“Aulaad” is a difficult pill to swallow. It’s a show that pulls the viewer in, holding one’s attention completely while also being very difficult to watch due to the heavy raincloud of sadness over the show. Written by Syed Ameer Ali Shah and directed by Aabis Raza, “Aulaad” stars Mohammad Ahmed, Marina Khan, Hassan Niazi, Sunita Marshal, Nabeel Zuberi, Furqan Qureshi and Humaira Bano.
If one were to narrate what happens in episode ten, it is simply misery. Misery is what happens in episode 10. Muskaan’s entry has made life a nightmare for Jalal (Mohammad Ahmed) and Zakiya’s (Marina Khan) family. When Bilal (Nabeel Zuberi) refuses to pay for Moni’s much-needed medication, his parents and Adnan are stunned at his heartless behavior, choosing instead to side with his dominating wife. In private, Bilal tries to reason with Muskaan, but it’s clear that this is a man who has no voice of his own and despite his conscience screaming at him to do the right thing, he cannot say anything in front of his wife. Bilal is the sort of son that one wouldn’t wish on their worst enemy. He is genuinely gullible – and in turn, because of his wife, heartless. It’s particularly tear-inducing when Jalal heads to the market to buy Moni’s medication and arrives home without his blood pressure or Zakiya’s diabetes medication, because he couldn’t afford it.
With Adnan (Furqan Qureshi) and Farwa’s (Hina Javed) increasing animosity with Muskaan and Bilal, the two find themselves uncomfortable with their living situation. After Farwa advises Zakiya to take Bilal in confidence and Muskaan overhears the conversation, things go from bad to worse with Muskaan threatening to throw Farwa out of the house. It has to be said that Jalal and Zakiya are horribly unfair to Adnan, despite recognizing that he’s the most loyal son, the one who listens. This is the perfect example of parents taking a son for granted. Yes, children should love their parents, but why is Adnan being abused and mistreated because of the mistakes of Bilal and Khurram? It’s heartbreaking seeing him trying to do right by his parents and it’s clear that he genuinely hurts seeing them in pain – and yet, he’s grouped with the other two as “bad sons.”
If Moni’s medications weren’t a big enough issue, the next one to arise is that of Saadia’s (Minsa Malik) wedding. Having gotten a great proposal, the family is happy for Saadia. Needing finances for the wedding, the parents call all three sons together, but while Adnan states he’ll do whatever is in his power, Khurram (Hassan Niazi) callously states that he’ll certainly “chip in.” Khurram is a character who one cannot fully understand – on a level, he seems to care, but he never cracks the exterior and allows any genuine emotion to crack through. But is Khurram worse than Bilal? Definitely not. Muskaan orders Bilal that he cannot put a cent towards her marriage. And of course, Bilal listens. If one were to say Bilal put up a fight, it would be laughable. Bilal has put his wife in charge of his entire life and obediently follows everything she says as though she has a remote control in her hands which controls him. It’s genuinely disgusting.
“Aulaad” has become a show that’s rather difficult to watch. It’s understandable that such situations do happen in real life, but this is like watching a train wreck in slow motion – the decisions these parents have made for themselves and their daughters (and Adnan) is absolutely pitiful and they have left themselves empty-handed, begging for handouts from their selfish male children. There’s a wonderfully sad moment when the wives are all bickering where Moni tells Saadia that she will help Saadia buy clothes for her wedding since their Bhabis are so bad. The upcoming episodes promise more misery – but for how long? When will a ray of light peek through? Considering we are at episode 10 only, it seems this will go on for a while.