I started watching Tar e Ankaboot (TeA) because I like stories with a touch of mystery and magic to them. I had really enjoyed Kala Jadoo 1 and from the promos thought this might be just as good, if not better. This serial is produced by 7th Sky and directed by S Mazhar Moin. The writer is Fasih Bari Khan of whose previous dramas I have seen Mohabbat Jaey bhar mein on HUM TV and ofcourse Quddusi Saheb Ki Beva. He seems to be a writer of great depth and insight effortlessly weaving together the lives of his characters into plots which are as intricate and yet as simple as real life. His characters are complex and most of them seem to be quite deliciously kameeney. If not openly immoral many of them are at least amoral and all of them seem to be slaves to their deepest desires.
I will try not to go in to too many details and ruin the suspense for anyone but the main plot follows a woman played by Usma Gilani who practices black magic in Murree. She seems to be well known and several of the story’s protagonists seek her help from Lahore. She has one disciple learning her trade named Saboor who is in the tradition of Mystery stories continually having flash backs. The most interesting characters are played by Resham as Taabi and Gia Ali as Tayaba. Tabi is married to Bakir (Tahir Ali) who is supposedly in the clutches of a prostitute named Nayn Tara whom he tutored at some point. Poor Taabi is frustrated and desperate for her husband Bakir’s attenion but the magic spell supposedly cast by Usma Gilani prevents him from coming near her. Nayn Tara is obsessed with Bakir but not in love with him. In fact she feels this obsession may well be a curse as well because it seems to be an obstacle to her main business.Gia Ali’s character is 35 and afraid she will never marry till she meets the good looking player type next door played by Sohail Sameer.
All the performances are spot on. Only one complaint: Bakir’s mother has either come down in the world or she is miscast: her body language, her tone seems of an entirely different class. The first episode was a bit dark but by episode two things get clearer and episode 3 worked like a charm. A lot of credit goes to the director for making this such a gripping story and not confining the action to dull interiors. There are no long scenes and whereas in Mohabbat jaey bhar mein and Quddussi Saheb ki beva the use of old songs is often annoying, in this serial they actually add to the atmosphere. I just hope the director and writer do not make this one long unending story and that there is a definite beginning and end. There are several very adult issues addressed in this drama, quite apart from black magic. There is nothing wrong in bringing up such things if it is done in an aesthetic manner. I really found the way Resham’s character Taabi seemed to find her previous husbands violence a sign of his love very disturbing. It certainly sends the wrong message and seems to be legitimizing domestic abuse. Normal women i.e the Vast majority as in 99.9 5 do not find physical violence attractive in any way shape or form.
It remains to be seen if Uzma Gilani’s character has any actual power or whether her client’s belief in her is self-fulfilling. Tar E Ankaboot means a spider’s web and as such I wonder if these people are really caught up in a web of magic or just the consequences of their own foolishness. It is common for people who believe in magic to suppose every coincidence and unexpected event in their lives is a result of some malign influence. So far this is a very interesting and compelling drama and I am looking forward to next week. I may not be reviewing every week but would love to know what our readers think .
Written by Sadaf