eewar started airing nearly a week ago. Written by Aliya Bukhari and directed by Syed Ahmed Kamran, the play is a family drama. So, what’s new, you might ask? Produced by Momina Duraid, this airs before the primetime slot. Despite barely being a week old, it has managed to cause quite a stir.

Essayed by the talented Sunita Marshall, Guriya Baji, as she is fondly called, is a widow with a young daughter. She has three brothers and a sister. Two of the brothers are married; the youngest is studying for his MBA degree. Her sister, Maria, is doing her intermediate. The household expenses are borne by Guriya Baji, quite happily and without expecting anything in return.

One of the brothers, Bilal, is married to Rani. They have a daughter, Aimen. Bilal is unemployed. He falls into wrong company and becomes addicted to gambling. He has only completed his intermediate and wants to have his own business, rather than working for someone for a salary.

Guriya Baji gives all her life’s savings, Rs 1 million, to him after he expresses his desire to buy a general store. Although the other brothers try their best to dissuade her, she signs a cheque and hands it over to Bilal.

As luck would have it, Guriya Baji loses her job. When she breaks the news to her family, the attitude of her other brother, Shariq, who has a son, Zain, changes. He refuses to contribute to the household expenses. Asked to pay the electricity bill, he insists that it should be divided by three and everybody should pay their share.

As the story unfolds, the viewers realise that there is much more to Shariq than meets the eye at first. He informs his wife that he has been understating his income and has managed to accumulate a substantial sum in savings. He sells off Guriya Baji’s car and after pooling in the remaining amount from his savings, purchases a brand new vehicle and stakes his claim over it.

It is encouraging to see writers and directors making an attempt to break stereotypes.

This play underlines some of the harsh realities of life. While Guruya Baji was footing all the expenses, she was the apple of everybody’s eye. Once she has handed over her savings to her brother and lost her job, attitudes change overnight. She is treated as a burden and her sister-in-law, Shariq’s wife, starts asking for separate living. One of her brothers-in-law is a student. He foots his university expenses by giving private tuitions. The other brother, however, gambles away all his sister’s money.

Shariq’s wife does not want her husband to be burdened with the household expenses, so she starts demanding a separate house. However, Guriya Baji does not want to sell the house until her sister is married off. This leads to greater friction amongst the family members.

Another story is running parallel to this. Ahmer, the youngest brother, studying for his MBA, is interested in marrying a class fellow of his, Aafia. Her parents are divorced. She was 16 when her parents decided to go their separate ways. By chance, she meets her mother after a couple of years and learns that her father has been lying to her. She was told that her mother had deserted her. She now learns that her father had kept her away.

The kind of lifestyle at the family home appears unrealistic. What kind of job does Guriya Baji have to foot the expenses? Multiple income streams would sound more reasonable.

A positive aspect of the play is the effort to destigmatise divorce. Aafia happily attends her mother’s second nikah. It is encouraging to see writers and directors making an attempt to break stereotypes.

Verdict: Watch this play for some strong performances and a solid script. Happy viewing.

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