Kankar Last Episode – Review

Kankar’s end was not so surprising but it couldn’t have been more perfect. Everyone finally figured out their mistakes and moved on for the better, but in a natural way. Rukhsar went through the most drastic change; she seemed like a totally different person. I couldn’t get used to the new friendly, positive Rukhsar. Her character is the perfect representation of how problems can affect people’s minds and personalities. But I still don’t like her.

Arzoo’s confused state of mind was portrayed nicely too. She was wrong in blaming her mother for her messed up marriage since she herself was going crazy about Sikander, but it was natural for her to play the blame game. It isn’t easy to accept that the dilemma you are going through is the result of your mistakes. Especially for an indecisive person like Arzoo.

Despite all she went through at the hands of Sikander, it was hard for her to think about divorce. Compared to Kiran, she has a weak personality, thanks to her ever dominating mother who never loosened her grip on her daughter. She was rendered helpless because of her love for Sikander and her son. Unable to make up her mind, she went to Kiran and sought her advice. The tense air between them diffused as Arzoo opened up and the two talked about their marriage and feelings for Sikander. He was the one who drove them apart and it was him who brought them back together. I expected Arzoo to apologise for misunderstanding Kiran but I guess she was too caught up in her own problems. I wish their scene was a bit longer. They should have focused more on their meeting instead of the prolonged scene between Faiqa and Arzoo later.

Faiqa’s rude remarks about Kiran were really hard to tolerate since she had no reason to taunt her anymore. Arzoo should have defended Kiran more strongly. Maha Warsi was much more convincing in this this episode as compared to the last week’s.

The highlight of the episode was, of course, the scene between Kiran and Sikander. Her reaction to his outrageous suggestion was justified. Marriage is not a game. I love Kiran’s grip on her emotions; she didn’t let her rage cloud her mind and used the opportunity to show Sikander the consequences his behaviour will lead to instead of cursing him for ruining her life. It was hard for her to turn away from him, it was evident from the way she walked away with a confused Rukhsar. Sanam Baloch and Fahad Mustafa were outstanding. Their expressions were very spontaneous and real. It wasn’t just Kiran’s slap that added to the brilliance of the scene, it was the emotion behind every dialogue they uttered.

The next best scene was the one between Adnan and Rukhsar. The unsaid emotions were as loud as their words. I’m glad he spoke his mind instead of holding it back because she was leaving. To maintain a healthy relationship it is better to get things off your chest instead of holding grudges. Despite all the gile shikwey, Adnan didn’t misbehave with his older sister. His tone remained respectful. This is another trait that distinguishes Adnan from Sikander; he respects everyone in his life whether it’s his mother, sister or wife. Unlike Sikander who completely loses it and forgets who he is talking to.

There was little that bothered me about this episode. The ending was as realistic as it could have been. I think I have already emphasised a lot on the fine performance of the entire cast in my earlier reviews so I don’t think I need to mention it again. But I’ll say this though: Kankar is one of those serials which leave a deep impact on the mindset of viewers. Whether you agree or not, you won’t forget Sikander’s temper and Kiran’s decision to stand up for herself.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Season’s Best Dramas

This season has brought new but hardly any good shows. Most projects which were highly anticipated before they were aired turned out to be huge disappointments. Therefore it is easier to make a list of the shows that are actually worth watching instead of those which make you wonder why they were aired in the first place.

(The list below is not in order of preference)

Kankar

Though it is about to end, Kankar will always remain one of the shows that I admire a lot. When I saw the promos, the serial didn’t seem so appealing and out of the ordinary. But it was Umera Ahmed’s script and Sanam Baloch and Fahad Mustafa rarely do a mediocre project. After a long time we saw a drama that focused on an issue and how people react to it in our society.

It lacked glamour, the pace was slow but the serial never wandered around aimlessly. The director managed to keep a firm grip on the story. Everything was shown in detail and the brilliant acting by the entire cast and especially the two leads, Fahad Mustafa and Sanam Baloch, made it even more interesting and realistic.

