For all you prize winners from last time, don’t fear, it’s more of the same. Again.
Romaisa in an attempt to be part of the family and make herself useful is left with the short end of the stick or more like handling intercom and chai duties in good bahu fashion which leaves the other bahu seething and saas ready to crack the whip.
Bhabhi’s barbs about how things work in their house and family coupled with saas’s stare down of Romaisa’s clan make it clear that Romaisa and her lower middle class ilk is unwelcome and unliked. Treated no better than she was in her own home, ok maybe a little better, Romaisa is relegated to glorified home keeper – again.
In a rather apt scene, Romaisa was playing with and lost her marbles. Enough said. Sanam Jung’s holier than thou character’s only directive seems to be play good and innocent. Though, eye candy alert, she looks lovely in virginal whites.
Khala’s clan minus Alia were at their gawking best. Phir se.
There is also mutiny in the ranks! Pakistani idles Hasan and Waleed are stewing in juices of humiliation and being shamed and are now belting vacuous arias about when my business settles mein ye ghar chood dunga and barely controlling their resentment of Nabeel. Again.
The only thing to move forward this time was Hamna seeing through her husband’s seedy ways and squirming apologies.
Nabeel for his part seems fed up of taking care of grown men and their idle past times. In a way the story has shifted from Romaisa to Nabeel and his troubles. His internal exasperation and despondency are leaving a mark and he’s trying to balance the domestic squabbling with a pretty level head. And a pretty one at that. Although clearly he suffers from short-term memory loss if he thinks Khala and co (remember the woman who sold you your wife) are not like his family.
Mikaal is giving a fairly good performance here and attempting to give his character some nuance to work with, even though a lot of his troubles seem self-perpetuated.
That is something that Zeeshan points out to Nabeel as well with his attempts to win over Rabia’s annoyances with expensive gifts. Rabia, of course is trotted out over and over again to say the same thing – “How lovely is this expensive -insert -car, watch, house, bag-here”. Though ones wishes Mira Sethi would try and say her lines without looking like she wants to laugh and leave.
This leaves Zeeshan to mull over her clearly not so hidden materialistic longings and if that could cause problems in their marriage down the line. You think?
Adeel too, is doing a good job and I don’t know what it is about him that I actually believe that he will pack and iron his clothes and report for duty as well. He really injects believability in his character and maybe he’s got the good end of the stereotype here – honest, upright, sarkari officer that it is easier to like him. Doesn’t hurt that he is great on the eyes too.
So overall, as with most Umera Ahmed dramas in the hands of less able directors, stereotypes reinforced with the good guys cornered off into the ring with the baddies circling above. More of the same. Again.
MM (aka A musing Muslim)
