Ohkay so, Fraud definitely keeps on getting better & the credit most certainly goes to the actors who have put their heart & soul into their performances. It won’t be wrong to say that the story of Fraud is predictable & as a viewer, I clearly know what is going to happen in the upcoming episodes, but the way it has been executed, directed & performed definitely makes it one such drama that I actually look forward to every week. I also feel, it was a wise move to air double episodes this week & I hope it continues this way because the note at which the first episode ended definitely made me sigh with relief that there was another episode left which actually meant a fast progress in the story.
The Rejection
It won’t be wrong to say that Mehmood Aslam & Saba Qamar have carried this drama on their shoulders. So far, they have been the main characters that have gotten the utmost coverage therefore their performances have so far left an impact. However, I am glad that Tabrez/Sajih’s side of the story is also being unfolded & the focus has now shifted on what goes behind the scenes, how they plan these ‘projects’ & also the tensions between them. Each one of them also gave a very strong performance & it was actually quite interesting to see their dynamic with Sajih feeling entitled to more than he gets & Jahan Ara taking the credit for training him.
I don’t think there would be a single viewer of Fraud who doesn’t sympathize with Maya. I actually feel pity on her because she has such unreasonable set of parents who put themselves above anything else. Maya hasn’t even recovered from Tabrez’s betrayal but somehow, Nisar & Shehnaz thought it was a good idea to literally get rid of Maya in the name of honor & ‘izzat’. They actually think allowing Maya the time to heal & recover was not even an option & all that they had to do was get her married so that they can feel at ease. It is unfortunate that although I do feel sad for what the entire family has gone through & the loss they have dealt with, but despite all of that, Maya’s parents are simply selfish for not even acknowledging what Maya wants & imposing their perspective of face-saving on her. It was heartbreaking to hear Maya asking for a space in her parents’ house where all she could do was just be at peace, confined from the outside world but even that was difficult for Nisar. Initially, I felt a lot for her parents too, but seeing how rigid & unreasonable they have been, I do not sympathize with them at all. The self-imposed pressure of the society has got the better of them & it is unfortunate that despite the strength Maya & even Maila have shown is unable to make them understand that ‘marriage’ is not going to solve any of their problems.
Maya did try her best to resist but to see her surrendering to Nisar & Shehnaz’s unreasonable demands was saddening. It was like she literally gave up because she knew she did not stand a chance in front of her irrational parents. No matter how they put it, like wanting the best for Maya but the point is, she has suffered enough because of Nisar’s greed, therefore she should be left alone for some time at least. From forcing Maya to meet strangers & then shoving the idea of her marriage to Nayel was distasteful, that too when she clearly told how burdened she felt with the idea of getting married to Nayel.
Nayel clearly let his mother know that he was not in a favor of this marriage. He too was heart-broken & more than that, he couldn’t bring himself to respect Nisar enough to do anything that would help him in any way. While watching these episodes, I thought to myself how unreasonable these parents were where not even for a second they respected their children’s wish & thought it was a good idea to impose their decisions on them – that too when they’re of the age where they can make certain decisions themselves. Shazia clearly ignored Nayel’s aloofness & thought she would sweettalk him into this marriage, which once again showed how she was just like Nisar – out of touch with reality & turning a blind eye to her child’s wish. Shazia herself saw how heartbroken Nayel was & it wasn’t because he was unable to get married to Maya but purely because of the things Nisar said to him, the way he put him down & made him feel worthless. All of this would not have happened if Shazia has at least tried to understand where Nayel was coming from & why he was least interested in his wedding to Maya.
Maya’s assessment of Nayel’s behavior & how he would always have an upper-hand on her if she got married to him was spot on. Once again, it clearly shows that Maya is far mature than her parents & she is not hopelessly hopeful, in fact she is practical & has the ability to see people for who they are. She knew Nayel was hurt & most certainly did not want him to be forced into this marriage. Right from the beginning she had an idea that this was going to be extremely difficult for him but sadly, no one cared. In the end, hearing Nisar blaming Nayel for all of this was not very convincing. He definitely should be the last person blaming anyone else for his daughter’s misery. The entire wedding sequence, like the preparations & then the conversations related to it & later with Nayel not showing up was done really well. It was executed brilliantly & the emotions were captured just perfectly. I really want to see Maya putting her foot down & not allowing anyone dictate her life for her. Although I know that she will eventually get married to Shaan but I hope it happens with her will & she is not yet again not forced into this marriage.
On Sajih’s front, Khawar is definitely quite laid back, therefore he is on good terms with his all of his team members but when it comes to Sajih & Jahan Ara, there is definitely a tussle & a lot of tensions especially when it comes to power-sharing. Jahan Ara seems to be the boss leading this entire gang but Sajih finds it hard to accept. Being at the forefront of every ‘project’ he feels a lot more entitled & thinks he leads it all but the truth is, none of it is possible without an effort of every single team member. This is definitely Sajih’s weakness & it kind of showed that this might be his undoing where he will eventually try to do something on his own & will end up getting caught. It is also interesting that despite having their complete information & bio data, the police has been unable to catch them. It is not like their victims did not get in touch with the police at all, therefore some kind of police intervention was definitely needed to make it a little more interesting.
Convincing Performances
So far, Fraud definitely stands out for its extremely convincing performances. The director has been able to capture the essence of emotions in each & every scenario, that is exactly what makes it such an interesting experience to watch Fraud. Mehmood Aslam & Saba Qamar have outdid themselves in this drama. I thoroughly enjoyed Ainy Zaidi & Ahsan Khan’s performance too although their screen-time was limited. Adnan Samad Khan was also quite impressive & so was Rabya Kulsoom. Saba Qamar is known for styling her characters perfectly but this time around, the usage of wig has definitely been a big distraction because it just doesn’t suit her & adds more age to the character that she is playing. In almost all the scenes that wig sticks out like a sore thumb & takes away from the overall look of the character. Fraud is definitely a must-watch drama of this season & I can not wait to see the rest of the story unfold. Please share your thoughts about these episodes of Fraud.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