Meri Beti

Considering that it is Big Bang Entertainment’s second production, Meri Beti has all the ingredients of a good drama. The production quality is amazing, the cast is good and the story is different. It portrays how hard it is for divorced or widowed women to survive in our society, especially if they have kids. The lead character, played by the talented Sabreen Hasbani, has to abandon her daughter out of fear that her second husband won’t accept her. Her mother, played by Samina Peerzada, takes up the responsibility of bringing her up as her own daughter. Arij Fatima plays the role of the daughter, Iraj, who grows up thinking that her mother is her sister. While the storyline is serious, it has light moments and entire episodes are not engulfed by countless tears.

The cast consists of Sabreen Hasbani, Samina Peerzada, Arij Fatima, Shahood Alvi and others. All of the actors have done a brilliant job in portraying the complexities of their characters.

Pyare Afzal

Another brilliant production by Six Sigma Plus. Though only two episodes have aired so far, I am absolutely in love with this show. From the title song to the cast, everything is amazing. So far the story seems unique as well. The cast includes Ayeza Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Firdous Jamal, Saba Hameed etc.

The story revolves around Afzal, played by Hamza Ali Abbasi, an irresponsible young man who is a constant pain for his family, especially his father Subhan Allah, (Firdous Jamal) who is a religious cleric. Afzal’s way of income: gambling. He is also a notorious ‘charsi’ and receives love notes from a girl who has made him swear to keep her identity hidden. Though his character is shaky, he isn’t completely devoid of morals.

On the other hand is Farah, played by Ayeza Khan, a confident and free spirited girl who is about to get married to a person who she doesn’t like in the least. For once, Ayeza Khan is not portraying a roti dhoti haseena, a character which has become synonymous with her name.

So far, the serial is enjoyable. It has humour, drama and reality. The unpredictable story is the most intriguing factor.

Shak

I’m not sure if the story should be labeled as unique but it has been executed beautifully, nonetheless. The leading cast includes Sanam Saeed, Adeel Hussain, Ayesha Khan and Jibran. The serial revolves around the lives of Sham and Sania, played by Adeel Hussain and Sanam Saeed, ex fiancés who have now married different people and have moved on with life. Sehrish, (Ayesha Khan) Sham’s wife, is a cheery housewife who dotes on her husband. Sania and Ali (Jibran) are happy with each other as well but due to financial problems, they have started having differences. Thanks to fate, the two families have met as neighbours and despite all Sania’s reservations, have also become friends.

The serial has been interesting so far and all the actors have played their parts convincingly. Yasir Nawaz’s superb direction and Six Sigma Plus’ brilliant production makes this serial a must watch.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 24 – Review

Kankar is finally nearing towards its end and the best part is that the director decided not to rush it and still managed to keep it interesting. This latest episode built the momentum for the final end (though I still think that things could’ve been wrapped up two episodes ago). Anyway.

The first half of the episode focused on Kiran and the challenges posed by her second marriage. Adnan’s changed attitude was startling and completely unlike him but here I don’t blame him much. He is stuck between his sister and wife. He tries to sympathise with both the parties but ends up angering them. Besides, with a whining sister like Rukhsar who can stay in their right minds? I’m sure one reason of letting her stay at her parents’ house was that her in-laws couldn’t stand her. Without thinking twice, she decided it was important to go and congratulate Arzoo’s family and forced her mother to tag along. And then didn’t hesitate in talking about the visit while Kiran was in earshot. Naturally, Kiran had reached her limit of tolerance and couldn’t stop herself from complaining about it to Adnan.

His reaction to her complains started to blow out of proportion and he stooped down to insulting her by using derogatory language and bringing up Sikander in their conversations. He did feel apologetic later but, like Kiran said, that’s what Sikander did too. I liked the way she referred to him later, to tell him that if he can cross that line than she can do the same.

It is not like he doesn’t know who is at fault. All of Rukhsar’s constant ‘harbay’ started to get on Adnan’s mind and her comment about the couple being childless even after a year of marriage proved to be the last straw for him.

