Drama serial Aangan, an adaptation of Khadija Mastoor’s award winning novel of the same name, has undoubtedly been highly anticipated on every drama lover’s calendar.
Drama serial Aangan, an adaptation of Khadija Mastoor’s award winning novel of the same name, has undoubtedly been highly anticipated on every drama lover’s calendar. Revolving around a pre-partition Muslim family and its trials, Aangan got hype because of its diverse content (being a period play), unique treatment and its casting, which includes Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly, Mawra Hocane, Ahsan Khan, Hira Mani, Zaib Rehman, Omair Rana and Sonya Hussyn amongst many significant others. Having delivered four episodes, Aangan does offer some very strong performances and beautiful frames but as a whole, its brilliance is inconsistent. And as a result, ratings are suffering.
According to Media Logic, that collects data from over 30 cities in Pakistan, the third episode of Aangan got a rating of 3.75 compared to (showing at the same time) Koi Chand Rakh at 7.29 and Baba Jaani at 6.08. Drama serial Khaani, it should be noted, consistently got an upward rating of 11. Viewers are apparently comparing Aangan to the Fawad Khan and Sanam Baloch starrer, Dastaan. They are also frustrated that Aangan has not been uploaded for viewing on YouTube, as is a common practice for all TV serials. This has created angst and unrest amongst fans waiting for the drama for over a year.
While the drama has been struggling to find strong footing, there is no doubt that the viewership will pick up with the introduction of Jameel, Chammi and Aaliya, characters played by Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly and Mawra Hocane. If nothing else, fans want to watch Ahad and Sajal together onscreen, over and over again. But Aangan must offer more if it is to be verified as the magnum opus it has been projected as. Hopefully there will be more to look forward to.
