“Agar” is refreshingly different in that it tells a unique story, one that feels rooted in reality. Following the lives of three sisters, Annie, Hooriya and Chandni, these young ladies all face different problems in life and struggle against their circumstances, most which stem from their own mother. Starring Jugan Kazim, HIna Altaf, Maheen Siddiqui, Junaid Khan, Usama Khan, Ali Abbas, Hira Soomro, Ahmed Radhawa and Hina Bayat, the story has been written by Madiha Shahid and directed by Ilyas Kashmiri.
In episode 15, Behram (Ahmed Radhawa) has had enough of Hooriya’s (Hina Altaf) immaturity, no longer willing to tolerate her childish whims. After Zainab’s (Hira Soomro) miscarriage, which Behram blames Hooriya’s daughter, Pari, for, the relationship between Behram and Hooriya has severely deteriorated. Behram is also unwilling to pay for Hooriya’s expenses at this point. While Behram’s behavior may seem cold and cruel to Hooriya and their mother, Behram has had enough. He has seen how his wife has been treated as the house help by these ladies and now, in her time of grief, he refuses to allow her to be mistreated anymore. Zainab continues to be a gem of a character, not blaming anyone for her miscarriage and bonding well with her sisters in law…..minus Hooriya.
Hooriya, fed up of Behram’s taunts, decides to marry Mehryaar (Ali Abbas). Hooriya is a frustrating character, because she thinks very low of Mehryaar, as he’s not her “ideal.” However, Hooriya herself is a widow with a 5 year old child – which is not a negative, but she has her own responsibilities and should not be thinking in such an immature manner. The days of dreaming of a knight in shining armor should be over for Hooriya and she should be showing responsibility towards her child. If Hooriya doesn’t want to marry Mehryaar, she should get up and find a job, something Annie (Jugan Kazim) has suggested several times. Hooriya, however, does not want to work. She does not want to get a job and earn money and she also does not want to do any housework. She was treated like a princess by Farrukh and she is unable to understand the realities of life. If anything, as a viewer, it’s difficult to feel anything but anger towards Hooriya and anything but sympathy for Mehryaar for who he’s about to allow into his life.
On the other hand, Behram’s behavior may be an indicator of what’s to come for Annie. With Annie and Shahwaiz (Junaid Khan) now eager to declare their marriage, Annie’s mother may be hesitant to loosen her grip on Annie – and her wallet. Annie has been the breadwinner for so long in this family and now with Behram’s growing frustration with his mother and Hooriya, one can imagine that Annie will continue to face the brunt of this. Will Annie ever truly be able to enjoy her married life with her child? Chandni (Maheen Siddiqui) is another gem of a character, along with Zainab. It’s these two sweet ladies who bring positivity to the show, painting a great example of the sister-in-law relationship.
“Agar” continues to be a well-written, beautiful show about relationships, the respect required to maintain those relationships and the space relationships require to grow as individuals. Hina Bayat’s character, the mother of this family, is an omnipresent figure even when she’s not in a scene, as it’s her upbringing that has affected each and every one of these characters – and influences their actions. Will these children, who are now fully grown adults with jobs and their own families, be able to come out of their mother’s shadow to make their own decisions and grow in their professional and personal lives? “Agar” is a wonderful show and is one that should be watched by all.
