Sheheryar Munawar's 'Prince Charming' sheds light on post-marital depression

Actor's directorial debut is an earth to reality that Mahira Khan, Zahid Ahmed execute with grace.

KARACHI:

Sheheryar Munawar’s directorial debut Prince Charming captures in 12 minutes the marooned reality of an otherwise, ‘stable’ relationship. At first, this reality seems misguided, as the film hints at an extra-marital affair to project an unhappy woman’s attempt to add colour to her life.

But it is the grey the film revolves around, as it depicts with utter uprightness the form any relationship ends up taking at one point or another. And the dull, diminished charm of this relationship takes a toll on the people it binds – sometimes in ways others can’t comprehend.

So the perplexity of what may appear as ‘ungratefulness’ has been displayed with sheer sensitivity by Sheheryar, who sheds light on post-marital depression with this short flick of his.

In Prince Charming, Mahira embodies the daydreamer in depression, who is often reduced to a damsel in distress, as she reflects the trembling impact of her thoughts on her body. Mahira’s character creates a bubble with the charming prince she expected to marry, in an attempt to console herself. This prince looks no different than her husband but treats her like a queen while showering her with praise. But the most important thing is that he never leaves her side – something most men find difficult to do with a 9-5 job.

And while it is true that women often feel betrayed by the reality of marriage in our society, provided the fairytale they grow up believing it would be; the impact of that betrayal is often trivialised. Women are left unheard with the justification that “this is how it is,” and “at least he’s not abusing you.”

While in the meantime, they are expected to do it all without uttering a single word and compromising on their needs by staying at home and taking care of everyone else’s. The same society that conditions little girls to believe they can do it all after marriage is the very society that tells them to forgo their own wishes once they tie the knot. And then it calls her “sick in the head,” if she develops a condition because of how ‘reality’ hit her.

So Prince Charming is certainly worth the watch, especially because it depicts with such honesty a matter that is often swept under the rug and dubbed a ‘non-issue’. The short is executive produced by Seemeen Naveed and is available on See Prime’s YouTube channel.

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