No, I am not a supporter of the doosri biwi plays. I have shared my dislike regarding the latest obsession with doosri biwi stories on different forums and wasn’t expecting anything different from the play “Doosri Biwi” either. The promos were sickening, the play could have been promoted in a much more intelligent and mature manner. The first few episodes of the play made my blood boil because they basically revolved around justifying that a man can actually fall in love with two women at the same time! I said it before and I will say it again that the first few episodes of this play were like any wife’s nightmare come true! But things have changed drastically for the past few episodes and it is actually very pleasant to see this doosri biwi play not taking the same course as many many other plays which revolved around second marriages.
Plays like Bari Apa, Hamnasheen, Shukk, Aahista Aahista and many more showed clearly that a second sidhi sadhi gherulu not to mention much younger wife was like a “compensation” which the husband of the two wives deserved for putting up with the first more bold wife who liked to have her own way!! Doosri Biwi is not out to prove that second marriages are a dream come true but it serves as a reality check for men and women alike. The fact that Aisha and Farah both are the same age group and have the same temperament is very comforting. Farah until now has not scored any brownie points with Hassan because she makes him home-made lunches (Shukk) or can cook the most amazing Biryani (Bari Apa, Hamnasheen). The fact that there is zero stress on the age old dictum that a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach is once again refreshing! The way Farah feels lonely all the time and does not get to spend any quality time with her husband shows that getting married to a man who is already committed will only make a woman’s life miserable. Hassan cannot cope at all, he cannot be there fully for Aisha or Farah both. He is definitely not at peace or happy and there is hardly any romantic element left in his relationship with both these women. This second marriage has served as a reality check for Hassan; unlike other heroes in our dramas with second wives he does not go to his second wife for solace when his first wife gives him trouble but he cannot find solace anywhere because he simply cannot handle the responsibilities.
Until now all the men who had second wives in our dramas were rich therefore finances were never an issue but here we see a working man finding it very hard to meet the financial requirements of running two houses – which once again is a more realistic approach towards the whole issue. Doosri Biwi is not free from clichés and the timeline can be very confusing at times but it is definitely a more realistic take on second marriages. The fact that the writer managed to break free from the usual doosri biwi drama pattern and the story does not focus on who will win Hassan is commendable. It is all about how Hassan will cope and how much will he lose! Until now all our writers who have dealt with second marriage stories have made a mockery out of the entire situation by turning it into some kind of a silly competition in which both the wives have to do whatever they can in order to score points with their husband. I must say though that the way the drama is being promoted is not helping in any way. I think those who are responsible for promoting the play on facebook have failed to grasp the concept of the play.
I have very high hopes that Doosri Biwi will deliver the message which I have been wanting to see in the dramas revolving around second marriages which is that second marriages do not solve problems but they create more problems and that it is impossible for a man to be there for both his wives. I hope that the team of Doosri Biwi does not let me down.
Fatima Awan
