Read time: approx 5mins Love Guru came out with all the hype— Mahira Khan , Humayun Saeed , and a shiny London backdrop. Naturally, I was excited. But honestly? Beyond the big names and pretty locations, it was… kinda just your usual rom-com with nothing that really stands out. Dragging Pace and Engagement Issues By the time the interval rolled around, I was already feeling a bit bored and just waiting for the movie to end. The first half kept me visually engaged, but it started to drag, and the second half didn’t pick up much. It felt like the story was stretched unnecessarily just to fill the runtime, which made the whole experience less engaging than I’d hoped. Chemistry and Character Choices Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed have this natural chemistry on screen, which does keep things somewhat enjoyable. But honestly, it felt a little strange still shipping their romantic vibes at their ages now. What really threw me off was Mahira’s character—she knows she’s getting married in ...
Why Makafat is the only drama series you should watch during Ramadhan
Read time: under 5 mins
Every year during Ramadhan there are a selection of new comedy drama serials that air everyday for the month and quickly become popular between families...but how are these storylines any different for this month in a more appropriate and meaningful way for an audience?
Makafat is a very underrated Ramadhan TV series, but, in my opinion far better than anything else that airs during the month. Surprisingly, this comes from the same producers who usually are the ones to repeatedly air the same toxic love stories 👀. The series began in 2019 and due to its popularity it has been repeatedly aired every year and now currently with four seasons. Each episode comes with a new storyline and a new cast so if you didn't tune in one day, you haven't missed out on anything really because the individual episodes are short stories and not a continuation of previous episodes. I personally love watching Makafat in Ramadhan because each episode ends with a moral-which I think is a much more suitable theme for a Ramadhan TV series. The episodes challenge traditional Pakistani ideologies which therefore provide scope of discussion between the older and younger generations.
The literal meaning of Makafat being 'Result of Deed' is an anthology drama series where every episode has a different take on consequences of actions. It features different short stories in each episode focusing on social issues which tend to resonate with the audience. Such themes can include poverty, rape, gender equality, colorism and many more. These deep rooted and important issues could be useful for GEO TV to produce better foundations for their regular drama serials rather than repeatedly churning out the typical storylines of love triangles, toxic relationships and saas-bahu tensions. The structure of each episode typically shows how karma comes back at those who do wrong and how Allah's punishment can begin even before the afterlife. However, some may argue that this concept of Makafat e amal in Islam is baseless and that Allah is Just- he does not burden a person for someone else's sins.
(This is the first episode of the first season of Makafat that I happened to sit down and watch and so its my favourite episode!)
Due to the nature of the series, each episode comes with a new cast which helps to differentiate between episodes and better evaluate an individual's acting capabilities. Most episodes last anywhere between 30-45 minutes which means that actors have a limited on-screen time to make a memorable performance. The type of casting can be beneficial for many celebrities that don't get enough on screen work in regular drama serials and for those who are new to the industry looking to start out somewhere. For example, we consistently see those actors in main roles of a Makafat episodes that usually play supporting roles in regular drama serials, a few to name would be Arisha Razi, Asim Mehmood, Raeed Muhammad Alam and Adla Khan.
Personally, I think such inspirational content that forces inner reflection is a better watch than the Ramadhan sitcoms and game shows. Such practical examples are necessary to ground us in a world full of vengeance and dishonesty.
What's your favourite Makafat episode? Comment down below and let me know ❤
