Transforming the landscape of entertainment in Pakistan, Green Entertainment is leaving no stone unturned to bring to light various genres wrapped around intelligent storytelling. One of Green’s latest endeavors ‘Fatima Feng’ touches upon a topical subject that clears the misconceptions about Muslims and Islam. Directed by Faheem Burney and written by Asma Wazir Gul, ‘Fatima Feng’ is headlined by Howara Batool. The show also features, Usama Khan, Mehar Bano and Babar Ali in important roles.
The World Of ‘Fatima Feng’
Fatima Feng is a story about Jia Feng (Howara Batool), a Chinese girl who loses her father Feng during a terrorist attack in Pakistan. Jahangir (Babar Ali) was Feng’s business partner so he takes Jia under his wing. Jia is super talented and works as the top former in their joint business. This tragedy in Jia’s life results in a 360 degree turn and her resentment against Muslims and Islam is evident in her actions. Her heart is broken, her soul is lost and she constantly seeks ways to heal her dark wounds. She has conversations about this matter with her colleague Raheel (Noman Kahout). The latter is sincere and tries his level best to calm her down.
Ammar (Usama Khan) is Jahangir’s son. He has completed his studies from abroad and has no any interest in his family business. He aims to be an entrepreneur. Natasha (Mehar Bano) is a painter and her art is displayed at various exhibitions. She is Amamr’s cousin and is desperate to marry him, however, the former wants to focus on his career first. As the story progresses, Jia gets a big shock when her driver leaves the job stating that he isn’t willing to work with a Kaafir (non-Muslim). An already lost Jia decides to go back to China. She cancels her plan at the eleventh hour as Jahangir suffers a massive heart attack. She resumes work and gets to know that his deceased father Feng had accepted Islam. Jia embarks on a journey as Fatima Feng, will she find solace in the light of Islam?
What Makes ‘Fatima Feng’ Work
This is Fahim Burney’s third outing with Green. His previous venture ‘College Gate’ was a rage, however, ‘Honey Moon’ got a luke warm response. This time around, he scores big with ‘Fatima Feng’. Full marks to Burney for shifting gears and entering into a different territory. With all his experience, he handles a sensitive topic with utmost conviction. He handles a fragile premise in a commercial manner and does justice to it.
Asma Wazir Gul’s dialogues are effective and written intelligently. She keeps the story simple yet thought-provoking, never letting viewers get bored by excessive lectures on Islam and terrorism. Although Natasha’s character comes across as confusing and problematic. She is shown as an independent and empowered woman, yet she is so desperate to marry Ammar. Moreover, Natasha’s mother gives continuous reminders to Ammar’s parents forcing their son for the wedding. Why?
Likeable Performances
What makes ‘Fatima Feng’ a good watch is the protagonist Howara Batool’s composed performance. Her act is the USP of the play. The way she carries the enterprise on her shoulders is commendable. She is likable and viewers empathize with her feelings and journey. Not even once, she loses her bearing and grabs your attention with her captivating screen presence. This time around Usama Khan’s act stands out. He’s getting better with every project. Mehar Bano is known for picking up empowering roles, but here her character comes across as regressive. Nevertheless, her performance is good. Babar Ali is super dependable. Tara Mehmood and Munazzah Arif are effective. ‘College Gate’, ‘Honey Moon’ and now ‘Fatima Feng’, there’s always a confirm space for Noman Kahout in Fahim Burney’s projects. He puts up a decent show. Other actors do a good job.
Summing it up
On the whole, ‘Fatima Feng’ is an inspiring yet thought-provoking watch that stays with you. Fourteen episodes down, the makers so far succeeded in keeping the viewers glued to the proceedings. We hope that ‘Fatima Feng’ won’t enter the preachy mode that may act as a spoilsport.
