People and Things

One of the techniques used in Dhoope Kinarey is to make artful use of objects in order to convey its messages more concretely. Thus we have the drama beginning over the issue of the Professor’s house, which he leaves to his granddaughter instead of his adoptive son. Even though Ahmer gets a new house in the city, he finds that he can only see it as a makaan and not a ghar. Moreover, his readiness to buy it back from the new owner reflects his sentimental attachment to The House. The House is then a symbol of his relationship/attachment to his adoptive father, a symbol of the shelter that he received there when he was an orphan. In fact it is more than a symbol, it is his sanctuary. Furthermore, the Professor’s act of giving away the house to his estranged granddaughter then illustrates the importance of blood ties, that the right of blood relatives to inherit from the deceased is above anyone else’s. 

Zoya’s earrings also are used in the drama to propel the plot forward. They are representative of the dynamics between Dr.Ahmer and Zoya. Whenever Zoya is reprimanded by Dr.Ahmer with regard to her non serious attitude, her earrings come off. This is especially explicit in the episode where she forgets to give one of her patients his injection because of which, the orphan boy has to be admitted in to the ICU. Zoya sitting beside his bed, miserable at the gravity of the situation, takes off her earrings and goes to sleep beside the patient. Zoya’s non serious, playful attitude is then reflected by her earrings and her taking them off symbolizes her solemn attitude.  The fact that it is Dr.Ahmer who returns her earrings is significant in two ways. First, that he is the patriarch here who has to correct the female’s behavior, and second, that this act of giving Zoya back her earrings ushers in the explicit recognition of the romance between them. Similarly,  Zoya’s car blocking Dr.Ahmer’s and vice versa is symbolic of the obstacles that each person’s  personality presents for the other.  

Clothes too are important indicators. Anji’s father, known as “Angraiz Bahadur” is seen dressed up in suspenders with a cigar in his mouth, showing his uptight personality and a mindset like that of the educated elites of British India. Similarly, when Zoya wears a pink shalwar kameez, everyone is amazed at how like a girl she looks. Hence, her pink clothes are used to emphasize, by contrast, her tomboyish personality and carefree attitude.