Dramapakistani®

I am beyond speechless. Even though I had known what was the end of Maat (thanks to the novel), and I certainly had in mind a very negative review to write later, I was totally bowled over with the excellent, intense performance of everyone as this serial finally concluded.

The episode started with Faisal callously handing a divorce to Aiman and announcing his intention to re-marry Saman, assuring the former that this was what Hadeed wanted as well. For once, Aiman did stand up for herself. Aamina Shaikh's performance was top-notch as she uttered all the words we have wanted her to utter for the past 24 episodes. Ironically, she saw Faisal's reality too late - after giving up 26 years of her best years to make a home for Faisal and Hadeed, she did realize that Faisal and Saman were indeed suited to each other. They deserved no one but each other - as selfish and as self-centered they both were. Good for you, Aiman! You realized the truth late but then, better late than never.

Aiman left the house with dignity, spent a few hard days, and then Hadeed came looking for her. Hadeed! Noor Hassan was another surprise in this episode. I have often felt that he needs more acting experience in order to put across a wider range of emotions. But in yesterday's finale, he too stood out as he put down Saman and Faisal, gave them a talking-to and finally, disowned them. I think he got too much into the emotions part and got the English mixed up - but then, that only added to the anger he was expressing. He then went to Aiman and brought her to his home. That was another powerful, intense scene as Aiman breaks down yet again, and then when she has calmed down, Hadeed explains to her how Faisal and Saman had played him as well - spreading untruths about Aiman and trying to make him go against her.

And finally, we find out who was defeated in this entire saga - Faisal AND Saman. The final phone conversation between the two sisters was as intense as it could get. When Aiman says, "Main tumhein nahin milnay doon gi" I heaved a sigh of relief. She has learned her lesson the hard way, BUT she has learned. She has learned that she relied on all the wrong relations, as Hadeed told her. She got her reward for all the years she spend on Hadeed, but Saman and Faisal got absolutely nothing.

It was definitely an awesome ending - it did make up for all the teeth-clenching moments we all have spent throughout the previous 24 weeks, watching Saman trampling over all and sundry, and Aiman being the doormat. I will say a few things, however, which I felt could have been added in order to improve the drama serial as a whole:

1) Saman's life with Aazar could have been shown more negatively. How did Saman fare being the second fiddle?

2) What happened to Sualiha and the kids? It was never shown. I was hoping one scene would at least show Aazar being confronted by his grown kids. Aazar apparently never got any negative repercussions in life for his role in Saman and Faisal's rift.

In short, I wanted to see the payback coming in more than one episode. But then, as the official Facebook page of Umera Ahmed says, there are sometimes no happy endings in life. For Aiman, this really was the best she could get - we have already shredded her "spirit of sacrifice" to bits, AND wondered WHY she did not go for a life of her own while she had a chance? But then, most of the things about her character were explained in this episode and I think, for an Umera Ahmed serial, the ending was as satisfactory as it could get.

I would like to congratulate the entire production team as well as the cast for this drama serial - we may not have been the greatest fans, BUT it gave us plenty to talk about and think.

Now, I am looking forward to Mataa-e-Jaan from next week!

Written by Drama Buff (dramabuff.dp@gmail.com)

Share

Let me start this review by commending ALL those viewers of Maat, who took time out to visit Umera Ahmed's official page on Facebook, and register their protest at the way the characters have been portrayed in this popular-but-loser serial. I have heard that the admin deletes posts that are negative about Umera's drama serials, but apparently, of late, there have been so many, that they have stuck around. (If you haven't already, do visit http://www.facebook.com/umeraahmedofficial?sk=wall). We must not only critique; we should convey it to the right people, too.

Anyway, so the drama serial started with Aiman being supremely satisfied about the fact that "Faisal nahin badal raha tha magar zindagi badal rahi thee" and Saman being informed that Azar had not really divorced Sualiha. Grow up and get a life, I say to Aiman. Take THAT you..., I say to Saman.

And then the drama serial takes  a 26 year leap and lands us to Aiman's luxury lifestyle where she has apparently decided to do away with her simple getup of "old" - seriously, it was a cultual shock to see her in a sari, wearing so much makeup. It wasn't even looking graceful. (In the preview, Saman is actually looking more realistic).

