that Aman and Sumbal have left the house with their family, Parvaiz has chosen to stay behind, deciding to live out the last of his days with Neeli. Parvaiz has always had more faith in Neeli than she, as a spirit, deserves. Parvaiz believes that Neeli suffered so much in her life, which is true, but he doesn’t recognize that Neeli has now turned into a monster of sorts. Neeli is a spirit who murdered 6 children, Sumbal’s father-in-law and Daniyal. While Daniyal could be classified as revenge, Neeli murdered seven other innocents – and that’s not counting other innocents we’ve seen her attack, such as the electrician at the beginning of the show. It’s haunting then when Neeli leads Parvaiz up the staircase as he envisions “his” Neeli when, in reality, Neeli is leading Parvaiz to his death. Osama Tahir and Urwa Hocane have performed wonderfully in this show, both as romantic interests and as a ghost and repenting husband in later episodes. However, this only feels like salt on a wound in regards to why these two actors and characters did not receive more screen time. Neeli has been the heart and soul of the show and her story should have been front and center rather than playing “boo” in random scenes here and there. This was a disservice and a missed opportunity.
With Neeli and Parvaiz’s story wrapped up, we see that Aman, Sumbal and Minal are now living a happy life away from their old house. Minal has a new device on which she can type and communicate with others “vocally.” This has created a lot of progress in her life, along with her communication skills with her parents. And yet, in the very last moment as the episode rolls credits, we realize something very sinister is at play as Neeli continues to communicate with Minaal through that very device.
It’s this ending moment that leaves one thinking just how well the show was executed in its last moments – but why couldn’t that have been the case for the entire show? While the first 1/3 of the show was carried out wonderfully, the show lost focus (and pace) for many episodes following, leaving frustrated and bored viewers waiting for the show to wrap up. This is where many of our shows lose points, as they drag out episodes in an attempt to earn money and, in the process, lose out on creating a solid, memorable show. At the end of the day, one will remember “Neeli Zinda Hai” for great performances from Urwa Hocane, Osama Tahir, Mohammad Ahmed and Mohib Mirza, along with an interesting finale – but more so for having one of the longest, drawn out methods of storytelling.
