Let's talk about this new Pakistani serial that is taking the desi world by storm.
Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat
It is a story of two sisters who get married in strange circumstances. The marriage episode (or circumstance) itself is the ultimate in cringe worthiness but let's skip past that to the premise of the story. I will come back to it, I promise.
THE GOOD STUFF
First, let's talk of the two good things about this serial. The acting is good, and there IS something in the direction of the story that makes you want to watch the next episode ... just to see what happens. That is good in any TV drama where it can capture and hook an audience (sadly lacking in The Fame Game or How I Met Your Father). Now let's come to the ridiculousness.
The story is of two sisters - the "good" sister and the "bad" sister. Now why is the good sister good? Because she serves her in laws, tolerates all their insults, goes to office and earns, and then comes home and does ALL the domestic chores, and all the times remains silent at any injustice done to her. And why is the bad sister bad? She is stubborn, and does not speak to elders with respect, does not tolerate any insults tactfully, and is too lazy to do any housework. Oh, and she is 20 years old.
THE BAD STUFF: ALL WOMEN ARE EVIL
The show is very popular amongst women, which is surprising when you think that ALMOST EVERY woman portrayed on the drama is shown as a scheming villain, except the main character and her mother. EVERY WOMAN is bad. Almost EVERY GUY is good. One has to ask, is this realistic?
I know Pakistan is a conservative country that likes to promote joint families, but if reality is that in every joint family all the elderly women are villains who make the life of the new wife hell, then why is the young girl who wants to live on her own shown as a bad girl? And how does this show purport to promote family values when your mother-in-law, aunt, cousin etc. are all evil, all the time?
THE BAD STUFF: JOINT FAMILY IS IDEAL AND ANYTHING ELSE IS EVIL
This is particularly nauseating. Granted, it's a desi show, so they are likely to toll the virtues of a joint family. But the talk of having your own household is treated as toxic (whereas the family itself is shown to be the ultimate toxic one, but you have to "tolerate" it like the 'good' girl). Even Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)'s own daughters lived in their own household with their husbands, but this is shown as something only the 'bad' girl wants. How hard is it to show reality, that different families have different needs?
THE BAD STUFF: THE MARRIAGE EPISODE
This is really stupid. I told you I will come back to the marriage episode. The elder sister is supposed to be married to Yaser, who, by the way, has the hots for his fiancée's younger sister. On the day of the marriage, the 'good' sister meets with an incident and is unable to get to the venue on time. As you watch this, you ask yourself, DOES NO ONE HAVE A PHONE? Not even the police, the ambulance or the hospital, to alert the parents? And then this lady - who by the way was robbed at gun point - is branded characterless for showing up late to her own reception. And again, everyone seems OK with this! Even the parents of the girl, while not wondering where she is, decides it is better for the younger sister to get married in place of the older sister, because "log kya kahenge" or what will people think.
Again, she was robbed at gun point and is late, but somehow this is a big disaster and the young sister must save the day. And of course, Yaser is behind himself with glee, telling his new younger wife that God stepped in to make him marry her…..essentially saying that God had the older sister attacked to please Yaser. But hey - the men are supposed to be religious here, and the women the villain.
We are not done. As the older sister appears, the family keeps worrying about her reputation and her "dagh" (mark). WHAT MARK? WHAT REPUTATION? SHE WAS ROBBED!!! So she has to get married immediately to the first available guy, because, you know, who else will marry her!! I don't know ... someone who has a bit of sense? But because she is the 'good' girl, she has to tolerate this.
A GUILTY PLEASURE
I accept that drama always get a bit exaggerated because you know drama. But this over the top ridiculousness. My post is not just about how ridiculous it is, but how it is pretending what is pathetic behaviour (forced marriage , tolerating toxic abuse , age old fashioned thinking) as good, progressive and religious. This show, while remaining a guilty pleasure, certainly does not deserve to be called a good show.
