If parenting in the 2020s had a voice, it would be the younger generation telling us how it’s done wrong. For every parent, there is a child who will tell them why they’re getting it wrong, and for every child, there is a parent who will tell him (or her), that they, ahem, know better! Parwarish attempts to show us both sides of the story.
But first thing’s first. The creators got the casting right, and half the win is in the performances. So Parwarish, you’re already covered 50% of the way. Now tell us a story that’s worth telling and you’ve aced the formula!
The Story So Far
Parwarish revolves around three generations of family coming to terms with living in a joint setup that has just multiplied as Jahangir (one of two brothers living abroad) and his family return to Pakistan for good. What follows is a chaotic meeting up and (forced) space sharing of cousins and sisters in-law under one roof with dadi and dada looking on as silent (and partisan) spectators.
But that’s not all, the drama also introduces Maya and her family, a young girl planning to be a med student, but with a father who proposes early marriage for his daughters, and a mother who is simply bitter with the way married life turned out. With 4 episodes under its belt, Parwarish is gathering momentum with some interesting interactions across generations. While audiences are relating to the ‘cousins from abroad syndrome’, some question why accents are not more foreign sounding, and others merely enjoy watching Aina Asif and Samar Jafri come together onscreen once again. Add to that, the refreshing presence of Abul Hasan (Abulography) and notable performances from the ensemble cast and, you got yourself a Gen Z- relatable drama?
Say some viewers, but not all.
The drama hits on-point with the pressures of the younger generation, studies, family, joint family shenanigans, part time jobs and student life. There is also the sudden move to Pakistan by children who have spent most of their lives abroad. These young folk encounter a dose of overnight cultural acclimatization – Aniya is being sent off to an all-girls school, guess her father (Jahangir, played by Nauman Ijaz) portrays those dads stuck in a time capsule, who want to transport their grown up children back home before they are decidedly ‘destroyed’ by the foreign culture. Little does he know that local schooling might be more than his foreign born children can handle, and him too – once everyone wakes up to smell the coffee.
Wali too, Samar Jafri’s character is hugely unhappy with the move (have you ever seen a Pakistani kid raised abroad who’s not), as he pines for his girlfriend back home and also, (this one’s a surprise), plays his guitar in secret as he is not allowed to do so by his dad, Jahangir. To add to the problematic move is Wali’s 100% locally born-and-bred Pakistani cousin Sameer (Abul Hasan) with whom he is sentenced to sharing a room. Both get off to a rough start with punches and near kicks flying in the recent episode.
Enough said about the children as the adults try hard to keep it under control. From the Pakistani based bahu forced to apply her muscle strength to grinding biryani masalas and tending to the family kitchen while the foreign return bahu is counting the days till her husband ups and decides to call it quits in Pakistan; the sibling relationship between the two older brothers, Jahangir and Salman also has history, a hint of jealousy and a possible inclination of dada and dadi to side with the foreign return son – sound familiar?
Yes there’s lots happening in the cousins household, with tuiton centres, exam preps, car sharing challenges and more.
While Parwarish is throwing us a story that is thankfully casting young people to relate young people stories – surprise, surprise, age appropriate casting is taking the Pakistani drama world by storm, one hopes the parenting issues and young people challenges are portrayed with as much relatability and true-to-life feels.
So far, Parwarish is feeling its way around audiences and audiences too, are responding likewise. If some have called out the absence of foreign accents, others have appreciated the relationship between Panah and Salman – one of warmth and consideration in a middle-aged couple. Where Jahangir and Mahnoor’s (Savera Nadeem) relationship has a tad too much friction, and one wonders if this is typecasting couples who live abroad, the brothers’ childhood sibling rivalry resurfaces at an adult stage, reminding us if we’re ever really rid of the childhood (and childish squabbles), no matter how old we are. If one questions how and why Jahangir, a father who lives abroad would forbid his son from playing the guitar or participating in a music competition, one must remind oneself that perhaps, it is after all Jahangir who’s caught in a time warp and that he doesn’t necessarily represent all dads from his era.
Some standout moments from the drama so far?
Wali and Sameer’s chemistry, both the rivalry and lately, the newly budding friendship over gaming. Amal letting off steam in a corner of the house and Wali comforting her, Wali playing the guitar that streamed into the rest of the house and inmates listening in; a feel-good, calming moment indeed, Maya paying Wali for the coffee she spilt was a smile moment just like earlier, Sameer blackmailing Wali on overhearing his phone conversation with his girlfriend. Add to that, Salman and Panah’s cute moments and Dadi catching dada with a bowl of kheer in the midle of the night, and Parwarish has enough going for it.
What could have been better?
We’d like to see the girls gaming too, because that’s very Gen Z relatable. And by the way, all-girls schools aren’t such a bad thing really and many all girls and all boys schools abroad are ranked high on the education and quality schooling spectrum, so Aniya attending one shouldn’t be a compromise, unless the school itself or the pupils therein are an issue for Aniya. Maya’s anger issues can be toned down slightly and Mahnoor and Jahangir can share some quality moments to show us a shade of grey(and positivity) in their relationship. Else the contrast between them and Salman and Panah is a bit too stark and contrived. Jahangir’s journey is certainly an uphill one, but we assume that’s just how he is, and the drama and script will teach him (and us), the error of his ways.
Parwarish might not be a perfect representation of young people or Gen X parents bringing up Gen Z, but it’s getting some things right. With the story still about to open up all its chapters and lots brewing, it would be wise to wait and find out more before calling a verdict on this one.
Parwarish is written by Kiran Siddiqui and directed by Meesam Naqvi. The drama airs every Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 PM only on ARY Digital. The cast includes Samar Jafri, Aina Asif, Naumaan Ijaz, Savera Nadeem, Shamim Hilaly, Saad Zameer Fareedi, Reham Rafiq, Nazr-ul-Hasan, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Nooray Zeeshan, Haleema Ali, Arshad Mehmood, Saman Ansari, Abul Hasan, and others.
