Hey Assalamualaikum everyone, this is Sena from Drama Log and we're back again after a long hiatus. I guess it wasn't that long, it was only four and a half weeks we were gone during Ramadan. So joining me is Sunny and we're here to review. Hey, how's it going?
⁓ It's going well. Thank you so much. We are back again and I'm so excited. It's just starting our new season sort of, right, Sana? You can say. Yeah, yeah. I'm so happy to be back. I'm meeting Sana after a long time, actually. We've talked over the phone, but we've never met. ⁓ And ⁓ then we are also excited to hear from our ⁓ viewers. It's been a while that we have heard from them.
I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓
Yeah, I know. Did they miss us? I don't know if they did. Probably not, ⁓
No, I'm sure they're best deals. ⁓
I don't think so. ⁓ So, what have you been up to?
I'm actually, I've spent the whole Ramadan month looking for shows to see. So I explored different themes and genres ⁓ and I was very happy to find a murder mystery in the mix. ⁓ So what about you? ⁓
Talking about murder mysteries. ⁓ You know, I love murder mysteries. We know that right? Especially ones that are really ⁓ Contemporary so ⁓ I know there's so there's a there's a new drama that just came out. ⁓ It's a short series ⁓ It's called hashtag on Geo. ⁓ And so we're gonna be reviewing that one. It's only four episode long written by Shah Yasser Directed by MJ Maryn Jabbar. I call her MJ ⁓
My favorite. Yeah, we all call her MJ. She's our favorite. She's one of our favorites. ⁓
Yeah, I call it MJ. okay, so it starts like Osama Khan, Sabina Farouk, Maha Hassan, and, and the last, not the least, Ali Ansari. So, what, so basically, we just want to say that we are going to have some spoilers in this one. So if you do not want spoilers,
or do not want to know the end, do not watch this, okay? And then just come back to us later. All right, so do you want to start off with a story line of plot?
Yeah, sure. ⁓ So this is this I love the format of the story. It's like only four episode long as Asana said, and that's how a murder mystery should be. ⁓ And so it starts off with we know about two ⁓ sort of friends who are, you know, so close, they're like sisters. ⁓ And, and they are social media stars, or they are upcoming social media stars. They have recently been become very successful after a very controversial video that they made.
And the group consists of these two girls as well as another guy. His name is Nick. So the two girls, their names are Arashi and Zara. And Zara with an X. And the guy, his name is, his playboy Sama Khan, his name is Nicholas, and he goes by Nick. And he's also, I think, a fashion expert, fashion blogger. so he's also, you know, is a part of the social media team.
And together they make videos, they do photo shoots, a lot of other things. And ⁓ Rashi ⁓ doesn't have a father. ⁓ She's raised by her mom and she's supported by her cousin. ⁓ That's played by Ali Ansari. His name is Imad. ⁓ And they live together, but Rashi wants to be independent and she figured out that social media is a path to her success. And she wants to be independent and support her mom. ⁓
Yes, rich fast and not, and she is actually a makeup artist and she is becoming famous as one and she aspires to be a celebrity makeup artist in the future. And meanwhile, their family is being supported by her cousin, Ali Ansari's character. And she doesn't quite like that, but anyways, but she's respectful and she's grateful to him. Zara on the other hand comes from a more stable social background ⁓ and she has a
She has a father and a mother, we see, but we don't see much about Zara's side of the family, except that they're childhood friends and they're best friends, right? And then Zara had met Nick in one of the auditions or something, and that's how the three or two came together. And the story unfolds at a party where, it's a night party where we see that something happens to Zara and then something happens, and then Rashik,
that sees what happens to her and then she tries to run away and she kind of escapes but in the process she falls down and gets hurt badly. ⁓ And then we see her being taken to the hospital and in the hospital, ⁓ right?
