Have to say Mr. Sultan you’re more slippery than a wet fish – just when I get angry at you for being an uncaring, selfish guy, you backflip and turn into such a considerate person: chiding Inayat for not speaking up on behalf of his wife, standing up to your mother and taking her to task for her behavior towards Peeno, and reminding Billo this is US not a remote village back home, where such behavior might be considered acceptable. But, then, just as I am warming up to you and thinking of taking back all the abuses I hurled at you last week, in the very next instant, like a chameleon you’ve changed colors yet again, telling Soha to mind her own business, not care about others around her, detach herself from others’ problems. Again, you get my vote for saying you would attend Anjuman’ wedding, then you turn me off completely by telling Soha that you will not introduce her to Anjuman. Later, you listen to a one-sided convo and without asking Soha for an explanation, you start going off on a tangent. And then watching your reaction to Soha’s unexpected visit to Kuljeet’s house, it is evident that even though you protest otherwise, you’ve definitely inherited some of your mom’s control freak genes… Akhir apki problem kiya hai bhai sahab?
I don’t know how Adnan & Co are managing it, but I love the fact that week after week the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher. The story is in full swing and as characters are now in their full glory – the good, the bad, the ugly, it’s all here. No one is beyond reproach, nothing is white or black, just a full range of grays on display here.
Soha’s presence has definitely stirred the pot in the Bhatti household, and Bilqees, for one, is most definitely not a happy camper at the moment. Just imagine, a twit of a girl has caused Inayat to look upon his wife as if she were human. He actually managed to utter two words in her defense in front of his mother. What will he do next? Take his wife out to the movies?? Can Billo’s nerves deal with such a calamity? Stretching Billo’s already frayed nerves even further, Soha has also gone and thrown out expired foods and ordered fresh groceries. As if that’s not enough, she also risked Sultan and Billo’s wrath by asking Peeno to stitch Anjuman’s bridal jora, and wonder of wonders, even Lysol-ed the house! Wonder how long Billo is going to put up with madam Soha’s stunts. Waisey, looking at Soha’s doings today, I have to agree with mamaji, this girl is more like Bilqees than all of her kids put together.
In tandem with all these going-ons, we got yet another glimpse into Bilqees’ difficult relationship with her past. Ill-tempered and stern as she might seem today, in some ways she is still trying to gain approval and acceptance. The very difficult time she had after her conversion still haunts her. Hence her push to get her children married into Iqbal’s family, her visceral reaction to Anjuman’s elopement, and her concern with duniya kya kahegi. One sees her getting worked up every time she hears her children being referred to as Sikhni ki aulad. Even Iqbal, innocuous as he seems, has never hesitated to remind her of her elopement. One can only wonder as to what role all those experiences have played in her becoming the stern and dominating person she is today.
That this story and its fictional characters can and have provoked discussions about a variety of topics like immigrants’ issues, problems of social evils like watta-satta, physical abuse, role and value of education, among others, all point to the fact that Bilqees Kaur has indeed made its point. Even more praise-worthy is the fact that rather than coming across as a self-styled “issue-based” drama, this is more of a delicious blend of romance, social commentary, and humor. Clearly, a dish cooked to perfection by Faiza Iftikhar, Adnan Ahmed, and the cast and crew of Bilqees Kaur. Looking forward to the next serving….
Written by SZ~ [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter: SZ_DramaPakistani (@sz_dp)
