“Qissa Meherbano Ka” is coming to its conclusion with the finale airing at the end of this week. Starring Mawra Hocane, Ahsan Khan, Khushhal Khan, Areej Mohyudin, Zeb Rehman, Zaviyaar Nauman Ejaz and others, the story has been written by Fakhra Jabeen and directed by Iqbal Hussain. Centering around the issue of domestic violence, “Qissa Meherbano Ka” has been a slow-to-build-up sort of show. It gradually won its audience over, now the recipient of steady praise each week for its true-to-life depiction of abusive marriages and how women find themselves trapped within their own homes.
In episode 23, Meherbano (Mawra Hocane) realizes she’s the cause of Mehrab’s (Zaviyaar Nauman Ejaz) problems and decides to turn herself in for her crime. In doing so, both she and her baby are taken into custody. The most refreshing part of this episode is the lack of dramatics. Meherbano turns herself in, but the cops do not jump to attack her or put her in handcuffs. A team of well-mannered female cops listen to her confession and take her written statement in a calm, realistic way. And while Murad (Ahsan Khan) attempts to take possession of his son, he’s informed by his “insider” police officer that things will not be that simple, as Meherbano’s confession could get Murad himself arrested. There aren’t any rushes to character assassinate Meherbano or to paint her as murderous. There is one silly moment where Murad’s lawyer makes a remark about Meherbano in an unnecessarily obnoxious fashion, but overall, the proceedings have been handled well.
The greatest reveal in this episode is the truth surrounding Afia’s death, something which viewers have not been entirely clear on – and Asghar Ali (Mohammad Ahmed) would never have allowed Meherbano to sit around, waiting for Murad had he known the truth. Afia’s passing occurred due to her own plot (prodded on with her mother’s blessing) to abort her unborn child, taking a pill which ultimately caused her own death. This may seem like a small bit of information, but it completely turns the onus of “blame” around. Atif, Meherbano’s brother, has been innocent this entire time and has been unfairly blamed for Afia’s despair and death.
How will this push the story forward? And with this reveal arriving right in time for the finale, will enough attention be given to it? Some stories are dragged along for weeks and months with too many filler episodes in-between. Stories like “Qissa Meherbano Ka” should be appreciated for keeping the narrative short and sweet, ending at a well-rounded 24 episodes to prevent that dragging. And yet, we can’t help feeling that this is one show that could have been better served by having more episodes.