Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam – World of Audacious, Feisty Femme Fatales

Trapped by norms, our entertainment industry has not explored its best side for ages. Meenu Gaur dares to fetch a maturely cooked series for us, Qatil Haseenao Ke Naam. The quasi-anthology thriller series has been written by Meenu and Farjad Nabi and includes an ensemble cast. It stars Samiya Mumtaz, Mehar Bano, Sanam Saeed, Sarwat Gillani, Beo Rana Zafar and Faiza Gillani in the lead roles, and has various other stars in the supporting cast. It uses fictional space and noirish themes to reflect the stories of feisty women in a dark, eerie and a suspenseful world of gray.

The series consists of gripping tales of six women, with one prime plot of Mai Malki (Samiya Mumtaz), as custodian of a shrine and how she empowers herself by combating against the demons around. All the tales are gorgeously interweaved through mind-blowingly decent connectors.

 Mehak

The star-studded opening episode radiates classic retro vibes, and transports you back to the classical era. It has some beautiful poetic dialogues and revolves around Mehak (Sarwat Gillani)’s struggle with abusive husband Aftab (Osman Khalid Butt). Gulab (Ahsan Khan) is hired by someone to kill Aftab, and therefore, he intervenes to save his long-lost love Mehak from her disinterested partner. This story does not have much to offer; although it includes some brilliant artists like Sarwat, Ahsan etc., the storyline is out-and-out nonsensical. As a matter of fact, predictable yet cheesy twists and run-of-the-mill handling lowers the charm of the series. Sarwat hardly has any dialogue, however, Ahsan Khan delivers a “different” performance. Osman Khalid Butt goes unnoticed in this poorly treated episode. The worst part of the story is the underwhelming climax; in other words, the episode is like a typical TV drama in a neo-noir disguise.

Kanwal

This chapter turns out to be the bandage on the wounds of boredom caused by the previous episode. The best part of the episode is the terrific chemistry of the lead pair Faiza Gillani and Sheheryar Munawar; they both have showcased astonishing performances. Head nurse Kanwal (Faiza Gillani) is on her way to save a patient Bilal (Sheheryar Munawar), who is under police investigation for his criminal activities. Soon, Kanwal forms an intimate bond with him and makes a plan to rescue him from cops and Dr. Nahid (Tara Mehmood). The terrific script couples with dazzling cinematography by Mo Azmi and of course, chilling performances to make it a tremendous piece. Each frame is jaw-dropping, and the highlight of the show is Faiza Gillani; she emotes various emotions so swiftly and the yahaa moment is when she shifts the tone of her character from a passionate lover to a strict nurse.

Furthermore, Meenu and Farjad, very eloquently address the society’s obsession with the age of a woman. The notions of dhalti umar and aam shakal have been challenged rightly through Kanwal and icing on the cake is that no victim card has been played. Interesting, isn’t it? This episode is going to give you plenty of reasons to stay glued to your screens for the further show. 

Zuvi

Oozed with grace, mystery and artistic excellence, this episode does not fail to surprise you at any pace. The director has very intelligently placed the events, and many minor elements have been worked on, which eventually makes it appear as an uncanny, goosebumpish thriller. Zuvi (Sanam Saeed) is a fine artist, who makes sculptures and worships “perfectionism”, whereas her “imperfect” husband Joji (Omar Rahim) disbalances their equation in this regard. Joji is non-conformist and is tired of Zuvi’s idea of a perfect life, therefore, he forms an intimate bond with Balam, a hairdresser. Furthermore, the various events unfold and take you through a rollercoaster until your heart begins throbbing out of suspense in the climax. Without any doubt, Sanam Saeed steals the show; her portrayal of an emotionally muddled up elite woman is beyond picture-perfect. She displays hunger for fame, wickedness, her need to hide her flaws takes the show to a next level. Whereas Omar Rahim has also delivered a good performance, his confusion pertaining to his sexuality becomes the reason for the further conflict of the story. Mooroo’s cameo is an immense delight to witness him in the story, whereas Balam and Shamim Hilaly give a reasonable performance. One factor that was an absolute turn off; “the quick pace”. I believe the director could have taken it slowly to make it more impactful.

