Once we realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things, our worries, our fears become even less important. What about my self esteem and all those messages people keep sending me on Face book to “believe in yourself “? Well, let me counter with another question, which ‘self ‘? No, you haven’t clicked on the wrong link this is still a review for SEZ, but the nature of this drama is so deep it invites such questions, questions we shouldn’t answer too quickly.
In this episode we see a new Falak who now walks with her eyes open. She can see the beggars on the street and how each of their lives are just as significant as hers. Her heart has softened to such an extent that she goes to the house of a little street urchin knocked down by a passing car and asks about the family. She gives his sister money, because that’s all she has to give and comes home ashamed because she had been wallowing in pity for herself when others are suffering much greater difficulties.The scene where she helps her servant’s daughter to read a Sufi parable about how loving our fellow Man can lead us to loving Allah was serenely done. I am so glad long sermons and swathes of dialogue were avoided. The message was delivered in a sweet and simple way. I love this calmer Falak, and strange to say till Salman’s telephone call she seemed to have forgotten him or at least pushed the pain he had given her to some safer, more distant part of her mind. We only saw Salman for a couple of scenes and he was acting like a jerk in both. First arguing with his mother in the worst possible way and then in a strange phone call to Falak, informing her of his wedding to Tabinda. After reluctantly asking her how she is, he wonders if she will come back. Does that mean he still somewhere in his heart has feelings for her or perhaps more likely, he has some latent sense of guilt?
Falak also argues with her mother throwing her expensive shoes and clothes around her room,shouting that these were the things that kept her distanced from God. I simply loved the line where she says that at least if she had been poor it would have kept her connected to Allah even if only through need.It would be easy to look at Falak and say this is not me, this is not us but we would be lying. Sometimes we are all Falak, sometimes we are all heedless. The scene between Salman’s parents was priceless. I knew Salman had to take after someone and Quelle Suprise it turned out to be his mother. Apparently, she had persuaded Anser to cheat his sisters out of their inheritance and had cut off all relations with her in laws. Anser says quite rightly that this is not a test but a punishment,but still the woman is blind and refuses to accept even the possibility of her own culpability .In the old days , my mother tells me that much would be made of a family’s background before an alliance would be formed .One of the deciding factors being whether the mother kept good relations with her in laws and extended family,because what a child learns unspoken from its parents behavior is often greater than the official lessons we suppose we are giving. How brilliant of Umera Ahmed to turn a test normally used for the girls’s parents on its head and apply it to the boy’s side.
I am also rather glad that Falak was not shown running to Humza for comfort every five minutes , she has stopped using people.Her parents want aKhulla but all they have to do is ask for a divorce, Salman has openly offered it to Falk’s mother. The lack of communication between Falak and her mother is sadly amazing. Neither Sher Afghan nor Mehrunissa have realized the extent of their daughter’s attachment to Salman, even if it is one sided.It seems unlikely Falak will agree to such a detachment.
Mahira is going from strength to strength as an actress. I suppose it helps to be that beautiful, but even there she kept her makeup to a minimum. I wish a few other actresses would learn to show their skin instead of painting themselves up. My two complaints are the lack of Mikaal in this episode and I know I’m not the only one .Oh and the other one is pure mischief, if only they had shown us Salman and Tabinda’s wedding and just a tantalizing glimpse of their marital bliss. I sorely miss Nadia Afghan and it would have been comedy gold. Proud, snobbish, arrogant Salman Ansar and the wonderfully unimpressed bumpkin Tabinda.
Written by Sadaf~
