''Raqeeb Se'' () is a Pakistani

romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

television series produced by

Momina Duraid Momina Duraid (, born 30 June 1971) is a Pakistani director and producer. She is a senior producer and creative head of television network Hum TV and CEO of her own production company MD Productions. She has produced and created several series ...

, written by

Bee Gul Bee Gul () is a Pakistani screenwriter and director. She wrote films and TV plays like '' Talkhiyaan'', '' Pehchaan'', '' Kaun Qamar Ara'', '' Firdous ki Dozakh'', most notably ''Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila'' and '' Raqeeb Se'' for HUM TV. Her wor ...

and directed by

Kashif Nisar Kashif Nisar () is a Pakistani television director, producer and screenwriter. A nephew of Pakistani TV director Tariq Mairaj, Nisar has carved his own niche in the industry. His work as television director has earned him recognition, along wi ...

. It aired on

Hum TV Hum TV HD is a 24-hour Urdu general entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on the Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Net ...

from 20 January 2021 to 26 May 2021 all under

MD Productions Momina Duraid (, born 30 June 1971) is a Pakistani director and producer. She is a senior producer and creative head of television network Hum TV and CEO of her own production company MD Productions. She has produced and created several serie ...

. ''Raqeeb Se'' revolves around the repercussions of a love story stretched around one's entire life. It features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

Hadiqa Kiani Hadiqa Kiani (Urdu, ; born 11 August 1972) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, actress, and philanthropist. She has received numerous local and international awards and has also performed at the Royal Albert Hall and The Ke ...

Nauman Ijaz Nauman Ijaz (Punjabi and ) is a Pakistani television and film actor, anchorperson, and television presenter. He is the recipient of several accolades, including 10 Lux Style Awards, 7 Hum Awards and a President's Pride of Performance award, wh ...

Sania Saeed Sania Saeed (born 28 August 1972) is a Pakistani actress and television host who works mainly in television and theatre. Saeed is the recipient of numerous accolades including one PTV Awards, four Hum Awards and four Lux Style Awards. She f ...

Iqra Aziz Iqra Aziz Hussain ( Aziz; born November 24, 1997) is a Pakistani actress who works in Urdu television known for her portrayals in social to comic girl next door. She is the recipient of several accolades, including three Lux Style Awards and f ...

Faryal Mehmood Faryal Mehmood is a Pakistani model and actress. She has played the role of Mehwish in Geo Entertainment's '' Baba Jani'' (2018). Mehmood has been profiled and featured in ''Gulf News'', ''The News International'', and ''MangoBaaz''. Her mother ...

and Saqib Sumeer. The series received critical acclaim due to its story line and performances of the cast. At

21st Lux Style Awards The 21st Lux Style Awards were held on 24 November 2022 in Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Paki ...

, it got most number of nominations, and won Best TV Director and two awards for Kiani; Best Emerging Talent in TV and Best TV Actress-Critics' choice.

Plot

The television series is centered around four women and the men around them. Sakina takes her daughter and flees from her abusive husband. She seeks shelter at her former lover, Maqsood Sahab's house and their love story is so tragic and interesting that his wife, Hajra and daughter, Insha, know it by heart. Hajra consoles Sakina and takes care of her and her daughter while Insha considers it an injustice to her mother.

Cast

as Sakina, a rural woman and a victim of domestic abuse *

Noman Ejaz Nauman Ijaz (Punjabi and ) is a Pakistani television and film actor, anchorperson, and television presenter. He is the recipient of several accolades, including 10 Lux Style Awards, 7 Hum Awards and a President's Pride of Performance award, wh ...

as Maqsood *

as Hajra *

as Ameera, Sakina's daughter *

as Insha, Hajra and Maqsood's daughter *

Saqib Sameer Saqib Sumeer is a Pakistani actor, director and writer who performs mostly in theatre and also works in television and films. Early life and education Originally from Bahawalpur, in Pakistan's Punjab province, Sumeer moved to Karachi to study a ...

as Rafique, Sakina's husband, later divorced *

Hamza Sohail Hamza Sohail (born 16 July 1996) is a Pakistani actor who works in Urdu television. The son of actor Sohail Ahmad, he made his acting debut with '' Raqeeb Se'' (2021). Sohail is known for his roles in dramas ''Fairy Tale'' (2023) , ''Badshah ...

as Abdul Rahman a.k.a. Abdul, Insha's love interest *

Salman Shahid Salman Shahid () is a Pakistani film, theatre, television and voice actor. The son of producer Saleem Shahid and the late veteran actress Khursheed Shahid, he has worked in Lollywood, Bollywood as well as in theatre and television.Saba Faisal Saba Faisal ( Punjabi, ; 31 January 1960) is a Pakistani actress and former news anchor. In her career spanning more than four decades, she has appeared in several acclaimed television serials, theatre dramas, plays and films, mainly in Urdu la ...

