At a time when our TV channels were filled with dreadful and monotonous storylines, Ghisi Piti Mohabbat was the respite that the audience was desperately looking for. Unlike its name, there was nothing ‘ghisa pita’ about the drama. It explored an unusual topic but thanks to the excellent writing, skilled direction and realistic performances, the audience could not help but fall in love with the way things were shown in the drama. The drama ended its run last night and needless to say, it was a fantastic conclusion that delivered a strong message.
A fresh storyline
The drama explored the unusual topic of a woman marrying more than once, which is still considered a taboo in our society. It revolved around the character Samia, a young woman who gets married three times. She was even ready to marry for the fourth time but she backed out after learning that her potential fourth husband had fallen for someone else. When he gets ditched, he comes back to Samia, hoping to woo her again.
If this were any other drama, Samia would have welcomed him back with open arms. But make no mistake, this isn’t an ordinary drama. Samia shuts him out and decides to start her own food stall which she later turns into a full-fledged restaurant. All three of Samia’s ex’s made an appearance in a flashback in the episode. It showed how much she suffered and what all she went through to reach her present point. But that was all in the past and she had a bright future to look forward to.
The final scene of the drama was especially important and empowering. It showed that women do not need to lean on someone to touch the sky. If they set their mind to something, they can do it on their own.
Another highlight of the last episode was that Samia hires transgenders to help with her food stall. In a society where transgenders are still ridiculed, this little message had a tremendous impact.
Strong female characters
Writer Fasih Bari Khan deserves a round of applause for writing such interesting female characters. Throughout the drama, the audience saw Samia going through various situations but she never relied on someone else to help her pave her way out. She faced those problems on her own unflinchingly. For instance, when she found out that her first husband Rizwan was in love with another woman, she didn’t stick around. Instead, she asked for a divorce and separated herself from a toxic relationship.
Similarly, whenever she was being harassed, whether on the streets or at her workplace, she showed everyone that she was not to be messed with. Ghisi Piti Mohabbat’s response to harassment is by far the most powerful amongst all other dramas that have highlighted the issue.
Both of Samia’s younger sisters, Asmara and Tashi, were equally headstrong. That one scene where Tashi was being harassed by an old man and she thrashes him with her bag was very powerful. Asmara also had to deal with her husband’s unexpected problem after getting married but she didn’t back out. Instead, she helped her husband every step of the way.
Splendid performances
One of the reasons why the drama resonated so well with the audience was because some of the actors appeared in never-seen-before roles. Ramsha Khan, who was criticised for playing a wooden character like Hamna in her previous drama Ishqiya, delivered her career-best performance as Samia in Ghisi Piti Mohabbat. Samia was a complex character but Ramsha translated that complexity onto the screen with such finesse that it would be hard to see her as anyone but Samia.
Most of the cast members in the drama appeared for only a few episodes but they definitely left their mark. Wahaj Ali, Ali Abbas, Shahood Alvi and Danial Afzal deserve an honorable mention here. All three of them are usually seen in ‘nice guy’ roles but in Ghisi Pitti Mohabbat, the audience loved to hate them. Saba Hameed and Sana Askari were perfectly annoying in their roles. Saba Faisal, Sajeer Uddin, Sameena Ahmed, Arshea Akbar, Aliha Chauhdary, Saife Hassan, Abul Hasan, Javeria Abbasi – all of them were in the supporting cast but gave their absolute best.
Ghisi Pitti Muhabbat will be remembered as one of the greatest dark comedy-dramas of Pakistan. The drama highlighted societal norms in a funny yet informative manner. It also set the example that given the right scripts to perform, our actors can knock it out of the park. If channels started creating more dramas like Ghisi Piti Mohabbat, then we are surely on the right path.
