Compared to the past episodes, this week’s episode was much more introspective. Mellower than usual, each character seemed to be in a reflective mood.  The episode opened with Mujtaba prepared to defend Kiran to all and sundry. Muju’s desi brand of chivalry was in sharp contrast to Shimraiz’s the-end-justifies-the-means attitude, and Kiran being nobody’s fool was sharp enough to pick up on that. Even as she is fighting her growing attraction for Shimraiz, Kiran is now quite cognizant of the qualities he lacks. Now she needs to take some decisions: should she walk away from Shimraiz? Should she compromise and accept him as he is? Or, will Shimraiz realize his shortcomings and turn over a new leaf? Kiran needs to do some serious thinking before the last episode …

Shimraiz, on the other hand, startled me with his ruthlessness. We knew that he wanted Daneez and would go to any extremes to get her, but what surprised me was that extent to which he bad-mouthed Kiran. She was after all his partner in crime; he should have been more protective of her. Though he professes to “love” her, Shimraiz’s attitude towards Daneez was perplexing. He couldn’t wait to dump her at her parent’s house and to get back to Kiran. Seems like it is no longer about Daneez, it is more about punishing Mujtaba, for taking away from him what he thought was rightfully his. Methinks Shimraiz has a hard few days ahead of him: he’d better think back on all his moves of the past few weeks and re-evaluate what is it he really wants –is he orchestrating this dog and pony show to get back at Mujtaba, or is it Daneez he really wants, his ostensible perfect match, or is Kiran his destined mate, the loud-mouthed badtameez from the wrong part of town…

Daneez, devastated as can be, at the thought of Mujtaba’s extra-marital affair and his broken engagement with Kiran, has now decided to divorce Mujtaba. Refusing to listen to his explanations, she does not seem to comprehend how much it must have cost a quintessential desi man like Mujtaba to request her to listen to him and return home. Seems like Daneez still has a lot of growing up to do; one does not just get married on a whim and then decide to divorce when the fantasy turns out to be a grim reality. She, like her “best friend” Shimraiz also has to do a lot of thinking over the week: Will she realize that fantasies spun around hearts and roses and knights in shining armors cannot withstand the humdrum realities of everyday life? Can she learn that “love” does not happen when and how one wishes? Will she be able to accept the extremely practical Mujtaba for who he really is – warts and all?

Finally, Mujtaba, the character who got the story rolling with his dreams of greener pastures abroad, is the only of the four who has actually acknowledged that he has seriously miscalculated. Life back home, filled as it was frustrations, had filled his head with some serious misconceptions about what life abroad would be like. Used to taking shortcuts, the street smart Mujtaba has had to suffer some serious setbacks; his huge desi ego has been seriously deflated. His fantasy of the perfect package, in form of a rich wife, a foreign nationality, and a big house, has been sadly shattered. For the last two weeks he’s been in a self-critical mode, re-evaluating his choices, but still he is bumbling around looking for answers. Basically a straight guy, but practical to the tee, no silly notions of romance and flowers, he finds himself stuck in a situation from where there are no short cuts. He is wife is completely opposite. Now he too needs to spend the next week buying some Hallmark cards, spending some money and sending her flowers, and wooing her back.

Even though we bashed it a great deal, when it did come together it was a good story, all four characters had their own funda going, each one using the other as a means to an end. Nobody was black or white, nobody good or bad. All were users and all were used at one time or the other. Mujtaba was the way he was because of his family, his mother’s constant chatter about the rich bahu and the rich chacha-ji, and how he deserved a shot abroad, all went a long way in shaping Muju’s thoughts. Kiran was all messed up because of her family’s extra harsh attitude towards her. Shimraiz and Daneez had always gotten everything on a silver platter – the world was their playground. They just blithely imagined that everybody would always play by their rules. And, when things stopped going their way they were at a complete loss … I can’t wait to see how these characters make out next week. Hopefully all four will be a little wiser at the end of this journey, finding practical solutions to their problems, and realizing that there are no short cuts in life. Nothing comes easy.

As I’m writing this I am also thinking how the story was sadly lost somewhere along the line. Beginning with Turkey masquerading as USA, it was all downhill from there on. Half the time we couldn’t hear anything and for the other half we heard too much (background noise, loud OST). The miscasting of one leading lady, the over-acting of the other, the utterly atrocious styling, wardrobe, makeup, all distracted from the issues being shown on screen. The editing left so much to be desired that I don’t even know where to begin. The bloopers became de rigueur and continuity turned into a joke. Hopefully future projects from Six Sigma and director Haissam Hussein won’t be plagued by similar issues. Looking forward to Haissam’s next outing Durre Shahwar…