Mol – Episode 14

The latest episode sets the premise for what’s next to come and at this point, we can see where this is heading. I didn’t want to lose my faith in Mol but this episode most certainly marks the beginning of Mol’s collapse for me.

Aap roz raat ko bahir jatay hain aur dair say aatay hain. Mein nay tou kabhi nahe poocha kay aap kay dost important hain ya mein? Yeh kaunsi space hai jo aap mujhay provide kar rahay hain? Now, all of a sudden, we are expected to believe that Sheheryaar has been a suffocating husband who never had any time for his wife and failed to give her the personal space she was entitled to? Emaan has already accused Sheheryaar of not caring about her but I wasn’t expecting her to say that he is not giving her space because after watching fourteen episodes, if there’s one thing I am really sure of, it’s the fact that Sheheryaar’s been giving her the space he wanted in return. Why do I remember that Sheheryaar gave Emaan the freedom to visit Shahnaam whenever she feels like but it was Emaan who bemoaned that her husband doesn’t want her around him? If Sheheryaar neglects Emaan and spends most of his time with his friends, why do I remember that he once cancelled his official meeting to be with Emaan? Why do I remember that Sheheryaar didn’t want Emaan to leave for Sukkur? And if Sheheryaar is really that bad a husband, why does he rise to the defense of his wife each time his family insults her in front of him? I think they are trying a little too hard to prove that Emaan doesn’t deserve to live with a guy as ‘heartless’ as Sheheryaar but I am afraid it’s not working. I find this whole Sheheryaar-mujh-se-pyar-nahe-kartay-iss-liye-mein-unhe-chor-rahi-hun thing very unconvincing and unnatural. I understand that what Emaan wants right now is a reassurance that her husband loves her. It’s not too much to ask but my question is that if Sheheryaar fails to express his feelings and confess his love the way she expects him to, is it that big a deal that she wants to end her relationship on this basis? Indeed, women are entitled to their choices and they deserve the freedom to walk out of a relationship, but Emaan’s sudden ‘determination’ to depart from Sheheryaar doesn’t make sense because her complaints about Sheheryaar are baseless; Sheheryaar never abused her or humiliated her, he didn’t cheat on Emaan, and what makes him a clear winner in my book is the fact that he is always there to console and defend his wife. Divorce is not a matter of light concern – is it true that Emaan wouldn’t have demanded a divorce if Sheheryaar had confessed his love? Our protagonists are not teenagers, for crying out loud! When Emaan asked Sheheryaar if he loves her, it almost felt like she was looking for an excuse to leave him. Like I said last week, Emaan is nowhere near the headstrong and confident woman we’d grown to love. She was levelheaded and mature, she worked on her marriage, she reasoned with Sheheryaar, she knew how to deal with her in laws, but what on earth is happening to her now? All the viewers feel for her because she is deprived of motherhood, but if we are supposed to feel for her because her husband is ‘devoid of emotion’, sorry, I just don’t buy it.

Sheheryaar, mujhay bohat afsoos hua kay jis larki kay liye aap nay mujhay chora uss ko aap apni muhabbat ka ehsaas nahe dila sakay. Aap nay uss ko apna saath tou dediya hai magar maan nahe diya hai. Aap bekhabar hain kay aap kay aas paas kia horaha hai. OK, now I am seriously confused! Are we sure it’s Sheheryaar we are talking about? And how can Sajal draw these conclusions about Sheheryaar? Sheheryaar is perfectly aware of what’s happening around him and this is exactly why he had a very clear conversation with Emaan last week. Bohat achi tarah say non issue ko issue bana leti ho tum! Wah! Thank you soo much for saying this, Sheheryaar – this goes for Sajal and Emaan both! I think this is the first time Sheheryaar and Sajal actually had a proper conversation in the drama! It’s good to see that Sajal doesn’t want to destroy Emaan’s home to build her own but her keen interest in Emaan and Sheheryaar’s relationship seems a little forced. It took a couple of conversations with Emaan for Sajal to figure out that Sheheryaar is being unfair to Emaan. Both these ladies are in love with Sheheryaar and yet, they are anti-Sheheryaar! Jokes aside, allow me to confess that Sajal’s character has pleasantly surprised me and it makes me happy to see that Sajal is not yet another vamp in the making. Considering Sajal and Sheheryaar’s opposition to dusri shadi, I wonder how they’ll end up getting married.

Rohail finally got to speak up this time and I agree with what he had to say about Emaan. Rohail is concerned about his son’s well being because Shahnaam is a disturbed child. Shahnaam’s mother left him when a child needs his mother the most and while Rohail was struggling to single-handedly raise his child, Emaan entered Shahnaam’s life. Shahnaam has become dependent on Emaan but Rohail believes that Emaan chooses to spend her time with Shahnaam only when she feels lonely and it worries him that once she’s gone, Shahnaam would have to cope with another emotional upheaval. When it comes to Shahnaam, Emaan gets very sensitive; she feels hurt after hearing Rohail’s reminders that she is merely a jazbaati sahara. As much as I understand that her love for Shahnaam is a major part of the story because Shahnaam is the naulakha haar of the tale, I found her concern for Shahnaam unnatural and exaggerated in this episode in particular.

Mubarak ho! Zareena is over the moon because she has finally gotten hold of the long lost jora just in time for Sajal and Sheheryaar’s wedding! Just about everything related to Zareena is so over the top – her dialogues, her excitement at discovering the dress and the actress playing the role. However, it was good to see Hajra wondering aloud that they are destroying Sheheryaar’s home and happiness, but it’s sad to see that no one else in the family is thinking that way.

How many of you are watching Mol? Are you disappointed? What do you think of the latest episode? Fire away!

Maryam Mehdi

Maryam

And they are right when they say, 'Writing is a form of therapy'.