14 weeks ago, Mol started out on a promising note. There was nothing glamorous about it; the main protagonists were not actors I have watched too often. I gave it a go simply because I liked how it introduced us to supposedly rational individuals who had one thing going for them- a personality. Emaan was a woman of substance; Shereyaar a man with integrity. Within a few episodes, they were married and we had an insight into a mature couple post nuptials. Just as I began looking forward to the weekly episodes, the storyline shifted from one about the married couple and their relationship to yet another one circling around every production house’s favorite cash cow- the dusri shadi fiasco. But wait, there’s more- there’s also an underlying theme of feminism whereby Emaan who’s devastated with the news of being barren parades back and forth to her next door neighbour’s home to seek comfort with a little boy- Shanaam. Emaan’s fight for her freedom makes absolutely no sense and her arguments with her husband over her choices are forced and rather unrealistic. I have yet to come across anywhere near an example of a married woman justifying her need to connect with the neighbour’s kid. I get her frustrations but for the life of me, I cannot believe this is the same women we met at Sakkar.

Today’s episode was such a huge letdown- Emaan’s desperation and possessiveness over Shanaam was ridiculous. It seems like there’s some dark magic in play- this cannot be the same Emaan who managed to keep her cool when confronted by her in laws. I do not understand her fixation with wanting to hear Shereyaar express his love to her- I’m a woman, I get love. I also get that men are different and not every man knows how to express himself. That shouldn’t be the only measure of a man’s intentions. Shereyaar doesn’t comprehend love- does that make him a horrible human being? Does that give Emaan the grounds for asking for a divorce? At a time when any man would start reevaluating his life, Sheryaar supported Emaan, put up with her tantrums, comforted her, apologized for his behaviour and that of his family and was honest enough to admit that his views on love are different from what she may feel. Let’s rewind a but here- Emaan and Shereyaar were never having an affair- they went straight into a marriage. Emaan spent all her life in Sakkar and her family isn’t shown to be very modern so I fail to understand where she’s getting all these overly romanticized notions of love to begin with. I can empathize to a certain degree- women want to feel wanted and not just needed. But aren’t we getting a little too carried away? It almost felt like Emaan wanted to hear all those things just so she could rid herself of Shereyaar. Shereyaar never pretended he was smitten- he expressed time and again that he needed a companion who would be willing to meet him halfway. If Emaan has poured her heart and soul into this marriage, Shereyaar has given her more space and understanding than any other man would given her attitude. Emaan thinks she’s entitled to Shanaam to compensate for her emotional needs or lack thereof. Shereyaar has given her sufficient time to connect and bond but as Rohail rightly stated- Shereyaar is a civil servant. His lifestyle dictates that he socializes more than most and it is understandable that most evenings he would be unavailable. Emaan has taken his socializing very personally and is trying to show him that she too has a life of her own. I really don’t think that was the way to go about trying to sees a,the the situation. I had expected far more from Emaan than her demand for divorce- it seems like she isn’t the woman I envisioned but rather a highly emotional, confused and stubborn soul. The man has come a long way since the early days but she is not willing to cut him some slack. Not once has Shereyaar made her feel incomplete but she’s on a mission to self destruct.

Then we have Sajjal- her character has very little potential but at least she’s started to question her role in all of this. It’s unfortunate that she’s stuck with her family who refuse to allow her the dignity to look beyond Shereyaar. I was extremely put off by Humayoun’s decision to have a Rasm. What is this man smoking? How does he think forcing Shereyaar to marry Sajjal will fix everything. They’ve done nothing except ensure his son’s marital life is ruined and they think by pairing him up with a much younger woman, they’ll have the much talked about waris and keep this retarded bloodline going.

I fail to understand why our stories are restricted to dosri shadi and talaaq. Why can’t we have a story minus this done to death topic? I am extremely disappointed with Emaan and the way her character had taken a sudden turn. What she really needs is counselling. Actually, now that I think of it, all of them need counselling- they’d probably be eligible for a family discount! We’re now at the stage where the inevitable is expected and I’m not sure I’m liking where this us going.

Kanwal Murtaza