blog post:MABURT MARRIAGE CONTENTION(must read)

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

 Allen Saunders

There is perhaps no better way to describe the Maburt marriage. Asad and Zoya were on the verge of making their way to the altar, and Ayaan and Humeira were planning their own wedding when life struck. This particular storyline has been the cause of many contentious encounters. There were the adamant ones who believed it would never happen and that the track had been changed and there were others who didn't want this particular plot point come about but were prepared if it did. When it did happen, there was still furor, even more so. Perhaps this post will go towards resolving some the questions and irritations.

They Changed the Track, Didn't They?

Firstly, they never intended to change the track and the warning signs were present from the very beginning till the very end. Every time, an interview was published, there was no categorical denial about the track. Vikrant's interview back in August was hedged and when Gul was interviewed by Zee, she omitted commenting on the track entirely. This was my argument all along; if the CVs had deviated from the synopsis then a public statement would have spared them immense grief. They chose not to for a reason; they didn't wish to be branded as liars when the time came because that would be far worse for their reputation.

Secondly, disregarding the synopsis has always been a mistake. A lot of people were convinced the synopsis was wrong or had been changed when ZeeTV finally shortened the synopsis, when in fact that was most likely not the case. It was just that the story had finally reached the point where it was ready to begin where the synopsis had. Admittedly, most people, myself included, were convinced that this part of the story would happen much earlier than it actually did but the synopsis never really gave a time frame.

I've written a fairly detailed explanation of the synopsis in the past but for now, let me just say the omission of certain words and placement of full stops and semi-colons actually keeps the synopsis from being a lie. The synopsis never states outright that Ayaan and Zoya fall in love with each other but rather they fall in love. It is introduced immediately after they are married but they use a semi-colon making it a sub-clause sentence, which in the English language is used to connect the sub-clause to the previous sentence but keep it independent.  Furthermore, it is important to remember that synopsis is in fact a product of not just a brief overview of the story but also character sketches. The synopsis also states that Ayaan is the one to fall in love with Zoya but not vice versa. The synopsis was also clear that it was a temporary marriage which is ultimately dissolved.

More importantly, the clues of this track were not only in the synopsis but also in the show itself.

While the Bol Na Halke Halke sequence in March is relevant, it is the Holi sequence (and very specifically Mar Jayian) that came with the second warning of this track (with the Zehaal-e-Miskeen sequence being the first), and the third sequence was the airport scene back in April. The Mar Jayian sequence referred to the end of the Ajmer track and the inevitability of Maburt as we all the reunion that would follow, and this time it would withstand any storm, and that storm is still pending.

Even as recently as August, the audience was warned during the sequence in Jashn-e-Eid, where the three songs represented Asad's journey, then Zoya's and then their journey together.

• In Yoon Shabnami, Asad watches Zoya from afar and she eludes him and the interact momentarily through the net, and at one point after Asad grabs the hand of a girl who isn't Zoya. During this sequence, Asad and Zoya are momentarily separated only to be united at the end.
• In Mere Haath Mein, Zoya pushes away two men while searching for Asad in the darkness, and Asad finds her after both men have disappeared. This sequence is then embellished by trees on either side and then they make their way to the crescent.
• In Issaq Tera, there is the trademark spin (where Zoya floats while Asad grounds her) and momentarily in the sequence, Asad spins another girl while Zoya is spun by another man. At the end of performance, Asad and Zoya walk towards each other, culminating in the final sequence with the fireworks in the background and Asad and Zoya united.

The first performance was about Asad and Tanveergate, with the net representing Asad's- and- Zoya's almost wedding and the girl representing Tanveer and the Jannu engagement. The second sequence was about Zoya and her rejection of anyone who isn't Asad. While the running joke on the show is that Zoya a perpetual runaway bride, Zoya has actually only had two genuine fiances: Akram and Asad. Zoya rejected Akram, despite his interest in her and his wish to marry her against her wishes and Zoya rejects her marriage to Ayaan as well, and due course will reject Ayaan too. Furthermore, their relationship continues even with the arrival of the trees, representing the families and in all fairness, the bigger problem in their relationship will be the revelation of Ghafoor as Zoya's father. The last sequence was more symbolic than categorical trajectory, in that both Asad and Zoya momentarily lose each other and that their entire relationship is marked by fire.