Aiman and Faisal apparently have a compromising relationship - I cannot call that relationship strong if the re-entry of Saman shook its foundation yet again. Hadeed is all grown up, and about to get married. And apparently, he knows something that he is not sharing with Aiman.

I had initially thought that this drama serial would NOT go the novel's way - but apparently, it is doing so. Really, 24 episodes have only proven, beyond a shadow of doubt, that you get everything you want simply by being selfish and self-centered. And God help you if you are holier-than-thou! This was the second last episode of Maat, and next week, would be its finale - I am only thinking: good riddance!

Written by Drama Buff (dramabuff.dp@gmail.com)

Share

Can somebody please hand me a gun or just shoot me!! Why, why, did I allow myself to watch yet another episode of this no head or tail drama?? Can I blame this moment of insanity on the fact that it was a very long fortnight with no weekly fix of either the eye candy in Humsafar or yet another irrational twist in the crazy world of Kuch Pyar ka Pagalpan?? Or should I just admit that I watched it because with the drama drawing to a close, I kept hoping against hope that somebody would knock some sense into both sisters' heads along with bashing some into Faisal as well, and that the story would finally begin to show some signs of redeeming itself.

Alas, none of my hopes were realized. Aiman continued to draw long sighs and kept behaving like a righteous heroine of some ‘60s Lollywood/Bollywood movie. Suman continued her socialite lifestyle, although now there are some signs of doubt and remorse creeping in. Her friends are abandoning her and she is missing out on the love of her child. Faisal, well what can I say about him, continued his attempts to shut the stable door after the horse had already bolted – punishing Aiman for Suman’s misdeeds. What makes it extremely annoying is that nobody comes out and spells it out to him that it is entirely his fault that his personal life is in shambles. The girls’ mother and their khala both seem so ineffective in knocking some sense in Faisal’s head by telling him a few home truths. If there is something to be made out of all this, I think it’s a bit too late for any message to get across.

What is extremely problematic here is that rather than showing Suman as suffering due to her actions and Aiman as having triumphed, all we see is Aiman’s continuous suffering. Is there any end to her sorrows? If the point is to show Aiman happy at the very end and Suman as suffering, I’m sorry but in my opinion it has been left for a little too late. What good are the rewards if one is too old to enjoy them? What will Aiman do with Faisal’s love and respect, if she ever gets them that is, when she has already spent a lifetime being miserable? Where is her self-respect? And why do “good” girls have to be shown as suffering so much? Why is being a victim being portrayed as a good thing? Is it wrong for a girl to stand up for her rights?

Similarly, if Suman is to be shown as suffering at the end, where is the lesson in that? As far as I can see it, she has led a pretty cushy life so far. She has everything she wants and has managed to get away with every kind of misbehavior possible, without any immediate repercussions. So does it really matter that she is sad and lonely when older. Having left the moralizing till the very end, I think the story writer and the director have lost the impact that a story like this, if well told, could have had. The way it stands now, I don’t see anybody learning anything from this story. In fact, if given the choice between the victimized Aiman and the conniving/evil Suman, actually Suman would get my vote hands down for knowing exactly what she wants and not being afraid to go after it.  Not exactly the lesson the drama would want to put across, I’m sure!

Written by S Z ~

Share

The reason I am still watching this drama serial is I keep hoping [unsuccessfully, episode after episode] that:

1) Azar and Saman will get what is coming to them

2) Aiman and Faisal BOTH will get a LIFE

Honestly, what is this drama serial trying to show? Even after Saman leaves her house and child behind, her mother goes to her and pleads with her? Pleads? How about exercising some much-needed parental right for once? Honestly, after seeing both Aiman and her mother's attitude, one can only glower in irritation and say: Yes, THIS is why Saman is like this!

Don't even get me started on Aiman. She is actually shown in the next episode's precap telling her friend that she cannot hit "unlike" on something (or someone) she "likes" - WHAT? (Sorry for Facebook-speak!). After all that Faisal has done, she STILL wants to marry him? If she was doing so only for Hadeed's sake, it would make sense. But honestly, this "unliking" business is totally silly!

