Yunhi Episode 27 dropped last night and although the story teleports us into a slow Mo time warp (which is great, and we’re not complaining, why not sit back, relax and watch Yunhi to slow down time)? But the dialogues from Sarwat Nazir are as new age as they come. They have nothing to do with slowing down time.
In fact, Yunhi is reinventing the way we view our most treasured relationships, daring us, yet again, to step out of the “culture” trap and weigh in from a practical, fair and unbiased POV. With Kim voicing her thoughts in bite-sized morsels of part innocent, part wise contemplations, we wonder if she’s even defiantly challenging patriarchy or, merely stating the truth.
These 5 dialogues from Yunhi made us rethink what we’ve always been told. Our conditioning has taken over practical reasoning and our judgements about Faith, nationalities and ethnicities are slightly skewed due to what we’ve been told or we believe by default. Hence the words sent out multiple reasons to think and rethink our priorities. Take a look at why we loved them.
1. Falling In Love For A Husband Vs A Woman
“Mohabbat sirf aurat ko hoti hai, mard ko nahi?” … shayed wo chala jaye mere saath?”
Kim questions why she has to compromise for the sake of love and stay back in Pakistan for her husband. What about him following her to a new land because he loves her? Hmmm, rebellion in the making or just a regular question. Why not? Do women love more deeply and fully than men? Or are they just expected to give up more, even when both people are in love?
Is this compromise a given in our society or has it been bound by Faith?
Kim answers the question in her subsequent query to Iqbal …
2. Riwaj vs Gunah
Is it a sin to want your husband to move with you to your country? Will a husband not want to do that if he loves his wife. Is it a gunah?
No, responds Iqbal, but it’s not the “done thing – the riwaj“… Aah that word again – riwaaj (tradition)
To which Kim answers back, a bit frustrated, a bit quizzical …
3. Why Give Up On Comfort Because Of Traditions?
“Riwajon ke liye kya apne comfort ke saath compromise karna chahiye kya?”
What a million $ question to which the entire joint family population in Pakistan has no answer. Kim and the likes of her in our society are of course, dismissed as an argumentative spirit, in search for answers and asking too many questions?
But what really stands out here is that Kim’s perpetual questioning, challenging the status quo is her way to address the multiple questions our youth have on their minds today. Young people want answers founded on logic, reasoning and what allows them to live comfortably, by choice, not add more difficulty or pressure in life – not riwaj or tradition but personal choice.
They never get these answers from the grown ups who, like Iqbal, respond to their endless questioning with a: “Well, that’s how it is.” Ummm, but just like Kim, they’re not buying that anymore.
4. The Honour Of A Woman Is Always At Risk In Our Society
“Aurat ke character ke baare mein baat karna yahaan par buhat aasaan hai, lekin aurat ki respect karna, yahaan ke mard ke liye buhat mushkil”
Yesss thank you Yunhi for saying it like it is. Kim draws a parallel to how women are so easily slandered but not as easily respected in our society. A girl can lose respect, be talked about, made into a topic of (not respectable) conversation, at the drop of a hat, she always has to protect her honour, guard it with her life, kill herself rather lose her honour, not take a single ill-judged action lest she loses her respect.
Is it so hard to just respect her, trust her and let her be?
Our dramas thrive on the concept of women losing their honour in society because they were seen with a guy, they want to marry someone of their choice or they do not agree to a forced marriage, or speak up for their rights. Any of these actions can swiftly make them lose respect in the eyes of friends, neighbours and society at large. So fragile is the respect of a woman in our eyes that it must be protected at all costs, hence, not allowing her to take risks, make mistakes or learn from the trials of living life daily, human interaction and yes, sometimes, broken relationships.
5. Dawood Has A Few Pearls Of Wisdom Of His Own
“Lekin sab mard ek jaise nahin hotay, kuch tumhaare shohar jaise bhi hotay hain…Chand login ka ghalat rawaiyya humaare pooray deen aur culture ko represent nahi karta””
The confidence here has a swag all its own.
But one a serious note, Dawood’s comeback moment made us reflect that our society and Faith are open to generalization. Just because of the misguided behaviour of a few people, we are often judged. And men are often judged too, for being narrow minded, selfish or disrespectful towards women.
In other words, do not generalize the behaviour of a few as they do not represent the entire community or Faith.
Yunhi is making us think through the voices of Dawood and Kim. Both characters teach us not to generalize and judge people from what we’ve seen and heard about their background – Kim for her liberal thoughts and outward appearance and Dawood, for his traditional upbringing, religious beliefs and most of all, his outward appearance too.
Yunhi fields difficult conversations
Stay for love in an unfamiliar environment or leave for home & your comfort zone? If Dawood makes Kim stay, is he being selfish yet typically male? If she leaves without him, is she being selfish and typically (un)female?
Will we judge Kim more for taking Dawood away from her parents, and will we judge Dawood less for keeping Kim with his parents, giving his lifestyle supremacy over hers, well, because, she’s married now, she loves him and she will stay?
Because it is the riwaaj, the “done thing”? Although not necessarily mentioned in our Faith or the RIGHT thing to do? Do we give riwaaj/tradition precedence over all else? Comfort, practicality, consideration for another?
The final outcome might leave us questioning or judging one character or the other. But the drama so far has handed out surprisingly refreshing solutions to problems embedded in time and culture. We have high hopes that Yunhi makers will make sure we’re not left questioning the manner in which Dawood and Kim resolve a tricky dilemma – love is in the middle of it all in Yunhi, and just like that, they have fallen for each other, bus yunhi.
Where this love leads them, and how they overcome this crossroad will send out multiple messages to lots of young people watching, waiting to find answers.
So far, Yunhi has not disappointed, it is not only asking questions, but giving us answers as well. Hence we have high hopes before the end is near!
