“Pyari Mona” continues to strike up important conversations, whether it’s regarding fat-shaming in Pakistan, the dismissive attitude towards depression and other mental health issues and how men and women are perceived differently. The show stars Sanam Jung, Sabeeka Imam, Adeel Hussain, Uzma Beg, Adnan Jaffar, Muhammad Hanbal, Shaheen Khan and, later, Mashal Khan. The story has been written by Haseeb Ahmed and directed by Ali Hassan.
There’s a lot about mental health and psychological disorders that South Asian society is yet to be aware of and one of those aspects is the affect such illnesses can have not only on the mind, but also on the body. In episode 6, Samia, who is suffering from undiagnosed depression, finds herself suffering a heart attack. While Babar (Adeel Hussain) does wake up in time to rush her to the hospital, she passes away, leaving her entire family – and the audience – reeling from trauma and heartbreak. Samia has been such a beloved character, a character created to inform the audience about depression and how it can affect even those who outwardly have everything in life. Depression does not see labels like “fat” or “thin,” rather it’s about how one feels internally. While “Pyari Mona” has done a brilliant job in this episode showing how the family deals with this sudden loss, we can’t help wishing the narrative had played out differently. Why is it that mental health must always equate to tragedy? Can we offer hope to viewers? Isn’t it better to educate through positive representation? Had Samia lived and sought out treatment for herself, this would’ve set a better example. Sabeeka Imam has given such a soulful performance in this show and deserves a round of applause.
Everyone performs well in this episode, but the best performers are Adeel Hussain and Adnan Jaffar, without a doubt. Adnan Jaffar is brilliant as Khalild, depicting the pain, anguish and anger of a father with realism. Adeel Hussain has many breakdown scenes as Babar not only grapples with his wife’s death, but also begins to blame himself for neglecting what was directly in front of him. Will Babar learn from his mistakes or is he doomed to repeat them? Uzma Beg also gives a strong performance as Shaista finally starts to acknowledge her mistakes…..but continues to berate Mona (Sanam Jung). Will Shaista ever be able to change her behavior?
Now, these are the positives, but there are some extreme negatives in this episode. The entire marriage track surrounding the Irfan (Muhammad Hunbal) character is ridiculous. Irfan claims to be Mona’s best friend and yet, after Mona informs him of her sister’s death, he continues to believe she got married. What is the mystery behind this fake wedding card? That’s never made clear, but why would Irfan ever believe it anyway? And when Irfan behaves so flippantly, ignores Mona’s grief, does not attend Samia’s funeral and believes she has gotten married despite her rejecting those claims, is it even worth rooting for this Irfan and Mona love story anymore?
At this point, I would much rather see Mona and Yawar come together in an unexpected union than watch Mona settle for someone dismissive and spineless like Irfan. This seems like a gaping flaw in the story and feels as though both parts were shot at completely different times and smashed together. While the half of the show pertaining to Samia is heartfelt and consists of some wonderful performances, the Irfan sequences consist of 50% of the episode and feel horribly disjointed and out of touch. Here’s to hoping that episode 7 onward focuses on strong editing along with the storyline.