Raqeeb Se is a simple story of complex emotions, and that is the beauty of the play. While the drama failed to achieve the kind of viewership it deserved, it created a niche for itself and was enjoyed by those who crave intelligent and artistic content that goes beyond the cliché stories being shown on TV these days.
The credit mostly goes to Bee Gul who is one of the finest writers in Pakistan. It takes courage to stand strong while many writers are forced to compromise on their craft for ratings. Unaffected by the commercial element of success, her writing is mature and she has the power to intelligently weave stories.
Raqeeb Se is the perfect example of beautiful storytelling and no one could have asked for a better duo than Bee Gul and Kashif Nisar to create this masterpiece. Kashif Nisar’s vision as the director took the script to a whole different level of art and every actor played their part to perfection. In short, there was not a stitch out of place.
From the first episode to the last, it kept the viewers hooked. In fact, it is a play that stays with you long after the credits roll. It makes you think and see the world with a fresh perspective.
Hadiqa Kiani’s role as Maqsood sahab’s (Naumaan Ijaaz) Sakina led the narrative. One night, after having had enough of her abusive husband, Rafiq Ali (Saqib Sameer), she ends up at Maqsood sahab’s door with her daughter Ameera (Iqra Aziz).
His wife Hajra (Sania Saeed) welcomes them with open arms despite the daughter, Insha’s (Faryal Mehmood) resistance. One kept wondering how it was possible for Hajra to be so ‘nice’, ‘tolerent’ and ‘calm’ in a world where wives are often shown as insecure and abusive towards ex-lovers and second wives. One also had doubts over Sakina’s intentions and feared that Maqsood sahab would be a weak man who might take it all as an opportunity to finally marry his lost love.
However, the final episodes made the audience see that not everything is black and white. No character is completely good or bad; they are, in fact, a result of their circumstances and choices.
Sakina chose to stay in an abusive marriage because she felt guilty of Maqsood sahab’s younger brother’s murder. On the other hand, Maqsood sahab had never moved past his brother’s death or Sakina’s memories. Hajra punished herself for a divorce that wasn’t her fault and Rafiq Ali was living a life of humiliation knowing his wife was never his.
The final scenes between the mothers and daughters were heartbreaking; Sakina had sacrificed her happiness for her daughter while Hajra had done the same. However, it was a relief to see Ameera and Insha taking control of their fate and not compromising like their mothers.
Realizing that her husband Abdul Rehman (Hamza Sohail) was a self-centred opportunist, Insha filed for divorce and the conversations revolving around the decision is the kind of message that the audience needed. It’s better to leave a toxic and unhappy relationship instead of sacrificing your life.
Ameera tried to commit suicide and this was an action that was earlier criticized, however, the last two episodes answered the question; she needed to learn the significance of life. Both the daughters had the same fate as their mothers (one losing her love forever, the other one a divorcee) yet they came out strong and broke the cycle of abuse.
After searching for love all her life, Ameera found and lost Kashif to a tragic death. However, despite being the least prominent character, Kashif left the audience in tears. From standing against corruption to asking for consent, he displayed what a man with morals should be like. Through his death, Bee Gul also addressed that corruption and fraud don’t have a happy ending considering his father’s ‘business deals’
Hajra finally began to receive the love she deserved from Maqsood sahab and it was a treat to see her focus on her career and laugh again. The subtle growth in their relationship was all that the audience had been cheering for.
It was also endearing to watch the relationship grow between the fathers and daughters. Rafiq Ali knew he wanted nothing but his daughter home while Maqsoob sahab finally referred to himself as ‘her (Insha’s ) father’.
Inarguably, Raqeeb Se is the most meaningful and complete drama we have recently watched.
