One has often wondered what exactly pushed Fauzia Azeem to become the social media sensation we knew as Qandeel Baloch. She became this enigmatic personality that didn’t give a toss about society, even though society spent time judging and moralizing her. In fact, it still does. TV serial Baaghi, airing on Urdu 1, which is an adaptation of Qandeel Baloch’s life, is helping us connect the dots to Fauzia’s story. Fauzia Azeem has become Fauzia Batool and Qandeel Baloch has been modified to Kanwal Baloch but we trust that the storyline is a true enough depiction of what she went through.
This episode of Baaghi takes us through a reality show in which contestants are taken to an actual village home to help with household chores. Any average city girl would be completely at odds in this situation but Kanwal Baloch – the person she’s morphing into – says that there’s nothing that a woman can’t do and dives in. What no one anticipates is that she’ll get involved in the family’s personal affairs, causing a lot of distraction and unrest. This little episode helps the ratings and the host (Mani) prods her on. It also reflects on the ruthless ways in which ratings guide television shows. It’s only when she picks a fight with a well connected contestant that she is asked to leave the show. Her elimination is orchestrated.
A couple of things come to light in this episode. First, we understand Fauzia’s need to blend in, hence that fake English accent and made up origin story. Second, she harbours a deep resentment against her ex-husband and his second wife Ruby; she hates them for giving her child away for adoption. This all comes tumbling out when she is cornered in a situation and rants on against everyone. Kudos to Saba Qamar for nailing this so perfectly.
From what we saw and heard, we know that Qandeel Baloch didn’t have any real skills that she could work with; maybe her real skills were quashed under the pressure of an immoral society. Eventually her claim to fame was her rebellious attitude, which makes Baaghi so heart felt and reflective of her true story.
This episode ends with Fauzia looking at a singing contest as her next challenge. This would be a reference to Pakistan Idol and brings us to the point where Qandeel’s life became public knowledge to us. The talent hunt was where it all started; it’s where a rebel, or a baaghi, was born.
 Take a look at the promo and then compare it with Fauzia’s actual auditions at Pakistan Idol. The spin-off is impressive!
- Haute Promotion