Even if you were to dismiss these sequences, the fact remains that when Vikrant was introduced as the new Ayaan, their first meeting involved a Trip n' Fall', and Zoya only made it to her Jashn-e-Bahaar because of Ayaan, once again reinforcing the fact that Maburt would happen and disrupt Asad's- and- Zoya's journey but Zoya would return to Asad, regardless. One also mustn't dismiss the interview that Gul gave to the Times of India about requiring an Ayaan' that could be paired visually' with Surbhi. If there was no Maburt track then it wouldn't have been necessary to find someone who could look good visually with Surbhi.

Additionally, it was set up from the very beginning that Asad would be involved in Maburt in some form or another, and in fact be the one who would give' Zoya away. Back in January, Asad wondered when Zoya would leave, using specifically the word rukhsat', a term applied to a very specific ceremony in Islam, whereby a guardian, usually male, gives the bride to the groom after the nikaah is complete. It is a requirement for a marriage to be valid. In fact, in terms of characterisation, without Asad's involvement, Zoya would never have agreed to any of this seeing as this is the girl who ran away from her first wedding, even though it was Zeenat's wish and dream.

The warning signs were there and they never really went away. They just appeared with less frequency.

Validity and Legitimacy

The way the marriage occurred has also been a point of contention for many of the viewers and where does the marriage stand legally, and/or that it made a mockery of such a pure Islamic' institution.

• Firstly, community marriages in Islam do happen. They are quite common, from the Middle East to the Sub-Continent. It is specifically for brides and grooms who come from lower income families or have no family. The banner in the background of that set was particularly pertinent. Taj-ul-Masajid is also a madarsah', which means that while it is a mosque it is also educational institute that serves not just the elite but also orphans. In the case of an orphan bride, she needs a wali' and a religious scholar or authority figure is perfect to fulfill that role.
• As for it being a  mockery of the institution, there are three distinct points to this:

1. In Indian television, there have been countless instances of contract marriages, hate marriages, trick marriages, forced marriages, bride swaps, the application of the sindoor and the tying of mangalsutras being considered a marriage'. Those mocked the institute as well because Hinduism takes marriage just as seriously as any other religion. The difference in those instances is that those marriages' became real and therefore it apparently negates the disregard and disrespect for the institution.
2. In reality, there are many people are forced and manipulated into marriages. In parts of Pakistan, the vani' practice continues and there are reported instances of girls being married to Qu'rans for the purpose of preservation of family wealth. That is equally a mockery of the institution, and quite frankly, art imitates life not vice versa. At least this was accidental and a result of misunderstanding rather than cruelty.
3. For God knows how many years, and this includes Pakistani television, divorce has been treated like a joke. A husband says Mein tumhein talaq deta hoon',  three times and apparently it becomes an official divorce, when in fact a divorce requires a year of attempted reconciliation and then a divorce is granted by the higher courts. Even ignoring the dramatic licenses of television shows, there are people in real life who believe that if you claim to divorce your partner in front of a witness, it qualifies as a real divorce. All Gul Khan has done is to turn that notion on its head.

• Gul Khan has gone out of her way to take every precaution to make sure this marriage is categorically invalid, even if legal. None of the requisites were met. Zoya's real guardians were not present (even though you can arrange a wali' by proxy), Zoya's actual surname wasn't used, Zoya and Ayaan were completely disoriented (seeing as they had both undergone traumatic experiences), and most importantly they weren't saying Yes' to one another but rather they were on the phone, saying Yes' to other people about subjects entirely unrelated to marriage. Even though, they have both signed the nikaahnaama, it was done under duress, which is another instance that renders the marriage null and void and they have also already signed divorce papers. This marriage is like an expired driving license; it's legitimate but invalid. When the time comes to deal this marriage, there will be countless ways to render it a moot point. Give the production house time to address this.

Maburt versus Zoyaan

One of the reasons I have never referred to Zoya and Ayaan as Zoyaan is because that indicates a romantic relationship. There isn't one. One-side love is not a romantic relationship; at best, it is a cautionary tale and at worst it is the story of a stalker.

Zehaal-e-Miskeen, the Trip n' Fall' back in May, and the recent spate of symbolic scenes all indicate a one-sided love. If that wasn't enough, back in June, when Tanveergate began and before the gag order was placed on the production team and crew, Manish Sharma, the show's cameraman, posted a Tweet about how it would be a one-sided love for Ayaan, and that Zoya wouldn't reciprocate.

