The Week In Dramas is an attempt to address the most talked about issues that covered our entertainment watch this past week. It is not meant to be taken literally, or it can, not to be confused with serious in-depth reviews, but then, it can be. It offers a critique, a perspective on the shows that will make you smile, nod your head if you relate, and we hope …make you think
So brace yourself folks as we review the good, the bad and the not so good in…the wonderful world of dramas!
Mahir vs Aswad: Battle Of Bad Husbands
Two seasons are colliding into each other and where Mahir from Dobara has taken over all the rage previously directed at Aswad from, yes, you guessed it, HKKST, (yeah, we see you smiling now Usman Mukhtar), we wonder if drama makers do that thing on purpose, you know….create conversations so that those not watching call out … “What did he just do? Oh really? I have to watch that!” There are, after all, gains from negative publicity! It raises views, drives twitter memes (check out fan outrage on Dobara and you’ll know)! Or even, ahem…starts conversations – Best catch phrase from our review:
Is drama nay buhat conversations shuruh kareen. Yes. Like we need to know that we don’t need to push around our wives, or call out their wrinkles. Really? We need a drama to tell us that? Well, apparently we do.
This is what Dobara’s latest episode was all about this week, but hold on. Not everyone was angry at Mahir for appreciating Nermeen’s freshly facial-ed face! Atleast in Aswad’s case, the mob decision was largely unilateral – we don’t want wife pushers! But interestingly enough, there is a pro Mahir crowd which is bigger than a pro Aswad crowd and its growing…seems age difference in marriage didn’t go down too well with audiences. It’s not as woke as domestic abuse…or mind games. That, we KNOW is wrong – reference Aswad! But age difference? Hmmm, poor Mahir, he needs someone younger. “Tumhari jawani ka haq hai.” To quote his dear mom.
It is downright tragic how many among the audiences are justifying an extra- marital affair in Mahir’s case, because, he deserves someone younger. Is it almost as bad as justifying honor killing if the woman has fallen from grace? The same people might not be so supportive if Mehru had decided to ‘go astray’ when she was married to Hidayatullah …uh huh! Age difference in marriage? Wo kya kehte hain angrezi mein: What’s-good-for-the-goose-is-good-for-the-gander? Meaning, If something is good for one person, it should be equally good for another person. In this case, what’s good for Mahir should be good for Mehru too, right? Wrong!
She’s a woman, can’t you see? Go figure!
Messages All-Around
Enough of Dobara as we slide to Mere Humsafar. Fans shipped Hamza and Hala till there came the inevitable bad egg translate ganda anda in the form of Khurram. Shahjahan will have her day and all the relationship goals we were shipping, the understanding between the two love birds, the empowerment that Hala supposedly learnt just went down the drain as she was catapulted back in time … and Hamza took on the garb of Shah Jahan’s true born offspring… wait a minute. Did he just nearly slap Hala? Oh poor boy, the control. And that too from poor Hamza. It is so natural for men to hit out and so hard for them to control. Did you not just love that moment when his hand halted mid air? Oh what a moment! It was even better than when he defended her before his mom. Hamza is the new Pakistani drama hero. The one who wants to strike the heroine, but oh, he doesn’t give in to temptation. Strong man that – a true sign of manliness, translate – mardangi.
Ever wondered why a man is conditioned to strike a woman? Is it because that’s the way they are represented on TV? Remember, the angry young man days? All Mills & Boons heroes were dark, mysterious and yes, had a temper that was oh so alluring that their heroines would swoon in their presence. Well, Hala is definitely doing the swooning as the ‘woke’ love story that drove us to dreamland just went into deep slumber mode! So back to why men feel they can raise a hand against women. Because … when they spot men like Hamza on screen and they also see how women absolutely love him, they can’t think of a better role model to emulate. He stopped himself from striking his heroine!
The point is, my dear ladies, and gentlemen, why condition men into thinking their basic instinct is to strike and it must be curbed? Why condition women into thinking they must not arouse that basic instinct otherwise they might have to huddle back in fear like Hala? How many men will actually stop there where Hamza did, or worse still, threaten to do it every few days, and then, even do it one day, because, maybe Hamza didn’t, it was a drama, but I can, I’m not in a drama – see, no cameras here! Think on that one, yeah!
Desi Stockholm Syndrome Much?
And to wrap it up, we have one more star for you in this week’s drama highlights. Ever wondered why a man who thinks he can get a girl ‘picked up’ and marry her because, once he’s set eyes on a girl he fancies, he MUST get her? No this is not a dated Mills & Boons romance or your latest horror film, it is, 2 new dramas on the block – one on air currently and one coming up, both of which depict super cool leather jacket clad dudes with loads of money, guards, guns …and ahem … sex appeal? Don’t look at me, I just read the comments off YouTube channels. It’s important to be in touch with what the masses are thinking yeah? Incidentally, this is just the beginning – the girls who get ‘picked up’ or forcefully married, will/might eventually fall in love with their kidnappers! But wait a minute. We don’t KNOW that, we have to wait to see how the story unfolds! No spoilers here, it’s only the first few episodes folks!
So that’s a wrap as we call it. Do give Mor Moharan, Sang e Mah and Ishq e Laa a chance if you haven’t already! Mere Humnasheen is also getting in to the story. Till next week, adios and happy watching!
