annatMurad, a play on GEO starring Iqra Aziz and TalhaChahour, has been on air since the end of September.

Initially, it came across as a typical take on marital relationships but as one becomes engrossed in it, one begins feeling for and empathising with the characters who, all in their own way, feel justified in doing what they do.

Irsa Ghazal does an excellent job of portraying Razia, Murad’s mother, who has raised him single-handedly.Murad, her only son, is the apple of her eye and the nucleus of her existence. He has four sisters who are all directly or indirectly emotionally or financially dependent on him.As the only son and brother, he is expected to shoulder a lot of responsibilities single-handedly.He is a loveable, endearing, compassionate son and brother.

Mannat, on the other hand, comes from an affluent background.She is an only sister and her brothers’ favourite.

Mannat and Murad fall in love and decide to tie the knot. The economic difference between the two households becomes apparent when Mannat is woken up by her sister-in-law a couple of days after her marriage and demands black coffee (associated with money and class). At this juncture, the viewersrealise that adjusting to Murad’s household is going to be an uphill and extremely challenging task for the newlywed and that she probably has taken on more than she bargained for.

Mlstplays these days tend to romanticise marriage.In this one there is not an iota of romance in marriage. In fact, it constantly calls for sacrifices and compromises that Mannat finds extremely challenging.

The stark difference between the two households, Murad’s overly possessive mother and the four sisters who are all extremely attached to their brother who in turn dotes on them, means that when Mannat steps into the household as a newlywed, she very quickly realises that she has married someone who is a son and brother first. To make her marriage work, she has to accept the baggage. He is not only her husband but also a son and brother.This is a bitter pill that many newlyweds are forced to swallow early on in their marriage.

As everybody struggles to adjust to the new object of their son’s and brother’s affections, what the viewer strongly feels is that the newlywedsare hardly given any space. This is not unusual in our culture. This concept of space and privacy is alien to many Pakistani households where women are expected to model the behaviour of a perfect sister and daughter-in-law on day two of the wedding. Mannat is portrayed as a headstrong, confident and educated woman who is not afraid to speak her mind.

Another play along similar lines comes to mind, namely Durr-i-Shahwar.However, the two are as different as chalk from cheese. While Shahwar was repeatedly counselled by her father via the letters they wrote to each other while she navigated the turbulent phase of her early marital life, Mannat as a modern, confident and assertive woman who has been brought up in the lap of luxury, very quickly realises that nothing is as she envisaged or imagined it. She struggles to adapt. The headstrong and confident side of her nature keeps rearing its head.Navigating the marital ship through these domestic hurricanesbecomes a battle of nerves for both Mannat and Murad.

Some much-needed humour has been injected into the script to mitigate the escalating tension in the household.The funny situations hit the bull’s eye. All the actors have handled their parts extremely well.Razia, as the mother takes the cake. Extremely versatile and very talented, she portrays the role of an extremely possessive mother to perfection.Murad struggles to maintain a balance between the two people he loves the most. At times, he becomes like a tennis ball between his mother and spouse.Although somewomen are very vocal about all the compromises made by them in marriages, this play is refreshing in its take on how challenging it becomes for a man to maintain harmony with the two most important women in their lives.

The play is different from the usual fare churned out on television. Humour has been expertly injected into the narrative.The underlying theme of the play gives the viewer ample food for thought.

A laudable endeavour by Syed WajahatHussain, MannatMurad comes along as a breath of fresh air.Both men and women in marital relationships can relate to what they see onscreen as Murad’s household is the story of 95 percent of the households in this country.

As Mannat’s sister-in-law points out, she wants everything immediately, is extremely stubborn; and lacks patience which she has never had to exercise in her life as a single woman because her brothers doted on her like Murad’s sisters do on him. Maybe some tact would serve her well.Time takes care of a lot of issues married men and women face. However, she lacks both and the two tire of each other and the relationship seems like a burden that each of them is increasingly reluctant to shoulder.

Join the two on this journey and see how it unfolds. Can the two reconcile? Excellent direction, acting and script. All in all, a compelling watch.

The writer is an educationist. She can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com