hile mulling over what to cover for the Eid issue, yours truly stumbled upon a gem in the form of a telefilm, by the name of Tarazu. Penned by Noor-ul-Huda Shah, it aired some time ago. The production revolves around Amna Usman, played by Sania Saeed, who, after her daughter’s rukhsati, starts narrating her story. Those used to fast-paced plays might lose interest in the beginning, as the story takes its own sweet time to unfold.

Sania does a commendable job as the narrator. She was married off to Usman Zia, played by Adnan Siddiqi, nearly three decades ago and has two children, a son and a daughter from him.

While studying at university, Amna became interested in a classmate and they started communicating via letters. One day, her father discovered the love letters and decided to marry her off as soon as possible.

Before her marriage, she burnt the letters, all except one, which she wished to keep as a memento. She buried it in the pages of a journal and eventually forgot about it.

On her wedding night, she discovered that her husband was still in love with his girlfriend. Like her, he had married under duress. However, he did not hesitate to stake claim over her. The jarring dialogues leave an indelible mark on the viewer. The restrained acting by Saeed is the icing on the cake.

This telefilm proceeds at a rather leisurely pace. It was written and aired at a time when there were no smartphones and life proceeded at a slower pace. Sania and Adnan are both connoisseurs of their craft and prove that yet again.

Time flies. Amna becomes a mother of two children. It is revealed later that her husband keeps in touch with his girlfriend. He also promises her to leave his wife and children for her.

This telefilm proceeds at a rather leisurely pace. It was written and aired at a time when there were no smartphones and life proceeded at a slower pace.

When Usman informs Amna that he plans to remarry, she goes to meet his girlfriend, who promises to get out of her way. Things become relatively normal, until one day, Adnan discovers the love letter she had kept and forgotten about.

Usman is furious and accuses Amna of being unfaithful. In the context of his own conduct, this reveals the double standards. The societal tarazu (the weighing scale), it seems is heavily skewed in favour of the men. Usman, a married man, has no qualms about carrying on a relationship with his girlfriend, but cannot tolerate the fact that his wife might have had a past as well.

Time moves on and her children grow up. 28 years later her daughter gets married. On the day of her wedding, Amna reflects on her past and narrates the story of her life. This is a far cry from the glossy, big budget productions routinely aired nowadays. It is simply the story of a married woman, the woman next door.

Narrated simply and candidly by Amna, it is not an attempt to preach but to hold a mirror to the society, exposing its double standards in deeming it acceptable for men to be unfaithful, but not women. The waywardness of men is normalised, even trivialised in some cases. “Mard toe phir mard hota hai” is clearly no justification.

Watch this telefilm if you like stories that unfold at their own pace. Those seeking fireworks all the time should steer clear of it. This production harks back to when television productions were simpler; the emphasis was on acting, script and direction, rather than palatial sets, expensive costumes and designer jewellery.

Verdict: A slow burn that does not disappoint.

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