Falling in love is not about making the other person fall for you too. It’s about living the emotion, and Saad in last night’s episode of Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha attempted to tell us just that.
Critical messages
Not only did he relinquish his promise to marry but also sent out a very critical message to fans who live for the man who forces himself upon his beloved(?), yeah, eventually, she’ll see the light of day. Remember Kaisi Teri Khudgharzi? Saad is all about giving. And not just that, but also, about recognizing that his love was, after all, one-sided! And although he loves with a burning, intense, pure, soulful kind of love, it is, after all, one that his beloved fails to even recognize, through the haze and murky lines of her own love story with Areeb.
A selfless kind of love – not what Pakistani dramas are made of
It is important to show this selfless kind of love onscreen. And perhaps, (I hear the sound of shattering hearts now, perhaps, it’s important to know that this kind of love might never get its heart’s desire. Saad might never ‘get’ Maheer, because, she might never love him the way she loves Areeb, or the way she wants to love someone she will wed one day. And that, dear boys and girls, is also okay. It’s a romantic tragedy yes, it’s not what we crave in our dramas but it is the truth. Maheer has a license to love whom she wills and also, to lose a better person in the bargain, or so we think. C’est la vie!
But despite my hard-hearted prediction above, I too would love for Saad to get his Maheer eventually. But more heartbreak to follow first, in the episode next! And last night’s episode didn’t just nail it on the message, there were other messages too.
Can Maheer not have a go at love?
Saad explains to his sister Neelo that Maheer is totally head-over-heels in love with Areeb and has every reason to live her happiness. She is also totally oblivious to his (Saad’s) love and never sent out any hints that she was ever interested. Hence, he is there to facilitate the happy union between her and Areeb. Now although that’s full-on ‘sacrifice mode’ as termed by Neelo, and it certainly is, as termed by Saad fans, one has to understand that Maheer wants something that any other young girl would want too– a chance at a head-over-heels, crazy kind of love.
Whether it is love or a temporary blurring of hormonal vision, only time will tell. Whether it is lasting or not (Saad fans hope not), is also a ‘time will tell’ question.
The Red Flag Moment
But the question that is on my mind, uppermost, I have to say is this: Should a girl and her parents agree to a marriage proposal from a guy when his family (mother) is totally opposed to it, when she is merely paying lip service to the conventional Rishta scene, her heart’s not in it and the red flags are out there, bright and shining.
Are we so desperate to get our girls married that we can’t see through the disaster about to unfold? But then, on the other side of the argument, Maheer and Areeb are two young adults, capable of making their own decisions and mistakes, they have a right to decide their own future.
This brings me to the question of our dear, unsuspecting, impulsive, cut to the chase Areeb? Can he not predict the trouble brewing in camp mother? The sudden departure from Maheer’s house calls for burning red flags, getting what you want is just the beginning, and keeping it (the girl happy) is the journey. But can he, do it?
A Story That Will Hit different? We hope!
Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha is teetering on the brink of something bigger and we sincerely hope the forthcoming issues raised are as relevant and offer up chunky food for thought just as much as Saad’s ‘sacrifice mode’. For starters, I hope Saad has taught many young men that you might not always get what you want in life, but you still have to be gracious about it!
As for Maheer, the less said the better for now. I’ll reserve my opinion. Safe to say, she disappointed in the courage department.
