“Neeli Zinda Hai” has been gaining momentum in the past few episodes with the family becoming aware of Neeli’s presence and taking steps to protect themselves and each other from her attacks. Starring Sonia Mishal, Mohib Mirza, Urwa Hocane, Mohammad Ahmed, Kinza Malik, Aliya Ali and others, the story has been written by Adeel Razaq and directed by Qasim Ali Mureed. Bringing on a modern-day Aalim, the story has taken a turn with emphasis inching towards Neeli’s backstory. Unfortunately, the story takes a tragic turn this week, moving the proceedings into an upsetting direction.
In episode 30, Sumbal (Sonia Mishal) returns from her unsuccessful visit to Daniyal (Agha Mustafa), her attempts to discover more about his connection to Neeli (Urwa Hocane) falling flat. The Aalim meets Sumbal on her way back and the two have a discussion about getting to the bottom of things. This entire sequence is odd, because the Aalim has always been kind and clearly wants to help this family. And yet, Sumbal’s reaction is completely over the top and borderline illogical. When the Aalim tells her that they must delve into Neeli’s past, Sumbal abruptly stands up, saying she doesn’t care about Neeli’s past and only cares about protecting her daughter……and yet, she had literally just come back from Daniyal’s house, where she attempted to find out about……Neeli’s past. Why was this entire scene so poorly written? And why does Sumbal treat everyone like they owe her something? No one does. No one has to help her, so why isn’t Sumbal even a little kind and grateful towards this man who is putting his own life at risk in order to help her?
In a tragic twist of fate, and honestly a scene that just does not sit well, Fahim (Mohammad Ahmed) is murdered by Neeli as a pot falls on his head from the balcony – a pot pushed by Neeli in Minal’s presence. At the end of the day, the family believes that Minal is responsible for her own grandfather’s death and Minal’s behavior does not help matters. The young girl laughs while watching her grandmother mourn. She smirks while watching Aaliyah (Aliya Ali) console her. She is reactionless at her beloved grandfather’s death. Even Aman (Mohib Mirza) begins to suspect Minal and is horrified at the thought that his daughter could be responsible for his father’s death. And honestly – so is the audience. Minal is a character who has been taken in by Neeli from the beginning – and then became scared of her as she realized her evil ways. So why has she suddenly gone back to befriending her?
Honestly, this week takes two steps back with Fahim’s death. Mohammad Ahmed’s character has been a beloved one, one who has always been the voice of reason and logic. His presence kept his family on-track and now with his death, it will be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel for a while. Mohammad Ahmed’s performance has been the heart and soul of the show, honestly. But with Daniyal’s wife now aware of Neeli’s existence, will Daniyal and his wife be the saviors this family has been waiting for? Will they come to Sumbal’s rescue and fill her in on the past? And when will Osama Tahir finally make his reappearance?!
