Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: February 21, 2020 | 
Iqra Aziz in 'Jhooti'
It is not often that a seasoned drama viewer isn't sure about how to reflect on the foundation of a play. Post the success of Meray Paas Tum Ho (You are with Me), ARY has created a habit of depicting women as homewreckers consumed by the unscrupulous pursuit of materialism, as opposed to highlighting their struggles as equal contributors to a household in an already patriarchal milieu.
Three episodes down the road, ARY’s latest play ‘Jhooti (Liar)’, has continued to keep us all puzzled. Written by Ali Moeen (of ‘Bhool’ fame) and directed by Syed Ramish Rizvi, the main protagonist, Nirma (Iqra Aziz) is a young girl, with what seems to be a single-minded goal: to make money. Throughout the episodes, she repeatedly says, “Mai paida ghareebon mei hogai thi, maroongi ghareeb nahi (I may have been born in a poor family but I won't die poor)”, or “Mai aik parchoonwalay k ghr paida hogai hu, aik parchoonwalay ki ghrwali nahi banoongi (I was born in a grocer's house but I won't become the wife of one)”.
The drama seems ready for some exposition on Nirma’s underlying psychological issues, but for now there's no logical or empathic justification for some of her inexplicable actions. In one instance, she breaks a new TV set that her husband Nasir (Ahmad Ali Butt) buys, without any obvious reason at all. She seems to thrive on her own created chaos.
Nirma Getting Married to Nasir (Ahmed Ali Butt)
Not only this, Nirma is shown to be ill-mannered, who is not only embarrassed but also looks down upon her own family, who basically have no other fault except for their undesirable socioeconomic background. Just because they are not well of financially doesn't mean they're poor, by any means. It simply means they aren't the kind of flashy and excessively rich people to which Nirma aspires to belong.
Nirma's Home and Family
In one scene, she's shown to be arguing with her mother (Asma Abbas) for permission to enroll in a university, a seemingly reasonable request. But her motivations for higher education is the desire to earn wealth. While financial independence can make sense within the story, the blind pursuit of money in the drama can either lead to the development of more deep-seated psychological problems or the idea of a stereotypically evil woman. She seems firmly convinced in her individualist, myopic aspiration. At one point Samina (Iman Zaidi) , Nirma's 'friend', the only person to whose advice the protagonist seems to blindly listen, asks her what she'll do with all that money, and she replies, "I don't know, let me collect it all and then I'll decide".
Samina (Iman Zaidi) (Left) and Nirma (Right)
While Nirma’s psychological troubles remain a mystery, her father (Touqeer Nasir) panders to her whims, to the point of justifying and enabling her questionable actions. It’s almost like he is completely blind to Nirma’s manipulations, when the rest of the family is skeptical.
So far in the story, Nirma has married Nasir upon her friend’s advice, in an effort to make a quick buck through her husband’s property and money. This, however, proves to be more difficult than Nirma had initially anticipated, and she soon starts scheming about ways to get out of the marriage. Yasir Hussain's character hasn't made it into the story yet, but from what the trailer suggests, he may be Nirma’s undoing as the ultimate con man.
Iqra Aziz as Nirma and Yasir Hussain
Overall, even if ‘Jhooti’ uses the explanation of psychological issues to resolve its plot, the stellar acting of the cast makes up for the poor writing. Whether one looks at the seasoned actors or newcomers, everyone plays their part with conviction. In simply three episodes, Aziz has managed to make Nirma the character everyone loves to hate. Such a tremendous feat was expected of her, as the young actor has learnt to give a unique performance in each of the roles she has done so far.
The drama has already garnered much criticism on social media, after its first trailer was released showing Iqra with fake bruises, while telling lies about the abuse she has suffered at the hands of her husband. The writer believes that the drama may have bigger point to drive home, which might reveal itself later. One can expect future episodes to deal with the unraveling and potential undoing of Nirma's complexities and insecurities. If that's the case, there may be some underlying method to Nirma’s madness, and it may serve as an example of how people misuse the very serious issue of domestic violence.
Jhooti airs Saturdays, 8:00pm on ARY Digital.
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