Irum has taken a surprising U-turn. Though she clearly didn’t support Kiran’s decision, condemning her sister so openly instead of realising how big a hypocrite Sikander really is, was extremely cruel of her. I liked her character but now…I’m not so sure if I admire her ‘morals’.

On the other hand, Arzoo got to see the real ‘roop’ of Sikander. Despite all she lured herself to believe, she has been unable to make Sikander forget Kiran. When she confronted him about it and told him where his loyalties should lie, he did the only thing he always did when he didn’t have an answer: slapped her across the face. Maha Warsi’s utter lack of expressions, however, totally ruined the impact of a scene that should have been the highlight of the episode. The director still managed to make it memorable by showing a supposed-to-be-weeping Arzoo’s back instead of focusing on her bland expressions.

Anyway, very predictably Arzoo’s next step was to leave the house at once only to be pushed away by a violent Sikander who refused to give up his son. That only made her angrier and she called her parents, who took her away along with her son, at once. Unlike Kiran, who didn’t confide in anyone when Sikander hit her the first time let alone leave the house, she wasn’t going to stay and give him a ‘second chance’ to abuse her again and again.

The reaction of Sikander’s family on this incident was totally opposite of what it was when Kiran took the same step after losing her child. While Sikander’s parents condemned him for hitting Arzoo, he blamed his father for his unforgivable temper. This time his mother didn’t tell him to stop insulting his father like she had told Kiran when she said the same. Instead she finally spoke up against his abusive ‘mardangi’.

At the end we finally got some good news. Rukhsar is finally and thankfully leaving. And this news has completely transformed her! Even her mother couldn’t recognize her beaming self. All her bitterness and negative attitude towards Kiran was washed away as she happily planned her shopping trips with her.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 22 – Review

Shohar ki izzat or biwi ki izzat do alag cheezain to nahi hain. Agar aik cheez nahi hogi to dusri kese hosakti hai?

This question, in my opinion, is the crux of the entire drama. A person cannot respect others unless they learn to respect themselves. However, in our society people equate self-respect with ego and arrogance and only men have the right to be egotistic and arrogant.

Adnan and Kiran have started a new life together and even though there are still some splashes of the past, they haven’t robbed the couple’s ability to be happy with each other, something that is difficult for Rukhsar to digest. Both Adnan and phopo have asked Kiran to put her guard up when dealing with Rukhsar and rightfully so because she is already creating problems.

Phopo, despite all her reservations about this marriage, still loves Kiran and has accepted her whole heartedly. Unluckily for her, she has a daughter named Rukhsar who wants to deprive the world of happiness. The woman has the astonishing skill of digging something negative from the most minor things. Sure she has problems, her in laws are a pain and her husband has left her alone to work even though she doesn’t want to, but that doesn’t give her the ticket to make everyone miserable.

What makes Rukhsar hate Kiran so whole heartedly is not just her brother’s blind love for her (she calls it blind). Kiran, who has grown more sensible and responsible after her divorce, didn’t have to work hard to make her place in the household. Add to that the comfort level of both Adnan and Phopo has made Rukhsar extremely insecure. And the reasons are not incomprehensible. Her in-laws don’t even want her to come home whereas Kiran is so appreciated by her family. That is outrageous.

If anyone can match her for being so unbearable, it is Sikander. It seems as if he is not even making an effort to get over Kiran. If anything could make him feel more dejected, it was the news of Kiran and Adnan’s wedding. He has grown colder towards Arzoo, who doesn’t know what to do to get his attention and has almost given up. She finds it easy to live in her delusion that it is her who makes Sikander happy. The most alarming effect, however, is that the anger he had curbed for so long is getting out of control once again. He hasn’t spilled it out on Arzoo yet but he is finding other outlets. Yelling at his labour and lower staff repeatedly and hiding behind the excuse that it is the way he has been brought up that makes him unable to control his temper is a sign that he hasn’t learned anything from his failed marriage with Kiran.

