Mrs & Mr Shameem: Redefining masculinity

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 initially attracted me towards watching this drama is Nauman Ijaz's character. I think Nauman Ijaz has a persona where he's just so masculine and macho-man that I literally cannot believe my eyes that he agreed to such a role. At first, I thought he would actually be veryyyy feminine (similar to Imran Ashraf in Alif Allah aur Insan) but there was so much more to Shammo's character. Shammo has been surrounded by such men who use violence and stereotypical masculinity to jata their authority over women. However, Shammo's character over the drama has blossomed into the most beautiful version of masculinity- I think his role has actually redefined masculinity for our awaam. There is such sensitivity to the role that makes you really think about what makes a man a man and what makes a good life partner. Nauman Ijaz as Shammo/Shameem has absolutely nailed this role and without a doubt has become my favourite character of his. His scenes looking after Ali as a baby were so delicate to watch and absolutely have my whole heart. I think one of his best scenes though was when he was crying in the bathroom alone after Ali's change in behaviour towards him. It really made you feel upset for the character. I really do think Nauman Ijaz's acting overpowered everyone else in the drama because of how out-of-the-box his character was and how remarkably well he performed this!

Okay so Saba Qamar as Umaina/Umi was a very realistic and mentally draining character but is not something totally different to what we already know Saba Qamar is capable of. There are certain scenes where Umi is crying in pain (whether that's mentally or physically) and the audience also feels the pain and draining of energy for the character. There was also a scene where she was gasping for breath and it just felt so realistic and the way she was able to hold herself through even in acting was quite impressive!

Gul-e-Rana as Bay Ji is a character I can't miss talking about. I really enjoyed this character as it felt very genuine and realistic of a mother's emotions and love for her children- no matter what. I think Bay Ji's affectionate behaviour in scenes with Shammo was so heartfelt. But I did also love her dialogue delivery as a typical mother some lines were quite funny in her tone!

Okay, I do also think there were too many female characters in the house around Shammo that were unnecessary to the storyline. But if there's one person's acting I have to fault as dreadful it would be Humaira (Uzma Hassan). I'm not too sure whether the character was just a bit poorly written without enough depth or the actress just couldn't act. There were many scenes where Humaira just completely and utterly felt like a ghost with a pointless role putting the audience to sleep. Then the next scene she's screaming and crying pulling her hair out in front of Bay Ji?? I think the only scene she did well was when she was testing Khurram and then threatened him. Otherwise most times the role just gave psycho vibes.

Saqib Sumeer as Khurram I think nailed his character! I really haven't seen such a vile and vulgar role ever on screen but he portrayed the reality really well. Without a doubt, Saqib Sumeer is one of the most versatile supporting actors who is really just able to mould into any role. Unfortunately, such men like Khurram do exist in our society but I do think the way the character was portrayed is eye-opening for women who are married to such men. 

Agha Mustafa Hassan as Bilal was quite scary, to say the least! His character was probably the stereotypical "man" most girls drool over. Unfortunately, most of the time, their character is like Bilal's who only imposes destruction on a girl's life. Bilal's character should actually quite clearly be a sign to all girls to stop romanticising and glorifying such masculinity of "biceps" where there is no respect, care or concern. Agha's character was quite believable and you really do think he's a monster! 

Abdullah's daughter I think had the best character growth and powerful dialogues. Although I didn't think much of the character at the start, I think her graph was pretty well developed after she grew up and came back from her Aalima teaching course. The character was bursting with pain and to be heard which is evident in what some would say "moopat" dialogues. She was able to take a tough stance against her dad to actually make him reflect on whom he handed her over to in the name of religion. The character was powerful in demanding her rights and rebelling against societal norms.

Plot & Themes

Okay, when I tell you that I absolutely love cliffhangers and a gripping storyline with plot twists...DAMN, this is THAT drama with ENDLESS plot twists that honestly had me screaming and crying at the TV the entire time. It reached a point where I honestly DIDN'T want any more plot twists because it was becoming difficult to process what had become a negative domino effect. Every time I thought things couldn't get any worse....they just got worse in the next episode. But I think the drama highlighted some very taboo subjects with sensitivity in educating the audience that must be spoken about...

