It is very rarely that we come across characters in contemporary drama serials who have goals other than finding the right person to spend their lives with.
In a society already obsessed with the institution of marriage, Pakistani drama serials have added to the narrow-mindedness by producing countless characters, both male and female, who cannot see beyond marriage, and therefore have nothing to contribute to the society, or the fast-paced, research oriented world in general.
Mohabbat Chor Di Mein Ne, a recent production of GEO TV, however, brought a different perspective, particularly in its last episode when the viewers, accustomed to watching men and women mourning the loss of their love lives, were expecting a similar response from the character of Komal (Hajra Yamin), a rich and authoritative woman divorced and turned into a single parent.
Thanks to Naila Ansari, the writer and Shaqielle Khan, the director for developing Komal’s character in such a way that the viewers weren’t made to think that her life has ended, now that she is divorced. It is with dignity that Komal spends her days as a divorcee, and it is with an equal respect for her individuality that she once again rises as a woman who cannot be shattered, attaining a good post as a working woman.
The second beautiful thing about the episode was the grace attached to the character of Hazim (Farhan A Malhi). Neither a seductive boss nor an affluent businessman, something we are tired of watching, Hazim’s was a character all of us would want to have in our busy yet depressed lives; a character that motivates to move forward by putting aside the burden of past memories and not allowing future prospects to take a toll on our health, but by making the best use of our present instead.
A statement which Hazim gave in the last episode was as much surprising as it was important, coming as it was from a Pakistani male character. Hazim, in one of his talks as a motivational speaker in the last episode of the serial, said that the most important thing for us is to detach ourselves from relationships by developing an understanding of the fact that nothing stays forever.
It was with this very idea in mind that we saw the characters of Mohabbat Chor Di Mein Ne making it through their lives in the serial’s last episode, not obsessing themselves with their beloveds but focusing more on their careers – Hazim on his lectures and conferences and Komal on her job as a working woman.
What is important to mention is that the writer didn’t completely detach the characters from their basic human emotions. They did have their respective inclinations, but only at the back of their minds, made evident by the director inserting memories only in the scenes where Komal could be seen heading back home from work. Nowhere during their working hours were the characters made to think about their unrequited loves, resulting in both Hazim and Komal emerging as focused, goal-oriented and thus inspirational people.
Although the two were made to unite in the last scene, the good thing about the entire scene was its subliminal aura. Without even once mentioning the word of marriage, the institution was only subtly hinted at, and that too as a thing to be considered for future. No desperation on the part of the characters was depicted. Instead, it was once again that Hazim was shown as boarding the plane for a conference of his, thus once again reminding the viewers that the character isn’t one obsessed with a woman, and Komal depicted as a reserved woman who has to take her time giving the idea a serious thought before turning it into a decision.
To put it in a nutshell, the last episode of Chor Di Mein Ne was a piece of creative art made sublime by good writing and good direction. With no pompous weddings, with no one mourning the loss of love, and with no one pivoting their lives around relationships, the serial conveyed a much-needed message to the current generation to think outside marriage and focus on their careers first. Love, the last episode told, will definitely revert if it’s true, but at the right time. All the same, human nature is not to be avoided. Memories, either of good or bad experiences, have to be there at the back of our minds to help shape a better future.