So far, he had never expressed ‘regret’ over his divorce. He did mention Kiran in front of Arzoo more than once, but never discussed his relationship with her or tried to explain the reason behind their separation. For the first time, he vocalized his frustration with his only friend perhaps, that Kiran left him and all the ‘asayishat’ that he could give her. Measuring love with money and material things is another trait that has remained intact. His constant exclamations that Adnan doesn’t deserve a girl like Kiran because he isn’t rich and can’t give her anything shows that for him, love can only be expressed with money. This explains why he can’t accept that his divorce was mostly his fault.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 21 – Review

Yesterday’s episode was as good and interesting as last week’s. While Kiran has settled a bit with her divorced state, Sikander is still going through depression and his lack of communication with Arzoo remains intact. However, instead of making an issue out of it, the latter has deluded herself into thinking that all is well. That is still not enough to protect her from get hurt. More often than not, she senses Kiran’s constant presence between them. As a result, she can’t help but spew poison about Kiran in front of Sikander but is still unable to catch his attention.

On the other hand, Adnan refused to back off from his demand despite fierce opposition from Rukhsar. This time he has taken all the steps he hesitated from last time. He confessed his feelings in front of Kiran. She was stunned to hear everything he told her and I sensed some regret that she didn’t notice all the signs earlier. It wouldn’t be surprising if she did feel that way because she knows that if she would have married Adnan instead of Sikander she wouldn’t be in this mess. She wouldn’t have had to face insult and abuse like she did at the hands of Sikander. The scene was beautifully directed. Hassan Niazi and Sanam Baloch acted it out amazingly; it was an intense scene performed with such simplicity that it became one of the highlights of a very bitter-sweet episode.

Adnan’s mother, though not happy with his decision gave in, partly because she doesn’t want to lose her only son and partly because she knows how strong his feelings for Kiran are. Earlier, under Rukhsar’s pressure, she had refused to fulfil his wish so now she knows that it’s prudent to listen to him. Unfortunately, Rukhsar’s bitter self is still around and she would have continued raising hell if Adnan hadn’t showed her, her place and silenced her.

Rukhsar wasn’t alone in opposing the decision. Faiqa, Arzoo’s dear mother, is strictly against Adnan and Kiran’s marriage. I don’t get her. She has gotten her wish, Kiran got divorced and she has happily married her daughter to Sikander, then what is her problem now? If Kiran marries anyone, whether Adnan or someone else, why is it her problem?

It is good news for Arzoo, however. I don’t know whether I should call her small display of ‘sympathy’ an act or genuine concern. On one hand, she declared that she wants to ‘forgive’ Kiran in front of her mother; on the other hand, she brutally ripped apart her character in front of Sikander after they saw her with Adnan. What she aims to achieve from all this is anyone’s guess. However, despite all her ‘compromising nature’ she too has seen a glimpse of Sikander’s true character when he started yelling at her while she was talking to a friend over a few missing shirts. I don’t see what was so major about the shirts not being in the wardrobe, it is pretty obvious that if they weren’t in there, they would be in the laundry. Why the fuss? Then again, it’s Sikander we are talking about so…there is no reason for anything whatsoever.

Here I would like to highlight a small difference between Arzoo and Kiran: the latter went to her mother-in-law when Sikander started hitting her. Before that she never told her that she was facing problems, even though there were misunderstandings between Sikander and her. Arzoo couldn’t stand his temper once and started complaining. Just saying 😉

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 20 – Review

This review is a bit late, but the charm of the episode still hasn’t worn off. The story moved faster this week as compared to the rest of the episodes which were relatively slow. However, despite the pace of the story, Kankar has never been boring. The superb dialogues, acting and direction made up for the flaws.

Both Sikander and Kiran have started a ‘new life’ without each other. But while Sikander already has a new life partner and a family to look forward to, Kiran is facing the aftermath of the divorce. Though she doesn’t regret her decision, it is not easy to face people and their sarcastic questions all the time. Even her well wishers can’t help but find flaws in her. She may be strong but there is a limit to everything. Everyone is busy speculating but no one is ready to understand her pain, what she must be going through. She loved Sikander and even if she didn’t, who’d want to ditch a luxurious life? But our society just doesn’t like to think logically.

