This episode was not only interesting but also important because today’s events contribute to Maria’s character development; up until now she’d been unwilling to help the dead but in the future episodes she won’t be so reluctant as she is brought to the realization that her job as a medium is important to those who no longer have a voice.
Imran, dude, you might as well be dead – your vengeful pehli biwi wants you dead and your dusri biwi doesn’t want to have anything to do with you either. :P Turns out that Arjumand is Imran’s first wife and holds him responsible for the death of her daughter, Neeni. Now, the thing is, Arjumand was Imran’s first wife but Imran was not her first husband, so that makes Imran Neeni’s stepfather. Don’t worry, I’ll wait while you take a moment to grasp how these characters are related to each other ;)
The question remains: Why does Arjumand blame Imran for Neeni’s death? Why didn’t Imran sever all ties with Arjumand? And I also want to learn why Maria married Imran knowing he was already married?
I’m not gonna lie, the other track is a bit difficult to describe and explain but I’ll try! Ahmed and Sakina – we don’t meet these two – elope, and Sakina’s brother, Zain and father kidnap Ahmed’s sister, Rida to make Ahmed’s family suffer the consequences. What makes this track interesting and layered is another couple from a different time – the Partition of 1947. A Hindu girl, Surghanda (probably misspelling the name, apologies in advance) is madly in love with Mehmood but their love story is a sad one. Surghanda’s story broke my heart, and the actress playing her role was fantastic. Mohammad Ahmed’s writing remains sharp and here, some of the dialogues about love and religious animosity were achingly touching. This was a deeply distressing and cutting account of honour killings, and religious and sectarian animosity, made more so by the fact that we also get to view it from the eyes of the spirits of Surghanda and Mehmood. Ahmed, Sakina,Rida, Zain – all meet a tragic end.
This track, however, was not without its faults. Why did we focus on Rida and Zain and didn’t even get a glimpse of Ahmed and Sakina? I think the episodes should be a bit longer so that the tracks are more nicely fleshed out and don’t leave the viewers confused.
I also really enjoyed the scenes of Maria’s maid, Nasreen Apa. Seems like all the spirits like to scare the wits out of the poor woman! I want to see more of Nana Syed in the future episodes because I find his character quite intriguing.
Did you watch this episode? What are your thoughts?
Maryam Mehdi