Directed by Ali Farhan Anchan and written by Yamna Ahmed, the new play on Green is Maa, starring Aina Asif, Ahmed Rafique, Alyy Khan and Syed Mohammad Ahmed among others. The first episode was aired on Monday and five episodes have been aired to date.
The play opens with a lady standing outside on a dark, stormy night. The viewers catch a glimpse of a newborn behind a closed door, before the play moves forward by twenty years and we see Raha (Aina Asif) sitting at a table, reading something. The OST starts playing in the background and we are introduced to her family which includes her maternal aunt, Asiya (Nausheen Shah), her maternal uncle, Adeel (Saad Zameer Fareedi), her cousin, Batool (Areej Mohyudin) and her grandfather, Saif (Syed Mohd. Ahmed). The lady who works in their house is Zainab Bi (Salma Asim) who has a son called Arman (Ahmed Rafique).
As the story unfolds, the viewers realise that Arman is studying for his CSS and also interns in Adeel and Saif’s office. Both the girls, Aina and Batool are heavily dependent on him and often seek his guidance and assistance with their assignments. Arman is in love with Aina and the feeling is mutual, but he is too afraid to confess his feelings for her due to the difference in their status. She also likes him immensely but has never expressed her feelings to him.
Arman comes from a privileged background but after his father died; his mother was forced to leave by her brother and mother-in-law. The mother and son were taken in by Mohd. Ahmed and have been with his family, ever since he can remember. Asya has no idea that Aina is her sister-in-law’s daughter because her identity was kept a secret by her family at the time of her marriage. She detests her presence in the house and leaves no stone unturned to make her feel as unwanted as possible.
Aina’s mother, Tara (Sunita Marshall) married a class fellow (Kabeer) who was not her equal in any way and her life became miserable from then on. Both their families were dead against the match, but she secretly marries him in court and he brings her home. She has a daughter a couple of years later, but is thrown out by her husband at his mother’s behest. She leaves her new born baby girl with her family and moves to a shelter home. Her husband realises his folly and goes in search of his wife and daughter, but is unable to trace their whereabouts.
Kabeer’s mother marries him off to his first cousin and they have a daughter called Sidra. However, the second wife really mistreats her mother-in-law and she realises how unfair and cruel she was to Tara. She repents and so does her son, but it is far too late. He is stuck with his second wife and daughter, but yearns for Tara and his elder daughter.
As the narrative progresses, Asya begins to feel extremely insecure about Raha’s presence in the house and fears that she might receive a share in the property which she believes solely belongs to her daughter, Batool. Batool, Raha and Arman are childhood playmates but Asya treats both of them very badly and repeatedly asks her daughter to stay away from the two of them.
Once while Asya is talking to her aunt and expressing her insecurities about Raha, Arman overhears her and realises that there is more to her than meets the eye. She resents Raha’s presence in the house and as already mentioned, fears that she might become a shareholder in the property, which she believes rightfully belongs to her daughter. Asya does not only mistreat Raha and Arman but is also extremely rude and nasty to Zainab Bi, the lady who works in their house and is considered a family member by everybody else.
The dialogues and the characters are extremely stereotypical and the story is nothing to write home about. The direction is mediocre and this is another run-of-the-mill play which will, if nothing else, play to the masses and rake in the TRPs. The main and the supporting characters are also strictly average and the script very hackneyed. Some of the more promising actors like Alyy Khan and Sunita Marshall have been wasted.
How will the story pan out? Will Raha eventually get her rightful share and place in the house or will things never change? How will Asya react when she learns the truth about her?
Keep watching if you’re a fan of run-of-the-mill plays, otherwise can be safely given a miss!
