Parizaad's subtle take on gender fluidity lauded on the internet

The latest episode of Ahmed Ali Akbar and Saboor Aly-starrer Parizaad has been a topic of discussion for all the right reasons. The recent episode discusses, rather spectacularly, how society deals with gender fluidity. Aly plays Bubbly, who now identifies as Dilawar, has been found by his parents after he had run away from home earlier in the show. Parizaad (Akbar) brings Dilawar's parents to Guru's house and tries to mend their relationship. 

What goes on to show is commendable. The writer, Hashim Nadeem and director, Shahzad Kashmiri are lauded by the audience for their subtle take on gender fluidity and how one comes to own their identity. 

Once reunited with his parents, Dilawar tries to make his parents understand his reasoning for eloping, where he discusses how he couldn't conform to society's notions of genders. While Dilawar's mother resorts to taking the blame of the said 'confusion' of her then daughter to herself, Guru interjects, divulging, "No, it isn’t your fault. The world is full of people who are divided into two people. And it is only one or two people who have the guts to address this torment inside them." He added, "Society treats it like a curse rather than a sentiment or a perspective. And our family tells us to treat it as sin and hide it.”

A clip of the said episode has gone viral on Twitter, with many praising the drama serial for tackling many social issues. 

It certainly is refreshing to see a script written eloquently about issues other than your quintessential saas-bahu plots. It's high time Pakistani playwrights discuss imperative topics surrounding gender identity. 

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