Ever since this serial began, we’ve been praising Faiza, Adnan, and team BK for giving us so much to think about and consider. We’ve appreciated them for bypassing the glitz and glamor and showing us the gritty realities of diasporic life, and we’ve praised them for their true to life, very nuanced depictions of all the characters. Yes, all of us have known a Sultan or two, we’re familiar with the Peeno types, and might even have seen a couple of the do-gooders like Soha. So continuing, today, here’s why I would like to really applaud this talented team – for teaching me practical, get-down-to-it real life lessons. Batao zara, how else would I know to keep important tax related files in empty kitchen cabinets, or better yet hide them in freezers? Socho zara, this is absolutely brilliant! Dekho zara, no need to waste money on lockers at home or safe deposit boxes in banks. Bhai wah, my desi penny-pinching self loves this! Thank you Bilqees Kaur – now this kind of useful advice is why I enjoy this show!!
Apart from my euphoria at this sage advice (I hope Soha remembered to seal the papers in a Ziploc bag before sticking them in the freezer, otherwise tau uski khair nahin hai!), I loved the Peeno-Inayat scenes. How cute were they together – Inayat drooling all over Peeno as if seeing her for the very first time, and Peeno shyly chattering away like a new bride. Now if only Inayat could stop smoking and get rid of his beanie. I am getting seriously put off by all the excessive smoking. Now that Inayat’s character is firmly established there is no need for us to see him puffing away like a smoke engine in every scene. I feel like I am soon going to start displaying symptoms of some secondhand smoking related disease if Inayat bhai continues this way. That peeve aside, I absolutely adore Sadia Imam and Kashif Mahmood here.
Though Soha has become the family heroine, she helped Peeno and Inayat resolve their marital issues and got Billo to agree to the family attending Anjuman’s wedding, her blithe, almost careless, attitude towards Sultan finds him running to Liz with his woeful tale of wifely neglect. I honestly cannot understand what kind of advice does he expect from a still bitter ex-girlfriend? Doesn’t he have other friends he can seek out for support and solace? He’s lived in NYC all his life and all he has to show for his time there are two friends, Liz and Hassan? While Sultan annoyed me with his constantly morose and wounded expressions, Soha too was a little too casual about her new marriage. Shafaq was right, yes, it is good to be friends with your spouse, but don’t forget that he’s someone you have to share a life with as well. Once again, excellent writing by Faiza and translating by Adnan, in bringing alive so well all the contradictions in Sultan and Soha’s characters. Syra and Ahsan continue to do justice to their layered characters.
While this part of the family in NYC is struggling to find a happy equilibrium, back in Gujranwala, Mumtaz and Zia continue with their jhig jhig. Okay, so I’m happy that their track is still running parallel, but it seems like we see the same scenes/dialogues repeated every week, there is very little progress there. Zia keeps threatening her and Mumtaz keeps calling her mom, beyond that – nothing. This has become so much of a weekly routine that not only I, but even Bilqees is not shocked anymore. Though disturbing on so many levels, it was nonetheless morbidly funny when responding to Mumtaz’s latest call, Bilqees nonchalantly asked, so what’s up now, your husband beat you again?!
I hope with Soha and Sultan’s anticipated arrival in Gujranwala, Mumtaz’s story will see some kind of a happy resolution – one that does not involve her continuing this relationship as it stands now, abuse and all.
Rising above all is Bilqees, the queen bee herself. She might have given in to Soha’s blackmailing tactics, but this doesn’t mean she is going to surrender all her cards at once. Feigning a strained back, she wriggles out of attending the first wedding function. Her sadness though, at missing this occasion, was really heart wrenching. Such is the price one has to pay for having such a massive ego. I do get the feeling though that Anjuman’s call will be the one thing that will melt Billo’s heart and get her to attend the wedding, if it ever happens that is, than any of Soha’s tactics ever could.
Before this installment, I had thought this would be the penultimate episode with the drama coming to a close with a big family reunion at Anjuman’s wedding, but from the looks of it we are in for at least a few more weeks of Bilqees Kaur. My one request to people concerned is: Fine, throw in another twist and send Soha and Sultan to Pakistan, but in the meanwhile please get Anjuman and Faraz married ASAP. This dragging is getting a bit much- my clothes, the ones I got made for this wedding, are getting seriously outdated – can we just get on with it?!
Written by SZ ~ exclusively for DramaPakistani.net.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: SZ_DramaPakistani (@sz_dp)
