“Sar E Rah made its debut last week with its first episode focused on Saba Qamar’s character, Rania. While Rania had to fight her family, fiancé and society to earn a living for herself and support her family, she has now settled into her routine as a taxi driver – and is now meeting interesting people along the way. Written by Adeel Razzaq and directed by Ahmed Bhatti, “Sar E Rah” discusses female-oriented issues and the issues of those thumbed down by society, aiming to rise above their circumstances. Along with Saba Qamar, “Sar E Rah” also stars Sunita Marshall, Saboor Aly, Muneeb Butt, Hareem Farooq, Mikaal Zulfiqar, Saba Faisal, Sania Saeed, Mirza Zain Baig and others.
In episode two, we meet Dr. Muzna, played by Sunita Marshall. Muzna is a woman bound in a marriage where there’s a constantly third party present – her overbearing mother-in-law. While her relationship with her husband, Aamir (MIkaal Zulfiqar) is a somewhat healthy one, he’s a man who is incapable of standing up for her in front of his interfering mother. While the two haven’t been able to have a child in their six years of marriage, it’s revealed that Aamir is the one who is impotent. Dr. Muzna continues to be patient in her marriage, taking Aamir for treatment and hoping for the best while bearing the taunts of her mother-in-law, who insists she’ll get Aamir remarried in order to get a grandchild. Later, when she realizes Muzna is not the problem, she changes tactics, berating Muzna for not being happy with what she has. When Dr. Muzna’s patient abandons her child at the hospital, signing over all rights to Dr. Muzna, she makes the decision to bring the child home – and this is when she encounters Rania.
The bond between the two women is sweet and while it’s a bit far-fetched that a taxi driver would accompany a woman through malls and such, the narrative works under these circumstances. Sunita Marshall is believable as a doctor working through her personal issues and, finally, taking a stand not only for herself, but for her profession and her right to live life on her terms. How much should a woman bend and compromise in a marriage before enough is enough? That’s the story here as Dr. Muzna compromises her self-respect to defend a husband who cannot do the same for her. Saba Qamar is wonderful as always, but this episode belongs to Sunita Marshall, who has consistently worked on her craft over the years and is a stellar actress as well. Mikaal Zulfiqar does a decent job in a supporting role as well. “Sar E Rah” continues to entertain as a short-form series. While Dr. Muzna’s story ends with her walking away from her husband and mother-in-law for the sake of a baby she now claims as her own, we are introduced to Saboor Aly’s character at the very end of the episode. What story will unfold with this social media star next week? We can’t wait to find out!