Sikander, on the other hand, has given everything up, it seems. His lack of interest in Arzoo is apparent and she feels it too. But with time, she has learned to ignore his behaviour and be happy with him. She has realised that no matter what she does, she cannot make him forget Kiran. As she raved about how everyone attended Rukhsar’s wedding, the only thing Sikander could think about was if Kiran was there. She will always remain a part of Sikander’s life and somehow, Arzoo has settled with that. Their life may look perfect, but there is no communication between them. Sikander cannot develop the understanding he had with Kiran. When he is affectionate towards Arzoo it because of a sense of duty, not because it makes him happy. Fahad Mustafa deserves a real pat on the back for his performance as an emotionally cold Sikander. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this but it has become really hard for me to distinguish him from his character.

Many would say that Arzoo’s compromising nature is the reason why Sikander is so ‘nice’ to her. She doesn’t force him to do things he doesn’t want to do, for example, she didn’t ask him to attend Rukhsar’s wedding when he was busy. In my opinion, however, that just goes on to show the lack of communication between the couple. To those who say that  Kiran would not have been this understanding, I hope they remember that Sikander didn’t attend Irum’s mayoun and didn’t let Kiran stay there as well. And when Kiran’s parents asked him to let her come over, he slapped her after insulting her family in front of her. So to say that she wouldn’t have done the same is really unfair.

Adnan is all set to think about his marriage now that Rukhsar is married. And just like she predicted, it’s still Kiran he wants to marry. The difference is that last time he requested his mother to talk to Kiran’s family, this time he is adamant that she does and wouldn’t take no for an answer. However, since his hitler sister is still around, it is going to be difficult for him to convince his family. Rukhsar who mercilessly criticised Kiran for being obnoxious is three times more annoying and uncompromising. All she can think of is herself and wants everyone else to do the same. I wish her husband takes her away soon before she spreads any more nuisance.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 19 – Review

While the last couple of episodes were outstanding in terms of dialogues, acting and direction, the story was static. This episode was much more happening. The divorce is finally over and it is time for both Kiran and Sikander to move on. It is not that easy though. The memories, both bitter and sweet, aren’t easy to forget. While Kiran doesn’t regret her decision, despite all her depression, Sikander is still trying to determine who was at fault.

Many would say that Kiran was wrong too because she argued too much and provoked Sikander to get violent. All of those people are right, but they aren’t being fair. No one is perfect and every couple has misunderstandings, fights and arguments. A woman is a human being as well and she can’t stay composed all the time. She too, gets angry and argues but that is not an excuse for violence. Beating up a woman to silence her is wrong. Period.

Rukhsar is finally (and thankfully) getting married. I can’t be happier, maybe this way we won’t have to see her on screen. Her frustration is understandable but I am unable to sympathise with her because she is taking it out on others. She gets angry at her fiancé’s sisters for stalling her marriage, while she did the same to her brother. She is selfish, unjust and bitter and she has excuses for everything she does wrong. Which is pretty much everything, including the fact that she exists. Now that she is about to get married, one would think that she may act a bit cheerful, but this word just doesn’t go with Rukhsar. Her bitterness is affecting her mother as well. She can’t even express sympathy for her brothers’. Faiqa mumani, who was once much hated by Rukhsar, is now the most authentic source of news while Kiran is nothing but a nuisance. Don’t understand why she is so jealous of her. Instead of feeling sorry for her, she voiced a new ‘concern’ that Adnan’s old desire to marry Kiran might reawaken.

On the other hand, despite his feeble protests, Sikander has married Arzoo, to the utmost pleasure of both the families. Sikander is far from happy, though. He has married her because his mother wanted him to but he is least interested in this new relationship. It’s like he has given up on life. Nothing matters for him any more, nothing can make him happy. He coldly doused Arzoo’s happiness as well by telling her ‘mai acha admi nahi hun. Mujh se shadi kar k, I think you’ve made a mistake’, by way of welcome.