as Aatka, Masood's wife and Maqsood's sister-in-law * Hassan Mir as Kashif, Masood and Aatka's son, Ameera's love interest * Ismat Iqbal as Maasi Anaraan, Sakina and Rafique's neighbor

Music

The

title song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

of ''Raqeeb Se'' is composed and performed by

who played one of the lead role in the serial, while lyrics were penned by her mother Khawar Kiani, was originally a poem of her. The soundtrack was produced by Ustad Baqir Abbas. It marks the return of the singer to the channel, since she performed the OST of channel's hit drama series ''

Yaqeen Ka Safar ''Yaqeen Ka Safar'' () is a Pakistani television drama series produced by Momina Duraid through MD Productions for Hum TV. It originally aired from 19 April 2017 to 1 November 2017, with a total of 29 episodes. It was written by Farhat Ishtiaq, ...

'' in 2016.

Track listing

Production

Background and development

In September 2020, screenwriter

shared the details of her upcoming project ''Raqeeb Se'', directed by

. In order to avoid the manipulation and exploitation of the social issues due to the misrepresentation, Gul chose to focus on a more meaningful narrative leading her to write ''Raqeeb Se''. She originally conceived the pre-partition

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

as the setting of the series, however it was then changed to

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

's setting of contemporary times.

Casting

Singer and vocalist Hadiqa Kiani was selected to portray Sakina, one of the leading role of the series, marking her acting debut. Her casting confirmed in September 2020. Kiani was approached by Duraid to play the role. For the preparation of the character, Kiani used to dress like a rural woman in her daily routine. Veteran actors Naumaan Ijaz and Sania Saeed were selected to portray the roles of Maqsood and Hajra, previously acted together in '' Jhumka Jaan'' (2009) ''Khamoshiyan'' (2010), '' Aao Kahani Buntay Hain'' (2011) and ''

Sang-e-Mar Mar ''Sang-e-Mar Mar'' (, ), previously titled ''Daasi'', is a Pakistani drama serial that aired on Hum TV from 1 September 2016 to 9 March 2017. It stars Nauman Ijaz, Sania Saeed, Mikaal Zulfiqar, and Kubra Khan in leading roles with Omair Rana, ...

'' (2016). Young actors such as Iqra Aziz, Faryal Mehmood and Hamza Sohail, son of veteran actor and comedian

Sohail Ahmed Sohail Ahmed () (born 1 May 1963), also known as Azizi (), is a Pakistani actor, comedian and director. He appears in television serials, movies and comedy stage plays principally based in Lahore. Aziz confirmed her casting in September 2021 through her Instagram handle. Theater actor Saqib Sumeer was selected to play the role of Rafique Ali, previously offered to Sohail Ahmed. Likewise, Saba Faisal and Salman Shahid were cast in supporting roles of Aatka and Masood respectively.

Reception

The series received critical acclaim due to performances and story line. Hrithik Sharma of ''El Viaje Reviews'' included it into his select list of "Pakistani Gems" and says that "''Raqeeb Se'' is a masterfully written show powered by extraordinary performances, meticulous direction, and euphonious background score". He adds, "The performances are breathtaking. Especially of the three principal characters. Maqsud Saab, played by Nauman Ijaaz brings in exactly the right amounts of charm and helplessness. Hajra, played by

, keeps you wondering whether she is too good to be true, or is she actually happily devoted to Maqsud and Sakeena’s love story. And then, my personal favorite,

Hadiqa Kiyani Hadiqa Kiani (Urdu, ; born 11 August 1972) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, actress, and philanthropist. She has received numerous local and international awards and has also performed at the Royal Albert Hall and The Ke ...

, who towers over every scene and magically dominates every frame that she is part of". A reviewer from ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/ Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London th ...

'' lauded the series for its female portrayal due the multi-faceted and complex female characters. While writing for the same newspaper, Gaitee Ara Siddiqi praised the script of the series and performances particularly of Ijaz, Sumeer and Kiani but stated that Kiani's acting has become repetitive and monotonous after some episodes. In another article published in March 2023, Siddiqi praised the Saeed's character for being "nuanced" and praised the series stating, "another recent top-notch production that explores the complexities and intricacies of relationships without stereotyping them".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{IMDb title
Official website
Hum TV original programming 2021 Pakistani television series debuts Hum TV Hum Network Limited Pakistani romantic drama television series Television series by MD Productions MD Productions Television series created by Momina Duraid 2021 Pakistani television series endings Urdu-language telenovelas Pakistani telenovelas