Zanjeerein

I just finished the Pak drama Zanjeerien and there are a certain things on my mind that i have not been able to talk to anyone about.

Since here there is the “we listen and we don’t judge” because I have opinions that are in opposition with the general view.

Everyone was upset with the drama’s ending. Everyone saw this final union of the protagonists as something that was unfulfilling. Yes, the drama just brings them together and cuts there. There is no happy post credit scene showing thier happy married life but that I think is the entire point! The union is what drove the drama, I realise that as Asians we are driven to need a confirmation of the happy life we were imagining for them throughout but cinematography, and specifically modern cinematography doesn’t dictate this.

For instance, in Interstellar, The new “planet”, the new home for the human species is just shown and the rest is left to the imagination of the viewer!

Besides this, everyone is also upset, and have been with the protagonists for moving on from thier past relationships (both their fiance and spouse have died) especially when both died for the protagonists, saving then and protecting them.

The male protagonist, Sarbuland was friends with the female protagonist’s husband, Mudassir, who tried saving Rabiya (the female prot). Bano, Sarbuland’s fiance, on the other hand, died because she spoke in his support infront of her own brother, Drama’s central antagonist.

Half the audience is appalled when the central couple shares a romantic scene or an intimate moment because they are being unfaithful to their dead partners. And the other half of the audience thinks they are being unfair to life when they decide to go back to memories of their past.

I believe both these opinions are right in their places but biased in one way or another.

The whole point is survivors’ guilt. They cannot move on from their better halves not just because they loved them, but because these people died for their protection. Human psychology prevents one from pursuing happiness when someone close to them dies, the psychology and even society dictates one to make it a crime to feel happy or live life without this guilt. These people think they don’t deserve to live life and just as Sajal’s character says “I feel ashamed to breathe while he is dead”

That being said, it is also important to understand the difference between a living body and a departed soul. Just because huilt dictates it, you can not live within a feeling that prevents life. It is important to pursue living and even more important to let it pursue you.

Rabiya’s character faced backlash for choosing to leave Sarbuland and refuse him ar first even though she was already in love with him. This is a complex feeling, she did not fall in love voluntarily. People say she chose to fall in love and later was acting mighty and high when Sarbuland finally admitted that he loved her. Both of them represented the two voices that were at conflict within both of them, And I think that is beautiful and masterful direction!