Raqeeb Se – Skip or Stream it – Is that even a question?

Raqeeb Se – First Episode clean bowled us with ace performances from the entire cast.
The Cast Ruled The Screen – And We Mean ALL The Cast!
Hadiqa Kayani in her debut role as Sakina owned the character.
Her shaky confidence & shy demeanor at the onset had us fooled till she gradually peeled away the layers to reveal a determined woman underneath.
Sania Saeed as Hajra mesmerised us as always in a truly endearing role
She made us wonder: Do wives such as Hajra really exist? …but perhaps only in story books or dramas, well, not exactly, because Sania fleshed her out admirably as a living, breathing, very palpable reality – one perhaps, who is so tangibly secure in her marriage, that she might earn the envy of every woman watching her onscreen
Nouman Ijaz slipped into Maqsood Sahaab’s skin effortlessly.
The brief silences, forced distance from Sakina & then later, the pent up rage, the controlled anger, magnetically drew us into the story as if we were in a trance!

Iqra Aziz sealed the deal; Raqeeb Se is going to be a watch right till the end!
Iqra Aziz as Ameera stunned us with that final outburst. The climax was well worth the wait… and just as the curtains dropped on the final scene…
Faryal Mehboob as Ansha delivered a convincing performance, duly matched by Hamza Sohail!

And Now That We’re Over The Cast
Writer Bee Gul & director Kashif Nisar have our attention, this one’s for keeps! Sensitive dialogues, esp. Hajra’s betakallufi in encountering her husband’s past mehbooba added sona pe suhaga to Sania’s priceless performance.
Direction deserves an applause for the smooth scene transitions, the mystery reveal through Ansha (about Sakina’s past) was handled creatively. The setting carried an air of mystery and the performances gifted us a raw, yet intense feel – a flavour of what’s to come. And yes, the script moved at just the right pace to fill us in on details but leave out enough to entice us into episode 2!
Raqeeb Se is a winner so far – Go Watch!