I feel obliged to say that Waseem Abbass left no stones unturned in making us feel for Saqib’s character. He totally nailed it! And the director of the play, Rubina Ashraf, also deserves a special mention for tackling each scene proficiently.
The preceding installment ended on Saqib and Mateen’s meaningful yet aching scene, in which Saqib spoke to Mateen about his intentions to marry Mehar. Mateen wanted some time to ponder over the whole situation. Well, ladies and gentlemen, here it goes: our very desperate ashiq has finally made up his mind to marry the love of his life-Mehar Bano!
The scene where Mateen tells Saqib about his decision was very well-directed. It was evident how awkward and excruciating the whole situation was for Saqib. The plan laid out by Saqib just doesn’t seem right. When he will for Dubai, he will pretend as if Mehar is going along with him. But actually, he will divorce her and Mateen would take Mehar with him to his house, where she will complete her iddat. And after the completion of 4 months 10 days, Mateen will marry Mehar. Saqib promises that afterwards, he will clarify and explain the whole matter to Mehar’s mother. Somehow, this whole plan seems a little far-fetched and I am curious whether things will turn out the way Saqib has planned. Mateen, being our desperate ashiq is already looking for apartments! He has concealed all the facts from his mother, but the poor guy doesn’t realize that his mother has her own sources! Clearly, Tamanna Khanum (aka Mateen’s mom) has a pivotal role to play in Mateen and Mehar’s marriage. And Saqib also insists that things will not go any further without the consent of Mateen’s mother.
That dinner with Mehar’s phupo was enough to tell me that human egotism knows no bounds! The same Saqib who was frowned upon by Mehar’s phupo is now being treated like a king. I don’t know when Saqib will get to taste the sip of justice. He deserves all the happiness in the world but his happy ending seems a bit too far.
Well, this episode also had some touching scenes to offer. When Mehar accused Saqib of not talking properly to Mateen, Saqib’s response tugged at my heart-strings! The way he explained how awkward his position was and how painful his encounter was with Mateen was simply amazing! Clearly, a person’s helplessness forces him to take such steps unwillingly. Despite their age difference, there is something about Saqib and Mehar’s relationship that makes you wonder how sad would it be to see them part away. No one can love Mehar more than Saqib- it’s as clear as that!
The whole ‘scene’ Mehar imagined went on to show how trapped she feels. As much as she wants her desires to be fulfilled, she is also concerned about her family’s honour and pride. Obviously, her conscience cannot allow her to take such a drastic step without thinking once about the well-being and protection of her mother and siblings. And yess, there were some dialogues about ‘yaqeen’ and ‘darr’ that were not only written well, but delivered perfectly too!
In the end, Tamanna Khanum (what a typical filmy name it is :P) calls Saqib and asks him to meet her. I must say, this lady has a lot of things going on in that crazy mind of hers!
So, this was yet another decent episode of ‘Shikwa’. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Feel free to voice your opinions!
Maryam Mehdi