Aik Aur Pakeezah: Episodes 3 & 4 Review. AAP is not just about Pakeezah and Faraz; it shows the mental health, thoughts, and reasoning behind the reactions of each character to that video.
Is Pakeezah’s family really against her, or are they actually trying to save her? Is the fear of mob mentality so strong that sometimes families take the tough decisions to abandon their loved ones, thinking they might be safer rather than choosing to become the iron wall that will protect them?
Just like Pakeezah’s family chose to solemnize her nikah with Faraz, and as Faraz now says: ” We don’t have to be scared, we are husband and wife now.”
We are now told how Faraz and Pakeezah ended up in that room. They never intended to be there; it was Yaseen’s fear that made them run. We will now find out why they feared him so much. So, the drama calls out the audience on their reactions after the first two episodes. Just like the society in the drama, we also wondered and many asked what they were doing in the room alone, not focusing on the fact that what was done to them was wrong, no matter why they were in that room.
Both Pakeezah and Faraz are dealing with this incident in their own way. We cannot undermine the trauma of a single character, but the drama impactfully highlights the hypocrisy of society that a woman has more to lose than a man.
After barely avoiding the two brothers, when Pakeezah and Faraz are sitting outside, they are both talking but not to each other, which reveals their mental health condition. Faraz keeps reheating how they don’t have to be scared anymore, words he is telling himself, making himself feel brave and realising that now he is married to Pakeezah, so they are not doing anything wrong. They both are on entirely different planets. Pakeezah is still not able to come to terms with leaving her family and what they did to her and is mulling over who was at the bus station and why. They are both experiencing PTSD at different levels.
Even when they go to the hotel room, Pakeezah’s trauma returns in full force, and she can’t get that horrific incident out of her mind. Faraz, on the other hand, is trying to move on and attempts to get some sleep. It is because society’s reaction to Faraz is slightly less punitive than how Pakeezah is being punished by society and her family, which makes it hard for her to move on, while Faraz is still able to take baby steps towards normalcy. It is also because Faraz recognises that now he has the responsibility of taking care of both of them; he cannot let his own demons and traumas paralyse him. A sad reality of men battling trauma in our society.
You have to give it to Faraz for sticking it out with Pakeezah despite everything they are going through. He is gentle and kind towards Pakeezah as well. He could have easily left her alone. He hasn’t once raised his voice at her. He patiently absorbs all her rants, which are accusatory at times.
Why is Pakeezah not letting Faraz know about the money that she has, or even her mother’s bangles? Does she not trust him, even now? Or is she still planning to leave him as soon as she gets a chance, so Faraz doesn’t have to bear the consequences of being with her?
The recent episodes made us question whether Akbar was really punishing Pakeezah or was he trying to save her in some way; smashing her phone so she doesn’t get to watch that video again and again, but leaving money in her bag? Did they feel they could not save her? Was the only way to keep her alive was to marry her to Faraz, make this relationship lawful so nobody could say anything?
Pakeezah’s father’s words are sad and make you question whether, when parents do the bare minimum, are they quietly trying to protect their children? Do children always have to pay a price to their parents for supporting them, like how he felt disappointed by Pakeezah’s actions?
His reaction, though, showed he was sad, disappointed, and helpless. In response to Saman’s queries, he says, “I have two grown-up sons,” which makes you think that maybe if it were up to him, he wouldn’t abandon Pakeezah.
Pakeezah’s mother is another representation of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), where a person chooses to avoid the incident and pretends as if life is going on as normal. The episode also portrays her relationship with Pakeezah, which was candid, open, and very friendly, how Pakeezah teases her and shows her nakhras.
The fact that both Pakeezah’s father and mother praise Yaseen and his family, thinking he did such a big favour by apologising to Pakeezah for misbehaving with her and how they keep saying he comes from an established and respectable family, makes us realise two things: Firstly, that money always defines respectability, regardless of your actions. And secondly, even today, parents of daughters’ fear for their reputation in society.
The drama also shows that it was Pakeezah’s slap to Yaseen for which she and Faraz are now paying the price – the price of consent?
The scenes and edit shifts deserve a note. From voiceovers that depict the characters’ traumas, to shifts in scene, for example when Pakeezah and Faraz were at the restaurant, then fled the scene as Yaseen fiollowed them and then a door opens into a hotel room, but this time, it’s not a flashback but present day Pakeezah and Faraz as they enter the room. Similarly, Akbar thinking about Pakeezah welcoming him home, her voice trailing in the distance, left a lasting impression on the story line and also unpacked the affectionate bond he shared with his sister. It is in the subtle transition of the scenes and voiceovers that both writer Bee Gul and director Kashif Nisar have aced the storytelling.
A big shout-out to Saman’s character for being brave and bold, for making her friends realise that they shouldn’t undermine her and stop thinking that just because Zubair, a very successful barrister, has chosen to marry her, she should feel obliged and think that she has suddenly struck gold.
When Saman’s friend is watching that video and is almost about to turn it off, we were sitting on the edge of our seats thinking, no, please stop — let Saman see this so she can then help Pakeezah.
Saman is the only one who can do something for Pakeezah. Her words remind us of a dark reality: if Pakeezah chooses to fight the case, what she will face then will be far worse than what is happening now — a reality that only hits you when Saman utters it. Zubair’s words reflect the reality that even if he and Saman had been caught in a closed room, they would also have been targeted in the same way – a reality that shows how we judge openly and assume things without knowing the facts.
Why Saman’s mother treats Zubair with suspicion is a mystery. Is it because she can see something that we can’t, or is she judging him for not bringing any elders with him? The drama also takes a bold step and shows an older mother’s character smoking a “huqqa,” moving away from the typical mother characterisation.
The drama is now addressing possible legal options and laws that might be relevant in fighting Pakeezah’s case.
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