⁓ We do not, no, no, no, no, no. So, no, no, no. I think the next scene is when like ⁓ Nick wakes up in the morning and he can't, then he's got all these messages ⁓ from Zara and what's her name? Rashi, and then he's like trying to figure out like where they are and then he calls like parents and things like that and then tells him on the night, you know, he's like, where is she? So.
Right, right, right, right.
Right, right. And yeah, we see that in the that while, you know, Nick is finding things out about her, her, his friends on the other side, Zara's family is trying to find her as well. ⁓
Yeah, and then they find a body ⁓ near the party house, the farmhouse where the party was. And then ⁓ it was Zara.
And then they a body. Yes. Yes. And they suspect that the guy who was hosting the party, the DJ, he's a famous DJ, who was hosting the party, this and...
Yeah, then, yes, exactly. And then ⁓ a few hours later, they find ⁓ an injured ⁓ Rasha, who's in the hospital, and then Rashi, who's in the hospital, and then she is murdered. ⁓
Yeah, she's in the hospital and she's recovering in the hospital. She's got a bad head wound, I guess. ⁓ And she was initially unconscious. Yeah, and then she gets murdered. ⁓ then there's this other guy in the mix, right, who's apparently Dasha's ex-boyfriend and he's a very hot-headed guy, ⁓ know, Dawood, yes. so they suspect, mean, Nick, who's Russia's friend, suspects Dawood.
She's worse. So now I'm going to figure out who murdered her.
because he thinks that he has sort of threatened them a few times.
Because Daoud had broken up with me. You talk.
Yeah, yeah, they have they have broken up a few times and then he's apparently very angry issue and he's threatened them that he would kill them ⁓ as well. And he's threatened them on social media. that that's that's motive enough. ⁓
And you know like the, well like in the first episode it was like hashtag hashtag hashtag right? That's why it was hashtag. Because they were looking like through the, they're searching the hashtag. Right? The party. Hashtag party. ⁓ Or something else. Like Rocky party or something like that. Anyway so and then Rocky cleans up right after, morning after. ⁓
⁓ yeah, hashtag Barbie. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Yeah, and we see that Imad is this very helpful cousin who's trying to help, you know, both Zara's family and Russia's family. ⁓ He's a very responsible guy and he's the one who's talking to the cops about everything that's unfolding.
Goody two shoes! ⁓ Who's ⁓ a goody two shoes who's just like too good to be true? Huh? ⁓
Yeah, he looks confused and he's like, what is going on? Like, my God, own cousin is murdered now. then so and then who is potentially the problem? So he talks to Daul, he talks to ⁓ Nick and he's trying to figure out and we see that.
and then, you know, one more thing is, you know, like when the news ⁓ person was reporting on the body, we see this man walking, ⁓ and then they stop him, like, you know, like, ⁓ and then they talk about the sage, and then he acts really like, he's like all diaphoretic, ⁓ and then really nervous and diaphoretic, and then he walks into the car and sits down and then he takes his eye off, really. I don't know if remember that scene.
⁓ That is the assistant, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do, yes. ⁓
SAIT's assistant, yeah. Then we find out that they had actually done something to the SAIT or that wasn't really, but I don't know, it wasn't too bad.
Though it's bad, like you can't enter someone's house, right?
Really? I mean, it wasn't like, like he's become the laughing stock of the country. ⁓
⁓ Again, when they said it, they said it like, you know, setko expose kar diya ⁓ and that ⁓ was impression I got also, like they broke into this house and potentially found something incriminating, right? ⁓ is embarrassing what they said, but as kuchh nahi da.
⁓ I thought, I thought, I like my mind, I thought it was like, my gosh, they discovered something fetish in his bedroom. ⁓
or fetish and maybe you'll see like handcuffs and like
like hidden layout or something like that. ⁓
And there was nothing, it was like just jewelry, clothes, like, sorry. And I'm just like, okay, I mean, okay.
