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Tan Man Neel o Neel’s finale lauded for its brave depiction of false accusations and mob violence

The show's ending has shaken viewers to their core, with many applauding the creators for showing "the reality of the world we live in".
18 Feb, 2025

The final episode of HUM TV’s Tan Man Neel o Neel has shaken social media users for its realistic and unflinching depiction of mob violence, a horrific reality for many in Pakistan.

The show, written by Mustafa Afridi, directed by Saife Hassan and produced by Sultana Siddiqui, wrapped up in a powerful finale, discussing the pressing issue of false blasphemy accusations and the subsequent mob violence that claims lives.

Starring Sehar Khan and Shuja Asad in the lead roles, the final episode shows Rabi (Khan), her love interest Sonu (Asad) and her brother Moon (played by Ali Ammar) starting a dance company. During Moon and Sonu’s performance, a video of Sonu dancing at an old Sikh mansion begins to play on the screen behind the duo, confusing both Rabi and the audience. Soon after, Kami (played by Muhammad Usman Javed) appears on screen and falsely accuses Sonu of dancing at a holy site.

A flashback shows Kami, Rabi’s cousin who is romantically interested in her, plotting the attack with his goons. “By the time they figure out if it’s a religious location, the mob will have done their work,” he says in response to his friend asking how they would prove the Sikh house was a ‘holy site’.

What follows is something Pakistan is unfortunately familiar with. A riled up mob taking justice into their own hands, and, without due diligence or the constitutional right to a fair trial, killing the alleged “blasphemers” on the basis of false accusations.

TRIGGER WARNING: This scene contains scenes of mob violence and may be difficult for some readers to watch.

The entire sequence occurs in the last 10 minutes of the show and leaves audiences shocked at the sudden change in narrative as well as its portrayal of a very real and sensitive issue. Social media was flooded with praise for the show-makers and their bravery to tell the story.

Netizens also lauded the show’s portrayal of how “people use blasphemy to settle personal scores”.

The scene was interspersed with pictures of victims of false blasphemy accusations who were killed by violent mobs, including Mashal Khan, who was killed by a mob in 2013 at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, and Priyantha Kumara, the Sri Lankan factory manager killed in Sialkot in 2021. An X (formerly Twitter) user said they would “never recover from Tan Man Neel o Neel” and how it showed “people who were subjected to this same hatred and cruelty in our very own country”.

Another netizen highlighted how the montage was “a reminder of how real it all is. How we’ve seen the news and it’s all recent of course and heard their stories and grieved it […] and how it keeps happening again and again and again.”

Others slammed the “deep-rooted hate most Pakistanis carry” and said the show depicted the “reality of the world we live in”.

Another user said viewers couldn’t grasp the abrupt ending of the show, but it’s portrayal mimicked “literally what happens in real life, one wrong move, one false accusation, and in a matter of minutes people lose everything.”

Another X user praised how the show “bravely sheds light on the darker realities of our society” and that its “larger message highlights the violence fueled by lynch mob mentality and its devastating impact.”

A netizen hoped that perpetrators of mob lynching watched the show and “see their reality on screen, see who they truly are”.

Meanwhile, many people praised the cast and crew of the show for the “brave” scene and for taking the “risk of delivering an important yet critical message to the audience”.

For many in Pakistan, an accusation of blasphemy is a case of life or death long before courts or the police get involved. Blasphemy is an incendiary charge, where even unsubstantiated accusations can incite public outrage and lead to lynchings.

The country has witnessed a sharp increase in the prosecution of “online blasphemy” cases, with private vigilante groups bringing charges against hundreds of young individuals for allegedly committing blasphemy.

Tan Man Neel o Neel is an example of using the power of storytelling and media in the way it should be used — to mirror society and all its ills. It’s also a testament to the fact that Pakistani audiences want to see more than dramas about saas-bahu problems or romances.

Comments

Ahmed Feb 18, 2025 06:43pm
Go look at the numbers of mob lynchings because of blasphemy vs other crimes. But why would you. You have an axe to grind. Anyway the law isn't going anywhere.
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NYS Feb 18, 2025 07:02pm
Where there is no content so the writer should stop the drama instead drag the narrative more than 30 episodic... Tan Man Neelo neel did justify with the storyline and whole drama dedicated episode vise over all commendable job
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Feb 18, 2025 07:19pm
Taking law in your hands is highly dangerous phenomenon anywhere in the world including the "Land of the Pure."
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Taj Ahmad Feb 18, 2025 09:04pm
Social media and internet can make our world a better place to live peacefully and intelligently, let’s always do the right things in life.
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Ron Feb 19, 2025 02:45am
The best dram from starts to end the love, hatred and enmity is all blended so well. Salute to the team
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M. Shahid Yousuf Feb 19, 2025 06:16am
A good movie can have a potential audience of the three nations Pakistan, India and Bangla Desh. Only the box office size returns can promote production, actors and societal themes. Television audience is a miniscule size compared to the big screen world wide. Charlie Chaplin movies of 1930s still make money for Hollywood. Can Pakistan appeal to the larger Indo Pakistani Bangla Deshi audience ?
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Max Feb 19, 2025 08:19am
Very brave indeed. Hope some good comes out of this and people won't forget and move on with their lives.
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Laila Feb 19, 2025 09:38am
There was a reason Zindagi Tamasha by Sarmad Khoosat was censored and banned initially. Same topic. How false accusations utilising the infamous blasphemy laws of Pakistan is used daily to stifle dissent and kill off rivals. It's actively used against our minorities. An accusation of blasphemy or a woman wearing Arabic writing on he dress, and you can expect lynch mob in the not so civilised Pakistan. But any actual social or legal issues and the silence (and action) is deafening. I thought this drama was about love, Shaadi and musicians so didn't watch it. But now I will. Didn't know it would have such a powerful story.
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Wolf Feb 19, 2025 09:50am
It taken loads of courage to show the one of haunting aspect of society that has been shaking our nerves. It will urge these brave Muslims to portray on the forced conversion of under age Hindu girls in Sindh. This play has already pumped tons of fresh air in the common people of our society. Hats off to all .....
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SyedHasni Feb 20, 2025 04:02pm
It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important-Martin Luther King, Jr. It is all about the rule of law!
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