“Gulbahar is Not a Statement On Childless Couples. Yes It is Not Palatable, It is Not Understandable by a Lot of People. But it is a StoryThat Exists.” – Director Mehreen Jabbar
Eight episodes in, the Pakistani drama Gulbahar, starring Sanam Saeed and Emmad Irfani, has come under fire for advocating a second marriage for a childless couple. Director Mehreen Jabbar takes our questions.
What made you say yes to the script. What did the director see in it that the audience is missing?
“To be honest,” shares Mehreen, “I wasn’t thinking of 2 biwis: ek mian, in the most typical of senses even though it appears that way. Can you love more than one person at the same time? What is jealousy, what is possessiveness, can one share a love, can one let go if one loves? Those are the questions in my mind and that’s why I primarily I chose this.”
Mehreen offers insights into the difference between scripts that are worked on from the beginning and those one gets as a fully completed story:
“When I signed on, the script was ready, Emmad Irfani had already signed on before I came, Sanam was in talks, the shoot timing was set. There wasn’t too much of a margin to change things as I wanted, except a few things. This felt like a contained story and I looked forward to working with all 3 of them. Every director brings his own interpretation, but with this we didn’t have too many options because it was a fully written script. Things came together and that was the primary reason I said yes. There’s always a difference between projects you develop from scratch and the amount of time you have to make any changes on projects that you receive fully done. So some interpretation could change, but that’s about it.”
Bollywood has fielded such scripts in another time, esp. Filhaal from Bollywood comes very close to Gulbahar’s story so far. Do you feel it is still relevant today?
“I haven’t watched the Indian movies people have mentioned. In terms of relevance, we think unfortunately that the world is moving towards more progressive ideas and society in some ways, but in some ways it is not. But regardless of my own belief system,” she emphasizes, “here’s what is important:”
“I don’t need to believe that this is the right thing to do, because I’m telling a story, and I don’t want to just tell stories that ascribe to my own morality and what I think. As long as I can create characters and situations that are empathetic and can be understood. Now that is the challenge!”
Mehreen’s inner creative emerges strongly, almost defiantly, to claim territory every storyteller feels they have a right to embrace. She wraps up the thought with:
“Of course, when some people are not able to do that, that is disappointing, when they can connect with the story, that’s great.”
But despite the creative license, I sensed a need to set things straight – Gulbahar has received its fair share of criticism on social media, hence, Mehreen elaborates:
“Gulbahar is a story about a wife, (more than the man), who wants a child. And this is not a statement on childless couples and what they should do. Absolutely not, this is not that. This is one story out of many, in which this couple or this woman decides that ‘this is the best thing for me to do for my husband’ and this is not to say that one is encouraging this behaviour, or condoning it, but this story is about this particular situation.”
What is the one fear or misconception you wanted to make sure you addressed about the script, so that audiences shouldn’t misunderstand?
“After having directed multiple stories over the last 25-30 years of various women – ranging from empowered to proactive women with a lot of agency from Ab Tum Ja Sakte Ho with Khalida Riyasat and Sania Saeed, with Faraar, a telefilm, there are so many women characters I have directed over the years…” Mehreen takes a pause and then picks up on perhaps what’s really triggering audiences, as she states:
“Yes, Gulbahar’s story is a conventional idea that is not palatable to, or understandable by a lot of people. But for me it is a story that exists. That it can happen, it does happen…”
“Because personally, one knows of couples who have gotten into this arrangement because of the kids and the two wives are living together happily, raising the children together. There are also cases where a man marries in secret, or he doesn’t love his wife and falls in love with someone else, so there are multiple cases of why men get married for the second time. This is not me saying it should happen, this is a very, very major distinction that needs to be made.”
The director elaborates: “Now my point of view was more an exploration or a discussion of whether love can be shared. That was my main goal and I don’t know if I’m going to succeed in conveying that message, we’ll see by the end of the serial, but that was the intent with which I think all of us went into it.”
Mehreen reclaims her creative space once more as she reminds audiences (gently):
“Storytellers should have the freedom to tell stories about things that they might not agree with but they have a point of view.”
That last thought from Mehreen made me ask the obvious, and touch upon a debate on Pakistani dramas that fires our conversations often:
Can Storytellers in Pakistan afford to just tell a story without taking into account, the messaging or morality of the narrative? Agreed there’s the argument that Art should have no boundaries, but in a society where men readily take on second wives if the first can’t conceive, (and against the first wife’s wishes), where is the debate that our dramas influence mindsets? Should we discard that perspective when telling a story and stick to the Art form, free of messaging?