That was not of a handkerchief. There suggestive ⁓ clothes. So what's the problem Yes. Yeah. If anything, that state should be upset that someone his privacy. Like if anything. I mean, he should not be embarrassed. the contrary, he should be. ⁓ But he said, the reporter and that guy also said in the interview that like
I mean, what station we are, it's not a big deal. I you got famous.
I have that, I must have been embarrassed. I mean, I it that I thought something would But this idea was also very funny. Like the idea
Hmm ⁓ and then you know Nick could do you think he was gay?
We don't know. ⁓ We can't assume from his get up, but yeah. Yeah. ⁓ Yeah. ⁓ mean, we can't, there was no indication of him like.
I mean yeah, I'm being ⁓ like, am I stereotyping? ⁓
I mean, you didn't have a girlfriend either.
Yeah, but ⁓ a lot of kill guys don't.
right so yeah yeah well we didn't I didn't see an indication that ⁓
How? Not put in into the story, right? So.
⁓ But I love the friendship they had. The three of them had some really nice, really good bond. I love that part. ⁓
Yeah, yeah. You know, I love, think the strength of this drama, of this series was the acting and the direction. What do you think?
Yes, direction for sure. And the script also, it was pretty tightly written. The dialogues were really good. ⁓ Definitely acting, Maha was so good in the whole series. ⁓ Ali as well, Usama too. ⁓
Ali was good, Osama was good, and I think these two are, you know, they are directors, actors. I'm gay. What do you think?
⁓ Yes, I think so. ⁓ Usama has mentioned this himself. I think so. I ⁓ think there's an interview where he mentioned this, that ⁓ he feeds out of the ⁓ director's guidance.
Yeah, no, no, definitely. And then even Ali Ansari too. That's how I feel. He did not say, know what, what. ⁓ I was waiting.
⁓ I'll leave you, mean, now that we've seen quite a bit of his work. Yeah, you know what? ⁓ Because I...
⁓ I think it's because the script was like given to him written everything was written and he just had to follow this ⁓ You know what? ⁓ That's a classic Ali Okay, so then we have the cop who's really doing due diligence doing an investigation for a change ⁓ Normally in Pakistani dramas, ⁓ we rarely see an active cop but here he was
Yeah, ⁓ I was like, I ⁓ need to see, you know what, you know what, he did not say you know what. ⁓
And one of the things was when ⁓ Rashi got murdered in the hospital, ⁓ initially they all believed that she passed away for natural causes. ⁓
Yeah, you know, I didn't, I didn't, I um, I guess I missed that.
That's what I was like Yeah, you know, I was like, you if you examine that person just key eyes give vessels dilated or to get paid And has been strangled to death with a pillow on her head. Wouldn't she look different? Smothered. Yes. Sorry. That's the right word. ⁓ uska usko dekha nahi samajh mein aega ki natural cause nahi hai for a doctor. ⁓
strangled, get like smothered.
I mean, my thing was, you know, like how long, I did research, actually. ⁓ Like how long does it take, you know, ⁓ from this asphyxiation and hypoxia causing death? So, I mean, it does take a while. It takes like five minutes. ⁓ So to keep the pillow on ⁓ and then, you know, you can have petechia. You don't always have to have petechia. I she could have, I mean, if her face was all like truly bruised, then you can't really see the distinguish between the petechia and then the,
⁓ the ⁓ the bruises basically.
⁓ But ⁓ there were bruises on her face. There were bruises in the beginning because of her... ⁓ They were there. Yeah, but the fact that ⁓ your eye vessels had popped because of whatever...
Yeah, they were there. They were still there.
If your eye vessels have dilated and there's like, so they'll be hemorrhage like behind the eye. ⁓ There might be hemorrhage in there. So when you open the eyes, like you'll see like a little bit of red spots, but those are more visible when you actually do the exam. And I think because she had died, so it's really hard to like do. When we examine a patient when they're dead, we basically just do like, ⁓ like physical exam, cause like a corneal reflex and things like that, just to see, and then just do like a pain stimuli.
Yeah, so it's to see that.
