I have to admit that every time I watch SPLK, I can’t help but feel a wee bit guilty for enjoying a carefree life with access to everything while there are people out there, like those shown in this show, who are not that fortunate and have a whole lot to deal with on daily basis. I must confess I have always considered transgender people as outcasts but the next time I see one I might just be able to relate to the difficulties such people face, next time a woman comes to me saying that her husband is a drug addict who does not look after his family I will definitely have a clearer perspective of where she is coming from. Yes SPLK may not be “glitz and glam” but it is “enlightening”, it makes you relate to people who belong to a different world and whose circumstances and conditions are very different from ours. The fact that there are thousands of such people around us who we most often choose to ignore just saddens me.
Anjay (Mohib Mirza) is your typical Con Artist, who will rob a man of all his wealth and make it look like it was all in his best interest. Rafique would be the perfect victim for such a man, since he is simple, irresponsible and will do anything to get what/who he wants. The way Anjay allures Rafique into the trap of the fake peer shows how good he is at what he does. What Rafique is getting himself into may just be the story of many people who spend huge amounts on such peers and get absolutely nothing in return, except regret and remorse. It is not just Rafique who is about to get himself into this quagmire but Arham’s mother , a much ‘wiser’ and seemingly progressive woman gets herself involved in the same situation solely because she is desperate to get Maliha out of Arham’s life.
The way things are in Rafique’s house is a perfect portrayal of most of the lower class homes, where giving birth to children and looking after them is a woman’s duty but the man of the house can easily get away with not looking after his family. Faisal Qureshi’s performance has been spot-on right from the get-go, his expressions are brilliant all through the play, how does he do it? One can’t help but wonder.
The most interesting development in the story today was that Shafique seems to be falling for Najma, I totally went aww at the shafique-Najma scene. But, at the same time, I could not help but feel for Shafique. I must add here that this play does not only depict the social evils in our society but it is also a story of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Rafique’s dream to get the love of his life, Shafique’s dream to fit in, Rafique’s wife’s dream that someday her husband will give her the appreciation she deserves and Arham aspires to give his child a good home where he gets the love of both his parents, since Arham’s father passed away when he was little.
Nirma Bucha’s expressions and dialogues in the scene where she goes to ask Shafique for money were priceless. She is doing a great job of portraying a perfect picture of a helpless woman with no hope in sight.
I have to say that SPLK is truly a work of art with some very adept performances to its credit. Today’s episode in particular was very engrossing and I found myself totally glued to the TV screen. No doubt, watching SPLK is always a ‘learning’ experience but today I found it very captivating too, a big thumbs up for the entire team. Those of you who are not following this show, you should definitely give it a shot, I HIGHLY recommend it.
Written by: Fatima Awan.
