Drama Review | Badshah Begum | Episode 1

Badshah Begum Episode 1 Written Update and Review

The episode opens in a club where Roshan Ara is dancing with Bakhtiyar; Roshan Ara is clearly inebriated. A while later, Jahan Ara also comes in. The teasers and the episode, neither clears whether Bakhtiyar is with the elder sister or the younger one. I think Roshan Ara likes Bakhtiyar and Bakhtiyar likes Jahan Ara.

We meet Badshah Begum who orders to break a pregnant woman’s legs just because she came to say salaam.

Then we finally meet Pir Shahzeb. He leads the prayers at a mosque and in the next scene he orders one person to be killed. When he runs into Pir Qaisar, their verbal dual was quite interesting with neither of them willing to back down.

Pir Shahzeb has feelings for Zulekha, or so it seems. Perhaps he just wants to get married for sake of gaddi. But his own mother doesn’t allow her to get married. This woman doesn’t want anyone else to take over her reign.

Bakhtiyar meets Shah Alam, and is pleasantly surprised by the man. He thinks that Shah Alam isn’t as aggressive as people make him to be. Tch… This man doesn’t know the Pir family yet. Neither do I, but I have a fair idea from the teasers.

Overall, this episode does enough, more than enough to pique viewers’ interest.

Performances

With such a studded cast, it’s inevitable that I criticize the performances. The performances were varied: some were loud and over the top, some were subdued and on-point, and some weren’t even given a fair chance in the opening episode.

I loved how the two Ara sisters and Bakhtiyar were introduced in a dim lit bar while Roshan and Bakhtiar were dancing.

Komal Meer looked ravishing in her semi-glam avatar. She’s pretty, and she did well for her role–moody spoilt brat who can’t take no for an answer.

Ali Rehman Khan as Bakhtiar was also okay, but I felt that his role didn’t have much to do, at least in the opening episode. I wasn’t much impressed with Yasir’s performance as Qaisar, either. But he has embodied a rowdy man quite well.

Saman Ansari as Badshah Begum felt a bit loud, at least in the opening scene. It might be due to the unnecessarily loud background score. Her scene with Pir Shahzeb was good, though.

Taniya Hussain as Zulekha only smiled for the camera and didn’t have any dialogue, but she looked so pretty. I’m curious to know more about her character. Shah Alam, Abul Hassan, and others, they fall in the same category. Not enough chance to showcase their talent.

Farhan Saeed, however, shines in every frame that he was in. His entry scene was part of the various teasers and the OST, and I had a fair idea of how we will meet Pir Shahzeb. But seeing him in the episode left a different impact altogether. I had last seen him as Arsal in a rom-com Suno Chanda. Now, seeing him as a grey character who is drunk on power is just so refreshing. He looks hot, suave, debonair, charming… And other synonyms… He’s my favourite character already, and Roshan Ara comes a close second.

But that’s only from the first episode.

Review

First off, let’s just praise Pervez Mehdi’s soulful rendition of the OST. I first heard him in Arif’s “Mustafa Jaan-e-rehmat pe lakhon salaam” where he read one of the verse. And then this. The OST is just too good, and I have already listened to it a few times since it released. This team has gone out of their way to excel in most departments, almost.

My only grouse is the background score. What’s up with the noise? This was so freaking loud. And so unnecessary.

The language is interesting, very easy for people like us who mix Urdu and English while talking. But when Jahan Ara recited poetry in English, that was a bit much. I mean, would all the people watching the drama understand it? Or maybe the drama isn’t targetted for masses. Loved Zara’s recital of the poem though. The beauty of her voice shines through in this scene.

This drama is brutal, and is giving me very Troy like vibe. If I had seen Game of Thrones, I would have said that, but I do get a feeling that the overall drama is kinda sorta a Pakistani version of GoT. Too many people after one little gaddi… Isn’t that what GoT was about?

I’m not too impressed with the drama, but I’m intrigued; enough to keep watching.

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Shabana Mukhtar