The suggestion that it is reciprocal is absurd on many levels, especially characterisation. If Zoya reciprocates, it makes her wanton and that will never appeal to an audience that has primarily conservative sensibilities and from a narrative perspective, it makes the conflict of Asad and Zoya being Rashid's and Ghafoor's children, respectively, of less concern because if they aren't the ones in love and in a relationship, then Ghafoor's actions don't affect Zoya's relationship with her partner as much.

In fact, one of the easiest ways to be sure of the absence of Zoyaan is the absence of a theme tune. Their relationship doesn't have one. The Trip n' Fall' sequence during the haldi used a dramatic tune. Other sequences that could be misconstrued as romantic' are in fact reminders. They have used the Ajmer Mitwa' tune categorically in the sequences where Ayaan and Zoya are interacting but it is a constant reminder of Asad.

The Ajmer Mitwa tune in itself is used for separation, specifically when others are trying to separate Asad and Zoya (intentional or otherwise); it was used when Asad and Zoya were united but not (specifically as the walked towards Ajmer Sharif, reappearing when Tanveer was trying to whisk Asad away after the green chadar was blown away) and it was reused for Ramadan Mubarak sequence where Asad was fighting his feelings to do the right thing by marrying Tanveer and Zoya was trying to find a way to fix the situation); similarly, the first time that tune was used when Zoya was leaving Ayaan while he was recuperating and the second time when Ayaan informed Zoya that Asad called him and was coming to collect her.

A production house that has had presence of mind to create tunes for the secondary characters like Najma and Imran and Rashid and Dilshaad is not going to forget to create a tune for another couple, especially if that relationship is as significant as Zoya and Ayaan.

In terms of the visuals, it's Ayaan's affections that are constantly re-established. Firstly, it is Ayaan who asked for Zoya from Asad, even if it was to save Nikhat's life. Secondly, Ayaan loses Humeira's photo, which landed on the floor and Zoya returns it to him (reminiscent of the necklace scene in May, where Humeira receives the jewellery and gifts that actually belong to Zoya, thereby reinforcing that Zoya is integral in Ayaan's- and- Humeira's relationship finally seeing the light of day).  The most important scene though is the bracelet sequence, when Ayaan and Zoya are heading towards Ayaan's bedroom. They are both on the phone when they accidentally get entangled because of their bracelets, which is an echo of how they ended up married; they weren't paying attention and they were on their phones. During the bracelet entanglement, they both work on trying to remove the bracelet, however, momentarily Ayaan loses focus while Zoya is hell bent on removing the bracelet. She is the one who manages untangle it for the most part, at which point Ayaan returns his focus to the bracelet and they are finally disentangled.

Plus, without Ayaan developing feelings for Zoya, there can be no conflict between the brothers.  More importantly, this is Ayaan's character arch. This is the route to responsibility for him because thus far he is shown that he is irresponsible; a man who still isn't working and did not address the issue of his marriage to the woman he claims to love, Humeira.

While the past few weeks have been slow for some of the audience members but actually this is where the audience needs to be paying attention because the Devil is always in the details. In the past few weeks we have seen Zoya save Ayaan's life, which establishes the ground for transference'. It's a problem that a lot medical practitioners have, especially psychiatrists, where a patient believes they have developed feelings for their doctor for a host of complicated reasons including the fact that in their vulnerable state they can mistake concern and genuine sympathy for more than it actually is and start believing they too have feelings for their doctor.

Since Zoya's arrival at the Siddiqui Mansion, Zoya has not only saved Ayaan's life twice, understood his predicament, sacrificed her happiness to save his sister (a greater sacrifice than Asad) but she has also had the courtesy to respect his family's feelings. Zoya could choose to be very difficult by refusing to comply with any one of them but she does and she behaves like a wife in many ways, such as serving him breakfast or drying his hair after she dragged him in on the night of the storm.

Furthermore, one of the most important things to occur since the Maburt marriage actually includes the fact that aside from a few isolated incidents, Ayaan has not actually taken Humeira into consideration. He only told Humeira the truth after at least a day or two had passed and the only person to really put Humeira at ease about the situation was Zoya herself. Of late, other than the incident with the cosmetic burns, Ayaan has chosen to focus and spend time with Zoya rather than Humeira, whether it was helping her in the kitchen or lifting her spirits.

