Do we still want everyone around us to believe working women are incapable of having happy marriages and cared for, emotionally well-balanced children? Is Jannat in Jannat Say Agay really the correct representation of successful career women? We might not agree, here is why….
Jannat Say Agay is a Pakistani drama TV series produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi under their production company, 7th Sky Entertainment. The show is helmed by director Haseeb Hassan and features a screenplay penned by Umera Ahmad. The cast includes Kubra Khan, Ramsha Khan, Gohar Rasheed, Talha Chahour, and several other talented actors.
While we are really glad something other than the mundane, over done narratives of saas-bahu, damsel in distress and abusive husbands have been tossed out window and more interesting ones are taking over, do those narratives need to be fine-tuned still? In the case of Jannat Say Agay, it’s really interesting to witness how a prevalent conversation around our rather controversial morning shows, industry rivalries, ruthless competition and working women are being shown, however there is a narrative that’s been a tad unsettling for us – why can’t successful professional women have a healthy married life too? Be good mothers and have a grip around their household mechanics? While it’s not always a given, it’s also not entirely impossible. The problem that might arise here is in reinforcing the predominant narrative that since the notion of women still being solely responsible for the upbringing of children, maintaining their homes and responsible for domestic duties is deeply ingrained, many in society still believe if a woman chooses to follow a successful career she, by default would not have a happy marriage, healthy, stable children and an orderly house.
Yes, it wouldn’t have been as much of an issue if there were multiple story lines and positive ones about working women amidst us too, and then we wouldn’t have latched on to the working woman cliche, but the fact of the matter is, there aren’t that many …, actually, toss that, there are barely any such narratives in our Pakistani drama landscape so far. We don’t see enough career women in dramas and when we take that first major commendable step, the depiction comes off a bit too strongly with pre-defined views, cementing their pre conceived notions and that’s not too great now is it?
We don’t want to take away from the creative license but it would have been nicer if Jannat was not as black so early on in the drama. Sure the layers are peeling away now to reveal a more greyer shade but it’s when many have already formed an opinion about her.
How hard is it to deconstruct that?
The drama has so much potential, we want to see more of the real struggles, the competitiveness, business savvy women and the work dynamics! Some scenes suggest Jannat is so ambitious that she forgets to make her children or supervise, their school lunch, not be present for dinner everyday, does not ensure keeping a sparkly clean house – is she the reason her husband is having an affair and is now about to marry another woman? Let’s dissect the above.
Isn’t The Responsibility Of Childcare Also The Husband’s?
Firstly, Jannat and Noman share 2 children, the fact that Jannat contributes more financially to the house is also established. Being a mother, is she rightfully deemed responsible for their upbringing, yes but then so is Noman (the father)? He earns too and whether more or less, shouldn’t matter here (take notes, Jannat) but what makes him think he is too mighty to make his children’s breakfast or tend to their needs? It’s as much his job as is it is Jannat’s. Both are working parents and both should be helping each other out. He expects Jannat to take care of the house, the kids and bring in the dough, which she does (however half-baked that attempt of might be) so why can’t he pitch in? It seems a tad misogynistic, doesn’t it? The responsibility for childcare and upbringing depends just as much on the husband and this is the notion we must deconstruct when we represent working women onscreen or even housewives onscreen, for that matter!
Why Do We Insist On Making Working Mothers Feel Guilty?
Oh and another thing, just because she works, doesn’t mean she has zero connection with her children’s lives – a very subjective matter indeed. The scene where the teacher insinuates Jannat is a bad mother, outrightly tells her to focus more on their upbringing, their lunchbox and their behaviors, further strengthens the negative notion about working women in society and let’s not forget, there should have been an immediate negation of the same from perhaps, Noman or a male counterpart to suggest the alternative? POV: Working mothers can’t tend to their children daily and all their social (mis)behaviors aren’t thanks to them – makers, take note.
Jannat Has Made Mistakes But Does It Justify What Noman Is Up To?
While the drama did an impressive job of showing a very real picture of how extra marital affairs begin, somehow, the emphasis seems to make us believe that it is, in fact, Jannat’s fault that here husband “strayed.” While sure, she might have missed out on the equal respect for life partners memo (Noman deserves respect too) and could have focused better on communication, making effort to make enough time and separate her work and home life BUT does it justify Noman demeaning her when it comes to the welfare of the children, being condescending at every chance and then carrying on an affair with not even a tinge of remorse?
Note to Noman: You want to have an affair – okay sure, communicate you aren’t happy in your marriage and get a divorce and not comfortably sleep in the same space your spouse has been working hard to build while taking care of your kids, including spending her money to buy presents for your girlfriend? However, the narrative seems skewed. We don’t see the black in Noman like we do in Jannat, and why is that?
What do you think? Is Noman’s behaviour justified? And did Jannat have it coming due to her own actions and life-career choices?
