Written by: Muna Moini
Posted on: April 03, 2019 | 
Dramas and films have continuously romanticized harassment, making us believe that it's perfectly normal not to respect a woman's rejection. ‘No,’ often means that one should keep trying until the girl finally says yes due to some false notion of love, or stalk and irritate her to a point where she is coerced into saying yes. Certain storylines have taught girls to view nearly every negative behavior of a boy in a romantic light.
HUM TV's latest play Inkaar features Yumna Zaidi, Sami Khan and Imran Ashraf in key roles. Written by Zafar Mairaj, directed by Kashif Nisar and produced by MD Productions, the plot revolves around male characters who are unable to deal with rejection and are struggling to understand the idea of consent. Shot in new and old environs of Lahore, the drama has a somber tone to it, with a powerful and haunting soundtrack.
The first episode of Inkaar focused on Hajra (Yumna Zaidi), the protagonist, who seems heartbroken and distracted from her personal goals. She’s recently left her studies due to some unexplained circumstances, and is teaching at a school. Yumna Zaidi executes her role to perfection, like her performance is other roles in the past, including the memorable Sila from Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila. Hajra’s father, Hafiz Sahab (Rehan Sheikh), is a Halwai by profession, and an open-minded supportive father.
Shayan (Sami Khan) is shown as a university mate of Hajra’s, who belongs to a well-off family and is completely in love with her. His proposal leads to an ‘inkaar (rejection)’ from her. He has problems dealing with this rejection and is determined to win her over. He makes her very uncomfortable by volunteering at the same school where she teaches. Sami Khan is a seasoned actor who plays his part well, although his character isn’t very likeable.
Throughout the second episode, in the conservative atmosphere of the school, Shayan manages to smear Hajra's reputation to the extent that she loses her job. He achieves his motive of getting engaged to her, and though some viewers might consider this ‘cute,’ yet it's clearly discomfiting for Hajra. It's even more disturbing when Hajra eventually trusts him in the fourth episode, because this makes it seem like men will never face consequences for pushing their luck and forcing themselves on girls.
The third episode reveals the back story, as Hajra finally talks to Shayan about her past, which is connected to Rehan Chaudhry (Imran Ashraf), who also meets Hajra at university. Imran Ashraf has already proved his potential as Bhola in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, and we’re convinced that he’s going to steal the spotlight in Inkaar as well due to his powerful screen presence. Though Hajra is shown as an independent headstrong girl, she unfortunately isn’t as smart as she’d like to believe. Like a gullible person, she falls for Rehan’s pretense of love until he takes advantage of her and assaults her. When she leaves university, she chooses to remain silent.
Four episodes in, the drama neatly introduces the main characters and raises important questions such as: Is Hajra really that smart and strong? Or is she conditioned to stay silent and run away from her problems? Where does one draw the line between romance and harassment? And most importantly, how does one respect the other individual’s consent? The drama portrays Shayan as a hero right now while Rehan is shown as the villain, however, it misses the point it’s trying to make. Clearly, both the male leads fail to accept Hajra’s rejection; albeit they handle it differently. A few scenes and dialogues also suggest that Shayan and Rehan might have known each other in the past.
We'll have to watch the upcoming episodes to find out how the story unfolds, but for now, it’s high time for Pakistani dramas to redefine the qualities of a hero.
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