Kafeel takes a 22-year time lapse to the future where Zeba is still married to Jami and they have four children now. Usually, dramas offer perspective on a character’s behaviour or life choices by shedding light on their past experiences.
Kafeel’s lens moves from past to future, where it shows how the personalities of both parents and a compromised marriage affects children. Will the son turn out to be like his father? Are daughters from such marriages mentally and emotionally stronger? How do such marriages impact society as a whole? Who is and who will be the Kafeel?
People are asking why Zeba had four children despite being aware of Jami’s reality. Well, it seems like a very realistic representation of many marriages in our society even today, where despite not getting along with each other, couples have children. In many marriages, a woman does not have much say when it comes to forced physical intimacy from her husband. It is something very common. Yes, one could say, why couldn’t she use birth control? That’s one place where the drama could have added some perspective into Zeba’s thoughts or situation, which would have made her life choices more believable.
Nevertheless, Kafeel highlights a very sad fact, that even today, women are forced into having children even if they don’t want to.
The two episodes showed the dynamics of Zeba’s family, the interactions among the siblings, and their mindsets.
The story peels back the layers on generational trauma. Subuq, instead of being a happy-go-lucky young guy, is burdened by responsibilities and sympathy for his mother. All the children share a different perspective on their mother, depending upon how their family life has affected them and also their age – the eldest being perhaps the most traumatized and sober, as well as having empathy for their mother.
Kafeel must be admired for aptly highlighting the thought process, challenges, and mental health of a 22-year-old young man. He is young and emotional, but also strong. The sisters have varying views, the youngest being the most bold and rebellious, holding her mother responsible for staying in this marriage and whatever is happening to them. While the older two sisters are more kind towards their mother. The drama captures the dynamics of such siblings and their lives in a relatable manner. We get to see some light-hearted moments alongside some very emotional ones as well.
People like Jami never change. The fact that they are living in a small flat now shows that Jami was never able to provide for the family, and that his siblings also couldn’t save the house and whatever assets they once owned. Jami has no feelings for his children as well. We wonder what is keeping him busy.
One thing that was really disturbing and we couldn’t understand was why Zeba would trust Jami with paying the electricity bill, despite being fully aware of his irresponsible nature. Another element that seems missing is, that even if Zeba had not thought about herself earlier, now as a mom, she would do everything in her power to provide for her kids and not let Jami consume their money or lives. Why Zeba still believes him is beyond our understanding.
Or one should assume that Zeba has been so emotionally and psychologically damaged by Jami over the years, that she can no longer think straight and the struggle to just survive from one day to another devoids her of many logical actions that one would expect.
Daneen’s character brings an amusing angle to the script. We appreciate the drama for giving us a light-hearted character but not someone who has no intelligence. She carried an endearing vibe.
The camera angles are different and are used to show the POVs of the young actors as their rapid conversations and reactions are caught on camera with the same pace. There is one scene where the three sisters are watching an intense news clip on TV, wondering if it is Subuq in the news. The entire scene and camera angle underlines the intensity of the situation. The electricity bill scene was well shot and dramatized a moment one could relate to from real life. Zeba asking her children how much money everyone has to pitch in was also a very relatable moment. The fact that no one thought they could turn to Jami for help, and in fact, put out the flames he ignites from time to time, showed how little they rely on him as a problem solver. In any household, family members are naturally drawn to teh patriarch or matriarch who finds a solution to the problems they face. In Zeba’s household, it ios quite obvious that Jami is not that person.
Taking on the role of a Kafeel – a protector, a guarantor of the family, comes respect. The fact that the children share zero respect for Jami is evident in the manner they tell their mother that they had left some food for their father. The fact that he is not present at moments of celebration or stress – Subuq’s cake cutting and later, when he returned traumartized from the mugging, shows how little his presence gives them joy or confidence. The screenplay and dialogues underlined all this without calling it out in words which needs to be noted.
Zeba is late for the fourth time in a month to teach her class. Another important factor shown by the drama is how we sometimes undermine the special situations of such women who have to bear the burden of running the entire household all by themselves. If nothing else, this might make audiences develop some sympathy for anyone around them in a similar situation.
We are happy to see positive neighbourhood characters – Daneen’s parents. The way she supports Zeba is so uplifting. We have all seen such characters and wish to have them around us.
The drama also shows Zeba’s brother married with kids and well established. The transformation of the character played by Abdullah Khan is mention-worthy. It is heartbreaking when Zeba has to ask him for money, and it is frustrating that he only gives her Rs. 5000. There is a voice inside us that screams to give her more, she needs more than that. But then this is the reality — eventually, no one has time to put up with someone’s constant problems or tragedy. The way Usman’s wife reacts to Zeba coming for lunch gives us a hint that maybe she also impacts Usman’s reaction, even though it is very subtle.
Why did the drama show the neighbour Saif’s story in detail? Is there an impending story between one of the daughters and the neighbour’s son?
The drama, as the name suggests, “Kafeel,” brings us to the main debate: who is responsible for the family? Will the son be the one, even if the father wasn’t?
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