“Qayamat” manages to bring in high ratings each week with its story based on two sisters and how their lives unfold. Starring Ahsan Khan, Neelam Muneer, Amar Khan and Haroon Shahid in lead roles, “Qayamat” has been written by Sarwat Nazeer and directed by Ali Faizan. Recently, we saw Samra (Amar Khan) passing away, leaving her daughter Sana behind while Rashid (Ahsan Khan) began to show signs of repenting for his previous sins. Is Rashid’s guilt and remorse genuine or will he go back to his bad habits soon enough? That’s not clear, but what is clear is that Samra’s death will affect her family in many ways.
In episode 16, we see Jawad (Haroon Shahid) horrified when his parents ask him to step aside so Ifrah (Neelam Munir) can marry Rashid in order to give baby Sana a good, stable home and loving mother. Logically, there isn’t any reason why Ifrah cannot enter the home as Sana’s Khala and care for her as a mother while being married to Jawad. But of course, this is yet another plan of Jawad’s mother (Saba Faisal) as she continues to manipulate her way through life and while we know she is manipulative, it’s perplexing how Ifrah’s parents also believe this is the “right thing.” In which world is it right to force a young girl to marry her (abusive) brother-in-law to make up for her sister’s death? Yes, this is a hypothetical, infuriated question, as we are all well-aware that this is something that happens often in this world – and yet we should all be able to acknowledge the sheer cruelty of it and how wrong it is.
While the parents have slowly wrapped their heads around this and have decided this is the best decision for the child, the concerned parties are not on board. Rashid has brought Sana back home with him, hoping to repent for his misbehavior as a husband by being a good father. He is not willing to remarry and his mind is simply not “there.” On the other hand, Jawad is emotionally struggling with this decision, because he realizes that once his parents have made up their minds, it will be difficult to get his way – and this is a decision he is unable to resign himself to. However, it’s clear that he is slowly being convinced, because when Ifrah calls him, asking how this could happen, Jawad states that he can’t get married for two years. And yet, he tells her that he won’t allow it to happen. As viewers, we are all clear on how this love story will end.
What’s more important here is not which direction this love story will take – it’s clear that Ifrah will end up sacrificing and marry Rashid. But what is not clear is how this love story will end. Often, women are seen sacrificing their love for their responsibilities. In this case, her responsibility lies with an abusive man who is responsible for Samra’s death. So there should not be any obligation here. If the team behind “Qayamat” believes we, as viewers, will ever root for a Rashid and Ifrah union at the end, they are wrong. Coming to performances, Ahsan Khan is wonderful this week in the few moments we see of him. Has Rashid really reformed? That’s not clear, but even this temporary change is welcome – and Ahsan Khan is doing a great job in this role. Of course, Haroon Shahid and Neelam Munir are doing great as well. It’s just a shame that this story is bringing out more anger and frustration than enjoyment.