MRS. & MR. SHAMEEM – REVIEW :
Zee Zindagi’s original series ‘Mrs. & Mr. Shameem’ in a nutshell.
Umaina- Saba Qamar gets pregnant after her conventional idea of a ‘man’ leaves her for an inflated bank account. Frankly, you want to sympathize with the character when she is tossed around and turned away from one door to another. But, boy… do some people make it hard! Her poor treatment of that one character who sticks it out with her—Shameem, the hero—only evokes anger and disgust.
At the risk of sounding hypocritical though, we are going to admit that the series does attempt—however scattered or feebly—at shattering stereotypes around many a glaring issue: a sensitive man is ribbed for being ‘gay-ish’, and other ancient ideologies like a woman ought to bow and bend to the patriarch. But, the makers must have bet big moolah on the lead pair for no genuine emphasis was ever made on any of these aforementioned subjects beyond a point. You go in seeking love a certain way—considering contemporary times and all—and you come out feeling beat. Only saving grace? The good old Urdu vocabulary and some classic Pakistani nazakat.
‘Mrs. & Mr. Shameem’ relies on mega star Saba Qamar to do all the creative heavy lifting but, with a script that is dated and drags on beyond comprehension, there’s only so much she could do. Nauman Ijaz deserves a special mention for all the physical thrashing he endures during the course of the show. He emotes mostly through his deep-set, kind eyes but the idea of an unconventional classic-ish love saga was the trap that must have been sent their way and, sadly, both of these established actors fell for it.
Long ago, there was an infomercial—supremely popular among hopeless romantics—that talked about how some stories are best left untold. ‘Mrs. & Mr. Shameem’ is one such tale. And no, it’s not a flattering remark.
“For people the character of shameem is not normal but in reality it is. This character has been introduced to educate people about the respect of all such people. Shameem’s character is a reminder of that respect which we often forget to extend,” stated Qamar in a recent interview with BBC. While sharing about how much thought they have put to reflect the real purpose of both lead characters the versatile actor said: “Umaina’s character has so many layers which I haven’t experienced in my life yet. But, while living into the character I could feel her pain. I have learnt a lot from her character. All those women who have faced abuse and harsh realities in their life can relate to the character of Umaina”.