approx read time: 10-15mins Mrs & Mr Shameem... a drama I literally have no words for! The drama brings together the powerhouse performances of Nauman Ijaz and Saba Qamar through an unconventional and gripping storyline. The couple face quite literally every problem on the cards together but come out stronger in the end...Let us explore the performances and taboo themes intertwined that stem from true masculinity, opposing common stereotypes... Poster Title I'd like to actually put some emphasis on the drama poster title. What does it really suggest to an audience? Did you notice that typically we say Mr & Mrs but the drama is actually Mrs & Mr? Was this intentional? The "Mr Shameem" is written in italics which to me seems really feminine. The "Mrs Shameem" is written in capital which I think suggests bold dominance. Now, if we were to match these up to the characters of Umi and Shammo, who would you say represents which title? Casting Okay so what i
Chaudhary & sons has become a successful hit drama in Ramadhan this year and we sure will miss the fun-loving Chaudhary khandaan! Let's take a look at everything we loved about the drama serial...
The Grandparents-Grandchildren relationship
We love to see the partners in crime "Billu on the mic, dada on the floor" in such a friendship that is inspiring for today's youth to appreciate the elders in their family. We see especially in today's youth that it isn't "cool" to hang out with your grandparents- well Dada & Billu are definitely here to change that! The relationship between Dada & Billu is fresh and youthful- they're a cool duo who love to have their own "masti" time. We do also see an emotional relationship between the two- they can share their feelings with each other like friends would. This loving and caring nature between them as they look out for each other feels so realistic because of their affectionate behaviour- Billu always kisses Dada on the forehead, cheek and sometimes hand.
Malka Dadi & Pari have been there for each other since Pari was a child. Pari became an orphan in her childhood which naturally means the responsibility of her upbringing was on Malka Dadi. Malka Dadi bought up Pari with a lot of laad pyaar which is still evident in scenes where we see Pari sitting in Malka Dadi's lap (at her big age still!) cradling her like a baby. They are both very overprotective of each other- Pari can't hear anything bad said about her dadi and Malka dadi is always concerned of Pari's whereabouts.
Dildaar Chaudhary treats his daughters-in-law like his own
We rarely see such caring father-in-laws in reality so the on-screen representation of Dildaar Chaudhary who treats his daughter-in-laws like his own is like a breath of fresh air. Although this may be because he misses his only daughter (she married out of caste which is unacceptable to the Head of the family Dildaar Chaudhary so ended relations with her) we can't help but admire his caring nature towards Nimmo & Shabbo. Dildaar Chaudhary adores Nimmo and consistently shows laad pyaar towards her over her husband 😅. A heart-warming moment was when we saw Shabbo crying to go out shopping and Dildaar pulled out a cheque for her and said "don't cry puttar". Dildaar Chaudhary most definetly sides with his daughter-in-laws even if that means teasing his own sons 😅.
Love has no age
Although it is clear that the romantic storyline is focused between Billu & Pari, we see many other romantic relations between all generations of characters.
It is revealed to the audience the real reason why Dildaar Chaudhary always wants to go to the clinic- his love interest Dr Salma is there. Both senior characters appear to be single and interested in one another and their romance is still very clearly in the air with "Dildaaar and his dildaariya".
Culturally it is looked down upon to be getting married past a certain age but by the end of this drama, it was nice to see the drama breaking stereotypes and beautifully portraying a happy relationship for the older generation. Personally, I loved the romantic storyline between Dildaar & Dr.Salma from the start and was really hoping to see a sweet ending for them 💕
We take a step down a generation to look at a similar relationship between Tashi & Paro. We do love how bold Paro is in expressing her emotions towards Tashi who continuously seems nervous and hesitant around her. Both have been single for a very long time struggling to find suitable partners but were secretly always interested in each other. Their relationship was no secret really- half the family knew what was going on but didn't say anything. They danced together on Pari & Billu's nikkah in front of the whole family too! I think the fact that Tashi faced many rejections and nothing really was working out for Paro really emphasises "agar apki qismat mei kuch likha ho tu sari kainat apko milane ki koshish mei ho ja ti hai aur agar kuch na likha ho tu beshak sari kainat is koshish mei ho vo cheez apko nahi mil sakti".
Realistically they say everything comes in its own good time so if 2 people are destined to be together at a much later point in life who are we to judge this? I really wish in reality the audience learn from this that nobody has an "expiry date" for marriage- if it's meant to be it's meant to be 👫
The actors are NOT afraid to hit the dance floor
Without a doubt, the most enjoyable moments of the drama were most definitely seeing the Chaudhary khandaan on the dance floor. Billu Chaudhary is the one to create the fun atmosphere and encourage the rest of the characters to make their way to the dance floor. Each character has a spotlight of their own dance moves which is so funny to see 😂. However, I do believe it is Imran Ashraf's carefree nature that really allows him to express himself and you can really see the actor is enjoying himself- the fun is part of Imran Ashraf's personality.
Importance of animals
It's not very often we see animals incorporated with significance between characters in a Pakistani drama. However, we see Pari who is emotionally very attached to her lovebirds Chanda & Tara (we also LOVE the names). We constantly see Pari talking to her pets and sharing her feelings with them. Pari always has their cage by her side when walking around the Chaudhary house looking to feed them. When one of her birds dies she is at the time with Billu who then understood her attachment with them and helped her bury the bird. Pari felt very upset after when she went home and not many characters understood her feelings and had a "get over it" attitude. But I think for Pari as she is an only child her birds were like her friends too and she liked to care for them and talk to them.
We also see Sabir (also known as "dangar doctor") who is a veterinary surgeon- different from the stereotypical doctor job title within the Asian community. Although Dildaar teases him about working with animals we really appreciate the fact that he is doing something different and what he loves! Sabir is always on the go when he gets a call from work about a sick animal and loves to tell his work stories at home too- even if they aren't hugely appreciated 😅. Our favourite part though was when Dildaar told Sabir to wear more human-like clothing when you're out n about with me- not your work calendar (Sabir was wearing a cheetah print top that was gifted to him when a cheetah operation went well).
We're sad to see Chaudhary & sons finish now but we loved every bit of it and can't wait to see next year's Ramadhan's drama serials. What did you enjoy most about Chaudhary & sons? Comment down below
