Rutba has audiences invested. Last night’s episode pulled in audiences as the ahem – night hunting scene ending in disaster for Hadi. did he just walk into a trap, and more importantly, are things exactly as they seem or is he losing the bigger plot? Here’s a breezy breakdown of the events:
Here’s the question no one’s asking…
Did Hadi really sleep with Sheely?
We are so quick to read the evidence which is incomplete at the least that we already pronounce Hadi guilty without knowing all the facts. Was Hadi drugged and made to believe he slept with Sheely, or did it really happen? Hadi smells his hands, he feels something is off, then he’s taken aback when Sheely calls him and pretends to be on close terms with him and insinuates something intimate transpired between the two of them. The stage is set, and Hadi, guilty or not, believes he really did engage in a physical interaction with Sheely. Everything points to the act having been committed, and…just like Hadi, we believe it too.
But let’s rewind a bit.
Was it wrong of Hadi to go on an expedition with Sheely alone? Yes. Especially wen we throw our miond back to how he reacted when he saw Mahnoor so much as talk to Meer in a light-hearted tone. Such hypocrisy, you may ask. Oh yes, our man is capable of doing the stereotpical man thing – what’s good for the husband is not acceptable for the wife.
Furthermore, he does seem a bit taken aback, short of being dazzled by and certainly uncomfortable by Sheely’s presence. From the tattoo, falunt in his house, to flipping her hair and performing all the suggestive actions that one could not mistake for anythimg other than, Sheely seemed to be making a beeline for Hadi. But Hadi was also witness to the side glances and remarks passed by Meer and he certainly questioned, albeit silently, at the interactions between high level associates of Meer and Sheely. Something was amiss, and he knew it.
With so much suspicious activity right under his nose, it would be unfair to hadi’s character if he got hoodwinked so easily by the sharp couple. But did he? Questions the mind. Is that the story? Typical Pakistani drama narratives might go there but we hope this ones different, partuclarly as Hadi has been shown to be an upright character who was for sure, feeling slightly out of place in Meer’s grandiose setting. Did his moment of weakness now cost him his marriage and perhaps, career?
Which brings us to the prime question
Are we too quick to judge Hadi?
Hadi was wrong perhaps to accompany Sheely on a solo hunting expedition. But then again, he needed to get the root of the criminal activities she is involved in along with her husband. Perhaps he did not expect them to go so far so soon. But did he actually commit the act or will he be duped into thinking he did, that’s what the drama isn;t telling us yet.
Interestingly, without full evidence, are we, the audience, also judging Hadi without knowing the full story?
Onward to why hadi needs to be trapped though. Does Meer possess damaging evidence through photographs or videos that he might use to trap Hadi and get his unlawful projects approved? And more importantly, is this the wake-up call Hadi needed to get back at Sheely and Meer and start investigating their criminal deeds with greater force and conviction?
On another but significant note: The hunting expedition was more like a premium bonfire night but ten again, it’s the world of Pakistani dramas and we’re just living in it!
Rutba is certainly intriguing and we hope this is not the typical story of one husband’s fall from grace, but rather, a slow-burning thriller that will give us more, and also caution us not too judge even if the evidence (incomplete at its best) stares us right in the face!
Drop your best answer below!
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Rutba is directed by Haseeb Hassan and penned by Umera Ahmed. The cast features Talha Chahour, Hiba Bukhari, Mehwish Hayat, Zahid Ahmed and more.