Now I’ll come to two of my favourite scenes in yesterday’s episode. The first one was Sikander’s conversation with his friend cum confidant. I absolutely loved the way his friend, unknowingly, showed him the mirror by openly saying that any woman whose husband dares to beat her in order to control her, should divorce him right away. Fahad Mustafa’s facial expressions, a mixture of shock and guilt, portraying Sikander’s shattered state, were spot on. He had officially been sentenced by the very person who he thought would support his behaviour.

The second scene was the one between Kiran and her mother, when she told the latter about Sikander’s second marriage. For the first time her mother openly admired her strength and courage to stand up for her rights, while denouncing herself for being so weak and tolerating the cruel behaviour of her husband without protest. This mindset, of tolerating and justifying the unfair attitudes of men is prevalent in our society and no one dares to challenge it. People who do raise their voices are condemned. Naturally, Kiran was astonished to hear her mother admiring her decision and telling her that she wasn’t an ordinary woman.

Can’t wait to see how Arzoo and Sikander’s marriage turns out in the next episode.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 18 – Review

Another amazing episode of Kankar. I can’t stop admiring Kiran for being so strong. As for Sikander, I feel sorry for him but despite that, I know that no matter how ashamed he is, he will never change. Not with Kiran, at least.

The episode was normal-paced and portrayed everyone’s reactions aptly. As per the rules of our society, few were sympathetic towards Kiran. Adnan was one of them too but even he didn’t support her decision. But he respected it all the same. His selfless love for Kiran and the high esteem, in which he holds her, makes him the perfect man for her. He truly deserves her and she him.

Kiran’s father was another one of those who understood her suffering and trusted her decision power. Karma is taking it revenge now by making him see his daughter suffer the treatment he gave his wife. And he has grabbed it as a chance to make up for his mistakes. By supporting his daughter, he is denouncing himself and all men who treat their wives as a pet or their property.

His wife, however, hasn’t learned anything at all and that shows every time she condemns her. Being a victim of abuse, she should at least make an attempt to protect her daughter. But no! Our society has this weird obsession with ‘ghar basana’ and that is all that crowds their mind. They don’t care if the couple is unhappy. I’ll quote Kiran from last episode: ‘Izzat karwaye baghair jo ham ghar banana ki koshish karte hain na who ghar nahi hota…jahanum hota hai.’

As for Sikander’s mother, well the woman has totally lost her mind, ethics and manners. Assuming she had them before, that is. The way she treated Kiran and her father when they came over to collect Kiran’s books, failed to represent the class she claimed to be from. She thought she was demeaning Kiran but in fact she was the one who looked cheap and pathetic. The girl is demanding for divorce, it is pretty obvious that she doesn’t care about the money or the jewellery. If she did, she would have stayed and be abused by her husband, just like her mother-in-law. I think she should take a good look at herself because she is the one who is hungry for money, not Kiran.

Anyway, Kiran later returned her the favour when she came over to her house with Sikander and her husband as a last attempt for reconciliation. The common and the extremely stupid ideology that is fed to the women of our society that men have the right to beat their wives, was successfully proven wrong by Kiran. Her reasoning was completely accurate. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so blunt with her parents-in-law but the only choice she had apart from that was getting insulted in her own house.

Arzoo has stooped down to new levels by telling everyone in her college about Kiran’s divorce. No matter what differences they have, they are family and you just can’t insult your family members like that. Saadia was kind, though. She has never failed to understand Kiran. The scene where Kiran enters the college and sees everyone staring and pointing at her was beautifully directed.

What else will Kiran have to face? And how will Sikander manage to let her go? Their divorce, though justified, is still making me sad. I just can’t wait for the next episode.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 17 – Review

It really is very hard to stand up for yourself when even your family doesn’t support you. Despite the fact that Kiran’s mother have been through the same situation, probably worse, it is astonishing to see that she has decided not to support her daughter. That is what’s wrong with the women of our society; they accept EVERYTHING, no matter how wrong, as part of a man’s nature. Therefore, anyone who stands up and questions it is condemned and goes unheard.