Post-partum depression is something I personally was educated about for the first time through this drama. It really did scare me on how bad it really can be to the point that the child is considered neglected. Saba Qamar did a very good job of portraying this through her attitude and dialogues (in the present). One scene in particular I think was executed well was when the baby was crying on the bed and she was hiding under the bed gone absolutely numb to the child crying. The scariest part was when I really thought she was about to bury the baby alive. This almost left me traumatised.

Okay, so infertility is probably one of the biggest challenges faced in a relationship. I think it's something that needs to be discussed and settled before committing to someone to feel comfortable knowing their reaction if ever you find yourself in this situation. However, this became a means of degrading one another between Humaira (Uzma Hassan) and Khurram (Saqib Sumeer). Stereotypically, and over the course of the drama we are made to believe that it is Humaira who is infertile. Her husband Khurram never fails to dig at her about this daily which is pretty much creating more distance between the two. He's pretty beghairat as well and uses this as an excuse to sleep around and prey on other women. We then later find out that it is actually Khurram who is infertile and due to his male ego is unable to admit this. 

Okay, so the drama also touched on HIV and the stigma and health effects surrounding this. We live and feel the pain that Shammo & Umi go through when we see the rashes on Umi's neck, when we see Shammo drop on the floor and when we see the detrimental effects on Ali. There was a bit of confusion though as to why family and people would not come anywhere close to Umi & Shammo when HIV isn't spread by spitting, sneezing or coughing. But I do think the drama did a good job of highlighting the effects of this on the child's life. 

Okay, now let's talk about child neglect, particularly focusing on Ali's emotional journey as a child of such a young age. It's heartbreaking to see the journey of Ali as a child being 'passed around' who was unwanted by practically everyone including both his parents. The existence of a child is what caused the biggest issue between Umaina and Bilal, however, we can see the detrimental effects clearly on the child since birth. This is noticeable when Umi refuses to breastfeed him, when Umi blocks out his crying, when Bilal practically dumps the child elsewhere, then when Shammo and Umi leave him to move away. Ali has unfortunately had it really hard at such a young age which is quite upsetting. I don't think any family member quite understood the effects of all the negativity around him growing up as a child. His emotions of anger and confusion are pretty clear after episodes 3/4 when we see him as the interview host played by Hamza Sohail. I don't think I've ever seen a child character neglected in this way in any drama, but I appreciate the drama subtly trying to highlight this.

Structure

The dialogues in the present-day narrating the story are very impactful and touching; giving the audience food for thought. They always tie together emotions from the past and present well with words of wisdom so metaphorical but realistic of the story. I really enjoyed the intensity and emotions conveyed in the present-day interview of Umi and Shammo. 

Bold scenes

Okay so by far I think I can say that this drama was very brave in displaying and showing "bold & steamy" scenes that were quite unnecessary really...no wonder the drama was banned from being shown in Pakistan! I always thought Pakistani dramas were family friendly- or where they were about taboo subjects, they would be educating the audience in a decent manner. However, this is the first drama I felt hesitant about watching with anyone else due to the indecency shown on screen.

Okay, so the part that I really think could've been avoided was when Saba Qamar was drenched under the shower with the baby in all-white clothes. Everyone knows white clothes in the rain will stick and show the skin underneath. This was shown clearly with Saba Qamar in a white kameez and unfortunately, her white bra underneath became visible under the running water. The bare minimum here that I ask that could've been done is wearing a darker colour kameez- this simple change would avoid an x-ray version of Saba Qamar's chest. It's a bit disappointing too that Saba Qamar was okay with this being shown on screen too...

The obvious is quite literally the bedroom scenes and even actually noises that were shown on screen between Saba Qamar and Agha Mustafa Hassan. There are countless number of dramas that have for example; shown wedding night scenes and rape scenes in moderation of a family audience but this drama unfortunately broke that boundary that I think the audience always trusted our dramas to have.