This review may contain spoilers
Everything was great except the plot...
I love ZeeNunew, so I was genuinely excited for this drama, but unfortunately, it fell short. While the costumes, cinematography, and soundtrack were stunning, the plot was messy and unfocused. The show couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a royal romance, political thriller, musical, or BL wattpad fanfic and in trying to be everything, it didn’t fully succeed at anything.
That said, I can’t deny the visuals were stunning, costume design, cinematography, and the original soundtrack were top-tier. In fact, those elements were probably the reason the rating went up for me.
The tone was inconsistent. One moment you’re watching serious political protests, and the next, Khanin is singing with piano music in the background. It felt out of place and took away from the emotional weight of key scenes. As for the main couple, their relationship lacked development. Khanin quickly became a lovesick character who forgot that his lofe was taken away from him in London, while Charan remained stoic and emotionally distant. Even their big romantic scenes felt like it was fan service and chucked in there for the sake of it.
The second couple, Ramil and Paytai, actually had a compelling dynamic, but barely got screen time. Ava had potential too, but her arc was constantly undercut by the plot. The side characters were more interesting than the leads, which says a lot.
Despite the high production value, it felt hollow and empty. Product placements were also distracting and constantly there so got a bit repetitive. All the relationships lacked development. I could tell all the actors had great chemistry but it came off robotic and flat, most likely due to the poor scriptwriting and a plot that didn’t give their characters the depth or space to grow.
I wouldn’t recommend this for someone looking for a deep, well-developed plot. But if you’re in it for the stunning visuals, cinematography, costumes, and aesthetics, it might still be worth your time. I don’t agree with the very low or very high reviews out there as the show has clear strengths, but also major weaknesses that can’t be ignored.
That said, I can’t deny the visuals were stunning, costume design, cinematography, and the original soundtrack were top-tier. In fact, those elements were probably the reason the rating went up for me.
The tone was inconsistent. One moment you’re watching serious political protests, and the next, Khanin is singing with piano music in the background. It felt out of place and took away from the emotional weight of key scenes. As for the main couple, their relationship lacked development. Khanin quickly became a lovesick character who forgot that his lofe was taken away from him in London, while Charan remained stoic and emotionally distant. Even their big romantic scenes felt like it was fan service and chucked in there for the sake of it.
The second couple, Ramil and Paytai, actually had a compelling dynamic, but barely got screen time. Ava had potential too, but her arc was constantly undercut by the plot. The side characters were more interesting than the leads, which says a lot.
Despite the high production value, it felt hollow and empty. Product placements were also distracting and constantly there so got a bit repetitive. All the relationships lacked development. I could tell all the actors had great chemistry but it came off robotic and flat, most likely due to the poor scriptwriting and a plot that didn’t give their characters the depth or space to grow.
I wouldn’t recommend this for someone looking for a deep, well-developed plot. But if you’re in it for the stunning visuals, cinematography, costumes, and aesthetics, it might still be worth your time. I don’t agree with the very low or very high reviews out there as the show has clear strengths, but also major weaknesses that can’t be ignored.
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