Pakistani dramas aren’t the first place to turn to if we happen to be looking for entertainment, but it seems like the tide is finally turning. After the ever popular Kuch Ankahi, ARY’s new drama Sar-e-Rah, is exploring the issues faced by women in this society. In its first episode it welcomes female taxi drivers to public spaces.
The drama explores the lives of four women and an intersex man, and the struggles they face in society. This episode opens with the life of Rabia, a woman who has been waiting for five years for her aunt and fiance Faraz to finalize her wedding date. When her father, the head of the family, suddenly has a heart attack and it begins impacting the family’s household expenditure, Rabia decides to follow his footsteps to become a taxi driver.
The episode wasn’t afraid to explore the kind of push back and harassment women face at the hands of men when they venture in to public spaces. In one scene, a customer arrives as Rabia’s car and notices that a woman driving . He starts exclaiming “God’s wrath is upon us!” and walks away muttering that this was a sign of the Day of Judgement. Rabia’s family members, especially her fiance, taunt her with the age-old saying ‘Log Kya Kahengee’ if a woman is boldly stepping out in the streets to make an earning. To whom Rabia gives a powerful response by reminding them that no one is more honorable than a woman who chooses to look after her family by making an earning.
the age-old question of “log kya kahenge?” receives the solid, formidable answer that it always should receive. for how long will we stop ourselves from doing things because we fear other people? i can already see rania becoming one of my favourite characters. #SareRah. pic.twitter.com/01hn51g7Ox
— deeya. (@yaaremann) February 5, 2023
Twitter users are already fans of Saba Qamar’s powerful acting, calling it a well needed show that has arrived at the right time.
“I’m very excited about Sar e Rah and the engaging, progressive and uplifting narrative it has taken off with. So many issues are being addressed in a natural and (so far) non preachy or patronising way. Can’t wait for the next episode,” wrote drama critic Aamna Isani.
“Such a unique & powerful concept. This show is giving OG Pakistani show’ vibe . Hats off to #SabaQamar for always trying to do something different,” another user wrote.
Users especially showered praises on a powerful scene where a customer guides Qamar’s character to never be afraid to charge her customers the price she deserves, and also reminds her to keep her confidence strong and stare back at the same men leering at her.
We had been waiting for a long time to see Pakistani dramas get on with the times and start wriiting stories that reflected the lives and struggles of women in Pakistan, and it seems like that time has arrived. The drama is a breath of fresh air for welcoming female taxi drivers in to the public sphere, and we are anticipating how it will play out in the next few episodes!