Sualiha is even more naive than I had initially given her credit for. Instead of taking khala's phone calls seriously, she tells her off and refuses to do anything. And when she finally realized the gravity of the situation, it was too late.

None of the characters so far remotely make any sense. It seems the whole world still revolves around Saman and her evil acts. Take Saman out and you literally have no story at all.

The only heart-wrenching moments in the entire episode came in the form of little Hadeed, crying for his mother. Literally, I wanted to cry myself at the little bundle of joy who reminded me of my own!

With Mata-e-Jaan replacing Maat after two weeks, I am wondering if the story will come to an end soon. It can't be, because there is still so much left from the novel. They could not possibly have crammed everything in two episodes. Let's see! For now, I am only wondering how far will Saman and Azar go for their own selfish reasons.

Written by Drama Buff (dramabuff.dp@gmail.com)

PS: Can everyone stop saying, "Woh bohot pachtaye gee?" It's getting on my nerves!

Share

I was compelled to write a review of this week's episode of Maat mainly because the dialogues and the issues portrayed on the screen were so close to my own heart - these are some of the things that I have noticed so many couples face after marriage and most of the times, I have noticed that parents mishandle such peeves completely, leading to more problems in the future.

I will not comment on the technicalities of the episode, as the direction and the script both came across strongly here. What I will delve into is the following:

Adjustment phase

Most parents and parents-in-law mistakenly assume that after two months, or even six months, the newly-wed bride will take over the husband's responsibilities of meals, etc and see to the house. Most women do take over such responsibilities but in reality, it takes an average wife up to at least TWO YEARS before she has gotten used to the way things are done at her in-laws'. Yes, it does take that much time. In the beginning (read, six months to one year) most of them are at a loss as to where to start and what to do. The routine is so set at the in-laws' they feel hesitant about "breaking in". Despite all my rants and raves about Saman, I felt sorry that she too is being subjected to the same old, same old. ("Do maheenay ho gayen hein; kaam karna shuru nahin kiya").

MIL-DIL relations

How many times do you tell a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law to sort out their issues themselves without involving the son, the wife's mother and the household masi? Really, I am surprised to find even educated households where the MIL will discuss every single fault of the DIL with everyone except the DIL herself. In this episode, we find the Khala complaining about Saman to everyone except her. Ladies, just talk out and solve your problems themselves.

Eating out

Oh boy, is this issue in every household or what! Why is eating out such a huge issue? I see most couples eating out simply because they enjoy the privacy they cannot get in a joint family system. But this emphasis on eating out being bad for your health and affecting your budget is something almost every MIL harps about. I say: both the individuals who just got married are adults! Let them assume responsibility for their own selves. Nagging will not bring about any change.

Mother-son relationship after marriage

I have lost count of the number of times I have read in self-help columns that mothers should NEVER involve their sons when they have an issue with their DIL. NEVER! Yet, I see mothers-in-law doing this all the time. Interestingly, as far as I have seen, most of the sons do not even convey to their wives what their mothers have said. Hence, the effort just goes down the drain.

Basically, a couple must be treated as adults after marriage, even if they seem childish. Parents sometimes do not know when to let go, and it was very evident in today's episode that both the mothers were simply doing what is called "interfering" in most households. Give a couple time and space, and they will eventually assume responsibility for their budgets, household chores, etc. Nag them and they will soon start searching for a different house.

Something tells me Umera Ahmed did not really intend the episode to convey the meaning at least I derived out of it.

Written by Drama Buff (dramabuff.dp@gmail.com)

PS: I was disgusted at the bedroom scene. Was it really necessary to show this level of physical closeness? I don't think so!

Share

Again, upon the request of some DramaPakistani readers, here is a review of Maat's previous two episodes:

Both the episodes were a vast improvement in that they actually hooked me - who has criticized it to no end - and made me want to watch. Amna Nawaz Khan has definitely done a great job with the direction, and Umera Ahmed's dialogues sometimes go straight to my heart.

After eleven episodes of back and forth tug of war between the two sisters, Saman finally got married to Faisal. And on the day of the wedding, guess who falls for his best friend's bride. None other than Azar (played brilliantly by Asad). As expected, the saas-bahu confrontations also begin soon after marriage with issues that are so common in different households. It is apparent that Azar and Saman are inclined towards each other and the story has now finally picked pace. Aiman is left weeping ("Uss nay beray sath bohot baree ziyadati kee hai") and her mother is now actively searching for rishtas for her.

