Gol Roti is an interesting title for a story. Starring Muneeb Butt and Amar Khan, the episode was aired in 2023 as part of the anthology of short stories, produced by Angeline Malik that was called Kitni Girhain Baqi Hain.

The anthology series, which started airing in 2011 instantly became a hit for the plot twists at the end of each short story. The twists took most viewers by surprise and left them hungering for more.

Each episode dealt with an important social issue that educated and entertained in equal measure. Angeline Malik is not only an accomplished actress, but also has an eye for offbeat scripts and is a powerhouse of talent. Her choice of roles is a testament to her versatility and flexibility as an actress.

Gol Roti was a story about a newly married couple, Laiba (Amar Khan) and Salman (Muneeb Butt), who are class fellows at a university. They are deeply in love with each other and decide to get married after the graduation. Laiba, who has been a brilliant student, is expected to wants to pursue a career. However, she gives it all up for domestic bliss.

A couple of months into the marriage, the cracks start to appear. Although Laiba can cook, she cannot make a gol roti. Irrespective of how hard she tries to keep her husband and mother-in-law happy, this ‘failure’ becomes an excuse for both of them to make her life miserable. Constantly taunted and humiliated for her ineptitude on the domestic front, Laiba’s life becomes a living hell.

Her mother-in-law has been a single parent. She has her son wrapped around her thumb. Salman is constantly reminded of his wife’s inadequacies and shortcomings. An only son, he is unable to maintain a balance between his mother and wife.

Once, he catches Laiba talking to a friend and makes a big issue of it, breaking her phone in the process. The relationship deteriorates with every passing day. One day, the unthinkable happens; Laiba finally produces the perfect gol roti.

Watch Gol Roti for its interesting take on the adjustment problems faced by women in the early days of their married life and how when their sacrifices and compromises are not acknowledged, it breaks them. 

Her husband and mother-in-law are delighted. The next moment, however, Laiba thrusts divorce papers in his hand. He is taken aback. However, this time, there is no looking back for her. She has made up her mind and walks out, but not before giving her husband and her mother-in-law a piece of her mind.

The story sheds light on a number of issues; domestic violence is one of those. Here a confident, educated and self-assured woman, who sacrifices all her dreams and ambitions to marry the man of her dreams, is reduced to a shadow of her former self. Browbeaten and exploited, her confidence, self-respect and self-esteem take a severe beating and she decides to walk out, never to return.

Gol Roti symbolises the social pressures that every newlywed deals with on the domestic turf and how unrealistic expectations and the desire to make everyone happy, eventually cause bitterness. Having thrown herself wholeheartedly into her new role as a wife and daughter-in-law, she finds the mental torture she is subjected to, too much.

She begins to crave freedom and independence and feels like a bird held in a cage. The noose of societal and cultural expectations keeps tightening around her and threatens to strangle her.

This gripping narrative traces the journey of many newlyweds in Pakistan who struggle to cope on the domestic front as the weight of unrealistic expectations, combined with social and cultural pressures, threaten to break them.

Watch Gol Roti for its interesting take on the adjustment problems faced by women in the early days of their married life and how when their sacrifices and compromises are not acknowledged, it breaks their spirit.

Verdict: Highly recommended.

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