Episodes in Review: 5 and 6
(Gohar Rasheed makes an appearance!)
What we are loving about Laapata the most (and there are surely a handful of things) is the fast-paced plot with an unpredictable story. Often, the element of surprise is what many of our Pakistani dramas lack but this is not the case with Laapata, which offers a unique story line with unexpected twists.
This week’s episodes unfold as Shams proposes a scheme to outwit the inspector; however, he finds himself trapped in the lion’s den. As the first episode of this week progresses, Shams is arrested and faces severe physical brutality. His misery doesn’t end there. Shams later gets framed as a terrorist and is sent to jail. The fate of Shams looks gloomy as the inspector who framed him, is now dead. So, how will our hero overcome this misery will be interesting to see.
Needless to say, Ali Rehman Khan’s acting was top notch. His character went through a series of highs and lows where he felt confident enough to take down the inspector and then we saw him sitting down helpless and dejected after he knew he had lost everything. His character had different layers to him and the audience was able to witness them at various intervals; all credit due to Ali Rehman’s performance.
The story progresses with a two year leap. We see our favorites: Ayeza Khan and Sara Khan enjoying a good amount of screen time as their characters evolve. Shams family is devastated after they are not able to locate Shams. A heartbroken Falak has no choice but to go on with her life. She becomes a badminton champion and gets a job. She also encourages her sister and showers her family with love; however, she is still holding onto the memory of Shams.
At this point, the writer gave us the clarity of a question many were asking, why did a practical girl like Falak continue to pursue a man like Shams who wasn’t serious about life; to which she explained delicately that you don’t control who you fall in love with. This was a much needed clarity as it removed any ambiguities of a plot hole.
On the other hand, Geeti has become a TikTok star and has started to appear in interviews. We did not see much of a change in her personality and seemingly she has moved on from Shams. Instead, she started pursuing her friend’s to-be husband. Well, this certainly added to a lot of frustration towards Geeti’s character but as far as Ayeza’s acting was concerned she was startling as always.
Gohar Rasheed Makes His First Appearance
After a long wait we finally saw Gohar Rasheed on screen. He is playing the role of Falak’s boss and is clearly in love with her. Gohar in a few seconds managed to win our hearts and now we are only looking forward to have more screen time with him.
The Downsides
Showing Geeti being punished because Shams is laapata and her saying “it was because of her bad deeds”, well, it doesn’t really add up.
Firstly, why did Shams have to pay for Geeti’s evil deeds, and if we do go by this theory, what evil did Falak commit that Shams was taken away from her? Secondly, Geeti’s still not learnt her lesson, because she still asks Allah to bring Shams back and that he should marry her, completely disregarding the fact that Shams and Falak love each other.
Shams laapata hai aur baree behna can only think about bad mouthing Shams… while you might be right, this was definitely not the time to bring it up.
A Final Note
Both the episodes were great and we are eagerly looking forward to the next one. Laapata is going on a high note with the right combination of thrill and drama. Another thing that caught our attention was the subtle messages that were given. These included Geeti’s redemption when she pays the shopkeeper, a message that illiteracy in our country makes us rely on corrupt sources such as peer pressure and others.
This was reinforced by an important dialogue by the hakeem:
“Jab Tak is mulk mein jahalat hai, teray meray jesoon ka karobaar khatam honi wala nahi hai”
