Um, ok what just happened here?

Did our hitting it out of the park homerun drama just turn on the lead with zulm ki inteha? Admittedly, it’s not as artless as this one, but I thought that there was a serious disconnect here.

Laila’s mom has always been trotted out to play the appearances card and as I have noted before, the biggest glaring flaw in this otherwise pitch perfect play is that Laila’s mother’s character lacks any nuance what so ever. Now she has to join the card carrying zulmi saas brigade who throw their bahus (and now daughters) under the bus, or at the very least, out of the house.

That she wasn’t supportive or understanding of her daughters choices was one thing kicking, her and her grandchild (kilone sameth) out of her house at her absent son’s insistence is quite another.

Why is it that all writers need to create these demonic situations to force women out of the house? Would it have been so hard to have Laila leave out of choice? Making that decision herself? Yes yes, I know it reflects our society that still lives in the stone ages but wasn’t this drama challenging all those familiar tropes of zulmi zamana?

Also Laila’s placidity is a tad annoying. Signing off what is rightly fully hers –ok I get that she isn’t the kind of person to shout and scream and beat her chest at the unfairness of it all, but just for once, I would like to see a little more rightful indignation first at finding out about the affair and then about being excised from her parents property.

All these pleasant smiles, and keeping Mansoor’s indiscretions under wraps while he (and his mother) loud mouth her to all and sundry, calming accepting this kind of injustice is not what I hope a strong, confident woman stands for. She knows her rights, stands for justice and knows when to put her foot down. Preferably at the backside of this bother in absentia, who by the by, is he younger or older than her? That Laila was his friend and weepy confidante and midnight pajama helper is all very well but rings confused.

Her mother pleading with her to reconsider – to go back aaram aur aulad ki khatir… was speaking more for herself than for Laila. Where was she to go if her son decided to throw her out of the house too? Wasn’t she more dependent on a man than Laila? Laila is breaking that cycle of dependence – for her and for her daughter, creating her own identity making her own family.

Single women have to, and they never have it easy.

Still her character has enough simmering issues to deal with, and could have done without the missing jaiyadat pulled from under her. Maybe that is why she pulled Saadi back by the collar, not hesitating when he put the ring on her finger, perhaps she has made her peace with her own desires.

As for the others in the mix, poor Kuku’s was straddled with a very literal take on moving on. Mrs Khan had a nasty reminder that she wasn’t even the queen of her gilded cage and while the trio threw a pity party for Mansoor and his limited grasping powers, Mansoor’s mother was busy painting a distorted picture of her wronged son. That was that only scene which reminded me we were indeed watching the same home run drama.

Crossing my fingers that this was an off day and they turn it around next week.

Also stretching some credibility is café profits as down payments – where is this wonderful land of café gold, please tell me, in the words of another female trail blazer, I want to go to there.

MM (aka A musing Muslim)