ARY Digital’s “Noor Jahan” finally ended its glorious run after thirty-three episodes. With a deeply layered narrative by Zanjabeel Asim Shah and interestingly developed characters, “Noor Jahan” was an audience favorite from day one. Director Musaddiq Malek showed the world how to do a saas-bahu saga perfectly. Fans of the serial were hoping for the protagonist’s obvious downfall, but that didn’t happen. Let’s review.
The Finale Episodes
Noor Bano (Kubra Khan) succeeds in taking revenge for her father’s death. In the aftermath she reveals the truth to Murad. The latter threatens to kill himself, but they sort out their differences later and welcome their child. After getting divorced by Safeer (Ali Rehman), Sumbul’s (Hajra Yamin) life gets back on track, she excels in her career and gets married to Komail Shah (Musaddiq Malek). Noor Bano with all her tricks and strategies on point, makes Murad (Ali Raza), Safeer and Hunaid (Noor Hassan) leave Noor Jahan’s toxic place to lead a better life. Noor Jahan in the end realizes her mistakes and patches up with her family.
Saas-Bahu Saga Done Right
Full credit goes to the writer/director duo of Shah and Malek for being the real behind-the-camera heroes. We don’t see such an authentic portrayal of female characters on screen. Be it Noor Jahan or all her daughters-in-law, it is commendable how Shah has written each character with a distinct personality. All have their own strength and weaknesses. Unlike the regular male characters, the men here were kept on the back burner compared to the female characters. The entire nation was hoping for Noor Jahan’s massive fall down but the finale with a progressive message was the perfect icing on the cake.
The Magnificent Mussadiq
First “Habs”, now “Noor Jahan”, Malek is here to rule. He didn’t waste time and established the settings, the characters, the complexities and kept the proceedings engaging till the end. It is quite evident that his storytelling has evolved. His immaculate eye for detailing, the pristine setting, the background score and visuals captured hearts.
Stellar Performances
Saba Hameed as Noor Jahan delivered a performance of a lifetime. She deserves every applause and award. Her mannerisms, her look and her dialogue delivery, everything was flawless. Next in line, Kubra Khan had a meatier role and she pulled it off with great conviction. However, she needs to work on her dialogue delivery. Hajra Yamin was a revelation, her most accomplished act to date. Zoya Nasir needs to polish her acting skills. We would like to see more Alina Abbas, she underplays Safeena beautifully and shines in her solo sequences. Noor Hassan excels with a powerful act. Musaddiq Malek was amazing in a cameo.
Summing it up
“Noor Jahan” worked big time due to the interesting plot, performances, underlying message and intense moments in abundance. Drama producers who aim to explore the tried-and-tested genre in the future, should consider “Noor Jahan” as benchmark.
