etting the cash registers ringing and raking in the moolah big time, Meri Bahuain, airs before the prime time slot at 7pm in the evening. The drama, directed by Ahmer Sohail and produced by Momina Duraid, started airing on October 20. It has since amassed a big fan following. The question is: does it live up to the hype?

The story is about a couple, played by veteran actors Shagufta Ejaz and Babar Ali. The play also stars younger actors like Haroon Shahid, Kanwal Khan, Rahat Ghani and Mehrunnisa Iqbal.

Shagufta and Babar are an elderly couple living with their three sons, all married in the first episode. Enter the three daughters-in-law. From the very outset, one can guess where this is heading.

The mother-in-law wishes to see her children living happily under the same roof. Alas, things are not that simple. Rahat Ghani plays Fabiha, one of the daughters-in-law, portrayed as a “difficult” woman whose mother insists that the master bedroom be given to her daughter and son-in-law. Shagufta obliges. She also calms down her son when he objects. The matter is settled, but the event seems to foreshadow how the rest of the play will unfold.

Like a majority of these plays aired before prime time, despite showing huge houses and affluent families, the ladies of the house are burdened with all the household chores. Domestic help is non-existent and the daughters-in-law, invariably, are expected to clean, cook and manage the house. The mother-in-law devotes all her time to God or sits around reminiscing about her own life.

There is a scene in Meri Bahuain where the father-in-law knocks on each daughter-in-law’s door one by one to beseech them to make him breakfast. It looks absurd and ludicrous. Why can’t he or his sons make the breakfast? How long does it take to toast a slice of bread and boil an egg or make a cup of tea? Are the men absolutely useless? Are women expected to do all the household work?

Mother- and daughter-in-law stories have been done to death. Meri Bahuain is no different. Playing to the masses is far safer than risking money on something experimental. 

This is slowly changing, however, as in one play Goonj, Khaled Anam, a father, is shown cooking and spending time in the kitchen since he is a widower whose daughters study and work.

It is high time our plays started showing men lending a helping hand in the house. This is direly needed to alter mindsets in the society and make the idea of men doing household work more acceptable.

Mother- and daughter-in-law stories have been done to death. Meri Bahuain is no different. Playing to the masses is far safer than risking money on something experimental. Of course, the tested formulae work and are foolproof.

All one needs is to throw in some drama, music, dance and prolonged wedding scenes. Voilà! You have the recipe for a perfect blockbuster. Speaking of wedding scenes, this has become the staple diet of television productions, especially those aired before prime time. Apart from being a highlight of the Pakistani social calendar, it is a golden opportunity for the actors and actresses to flaunt expensive attire, exquisite accessories and mouth clichéd dialogues that do absolutely nothing to move the narrative forward. Throw in some pretty girls prancing around in their finery and some lousily choreographed dances, where the brides and grooms exchange loving glances and whisper sweet nothings in each other’s ears.

As the name implies, this play is about a joint family. Another card the director has up his sleeve is extramarital affairs. You guessed it; the youngest son has an extramarital affair and re-marries. The eldest daughter-in-law is declared infertile and there is emotional blackmail by parents.

I rest my case. There is nothing here that has not been seen a million times before. The formula still manages to find takers. If the long winter evenings are stretching endlessly and you are looking for some mindless entertainment, tune in from Monday to Friday to catch Meri Bahuain.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at [email protected].