After back to back impactful dramas like Cheekh, Surkh Chandni, Akhri Station, Damsa, Beti, Meri Guriya amid others, the most-watched entertainment channel of the country, ARY Digital had brought Ruswai for its spectators around the world. Seems like the channel has made a promise to let the bar of flamboyancy of its dramas stay at the top and nothing less.
From Mukhtar Mai to Qandeel Baloch, women have not only been subjected to humiliation, victimization, and brutalization, they are also murdered in the name of honor. ARY Digital Network understands its responsibilities well and does not shy away to grip campaigns shedding light on societal issues so that Pakistan could become a better place to live with each passing day. Talking about taboo topics between the lines with absolute subtlety is also something we usually see in dramas associated with ARY Digital.
Related: Tables have finally turned in Ruswai
Ruswai flawlessly depicts the cruel reality of the society we live in. Viewers who have been following the drama since the beginning know Sameera was righteous all along. She had already been in a traumatic state since the fourth episode but no one in her family or her inlaws actually understood it, to say the least.
She was broken and all she needed was someone who would put back all these broken pieces together. Sure, her family took stand for her at times, but they still sent her to the house she was not needed in.
At the top of it, she was humiliated by her husband and his mother every day about the sin she had never committed. According to them, Salman was a victim because he had married Sameera after the incident and to ease his frustration about what he feels, it is okay for him to abuse her verbally, emotionally and physically. Meanwhile, he was cheating on her with Pinky blatantly, as if there’s nothing wrong in it.
However, Salman’s remorse leads him to divorce Pinky and help Sameera with whatever he had; he gives his life for her and she says, “You have cleared all debts” in the scene with the stretcher.
Notwithstanding all the trauma and emotional pain, Sameera’s persistence, and resilience made her climb a mountain, which was really hard to ascend. In spite of everything her ex-in-laws did to her, she stood like a rock to make sure her sister-in-law does not experience a similar fate. She fought with her mother, and her brother, said some exceptional dialogues with impeccable body language and acting, enough to make the audience cry with sorrow, empathy, hope and relief at the same time.
After the sad demise of her father, she was shaken to the core and instead of breaking down, she became stronger than ever, gaining maximum support of her family, and Dr.Feroze.
Related: Ruswai | Sameera will never be the same
Dr. Feroze encouraged her to be herself and go against all odds to come to the hospital even on days when she was feeling miserable. He not only helped her but her entire family ranging from her father to her brother and sister-in-law. Albeit wanting to marry her, he passed the ball to Sameera’s court, for, he decided to agree on what she chooses.
Hamza loved Wardah and they wanted to have a happy and healthy married life but just because she was Salman’s sister, their lives took some sharp turns, to a point where Hamza endured high blood pressure and Wardah went through a nervous breakdown. Hamza not only managed to be an empathetic husband but an utterly obedient son and a supportive brother too. Despite being caught in the middle of all these pivotal relations, he tried his hard to stay unbiased in balancing them.
The finale of Ruswai was not less than a treat, for, all aficionados were longing for justice Sameera deserved. When she went to the police station, she did not just have Hamza as her support, she also had Dr. Feroze who reaffirmed he will help her no matter how impossible it may seem.
The court verdict relieved the audience and the last scene delineating the hospital made them happy to no limits. Sameera carrying someone’s baby, asking Feroze why had he come, with a smile on her face, to which he replied, to wish her birthday for the nth time. He also invited Mukhtaran Bibi aka Mukhtar Mai to wish Sameera on her birthday.
Mukhtar Mai is the resilient Pakistani woman who gone through the same fate as Sameera in 2002 but became an epitome of hope for oppressed women across the world.
We hope and pray Pakistan becomes a country where women feel safe, respected and acknowledged, no matter what class they represent or what area they belong to.
Ruswai is directed by the veteran actress Rubina Ashraf and produced by Humayun Saeed’s Six Sigma Entertainment. The drama incorporates adroit actors such as Osama Tahir, Minah Tariq, legendary actors, Mohammad Ahmed, Usman Peerzada, and Seemi Raheel.
Masters in Journalism—IBA | Masters in Advertising and Public Relations—UoK. A bibliophile, food enthusiast, entertainment aficionado, and a Lifestyle Journalist, by passion.