Individually, these things don't mean much, but together they are building a strong case for transference (though if it is merely transference' then it does diminish Ayaan's sacrifice at a later date and it means Ayaan's monologue and understanding of love at the beginning of the Muqaddar Ka Khel track is moot). Ayaan always believed he would fall in love with a modern and outspoken girl and only realised he had feelings for Humeira after she disappeared. There is still a part of Ayaan who is attracted to that spirit and if you combine that with incidents in this particular experience, then Ayaan is going to fall in love' with Zoya. During these slow' weeks, they were actually laying the groundworks for this transference and/or love.

Foundations of a Building

All the tracks after Tanveergate pertaining to Asad and Zoya were building up to Maburt but in very different ways. The Wishes' track was a way for Asad and Zoya to get to know each other that much better, thus establishing an even stronger bond.

The Mrs Rodriguez track went a long way in explaining Asad's psyche, especially his insecurities as a person because Asad never felt open to love or that he would find someone who would love him, and that's where he had reconciled himself with the idea to settle for someone because love wasn't for him, and not just because of his abandonment issues but his own disposition.

The Rajvir track was more about the socio-cultural crisis that India is facing regarding rape and the treatment of women, however, it also established that Asad is very territorial but not jealous (at least not without good reason). During Najma's- and- Imran's engagement, Asad was more put out by Ayaan and Zoya joking around about eloping (and something that were were reminded of when Asad cut the call after Zoya informed him that she would have to stay another day because of the documentary) than he was when Rajvir made an appearance. The Rajvir track established that while Asad was completely blindsided by Tanveer, his instincts are generally spot on and it was also a way of showing how naive and reckless Zoya can be.

The latter two tracks actually go hand-in-hand for issues that are about to make an appearance in the future, and that is connected to Zoya's naivety and relationship with Ayaan as well as Asad's insecurities.

The Blame Game

During this track a lot of blame was placed and Asad and Ayaan were the ones criticised the most. In this entire situation, only Humeira was blameless. She was the only real victim of this situation. Asad, Ayaan and Zoya were equal participants in this situation and should take the blame equally. Tanveer may have instigated it (as I surmised back in March and then again in August) but the three protagonists were responsible for their own fate.

Ayaan was irresponsible, especially for thinking this entire situation could be brushed under the carpet; while Zoya may not necessarily be knowledgeable or established enough in the community, Ayaan was (and is) and he could have stated that it was a mistake and that he was in fact on the phone. He could have solved the situation right there and then by informing the religious head. He chose not to, even if it was a result of being completely disoriented.

Zoya was irresponsible in that when she realised Tanveer and Imran had a connection, she didn't go straight to Asad. As per the spoilers, this particular situation is going to come back to haunt her. While it is understandable that in the situation that Zoya found herself in with Tanveer, it'd be easy to lose the presence of mind to call for help but there was no excuse for not informing Asad prior to the ceremony or investigating the situation on her wedding day without telling Asad or even Dilshaad.

Asad's fault in this situation is partly that he did not have Tanveer apprehended (but seeing as he was showing compassion to a would-be mother in a holy month, it is somewhat excused) but he was at fault for not asking for Zoya's consent on the matter and effectively making that decision for her.

Ultimately, all three were responsible for this, which means that neither of them can wash their hands off this or use it against one another (though Zoya seems to be trying her utmost but once the Tanveer situation comes to the fore, Zoya will need to realise how reckless she was). This situation was really about life lessons for Asad, Zoya and Ayaan. For Ayaan and Zoya, to recognise the importance of responsibility and thinking things through and for Asad to learn that even the strongest of men can have their hands forced, which will be important when the truth about Rashid is revealed.

Looking at the Horizon

In all honesty, I never expected Zoya to get married to Asad until Zoya realised that Ghafoor was her father. There are a few reasons for this; primarily, this has been Zoya's lifelong dream and secondly, Humeira has to be present as Zoya's sister at her wedding so you can actually reboot' the Ayra love story. Instead of producing contrived reasons to separated Asad and Zoya in the future (and same applies to Ayaan and Humeira), they take their time building to their marriage so once they are married, that is it (and no, I don't buy into the MetroMasti article, especially in light of how often the reported new inaccurately). However, I get ahead of myself. Let's focus on the here and now, which is Maburt.

