If I were to pick one play that’s been the toughest to review out of all the dramas I have reviewed to date, I think I’d pick Mol, and that’s because the characters are so complex that it is difficult to make sense of their actions. Normally, complex characters are fascinating as they continue to intrigue the viewers. But, in this case, Emaan’s character is complex in a way that’s far from interesting – it’s just complicated.
Imtiaz Sahab had to talk his daughter out of her decision and he did just that. About the confrontation between Emaan and her parents, I have to be honest here – I didn’t quite get the part where Emaan explained the rationale behind her demanding a divorce. It is after Imtiaz Sahab’s emotional blackmailing that Emaan ‘decided’ that since she can’t leave Sheheryaar, she should get him married to Sajal; the talaaq ka mutalba is a thing of past now and the real deal here is Sajal and Sheheryaar’s shaadi. The conversation between Emaan and Sajal was supposed to answer our questions and clarify why Emaan wants Sheheryaar and Sajal to get married, but it didn’t feel convincing – it just left me confused and utterly disappointed. Yeh tou khudgharzi hui na, kay mein sirf apni wajah say, Sheheryaar say juray har rishtay ko dukh deti rahun. The previous episodes have only emphasized the fact that Emaan is crazy about Shahnaam and that she’d do whatever it takes to be with him, but in this episode, we are expected to believe that everything Emaan was doing all this while was because she ‘loves’ Sheheryaar too much to see his loved ones suffer? Sheheryaar’s family needs a waaris and since she can’t provide them with one, she wants Sheheryaar to marry Sajal. I think by now by we are perfectly aware of the fact that Sheheryaar and his family never see eye to eye, but Emaan is certain that ‘jald ya dair say, Sheheryaar ka faisla wohi hoga jo un ki family ka hai.’ This doesn’t even make sense! I have seen quite a few plays where the infertile first wife asks her husband to go ahead with dusri shadi for the sake of a waaris, so if that’s how Mol was supposed to shape up, why did we have to put up with the ‘mujhe talaaq chahye’ fiasco? The way Emaan’s prospective sautan puts it,‘Sheheryaar bohat lucky hain kay un ko tum jesi biwi mili hai.’ Now we are supposed to praise Emaan for being an awfully selfless and self-sacrificing wife. Great. I’m impressed.
Jora badalne ki baat mat karna kyunke yeh humari khandaani riwayat hai! Does it look like this is coming from the suited and booted man of the house? Humayun Aunty, there’s no hope for you! I know it will sound weird but for some strange reason, I kinda pity Sheheryaar’s family – becharay khud hi jora dhoondte hain, khud hi tayaar hotay hain, khud hi anghooti pehnatay hain, khud hi mubarakbaad exchange kartay hain, aur phir khud hi apna sa mun lekar rehjatay hain. Poor souls. If Sajal does feel that she’s being treated like a ‘grocery item’, I’d have to ask her why does she allow her family to treat her this way over and over again? It sure seems like she was simply waiting for Emaan to give her the green light and once she was assured that Emaan wants her to marry Sheheryaar, she decided to give the nod. Can she take a decision on her own and stick to it without letting Emaan or Zareena or anyone else for that matter talk her out of it?
Muhabbat aur jang mein sab jaiz hota hai. Yeh jang nahe, muhabbat hai. Is it just me or Sheheryaar actually conveyed a lot by saying this? I would have liked Emaan to realize that she does hold a special place in Sheheryaar’s heart and that he does love her, but much to my dismay, what followed next was: kaash Sheheryaar aap mujh se muhabbat karte tou shayad mein itni kamzor na parti.
I’d like to hear more about how you guys make sense of the conversation between Emaan and her parents. What do you guys think about the latest episode of Mol? Feel free to voice your views.
Maryam Mehdi
