There was a time when actresses on screen were restricted to being roti dhoti becharis. One can’t deny the fact that even today, our patriarchal society enjoys watching such content. Resultantly, seven out of ten dramas are laced with the oppressed woman formula to fetch huge TRPs. On the other side of the story, some actors have surpassed such stereotypes, and taken up roles that challenge and shape their craft. One such actress is Yumna Zaidi who, with every project, is surprising viewers with her impeccable performances. Her recent outing, Bakhtawar, features her as a fearless protagonist, on a mission to fulfill her dreams against all odds.
Bakhtawar: The Role Of A Lifetime
After a haphazard first episode that had rapid proceedings, the director (Shahid Shafaat) maintained a steady pace in the second episode. Instead of handling a handful of issues, he balanced it out with how Bakhtawar struggles to get a job. She refuses to work for twelve hours a day to get just seven hundred rupees in return.
One after the other, she gets rejected in her interviews. And when she gets a job as a bus hostess, she witnesses barbaric men who can go to any extent to harass women. The episode ends on a cliffhanger note when Bakhtawar transforms herself into a guy to battle the chauvinistic society.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Yumna, in the most challenging role of her career as Bakhtawar, leaves us awestruck. She fulfills the demand of every scene like a fish takes to water. She looks beautiful when required and sans makeup where necessary. She makes the viewers happy in her happiness and cry with her helplessness. And that’s the quality of a good actor, Yumna stuns in every single frame. Just two episodes down, we can’t wait to see more.
The Parizaad Comparison
There was a huge debate on Twitter with Bakhtawar being compared to Ahmed Ali Akbar’s Parizaad. Not exactly, but to an extent, the premise matches Parizaad’s. For instance, the plot solely revolves around the protagonist, and the rest of the cast members help in taking the narrative forward.
If we analyze past facts, Parizaad also picked up after a slow start and went to become a rage. As mentioned before, this seems like the role of a lifetime for Yumna. The case was the same for Ahmed Ali Akbar, with Parizaad becoming an icon in recent times. Thus, the question must be asked: will Bakhtawar repeat history?
