Aww! Poor Azaan was sent away to boarding school! Such a heart wrenching moment as the child bade farewell to his weeping mother and his sad grandparents. The child actor playing Azaan is so adorable and acts so well that it’s easy to forget that it’s not this child’s real story playing out on screen.
Now that Faisal’s father has decided to step in and Azaan gone, there’s a palpable sense that this pussyfooting will have to stop and a decision to be made pretty soon. Forcing the issue further Faisal’s parents decide to visit their daughter who lives abroad. With the parents gone and the house to themselves, Faisal and Ujala are compelled to air their differences and confront problems head on. While this episode was admittedly slow, what I enjoyed here was that even after so many years have passed and so much has gone wrong in their relationship, Faisal and Ujala still display a commendable commitment to making their relationship work. Throughout, there has never been a moment where either of the partners has blamed the other for that unfortunate incident. Even as they continue to be at a stalemate as far any conversation regarding Azaan, they are still willing to talk about their marriage – this is the part of the story that keeps me hooked on to this serial. It is so refreshing to see none of the usual finger-pointing, blame-game, saas-bahu angles at play here. Both partners are mature enough to realize that this is a relationship worth fighting for, and so we see Faisal taking time off to work at this marriage.
The question I now find myself asking is that given that Faisal and Ujala have suffered so much for so many years (from the age of the child, I imagine it’s been about seven or so years) would a mere month be enough to resolve the differences between them? Clearly their relationship has suffered, not just because of that one violent act, but more so because of the cumulative effect of all that has gone awry since – the painful honeymoon, Ujala’s unwanted pregnancy, her determination to have the baby, Faisal’s bitterness and stubbornness, and all the hateful things that they both said to each other in the interim. Can all these wrongs be fixed so simply? In fact a better question, perhaps, is it even possible to repair a marriage that has gone so broke? As mere mortals, are Ujala and Faisal capable of forgetting, forgiving, and moving on? And, if they do that, where does Azaan fit into this picture?
I’ve said it before and say it again, Anjum Shahzad deserves credit for his even-handed handling of the story – the way we, the viewers, are able to empathize with both Faisal and Ujala is indeed commendable. We are shown both sides of the picture very clearly; rather than having a woman-oriented or a man-oriented point of view imposed, the choice is ours to make. Also, the plight of the child is beautifully depicted. An unfortunate victim, he is caught in the crossfire. It remains to be seen how this innocent child fares at the end.
Finally, apologies for sounding like a broken record, but please can somebody take pity on my ears and lower the volume of the background score and OST – Thank you!
Written by SZ~