This question was asked many times during the Maburt tenure, which was when  the track would end. My initial estimation was six weeks because that is how long Tanveergate lasted and it concluded near the 200th, and therefore Maburtgate had to be of the similar duration and near another hallmark episode, which in this case is the 1st year anniversary. This week marks the end of the six weeks and as the Mohabbat Ka Jashn' promo and TataSky spoiler has promised, Asad and Zoya reunite. It is here that the symbolisms and characterisations are really coming into play.

In Mar Jayian, Asad and Zoya reunite after they are pulled back for the second time (and Asad and Zoya were held back on two separate occasions; Asad pulled Zoya into the Maburt marriage, while Shireen forced Asad's hand because of Nikhat, and the second time they tried to reunite, Asad was prevented in doing so by Tanveer and Zoya by Ayaan's health and the family situation). However, Asad and Zoya finally manage to break their chains, reunite despite all the tumult around them and then there is a variation on the signature spin in front of a burning tree. Seeing as the 300th is in December, I am excepting the Ghafoor track to finally come to fore then, which means the next four to five weeks will see reconciliation and romance between Asad and Zoya but also problems, unlike post-Tanveergate.

NB. One of the other reasons I think the Ghafoor track will finally see the light of day around the 300th is because of the zameen aasmaan ek kardun gi/ga' dialogue. Back in February, Dilshaad said this to Asad about his testimony against Rashid and while it didn't happen the way anyone expected, ultimately it did come true around the 100th episode mark. Zoya also said this to Tanveer when Tanveer openly challenged Zoya and said that she would be the one to consummate with Asad, and the truth finally came to light and Tanveer was exposed around the 200th. Therefore it seems plausible that Asad's repetition of the dialogue back in August in reference to finding Zoya's father comes to fruition around that time.

This time around, the fallout of the situation is graved, and Asad and Zoya are contending with Ayaan (and possibly Tanveer). If Ayaan develops feelings for Zoya, then it is likely that he and Zoya may spend a great deal of time together (he may create situations for them to be together and she'll do it because Ayaan is her best friend) and he may choose to be difficult about freeing Zoya from their marriage. This could be very much at the source of Asad's- and- Ayaan's conflict, if not the realisation that Ayaan has feelings for Zoya. In this situation, the bracelet scene comes into play as well as the two rejection' sequences from Zehaal-e-Miskeen and Mere Haath Mein, because ultimately Zoya will reject Ayaan, and in the bracelet scene, Ayaan finally disentangling himself from the bracelet suggesting the dissolution of the marriage after the rejection. By rejection, it is not to say that Ayaan will declare his love for Zoya or even actively pursue her but there are always unconscious elements at play when people are in love.

Next, characterisation that came to fore during the Rajveer and Mrs Rodriguez tracks. Asad's insecurities will come into play in manner similar to Humeira's at present, except his ire will be aimed at Ayaan because he knows full well that Zoya loves him and that sees Ayaan only as a friend and her partner-in-crime. Through the Mrs Rodriguez track, Asad was shown be very insecure and considered himself boring and seeing a fun' bond between Ayaan and Zoya tends to make him unhappy, but now he will be far more territorial because he would genuinely fear losing Zoya to Ayaan because of their similar personalities and now that they have been married', and more insidiously, a mirror reflection of what happened with Rashid, Dilshaad and Shireen.

Finally, after this has found some sort of resolution, the Ghafoor track should come into play as per the symbolism in Mar Jayian, Issaq Tera, Mere Haath Mein, Bol Na Halke Halke and the airport scene The Ghafoor track is at the eye of the storm. It's where everything began so it's not a track that can be alongside something else. Ghafoor being Zoya's father is what resulted in the murder, the doll factory arson and the separation of the brothers and the abandonment of Ahmed Khans 1.0. In fact, all these tracks are building up to Ghafoor's reveal and we are just reminded of Ghafoor and Zoya's connection at all times because of how important it actually is, and that is the far bigger battle Asad and Zoya have to face. Everything they are facing or have faced is to make sure that when this reveal takes place, they can get through it together and come out the other side. It will be Asad and Zoya versus the World, a track which really begins with Mohabbat ki Jeet'.

http://thegudiyafactory.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/the-maburt-marriage-contention/