Haniya's Post: Khirad vs. Zoya; The Ideal Woman

*note: submitted on time 

Dhoop Kinaray is the opposite of Humsafar. Difference in the ideal woman portrayed in both the dramas is stark. The first episodes in both dramas where the girls are introduced bring out these major differences in both the heroines.

 The scene in the first episode in which Khirad (heroine of Humsafar) is introduced to the audience is a pivotal one. She is shown as simple and mature girl who does not leave the house, helps her mother out and manages the house by doing the chores herself. She is dressed in shalwar kameez and has a dupatta covering most of her upper body. Showing she was sort of religious and conservative too. Through this scene domesticity was emphasized upon. The ideal woman was shown to have a domestic life where she took care of domestic chores and managed the household. She dressed conservatively and was confined to the domestic sphere.

When Zoya, the heroine of Dhoop Kinaray is introduced the scene is completely opposite. She is shown as sleeping till late, she is sleeping upside down on the bed and she has a stuffed toy on the bed too.  When she wakes up she is wearing a button down shirt and pajamas. There is talk about applying to college which means stepping out of the domestic sphere. The ideal woman is shown as very liberal and cheerful in this drama. She screams for “chai” from bed. The audience gets an idea of not expecting domesticity from this character. Her clothes suggest that she is not conservative or religious like Khirad as there is no dupatta. She talks to her father very casually and the relationship she has with her father is a friendly one. She calls her father “baydard baap” and jokes with him; Whereas Khirad talks to her mother in a very somber way. She talks about household chores and helping her mother out. A light side of Khirad’s character is not shown. Zoya is shown to be daring and confident. This is shown through her dialogues and the chacter of Anji. Anji is shown to be a passive girl, much like the heroines we looked at earlier. She is afraid to talk to her father and even her language and speech are shown as well mannered whereas Zoya uses phrases such as “baqwaas bund karo.” A phrase one could never imagine Khirad saying. A character like Zoya would have been looked down upon in Humsafar because of these qualities but in Dhoop Kinaray she is not seen a deviant or villain and is not judged.

The scene hence brings out the type of heroine the drama is trying to portray. The dramas are being aired on National television so the writers and producers have a specific type of ideal woman they want to portray to the masses.