Kankar: The Finale

Words can't describe my feelings last week when I saw the preview for episode 25 - immediately, I became emotional, knowing this week would be the last episode.  How quickly 6 months passed by - though Kankar has been with me the last 6 months while I lived my life, it still somehow feels as though I only started watching it yesterday.  I won't lie - this show will leave a huge void that I will definitely feel, especially on Friday nights.

Getting to the episode, a lot happened in one episode.  However, unlike other dramas, this did not feel rushed.  Only too often, you're left with this feeling of too many things being crammed in that last final episode, as if the director forgot how much material he had left to cover.  But with Kankar, this episode did the show complete justice and fit all the pieces of the emotional puzzle into place, bringing the characters to a place of emotional healing and realistic happiness.  Realistic being the key word.

The episode opens showing the rift between Adnan & Kiran.  Sikandar is taking Kiran home, but instead of happiness, Kiran maintains that she's leaving her home to go to his home.  This scene perfectly demonstrated that apologies can't take away all the pain that has accumulated in a person's heart.

We also see Faiqa and Shaista arguing, as Shaista wants to take Aarzoo home.  Faiqa tells Shaista that she has broken her trust, as her family no longer trusts her because of her decision to marry Aarzoo to Sikandar.  She also tells Shaista that even if Aarzoo agrees to go back to Sikandar, she will not let her leave, as she has no interest in having her own daughter repeatedly beaten.  This scene was a turning point, as Faiqa was no longer interested in hearing Shaista's excuses for her son.  We also saw a scene between Shaista & Sikandar, where Sikandar shows remorse for Aarzoo leaving and states that he will pick her up himself.  Shaista's disdain towards her son shows in this scene, as she no longer trusts that he will change.

Aarzoo's turmoil with the decision to stay with or leave Sikandar is also shown in several scenes.  In her scene with Faiqa, Aarzoo is seen finally blaming her mother for making poor decisions regarding her life and turning a blind eye to her nephew's bad traits.  We also see an important scene between Aarzoo and Kiran, where Kiran guides Aarzoo on making the right decision for her life.  She states that she did love Sikandar; however while leaving him would cause her pain, so would staying in that house with him while he physically and mentally harmed her.  Either way, pain was being caused, so she made the decision to leave.  This was powerful.  At the same time, she tells Aarzoo that she now has a son and she has, many times, doubted her decision of leaving due to the difficulties society has inflicted on her.  She tells Aarzoo to make the right decision, as she now has a son and needs to decide if she has the strength to face the world's taunts.  This scene was not only heartfelt, but also powerful.

The most awaited scene finally happened when Sikandar and Kiran came face-to-face.  Sikandar told Kiran that she was worthy of so much more and asked her to divorce Adnan, he would divorce Aarzoo and they could be together.  SLAP.  Dard hua?  Aurat ko bhi hota hai.  With this one line, Kiran not only made her stance clear and relieved herself of anger, but also vocalized what the audience has been feeling for months.  I wanted to CHEER and dance.

Even better was the scene that stemmed from Kiran's line:  Sikandar apologizing to Aarzoo and expressing a desire to change.  He also told Aarzoo that he does not want his son to end up like him.  Relationships can't be perfect, but if a person is willing to bend, problems can be solved.  This showed the start of a new Sikandar, one that might treat Aarzoo and his son well.

In Kiran's home, we see a change in Rukhsar and Phupo's behavior towards Kiran, which has now become positive and supportive.  Rukhsar shares sweet moments with her husband over the phone in her excitement to finally be with him.  These scenes really added to the show.  Rukhsar was not a bad person, but was made bitter by life's unrelenting difficulties.  In a scene between Rukhsar and Adnan, we see Rukhsar apologizing for her behavior.  Adnan explains to Rukhsar that Khooni rishton ko maaf karne padte hain.  This line is a reality of life and really sticks with you at the end of the scene.  The entire sequence between Adnan & Rukhsar (and Kiran eavesdropping) left me spellbound, as it showed two different arguments.  On the surface, Rukhsar causing problems in Kiran & Adnan's life now ends, but the remnants will always be left behind, though ultimately forgiven.

The ending scene shows Kiran and Adnan happy in their home on her birthday, where he brought her a cage of parrots.  He declares that Waisay bhi pinjray drakht pe tangay achche lagte hain, signaling that Kiran is now free of her cage (of guilt, remorse, pain - however you choose to see it).  

Thank you Umera Ahmed for not only bringing a beautiful story to life on-screen, but also putting forth an important message for society:  A woman's only job is not to "compromise" in difficult situations.  Every woman is worthy of respect and it's time society's taboos stopped dictating a woman's right to happiness.  Human beings are complex creatures and not every situation is black and white.  Thank you Kankar for opening eyes.