Mehreen concedes graciously:
“That is a valid question. And one that we definitely have and struggle with. However as I said, messaging is important of course. And everything leaves you with something to think about and Gulbahar will too. We showed the character of the sister Shenaz apa as such a persistent and quite unlikeable character. Most people have noted that she’s so irritating and also questioned her character. And she’s the one suggesting a second marriage, not a sweet little lady.” Mehreen responds in a mildly amused tone. “Shenaz apa is a character who’s not well liked, she’s suggesting this option. Sheheryar is saying: ‘We’ll adopt, I don’t want kids,’ his perspective is clear. It is this woman who’s doing all this.”
“And you will see,” Mehreen claims confidently, “as the story progresses, that this was not the best option. But now it has happened, and what are the consequences of that decision? Yes, it is an interesting question – the struggle on what to depict and message, and I would say, there is no simple answer.”
Surrogate motherhood. Is this a topic up for discussion in Pakistani drama circles? Is this the halal version of it? Or should we look at the story more from a holistic POV – one woman helping another?
“So a lot of people have mentioned IVF and surrogacy. And in terms of carryng someone else’s egg, it should be done, whoever wants to do it.” Responds Mehreen. “It’s a free society and one can do what one wants to. In terms of surrogacy, I don’t think it’s legal in Pakistan. But this is not a story about surrogacy and IVF, those are great stories to be made too. I would say definitely, there should be a serial. But surrogacy is not legal in Pakistan, so it has to be navigated and done in a way where one can move around the system. And that’s another story, that’s not Gulbahar’s story. Someone should make that story for sure, if I get a chance I’ll make that story. Gulbahar is a story about 3 people who are forced into a situation where all of them are not necessarily happy, and they will or will not make the best of it.”
“This serial is not about having or not having a baby, but about 3 people who are brought into this situation with an uncomfortable new dynamic, and these are the questions one wants to ask: Is Sara selfish for trapping Diya, or, is she saving Diya. Should Sheheryar have made more of a stance, why did Sheheryar say yes to Sara, why did Sara agree eventually to her nand’s demands? These are all questions one wants to ask in a story. And for those answers, you have to watch the whole dama.”
Mehreen goes on to throw light on the nuances of storytelling, the fine layers, the characterizations, and how we perceive them:
“A story is not a lesson in morality, or a documentary. Sometimes the behaviour of characters is not as you want it to be, sometimes that realization comes later. It’s a story. One may disagree, get irritated, and angry at their choices and what they’re doing. And then choose to, either at the end of the story say: ‘I understand them now or, I do not understand them, I do not agree with this at all. And I do not want to see it.”
On criticism that Sara and Shehryar do not seem to belong to a social class where they would seek a second marriage to have a child.
“Unfortunately, some people from the upper middle or upper classes, people who appear to be the most emacipated sometimes make the most ridiculous statements and behave in ways that are very problematic and hypocritical. Just because you’re educated and you speak english and appear to have the right values, doesn’t mean you won’t do things that are against what you believe in. And on the contrary, you will also see some of the most courageous or progressive acts come from lower middle class people whom you would think might not be able to do that. So I don’t think that is a valid criticism, to be honest.”
Mehreen adds though, that criticism is always welcome when it’s valid:
“I am someone who tries to learn from constructive criticism. You cannot be shut to criticism because then you close all the doors to growth. I’m all ears and a lot of my peers and good friends, my parents including my friends don’t mince words, they are my toughest critics, One definitely learns from criticism and one should. I don’t have a problem with that.”
On projects that made her think how it could have been different?
“In retrospect, eg. Doctor Bahu’s ending. I discussed with Sanam Mehdi, should we have shown everything to be okay instead of assuming the audience would think it’s okay? One answer would be that we don’t need to see Sania practicing medicine because we assumed people would know, and it doesn’t need to be spoon-fed. But hindsight is hindsight. You can’t really say kay kya karte agar aisa hota.”
On the narrative of Gulbahar
“All of us, including myself, we would laugh, and I said yeah, who would have thought, I’d be doing the story of a man and two wives.”
Mehreen smiles with a nod. But then the director speaks up with 100% resolve, getting fully behind her project:
“I have taken on this challenge, it could do well, or not, it may resonate, or not, it is receiving a lot of discussion and criticism on social media. But it’s only 7 or 8 episodes down, there’s still a lot to go. At the end of the day, we put our best into the story, so did the actors and the entire team. Aagay you cannot predict how the audience is going to take it. So sometimes it resonates, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes people are indifferent.”
“You can never ever predict and that is the one thing I have learnt in so many years, that you go in and give it your best and then you have to let go. And sometimes you will succeed and sometimes you won’t. And you move on and tell another story.”
And that’s a wrap from director Mehreen Jabbar and Gulbahar. For the rest, watch the story and tell us what you think!
New Drama Hurmat and the Audience Has a Verdict… For Now. Find Out What It Is!
Gulbahar stars Sanam Saeed, Komal Meer, Emmad Irfani. It is directed by Mehreen Jabbar and penned by Aliya Bukhari, produced by Momina Duraid and airs on HUM TV.
