'Dhoop Ki Deewar' review: Pace drops but offers nuanced moments
The ninth and tenth episodes of the third ZEE5 Pakistani original Dhoop Ki Deewar aired this week. Moving ahead from just Sara (Sajal Aly) and Vishal (Ahad Raza Mir), now the two bereaved families across borders come closer on the ground of their shared grief. Also, necessary commentary is made on the condition of women in countries like India and Pakistan. Here's our review.
Vishal tries to help Sara's family but plan backfires
As seen last week, Sara's brother is suspected to have a learning disability. Vishal gets his mother Sunanda (Samiya Mumtaz), who's a psychiatrist, to help Sara's family but the plan falls through when the grandparents get to know about it. Meanwhile, Sara and Vishal have come naturally closer to each other as Vishal even bunks his classes to pick up her call.
Sunanda, Amna share memories of their husbands in heartwarming scene
The best moment this week comes in the tenth episode when Sunanda and Amna (Sara's mother, played by Savera Nadeem) get vulnerable in front of each other (via a call, of course). Understandably, their experience of losing husbands/partners isn't comprehensible for others. While working-woman Sunanda has lived her trauma for a while, this is perhaps the first time that housewife Amna cries out loud.
Lack of women's agency and their dependency on men infuriates
This brings us to the theme highlighted in the recent episodes—the dependability of women on men. Sara laments, "Why don't we empower women so that they don't have to get blackmailed by her in-laws to seek aid from her paternal side?" Her brother's disability is not a concern born out of his health, but because he is the sole male child.
There are good moments but overall experience is weak
Social shackles that bind women have come to the focus in this Haseeb Hasan-directorial many times and it surely deserves acclaim. However, this week's episodes just bridge the gaps connecting previous events with upcoming incidents. The under-40-minute duration of these episodes also suggests the same. Some new characters also got introduced, let's see how they fit in. Verdict: Episodes nine and ten get 3/5.
