Last week, ‘Meri Guriya’ took a very disturbing turn when Dabeer took the opportunity to abduct Abida. The family went into a panic, and the search began for the little girl.
This episode begins with the search continuing, however soon Shahmeer gets a call, he’s being summoned to the landfill. The couple get there, and they see a body being carried into an ambulance and the media is swarming around them.
Shahmeer gingerly approaches the body to identify her. He lifts the covers, and the horrifying truth they fought to deny is looking them in the face. Abida had been raped, murdered and left to rot away at the top of a pile of garbage.
Before I say anything else, I feel I need to address a critique that is levelled against this show. The case revolving Abida and the girl at the beginning of the show match the Zainab rape and murder case. Some say that the program is cashing in on Zainab’s plight and case, however, having seen the show, I feel like the show is making a genuine effort to raise awareness on the matter.
One dynamic that this episode focuses on heavily is media sensationalisation and police incompetence. The media is seen swarming the scene and the family home. Their sole purpose was to get their exclusive scoop at whatever cost. More than the media, the police is depicted as a problematic public enemy. As the case breaks open, and the media is asking questions, the police are made to actually do their job and well, that isn’t acceptable to them. It is their constant aim to quite Shahmeer and his quest for justice.
They do everything in their power to not do their job and also cover the fact that they are incompetent. They did nothing to find her, however, want to portray their cooperation and support.
The focus of the show also, of course, moves to Shehnaz and her family. Before, Shehnaz’s in-laws couldn’t care less for the girls, but as news of her death breaks, they’re all in mourning. They don’t want to seem like monsters who can’t mourn the death of a rape victim. They don the chaadars and the tassbihs and join in the soug. At one point in the episode, Shehnaz herself says; ‘Mout se pehlay Abida sirf meri beti thi, mout ke baad, woh kisi ki poti, bhateeji ban gayi’.
Everyone wants Abida to have justice, however the support for the fight for justice wains as the episode progresses. When it starts, everyone supports the family, however, soon the community backs off and eventually even the family couldn’t care less. Towards the end, it’s just Shehnaz who remains standing with Safina and her brother in law, Yawar, by her side. The show shines a light over how we see rape as a society. The attitude that remains isn’t one of support and justice, rather it is the attitude of forgetting, moving on and protecting the family ‘izzat’.
Shehnaz and Shahmeer are constantly reminded that their family’s honour is at stake if they choose to pursue justice, that their girls won’t have a chance at marriage if they pursue justice.
In the background of all this, Dabeer has waves of guilt. He is washed with fright and guilt at the graveyard, the first time he sees Abida’s grave. He is generally shown as very anxious and jumpy in this episode. His constant concern is about having the entire situation blow over so that he may go by scott-free. His dream is of course, being disturbed by Safina and her involvement in the case. Dabeer has proven that he can do anything to get rid of Safina, therefore it is scary to think what lengths he will go to to protect himself in this case.
At the start, Shahmeer stands with Shehnaz, but his financial position, the whole izzat factor and the worry of his remaining daughter’s futures push him to take a policeman’s bribe and back off.
The episode started off very emotionally. It was actually really hard to watch the first few scenes right after Abida’s body is discovered. ‘Meri Guriya’ did a very good job of making the entire situation very real and very human. As the show went on, the sadness gave way to anger. This anger will persist over the next few episodes as the theme of justice will come front and centre. The next episodes will most likely focus on this theme. It’s exciting to see the rest of this drama unravel, especially with Safina and Shehnaz leading the fight for Abida’s justice.
What do you think about the show and this week’s episode? Let us know in the comments 🙂