And then we leave the rest to the autopsy, to the medical examiner. ⁓ Yeah.
Okay, okay. So in this particular case, it's justified that ⁓ the doctor who was signing off a death thing, they could not tell that whether it was.
I mean they can tell like, know, ⁓ death was like because of ⁓ respiratory failure. ⁓ Like hypoxia.
Yeah, but you don't know why the hypoxia happened. Potential head injury. Secondly, just saw her fall down on probably concrete, but her injury seemed pretty extensive considering that. So I was like, I don't know. So that was a little off. But anyways, and then as the story progresses, we see that the cops are
Potential head injury, yeah, anything would have happened.
forcing for an autopsy and the patient's family is not agreeing to it. ⁓ Family, yeah. We never see the mother again, right?
family. ⁓ Not the family. But not the family. Yeah, it was actually like
No, I mean, so basically like remember like, ⁓ Imad's like, no, like the, ⁓ my khala or my pooh pooh, whoever is there, she said no, no autopsy. And then it was smart ⁓ of the cop to say no, I need like, you know, ⁓ like her mother's permission. Yeah.
Finally he was able to convince but still then the cops were doubting Usama or Nick. To them he was the most plausible.
Initially, they had their routing dowed. Then they shifted to like, safe distance. DJ was kind of like, via process of elimination. I he was eliminated initially, like a long time ago.
the doud, the dj, then the doud and then.
Yes, yes, yeah. Yeah, it was this venue where things happen and then they saw a CCTV camera that he never really left his spot in the party. they ruled him out. That was also the same thing. They saw him in the party, but then ⁓ he never left the party. So he ruled him out as well from the cop side. And then ⁓ the only people they doubted now were ⁓ the assistant, the state's assistant and Osama, Nick. Because Nick...
Nick was evidently always with them, with these girls, but at that particular party, he dropped them off and never attended the party. So ⁓ that, and then... ⁓
And then also, so, you know, my, ⁓ I thought it was that that that Imad and Nick have hatched this plan together ⁓ and they were in a relationship. ⁓ And that is what ⁓ Zara was going to expose to get famous. ⁓ And I ⁓ mean, because, you know, that is big news, right? ⁓ I mean, I mean, that video would have gone viral.
I mean considering their upcoming blogger like YouTube ⁓
And then, ⁓ so they don't want to be exposed, so they hatched this plan to kill Zara. And then Rasha was just, ⁓ because she witnessed it, so she had to be eliminated too. ⁓ That was my thing. ⁓
Yeah, ⁓ yes. Yes, ⁓ that was a very proliferating imagination, I must say. ⁓ But you know what, actually, ⁓ to me, I would have loved it if ⁓ Nick was the actual culprit. Because ⁓ the reason is like in a murder mystery, if someone is ⁓ looking very innocent and yet being
He did not look innocent, no way. He didn't, he looked innocent? Huh? Really? Mother Erin really gave the idea, you know what? He's the one, he's also the one. ⁓
And ⁓ Nick looked really innocent. ⁓
But there were so many things ⁓ they showed about Nick that was suspicious, right? ⁓
Though in a murder mystery, no one is innocent. ⁓
Yeah, but then the person who looks very innocent and then... And then he's like...
I thought maybe it is Osama's sister.
⁓ The two ways you have seen murder mysteries, right? ⁓ You ⁓ hide the person till the very end. Glimpse them and then don't expose them. And the other way ⁓ is like, you know, there is one guy who's gaining all the... ⁓
You just show them glimpses, like, know, in there. Yeah.
He's like out there, but ⁓ you don't suspect him.
suspect him. And then the third way is like, you know, you, you have this person just give us a sympathies a logo. Right. then it's a blame. Like, like, you should suspect your daddy, like that, you know, that the lame, I don't know you've seen it, the lame guy was sitting there and I'm telling him, I need more. This is how it happened. And he framed up the whole story. And then he walks away, you know, sent right. much.
