There is one thing common in all
the female characters of the drama, regardless of class. In the domestic
sphere, we never see the woman indulged in household chores or activities which
we have clearly seen in the previous dramas. Whether it is the respectable
upper class housewife, the middle class working woman or the lower class woman
in misery, none of these characters operate in the conventional way in the
domestic sphere and are frequently found idle. It is probably because of this
that the kitchen, a place of great significance in Humsafar and used to show
Fazeelat’s domain in Dhoop Kinare is never once portrayed in this drama.
If we look at the category of
housewives, we see Gulbahaar, Sajida Begum and Sheherbano never lifting a
finger and just sitting leisurely around the house. The first two are seen with
their husbands having a meal that is brought by servants. They just sit in the
company of the men and their conversations never have anything to do with
domestic chores normally associated with the women in the household. Both women
are seen making their hair as if to please their husbands and indulge in such
luxury while at home. Sheherbano can barely be called a housewife because she
is never seen as part of the house but only occupies the confined space of a
single room in her married house. She either listens to ghazals or compares
herself to her caged bird but she too never steps into the role of a
domesticated female figure. For her, even life before marriage was quite
similar because of the numerous male servants present in her father’s house.
She never really encountered the need to perform any duties; the only time she
is asked to make tea is by Nasir in his new apartment. That too is merely a way
of adding to the romance aspect of the couple and we only see Sheherbano leave
for the kitchen but never see her working there.
Even the middle class working
woman found in Shireen remains constantly busy with her job. In the various
times that she visits Nasir’s house, she demands tea saying “Chai tou pilao”
and we see Nasir’s friend taking up the task. The only time that she offers to
serve Nasir, he mocks her saying “Miss aap ne home-economics parhi hai….mere
khyaal hai madam aap sahafat he karein kyun k ye choole haandi ka kaam aap ko
zaib nahi leta.” In doing so, he completely defines her through her profession
leaving no place for her to function in the private space of the home. His
words also make the viewer compare her to Sheherbano who is not a working woman
but had the ability to please Nasir with good tea.
In the lower class, Singhar is
someone who one would assume has to manage all the domestic affairs herself and
even requests her husband to stay for food before his travel. But for much of
the drama, she is identified as the mother rather than the domesticated wife.
For her, the son becomes a means of empowering her and giving her some
negotiating power with her husband saying, “Apne baitay ko apna naam tou do”. And
because the drama largely gives her a storyline through her child, we never see
her doing the household chores like a wife. The only woman who craves to fall
in that role is Ameer-un-Nissa who says, “Hum se bartan dhulwa lo. Hum se kapre
dhulwa lo”. She in fact remains puzzled that she is being offered such luxury
like jewellery, clothes and music playing classes. She constantly asks Khanum, “Tum
hum se kaam kyun nahi leti” because for her that is the assigned role for women
and that is only how she can earn money.
Thus, the drama seems to sideline
this aspect of women’s role to highlight more pressing concerns. The male
dominance and power is critiqued to a great extent that in doing so the
conventional role of women is left forgotten. After the drama of the 90’s, the
post 9/11 drama seems to bring back the idea of the domesticated female figure
seen in Humsafar and praises women specifically for this role.
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