Fashion Times (Review): ‘Wabaal’ Takes an Impressive Start with Bravura Performances as its USP

wabaal

What I love about Amin Iqbal is that he is a master of flawed characters. Unlike the usual perfect people living happily ever after doesn’t interest him. His dramas are propelled by personalities who are racked by doubt, fear, and sacrifice. Think of Hatim in Dushman-e-Jaan, or Azlan in Ishq-e-Laa, or Sadaf in Thakan. To this pantheon of deliciously diverse protagonists, Amin adds Anum, a young girl who is fed up from poverty and lives an imaginary life of riches.

Iqbal’s latest outing Wabaal throws light on greedy individuals lured by wealth, peppered with other important social issues. So, does Wabaal succeed in entertaining viewers? Let’s analyze.

 

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Wabaal; The Premise

Wabaal is the story of two sisters Anum (Sarah Khan) and Maham (Merub Ali) hailing from a middle-class background. Anum dreams big and wants all the luxuries in life whereas Maham is happy with whatever she has. They live with their parents Rahat (Tara Mahmood) and Shakir (Saleem Sheikh). There’s a parallel track that features Shagufta (Shagufta Ejaz) and his son Naveed (Muhammad Hunbal). Shagufta is the widow of Shakir’s elder brother and is involved in the forbidden act of sood (Interest). Due to this, no one in the family meets her. She likes Anum and wants her to marry Naveed. Faraz (Talha Chahour) is a young man who rents a place in Anum’s neighborhood.

What’s Good?

Qaisra Hayat’s story has potential and is the need of the hour. He keeps the narrative simple yet effective and hence it’s easy to comprehend for anyone who watches it. Amin Iqbal’s direction is controlled. The beginning sequences are breezy and entertaining as the viewers get acquainted with Anum, her persona, her relationship with her family, etc. Iqbal has kept the tone of the show light and fleshed out some scenes very well. The humor quotient also works well. One scene that stood out was the confrontation between Sara and Talha.

Bravura Performances

Talking of performances, Anum is no easy role and requires confidence and losing inhibitions. On both fronts, Sarah Khan scores very well. She looks and suits the part and makes one forget about her past performances. Talha Chahour looks great and gives a genuinely fine performance; one wishes to see more of him in the upcoming episodes. Shagufta Ejaz is good as always and performs as per the script. Muhammad Hunbal is simply terrific and contributes to the laughter element. Saleem Sheikh is decent. Merub Ali is passable. Tara Mehmood is average.

Verdict So Far

All in all, Wabaal is off to a great start. The first episode establishes the characters very well. We hope that it would touch a chord with a larger number of viewers in the upcoming episodes. So far, So good.

 

 

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