Qais and Laila in Jama Taqseem are stuck in a bit of a diplomatic rut – both sets of parents have landed together in one home. While Laila is trying her best to keep the peace, Qais is trying his best to push that responsibility onto her.
Throwback to Laila’s friend in an earlier episode, who reminded not only Laila but all of us: daughters-in-law are not bound to take care of their husbands’ parents, but if they do it from the goodness of their heart, that’s a plus. Yet both sons and daughters should look after their own parents. Having said that, what religion tells us and what culture, society, and tradition dictate often meet at a crossroads. Our upbringing spoon-feeds a narrative that “works” — and hence, is it even Qais’s fault when he expects his wife to drop everything, reschedule her job interview, tend to his ailing father, and somehow wish away her own parents from their home? He’s only reacting to a situation with the skills he’s learned from his family and society.
When Qais left the house early morning without checking in on his parents, when he brought them home late at night without even calling Laila to tell her his father had suffered an angina attack, when he expected her to change her interview timings or tend to his parents — and then said, “I won’t force you, but it would be nice if you stayed home and tended to my parents” (heard that one before?) — when he wouldn’t believe her red-flag alert on Zeeshan until his nephew Faisal confided in him, one wonders: why does Laila have to carry the burden of ensuring the marriage works by being the more understanding, patient, wise, and attentive spouse?
Pakistani dramas have progressed in their girl narrative by leaps and bounds — out with the quiet, long-suffering heroine; in with the communicative, expressive, yet courteous, confident, and career-oriented woman who still manages to be giving. But does this mean that once again, the onus falls on the woman to keep the family together?
Let’s reverse the roles for a bit. What would Qais have done if Laila walked out early morning, running late for work, and asked him to tend to her ailing parent while ensuring everyone got breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
Where our male heroes have graduated to brewing tea and even chopping vegetables in the kitchen — courtesy Mustafa in KMKT — are they still lagging behind on the journey our female heroines are sprinting through?
Dear Qais, let’s take a moment to remind you: your parents are your responsibility. And even if you’re too busy and have to go to work, you shouldn’t make Laila feel guilty for stepping out to pursue a career, especially when she’s offering to multitask and care for both your and her parents.
Dear Qais, correct us if we’re wrong, but do you not represent the younger generation? In your family, you stand out as the youngest of three brothers — one who spoke up for his wife, stays out of family politics, and is married to a progressive, educated, career-minded woman. Why then must you fall behind in shouldering the responsibilities that would make you a more relatable face of the Gen Z tribe?
If Jama Taqseem can show Laila’s parents staying over at her place, then why can’t it show Qais serving us mini husband goals that align with Laila’s sensibilities? Or are we reading it wrong — does Qais represent the real face of young men today who marry modern women but remain stuck in a time warp? Regressive, demanding, and possibly toxic when it comes to their expectations from their wives as dutiful daughters-in-law — and in their own ‘bordering on negative’ behavior toward their in-laws?
Will Pakistani dramas continue to show us more Lailas who forge ahead, and more Qaises who lag behind? Will our male characters always be stuck in a time warp — always a step behind the women who lead them — creating a narrative for the perfect woman, but never the perfect man?
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Jama Taqseem is written by Sarwat Nazir and directed by Ali Hassan. It is a project of MD Productions and is airing on HUM TV. The cast includes Mawra Hocane, Talha Chahour, Javed Sheikh, Deepak Perwani, Madiha Rizvi, Hassan Ahmed, Tazeen Hussain, Amna Khan, Beo Rana Zafar, and more.