 

I don’t understand how anyone can expect a girl to respect her husband and in laws when they keep on insulting her all the time? How can she call a place her ‘home’ when she is always treated like an outsider? Adjustments and compromises must be made on both sides, otherwise no relationship can work.

 

I felt so sorry for Kiran when her mother told her about how ‘good’ a husband her father had been. The very thing she was fighting because she thought is wrong is something that was just as normal for her parents as it was for Sikander. What I appreciate most is that she still didn’t back off. Kiran understands that this evil cannot go away till someone stands up against it. And if she has to be the one to stand up and be cursed by the world for demanding respect then so be it.

 

Adnan was there for her once again. He did try to change her mind but he is the only person who isn’t judging her. Even her family is can’t be completely impartial to Sikander. I was still glad to see that Kiran’s mother questioned Sikander’s mother about his behaviour with Kiran, but she could have said more in her daughter’s defence.

 

As for Sikander, I felt sorry for him last week but I’m back to hating him. There is no doubt that he is madly in love with Kiran but he is unaware of the word ‘respect’. A man who really loves and respects his wife would never let a friend say things like ‘bhabi ka dimagh thikane ajaye ga’ or ‘sakhti karo un k sath’. His ego was tainted when Kiran told her family about his behaviour and he had the guts to question her even after all he had done. But it’s ok for him to tell how badly his wife treats him in front of a friend who probably hasn’t even met Kiran.

 

Then he went on to blame his father for his anger issues. It is true that the relationship between parents have a huge effect on children. But it is also true that children don’t learn everything at home. Sikander spent a long time away from home while he was studying, didn’t he learn to behave nicely with others, to stop thinking as if the world was made to serve him? His father was wrong, but he can’t justify his actions by presenting this as an excuse.

 

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

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Kankar episode 16 – Review

This was by far the most outstanding episodes of Kankar. And that is saying something because every episode aired so far has left an impression. I loved each and every scene, dialogue and expression. Kiran finally told her mother how her miscarriage actually took place and I was glad to see some concern on her mother’s face for once. It vanished soon however, when Sikander came home. Despite her anger and disappointment in Sikander she didn’t think that he deserved any other punishment from her or her daughter.

Sikander’s past and the way it has affected him was shown beautifully. Parents often do not think how their disputes can affect children. Sikander hates that his father used to beat his mother, he hates that his mother had to live that life and yet he is the same man as his father. Unintentionally, his father passed on his traits to his son. The materialistic nature is also inherited from his parents. He has always seen his mother forgiving his father once he brought her expensive gifts. So, naturally he thinks that money can solve everything. Respect, dignity of his wife is something that is unknown to him. It was easy to see Sikander’s pain and guilt as he remembered all the bitter memories, his parents’ conflicts and their aftermath.

‘Sare mard aise hi hote hain’, has somehow made him believe that a man has every right to hit his wife or else, he is not a man.

For everyone who wondered whether she really did go back to normal with Sikander or not, Kiran’s flashback answered everything. She did give him a second chance and did try to help him get over his anger. But he clearly doesn’t want to try because he doesn’t think it’s a problem.

Despite his mother’s reprimands, he couldn’t stop himself from going to Kiran’s house to apologise and listen to her parents explicitly telling him not to hurt her again. He did agree but Kiran wouldn’t stand for it. She is not ready to repeat the mistake of trusting Sikander again.

It is very refreshing to see a girl standing up for what’s right instead of playing the victim in a drama serial. Normally, girls are supposed to gain sympathy by continuing to compromise on unreasonable behaviour. Someone has to stand and question such behaviour or else men will continue to live in their false sense of power. Being weak is not a virtue and anyone who thinks so should get their priorities straight.

By Farwa Batool Naqvi

Follow Farwa on Twitter: @fbNaqvi

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