With only three episodes aired so far, Dobara is already making waves in the television world. It promises to be different. Most of us are sick of designer lawn-clad women with blonde hair parading around shopping malls, their husbands, lovers or friends in tow, and mothers-in-law conspiring against daughters-in-law in their palatial villas with gargantuan drawing rooms. Most of these plays cater to the viewer who thrives on heavy doses of melodrama, intrigue and conspiracy.

Hadiqa Kiyani chooses the role of Mehru, an unconventional woman who, much to her sister-in-law’s dismay, sees the death of her husband as an opportunity to live the childhood she never had. Married at the tender age of fifteen to a man twenty years her senior (Noman Ejaz) and forced to conform to tradition and societal norms, she misses her carefree, footloose and fancy free life abruptly cut short by marriage.

Bilal Abbas portrays Maahir, a good-for-nothing in his early twenties, caught between two sets of parents. Rejected and bad-mouthed by step parents on both sides, he has developed a thick skin and spends most of his time with his girlfriend (a former class fellow) who keeps pressuring him to find a job and send his parents with his proposal. Maahir, however, finds it difficult to land a job due to his lack of experience, ambition and drive. He has no qualms about pinching money from his step father’s wallet or emotionally blackmailing his mother.

The play is off to a promising start with both leads diving into the skin of their characters. Bilal Abbas is a versatile and dynamic actor who can pull off quite a variety of roles with panache. Hadiqa has already proved her mettle with her debut outing, Raqeeb Se.

The play is off to a promising start with both leads diving into the skin of their characters. Bilal Abbas is a versatile and dynamic actor who can pull off quite a variety of roles with panache. Hadiqa has already proved her mettle with her debut outing, Raqeeb Se. In Raqeeb Se, her character was a far cry from the kind of roles newcomers generally choose to debut with. Yet, she held her own against veterans like Noman Ejaz and Sania Saeed. It looks like she aims to do the same with her role in Dobara.

Sakina Samo, however, is becoming rather typecast. It is a shame that more roles are not being written for older women and an actress of her calibre is reduced to a mere prop rather than being cast in meatier roles that would do justice to her talent and versatility. In Dobara, she plays Hadiqa’s sister in law who is appalled at the way she behaves and acts, unlike a devoted wife who has recently lost a husband she was married to for more than three decades.

However, Mehru is enjoying her new found freedom after having been subjected to numerous restrictions by her husband who is painted as an authoritarian person who made it very clear on their wedding night that he did not take kindly to being argued with. His wife, a teenager, had found the restrictions extremely frustrating but eventually succumbed for the sake of domestic peace. After her husband’s death, she feels that she has been given a new lease on life.

More plays should dare to go against the grain and push the envelope. Many viewers today want something different. Given the stiff competition from other local channels and entertainment platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix, no entertainment channel can afford to churn out the same hackneyed material year after year. They need to innovate and experiment to remain competitive. This play is recommended on account of its interesting characters, innovative plot, engaging dialogues and relatable situations. Tune in every Wednesday to catch it at 8pm on Hum.

The writer is an  educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com