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

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.