I completely agree with one of the comments that this drama portrays what is currently happening in our society. My main problem is: OK, so this is happening. But is this drama giving parents any solution as to how to deal with this? The answer is no. Saman gets what she wants, even though what she wanted was highly selfish. Both mothers proved to be helpless. What message is this giving out?

And, to top the whole thing off, Saman is now being wooed by Azar, who is more rich than Faisal. For those who have read the novel, it is very apparent that Saman keeps on getting what she wants. This is my main peeve. It doesn't make much impact to show in the very last episode that she did not get ONE thing she wanted. Do such stories raise more Samans or try to reduce their number in the society?

Of course, I will not doubt the writer's intention here. My humble suggestion is to portray girls like Saman in a more broad light - why are they the way they are, is it something to do with the way they are brought up, how do parents deal with such children, what is the best way to make sure they rise above materialism, and so on? It isn't enough to just say - OK, this is Saman, she is materialistic and she married her sister's fiance. As a viewer, I want to know more than that.

Written by Drama Buff (dramabuff.dp@gmail.com)

Share

OK, I will be straightforward here. I have absolutely NO idea how and why this drama serial is so popular. Maybe it is Umera Ahmed's name, maybe it is the star cast (Amina Shaikh, Saba Qamar, Asad, Adnan Siddiqui, Rabia Noureen)...I have no clue. Even after eleven episodes, the drama has gotten nowhere. The last two episodes in particular have been so monotonous that I know what is going on even after watching it only sparingly.

This is not to say I am not generally a fan of Umera Ahmed. I am. I love her novels, and I LOVED Doraha and Daam. Maat is just not working out, at least for me. Maybe because I also have just one younger sister and the two sisters I am seeing on screen is something that is too hard for me to digest.

Aiman and Saman are unbelievable characters. I just hate this kind of black and white characterization (one reason why I am such a huge fan of Faiza Iftikhar and Samira Fazal - their characters are more real). Aiman is 'terribly' good - yes, her character is positive to the point of sickening. I don't think half of the female viewers of this drama would even want to be like her. I know I don't.

Call me twisted, but Saman's character is far more intriguing and believable. Even then, I just cannot stomach that a girl would steal her friend's cell phone, try to sweet-talk her friend's fiance and then get after her own sisters' fiance. There are trouble makers in every family, but heck, why put all negative qualities in one character?

And then we see that this Saman is able to twist everyone around her little finger. Somehow, she always gets what she wants. Why? Somehow, I feel dramas should teach mothers something about keeping a firm eye on their children (sons AND daughters) rather than portray the docile way in which parents end up doing whatever their children want to do.

In case any one is wondering, yes, I have read this novel - it was a complete waste of my hour and half. To give some credit to the production team, the drama serial is much better. They have added more colour to a very dry novel. But hey, even after ELEVEN episodes, all we know is that Saman and Faisal are too silly and selfish, Aiman is too sweet and the two mothers are too helpless.

I would rather watch Humsafar and Kuch Pyar ka Pagalpan anyday!

Written by HA

Share

The promos for Maat really did have everyone excited for the drama. It stars Saba Qamar, Aamina Sheikh, and Adnan Siddiqui. The characterization seems really good so far. The acting of Saba Qamar, especially, is just so natural. The story is about a girl, Saman (Saba Qamar) who has high hopes to get married to a rich businessman. Aiman (Aamina Shiekh) is her sister, and her views are totally different. She will get married wherever her mom wants. She is the "good" type of girl who is every parent's dream. She does exactly what her mom wants her to do. Saman is completely on the other side. She does what she wants to do. She is outspoken, and she only befriends rich people. Eventually, Aiman's Khala asks for Aiman's hand without Faisal (Adnan Siddiqui), their cousin's, consent. When she later asks Faisal, he refuses, and says he always wanted to marry Saman. Khala doesn't approve of Saman's bluntness. She, hesitantly, still does ask for Saman's hand, and Aiman's mom refuses point blank.

Share