Hey world.
I hope everyone is doing well today, and this time we are going to talk about a new drama that I really like. I do not know exactly why this one seems fun…actually I do and that is what we are going to discuss today. We are going to talk about ‘Adhi Gawahi’, a Pakistani drama that focuses on strange marital situations, minus the actual marriage.
Pakistani dramas in the opinions of many people, including me are very unique compared to the rest of the world, and in the best of ways. Pakistani cinema in the last couple of years somehow wanted to make it very obvious that life does not imitate art, so they decided to make art imitate life, making very prominent lines and scenarios that life is not a movie. I don’t I’ve seen that in other dramas from around that world.
Another thing that is visibly obvious is that when one thing resonates very well, they tend to do with every story line, which can be weird but allows everything to happen in a different world. Either our dramas have actually held on to an idea of innovation and change and experimental design, in both good and bad ways. Plus Pakistani dramas with a strong woman’s issue as the center are actually able to put a point across and have a good show along with developed characters. Not that doesn’t happen in other dramas, but the look and feel is unique and different.
If only the same talent could understand that the same thing doesn’t make good movies.
Any way in ‘Adhi Gawahi’, we focus on a young Salwa who is engaged to her cousin Saad, but in some accident is acting in a college play,where her character is getting married. Sounds innocent, until she finds out that the marriage in the play by some stupid logic, actually got her married to some crazy jerk. Why? Because a piece of paper has their name on it. Oh and she has an evil cousin and aunt duo, and she loses the guy she loves, and she loses are reputation and she gets her herself into trouble, and she annoys your intelligence. You know the usual.
I’m glad that this drama among the several plots in it is able to show how the constitution of marriage laws, is sometimes confusing but in many cases completely stupid. Adhi Gawahi asks its audience what is a legitimate marriage? With showing a good amount of contrasting relationships and just making a case of better rules, and telling society that they should fix their perceptions and be less judgmental.
For the most part Salwa and her cute but very weak mother can never really tell their family what happened, the family does not trust Salwa in anything and her boyfriend/cousin/fiancee/ turns his back on her in less than a day. And the creepy guy she gets married to accident is an obvious dangerous jerk, but that never stimulates her brain. But of course all of this is explored while all the parents talk about the importance of family and saving your respect while putting your safety on the line. None of them are in sync with each other, which makes it realistic but also unsatisfying since the suspense is always there.
Adhi Gawahi does a good job with how the characters deal with the fake wedding problem, and society’s perception of a well a real wedding. Salwa marries the well-developed and interesting evil character Hamdaan as basically a mock wedding for a play, but somehow takes over her life and she wants a divorce for a wedding that never really happened. If that wasn’t bad enough Hamdaan actually treats the wedding license as a real thing, I guess that’s what we can expect from the creepy jerk in your chemistry class. Salwa can’t even tell her uncles to help out, because she is scared of what they will say to her, but for the most part all they do is torture the girl. Her cousin Saad get forced to marry the evil annoying other only cousin in the family, Soha. And we get to see their marriage for the hellish sham that it is, and with this even the parents learn their lesson. Maybe next time they’ll think twice before blackmailing their son to marry the cousin that likes him.
Ironic how people who treat marriage as sacred treat it like a cheap buffet, which they vomit out afterwards. ( points finger at society and rishta aunties )
With all of that I enjoy this show, the actors are extremely good and deliver their dialogues perfectly, which is rare these days. Its true, everywhere I turn I am hit with bad writing. The characters have strong personalities and they change and grow pretty well with every episode. And there some impressive moments where the acting and writing hit a whole new dimension. Specifically for me it was when Salwa finds out that the cousin she once loved and now hates is going to be a father, she hold her face and presses her lips which hits home. Seriously give the girl some award for it.
But what is an audience supposed to learn from Adhi Gawahi? Is that we should really reevaluate our legal system when it comes to weddings, something the world already is obsessed with. Then how is it that these problems, are never addressed in a way that helps the greater good. Salwa is actually trapped in a fake marriage because of a piece of paper, even if logic dictates otherwise. Saad is obviously unhappy with Soha, and still loves Slawa, but he trapped himself . Hamdaan is doing nothing more but twisting religion, influence and fear to destroy a girl.
But the more you think about the fact that this actually happens in real life is stupid, religion already tells us that you can’t be officially married without two consenting people. We already know that a one time divorce is only a one time divorce, no matter how many times you say. We already know you cannot make someone marry the Quran, and that people only do that to protect property. We know that it’s wrong to ask for a dowry, and that you are supposed to treat your daughter-in-law like shit, and we know that it is okay to leave an unhappy marriage . But we are all trapped, and we don’t have to be.
A little attention, reformation and change and fix all of this. Even recently India got rid of the three-time divorce thing. So clearly it’s not impossible to fix things and untrap ourselves.
You can watch the episodes here
Maheen's Muse 