Papa Kehte Hain

The figure of the father is at the center of Chaand Grehan. The father-son relationship takes several forms in the drama serial.

1.  The Absent Father: Laal Hussain Shah’s relationship with his son from his second marriage with Gulbahar, is rather distant as compared to the relationship he has with his children from the first marriage. Guddu, his youngest son, complains to his mother that “humare papa humare paas kyun nahin rehtay”. He is even bullied because of the lack of his father’s involvement in his life “school main isse larke tang karte hain, kehtay hain iska baap nahin hai”. Although Laal Hussain Shah accepts Guddu as his own and tells him “koi tumhein kuch kahe na, uska munh torr do aakhir tum Laal Hussain Shah ke betay ho”, the lack of an active role he takes in Guddu’s life makes the father-son relationship rather strained.
2. The Fatherly Figure: Laal Hussain Shah’s relationship with his elder son Jahaniah is the closest to a “fatherly figure”. He constantly corrects Jahaniah’s mistakes and realizes that his son’s actions would have a direct effect on him and it is his responsibility to ensure he acts in a proper manner “tumhari inhi harkaton ki wajah se main haara hun.” He takes an active role in Jahaniah’s life, imparting knowledge and teaching him the tricks of trade "shikast ko gracefully kabool karo, daulat jamaa karo, ya phir waqt ka intezar karo." When Jahaniah gets in trouble, he is also there to bail him out like a protective father “dekhain mere betay ka naam nahin aana chahiye. Ab ager aagaya hai toh us main shaq paeda kerna tum logon ka kaam hai." Jahaniah’s relationship with his father can be argued as the healthiest father-son relationship of Chaand Grehan.
3. The Possessive Father:  Babar is also involved in his son, Amjad’s life. However, this involvement is a bit excessive. Babar feels like he has a right on his son’s life to an extent that he makes all the decisions for Amjad without even consulting him once. He tells Amjad “maine tumhare mutaaliq kuch aur socha rakha hai” but doesn’t reveal what he has decided until later. He has high aspirations for his son but wants Amjad to aspire to what he wants “bas itni si uraan hai tumhari? Aur maine pata nahin kya kya soch rakha hai tumhare liye”. The relationship ends up becoming that of ownership and is called out on this nature when Amjad accuses Babar that “aap mujhe invest kerna chahte hain” to which Babar replies “invest toh main ker chukka hun, ab munaafa lena chahta hun.”Amjad’s rebellion is futile. Babar takes up the role of a possessive father who feels he has the right on his son’s life.
4. The Estranged Father: Kamal’s relationship with his son, Nasir is one of estrangement. While Nasir is a revolutionary, his father is actively working to solidify the status quo. This results in Nasir rebelling against his father as the first step of his revolution. He quits his job at his father’s newspaper and does not want to rely on his father for any help “fikar na kijiye, main aap ko takleef nahin dunga”. Kamal as a response does not support what he sees as his son's shenanigans and tells him “mujhe us din ka intezar rahega jab tum apne awara doston ke saath jail ki salakhon ke peechay hogay aur us waqt main tumhare liye apne akhbaar main ek column ki khabar bhi nahin laga sakunga”. The father and son have a very different worldview “aap shayad syasat ko ek nafa bakhsha karobar samjhte hain, jab ke mere liye yeh ibadat hai” which results in them drifting miles apart.