Massey Ma

The episode is an influential blend of mystery, betrayal and justice. This episode has nothing to do with the prime plot, however, leaves a brilliant impact on viewers’ minds. The story is comprehensive and includes some vibrant performances by the lead cast. Massey Ma (Beo Rana Zafar), is struggling with a life-threatening disease, and she has zero sadness regarding it. She is lively, charming and has a daughter Dolla (Hajra Yamin), who forms a good bond with their family friend Abdullah (Fawad Khan). Soon, Abdullah’s estranged wife Natasha (Rubya Chaudhary) finds out about their relationship and is found dead in her room. Post some unsettling events, Massey Ma decides to investigate Natasha’s death by considering Abdullah as the prime suspect.

The episode raises the bar and displays some cerebral coherence of the sequences. Beo Rana Zafar is absolutely splendid, she is witty, smart and her commitment to her cause gives us life lessons. However, I feel Beo could have acted better in a couple of scenes; she seems to be expressionless in a few sequences. Hajra Yamin as Dolla is so sweet, and gets into the skin of her character amazingly. Rubya Chaudhary gives you goosebumps whereas Fawad Khan is the showstopper. He will give you many reasons to love him as an actor. One of the best things about the episode is the ambiguity; the writer has left many things open-ended.

Zehra

This story, very subtly connects to the prime plot, which makes the series quite sublime. The episode is set in the past where Zehra (Eman Suleman) elopes with Amar (Kashif Hussain), and soon gets caught. Zehra then approaches Najji Shah (Saleem Miraj), the famous local peer, to save her from her enraged father. Najji Shah conspires against Amar and marries Zehra without her consent. This breaks Mai Malki (Samiya Mumtaz) and she reminds him how he is using her father’s power of custodianship of the shrine. Zehra plans to escape from Najji Shah’s kingdom but failed attempts elevate the challenges for her. The episode includes some nail-biting sequences, and without any doubt, the episode belongs to Saleem Miraaj for his bewitching characterization. Samiya Mumtaz is astounding as always, whereas, Eman Suleman dominates at certain scenes, especially where she exhibits the complex combo of grief and hatred together. The episode is very dark, and has so many shades which is going to make you immerse fully.

Mai Malki & Anarkali

The powerful episode strikes you with amazement owing to its enchanting direction, and intense performances. This episode carries the true essence of the series altogether. In this episode, Zehra tries to reach out to Amar, so that they could make a plan, whereas Mai Malki discovers a secret room in her house where Anarkali (Mehar Bano) was captured by Najji Shah. Anarkali was abducted by Najji Shah from a brothel, when she was a young child. Najji Shah exploited her and isolated her from her family by killing one of her family members. Mai Malki plans to take her wealth from Najji Shah and seeks Anarkali’s support. This episode undoubtedly belongs to Mehar Bano and Samiya Mumtaz.  Mehar Bano has given a powerhouse performance; her language, posture and wildness are going to give you hot flashes. Whereas, Samiya Mumtaz has set a benchmark for all the female performers, especially for the ones who tend to do women-centric projects.

Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam is going to win your hearts, not only because of some terrific performances but owing to the out-of-the-box cinematography, and compelling editing. It kicks off on a relatively lighter note, and ends on a penetrating, raw and mind-bending note. It encompasses some pleasing songs: the Girhain by Sunny Khan Durrani appears rightly when Anarkali shares her traumatic experiences, which enhances the impact of the story. The title song by Farheen Raza gives a dreamy and retro feel. A huge shout out to the creative and technical department for creating such an amazing ambience throughout the series. However, the stories could have been spiced up more, especially the first two episodes lacked substance.

The director Meenu Gaur has done her best to explore different dimensions aptly. The dialogues are maturely written, and reflect the hard work that has been put in by the creators. On the other side of the spectrum, there are some loopholes in the series like irregular pace, highly predictable twists (at some points), but the strong performances cover everything up. Undoubtedly, the series belongs to Mehar Bano and Samiya Mumtaz, they both have delivered their career best performances; in fact, in some scenes they cast a spell on viewers through their captivating dialogue delivery and beguiling characterization. The series is a laudable attempt and the aesthetic, audacious and unconventional depiction of women is going to raise the bar for Pakistani Content Creators. A must watch!