A lot has already been said about the sensational play Raqeeb se beautifully penned by the remarkable Bee Gul. The surprise debutante of Haddiqa Kiyani and the effortless and noteworthy acting of the remaining cast.
Raqeeb se is a story of a forlorn love between a man and a
woman. The same forsaken love that has turned a man into a desirable hero for
the many women around him.
His wife convincingly played by Sania
Saeed has his honor and presence but fails to hold a place in his heart. The
story also subtly underlines the lack of a conjugal relationship between the
husband and the wife as they both reside in separate rooms. She provides
comfort to him yet feels she can never match up to her husband’s ex-love.
Whereas, the daughter of the
couple (played by Faryal Mehmood) is bedazzled by the openness of her
fathers' past fling in the household and subconsciously measures the man in her
life by the same yardstick.
Hadiqa Kiyani plays
the ex-lover who has put this man on a pedestal and her daughter (Iqra Aziz)
who is infatuated by the presence of this larger than life man creating discord
between her parents.
Ironically, the same scenario has a different reality for a woman. She is repeatedly slut-shamed and even physically
abused for an association that was a part of her past. Her stance is both apologetic
and of self-blame. She feels guilty for leaving him and ashamed of her current situation
and has no self-respect or self-worth.
Raqeeb se depicts the
stark reality of our society where women are rarely forgiven for their past
associations. Denying them the right to be as human as a man; to have feelings
and desires. So much so that the woman is pushed into the vicious cycle of life
long guilt and misery.
Hadiqa has
beautifully played that woman who is ashamed of her existence and is
conditioned to suppress her desires. A woman who feels that the abuse is her
fault. Like many women around us who suffer from abusive relationships and have
distorted their reality. Such women don’t stand against abuse because they feel
they deserve it.
Nauman Ejaz as
expected brilliantly plays the male protagonist cum hero who desires the woman
of her past. His battered ego makes him want to seek revenge on his ex-love yet
his feelings and circumstances prevent him from doing so.
Though we have only seen the
second episode of Raqeeb se yet the story strikes a chord in many
of us. The inequality of power-play in a marriage especially if the past associations
are publicly acknowledged is a side of our society that needs to be revisited.
Comments
Post a Comment