When “Taqdeer” was first launched, it seemed to be an interesting thriller-type drama made more appealing by the interesting casting of the ever-talented (and handsome) Sami Khan and the cute Alizeh Shah, a fresh pair for Pakistani television. But as the weeks have passed, “Taqdeer” has proved itself to be nothing more than misery lit for television, a show that relies solely on throwing its protagonists into one miserable situation after another. “Taqdeer” stars Sami Khan, Alizeh Shah, Javed Sheikh, Annie Zaidi, Asim Mehmood, Amna Malik, Khalid Anum, Saba Faisal, Maryam Noor, Zain Afzal, Aliya Ali and others. The story has been written by “Doorway Entertainment” (whoever this “team” is, please don’t quit your day job) and directed by Mohsin Talat.
In episode 28, Rumi (Alizeh Shah) is back at her in-laws home after her father’s death. And while Asad (Sami Khan) is sympathetic and attempting to be caring towards his wife, his “care” doesn’t last. Asad’s family does everything they can to make Rumi’s life miserable, including overloading the hired help so Rumi has to resume her “maid” activities. But who can blame his family when Asad himself acts like an overgrown brat? Instead of stepping in and protecting his wife, he says filmi dialogues about how Rumi’s “love” (working like a slave) is making him crazy for her. And yet, one can’t even criticize Asad’s character as being unbelievable – he is ridiculously realistic. How many men in south Asian society are actually like this? The answer is many, men who are so “devoted” to their mothers, they are unable to recognize their manipulations…..and even if they recognize them, they are unable to stand up to them. In contrast, this is why a character like Hammad in “Tinkay Ka Sahara” was such a refreshing change from the usual. Still, Sami Khan is doing a wonderful job in this role, not because the role is that of a good guy or that the role itself is good, but because his performance makes us glare and think “yeah, I know this guy.”
There isn’t much to write about in terms of occurrences in the episode. Saazish continues in each scene, whether it’s Aliya Ali’s Maheen, Maryam Noor’s Zuni or Saba Faisal’s Fehmeeda…..this women have nothing to do in their lives but dress up and be utterly evil to Rumi, who has never done anything wrong to them (not that it would be an excuse if she had). Zuni has a boyfriend and Maheen is now “helping” her, though she’s most likely going to destroy her relationship – and pin it on Rumi somehow, of course.
What’s exhausting about “Taqdeer” is that each episode is essentially the same. Fehmeeda mistreats/hits Rumi, Rumi tells Asad who defends his mother (as though he didn’t know how she was before he got married), Rumi acts like a living corpse, crying with no one to console her, Asad’s father consoles her lamely, Maheen makes matters worse, Zuni meets her boyfriend and……rinse and repeat. Coming up, Asad will suspect Rumi of having an affair with his brother, of all cliches. There is not much to praise in this show other than Sami Khan’s performance. “Taqdeer” hasn’t been running for very long, but it’s time to come to an end.