I thought that Nick was... ⁓
You know, the other thing would have been really interesting is if like they had not murdered Rasha or Rashi. ⁓ What's her name? Rashi, right? ⁓ And it was Rashi who ordered her.
Yeah, that would be good, right? At the end, they'll show she's in the hospital the whole time. She's kind of ⁓ recovering. And she's like, I don't recall anything. I don't recall anything. And then it's ⁓
Yeah. So other thing I wasn't sure is like, okay, so the cops kept thinking that it's ⁓ Nick who's the culprit, right? But by the second, no, they have been questioning Nick from second episodes onward, right? They're constantly questioning him. And then third, why do ⁓ keep bringing him? ⁓ Because he's one of the prime suspects, right? ⁓ In general, what I know is like, you know, it's a
At the end, at the very end. Right? Yeah. ⁓
Pretty ⁓ regular ⁓ sort of an SOP to follow is like if you suspect somebody, you check their phone records to see if the phone pinged at the location or not. ⁓ And in Nick's case, they didn't even check that because Nick's phone wasn't there. ⁓ Then it wasn't there, right? Nick was
It did. His phone was there.
So you ping there instead of at the location
No, no, they can, can, they can, but he was there at the place.
He dropped them and left and by the time they were ready to ⁓ get picked up by a cab Nikto had home. So Nikto that location. ⁓
⁓ He could have just left his phone.
to phone kind of pinker a. ⁓ got a good one. That you have phone kept thinking in this location. I'll be your thing. You were home. Then you were a prime suspect. Makes sense. But it's good.
Yeah, they did say that. Why didn't you call? They were calling and he's like, I was sleeping.
Yes, but what I'm saying is that usually the cops check the location of the phone at that point of time, like at the time of murder. If they did, then they wouldn't have chosen him as a prime suspect, right? Because his phone wasn't there at So that, you to more proof. Because if you put me on the stand as a suspect with all the evidences like this, I'm going to say that phone was at my house. So that is proof enough that I was
They both, I'm sure they did.
phone as a written a phone home
I mean, no. That's not true.
⁓ But you can't deny that. One of the key evidences they present is that the phone was at the site of murder. ⁓
mean, anybody could take your phone and put it there.
Yeah, that is never a key evidence then, but in lot of murder cases, a key evidence...
mean, the mom's phone was there ⁓ on the table when she called from. Apparently mom did not have a... ⁓
⁓ So he can say, he has to really make a case for him there. ⁓ But otherwise you can't make a case against the person when his phone is ringing somewhere else.
So she knew her mom's passcode.
Yeah, that's how it ⁓ Yeah, Yeah, my kids know mine. I know my dad's. ⁓
Yeah, ⁓ but my biggest grievances like, okay, so we kind of ruled out the obvious ⁓ culprit from day one thinking that it obvious. ⁓
Yeah, we were thinking, I mean, this is like a spoiler, spoiler, spoiler. ⁓ So like, ⁓ you know, we, I was like, well, it seems Ali Ansari, but, but ⁓ how can it be that obvious?
Spoiler spoiler, all alerts here.
can't be that obvious. ⁓ But the good part of this story is that they made you think. They made you think of alternatives and all.
Yeah, it did. I mean the good part is that the way, the path to that end was good. It was crisp. There was enough thrill and enough suspense ⁓ to keep us guessing. Yeah, of course. ⁓ yeah, for sure.
Yes, I mean, I was hooked, right? ⁓ I was hooked, like I want to see the next one. And ⁓ then my other grievances like, the motive was not very clear to me. ⁓ I mean, yes, a lot could be imagined around it, but then I wanted to see like the real motive that drove a person to this extent, a person who's apparently was leading a normal, honorable life, like, know, ⁓ and apparently, right? So, ⁓
to drove a person to this extent that he killed this person, that was not clear ⁓ to
You know, I think for me the motive was clear. I know you don't agree with me, but I think for me it was clear. Like, oh yeah, like he probably raped her. And that's, think, I think, and then he did not want to be exposed. He didn't want to murder her, but like it just kind of happened. And then obviously like he did another, he had to do another murder because to hide this one.
Right, but he did that and why didn't he like offer if that was the case, why didn't he say he said, said, don't expose me. Why didn't he offer? Right. So.
Yes, ⁓ but ⁓ killing, he could have of killing, going else, and all that. ⁓ He obviously is not a repeat offender. He was not a repeat offender. this could have been a solution he could have proposed. And if Zara had turned that down, that's another story. But he didn't propose. The whole thing was not very clear over there, ⁓ in my opinion.
But we can always ask our viewers, ⁓ you you see the show, you go through the story and let us know, okay, like, it wasn't clear to you and did you get the answers that you're looking for? ⁓
Yeah, and then, know, other thing I do want to comment is their appearances. ⁓ I think Osama Khan, like I liked his get up, you know, changed ⁓ from his mustache. ⁓ I know, because I'm ⁓ like, Osama, you need to change from your current one. It's got to go. Even Ali Ansari, his is also a little ⁓
ha ha, goatee. Ponytail. ⁓
different. ⁓ yeah, then I liked I like Sabina Farooq, know, I like I like all four actually. I love maha too.
Yeah, I just love Maha. From that fun loving girl, ⁓ switching into her deathbed, the way she was like crying and then...
We Sabina in this particular show. We didn't see her the histrionics as much as we have seen before. She came and go. She was effective in whatever scenes she was in. But she didn't have scope for the histrionics. Maha had it and she great job.
Mahatma did. And so did the other two guys. And then Dawood was good too. He was good.
Haan. Daos was really good, yes. I really like Daos as well. So yeah, I mean, mean the...
I don't know what his name is, I actually forgot his name. I his name, but yeah, I'll figure it out.
Yeah, mean hats off to the direction and hats off to the ⁓ story. It's also like, you there were things that we would like to see different for sure. ⁓ But it's like, it's not easy to write a very crisp murder mystery and ⁓ not to like defy logic at lot of places, right? ⁓
Yeah, I mean, actually like, yeah, so the bottom line is, you know, keep them coming, basically. ⁓ I love, I love short series, please, please, please, and then Murder Mysteries. And if there's a love story involved in there, I'll maze it. ⁓
Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. ⁓ Yeah, I wish there was a love story there, right? I mean, there was, but it wasn't the nice one. I mean, Rashi and Dao, there was a love story, but yeah, ⁓ toxic one. ⁓ Yeah, but yeah, it's an excellent effort and you want to see more of these, so.
And you know, and I like the message at the end was like, know, like she wasn't murdered because she was a social media influencer. It's because like she was a woman. Right? Like, yeah. So like, like her, ⁓ her ⁓ work had nothing to do with us.
Yeah, it was the insecurity of one guy that caused this murder, right? Ali's insecurity with his fame and then... Spoiler, spoiler! Yes, yeah.
⁓ So yeah, so that's where we are at. ⁓ Let us know what your thoughts are about the drama and do actually do watch hashtag, okay? I promise you guys will love it. ⁓ I actually put it on, I'm on a Facebook group called Pakistani American Physicians, ⁓ no gosh, Canadian and American Physicians of Pakistani Descent. That's a group.
So I put it there and I got so many people saying, my gosh, we're going to watch it, we're going to watch it. So yeah. ⁓
Yes, mean, like these has to be promoted. ⁓ It's an excellent effort, the story writing, the direction to the performance, it's an excellent effort. And if you don't promote such things or recommend those things, we will never see a change in the Pakistan industry.
Yeah, and some people are just like, they ⁓ just don't have time to invest in a ⁓ longer show. ⁓ So I guess a mini series is good for them. All right, so ⁓ on that note, we're gonna end and we're gonna be back again with another episode of Drama Log. So see you guys later. Alohafiz, everyone. ⁓ Alohafiz.
