Shukk - The REAL End

False alarm, false alarm, false alarm.  What was promoted as the last episode (last week) was, in fact, the 2nd last episode.  So what we all believed was an incomplete, incredibly heart-wrenching ending was actually just the end of a normal episode.  Haha.  Now let's discuss the REAL end of this show.

Were 30 episodes necessary to tell this story?  Looking back, yes, the last 5-6 episodes were tedious and really felt prolonged/dragged out.  However, after finally watching this Saturday's episode (April 26), I now feel the "slow" nature of the show was necessary.  Yasir Nawaz is definitely not a dimwit - he knew exactly what he was doing and proved once again that he's an amazing director.

Over the last several months, we've seen train wreck after train wreck with the marriages of Ehtesham-Sehrish, Ali-Sania and, of course, Sehrish-Ehtesham-Sania.  While team lines were drawn between the fans in the form of Team Sania and Team Sehrish, neither side was right or wrong.  It was all about perspective, which made the arguments and debates that much more interesting.  The beauty of this show was that it projected a realistic situation - one that showed that there isn't black and white in real life.  Everything is grey.  Sehrish wasn't evil, but was definitely mislead into destroying her own home.  Sania was the furthest thing from a home-wrecker, but found herself in a situation where she was viewed as one by the world.  Ehtesham was not an unfaithful husband, but "shukk" brought him to a place where he was bouncing between his loyalties to two women.  And that was the beauty of Shukk, a show where there isn't right and wrong, but rather a distinct picture of what happens when "Shukk" enters the life of a married couple.

On to the actual episode:

I think what was brilliant about this episode was the incredibly HONEST depiction of Ehtesham & Sehrish trying to bring normalcy back to their lives.  We see Ehtesham trying to be a good husband again and be faithful in his marriage to Sehrish, despite his discomfort being with her.  We see Sehrish struggling with her dissatisfaction towards her present situation, despite finally having Ehtesham "back."  Yasir Nawaz doesn't leave us in the dark with only acting to depict this - we are privy to the inner thoughts of both Ehtesham and Sehrish, which really strikes a chord.

I think one of the best moments in this drama was the scene where Sehrish runs away to the coffee shop, because she feels haunted by the memories of Sania and Rumi in "her home," which no longer feels like her own.

On the other end, we see Sania desperately trying to cope in a life without Ehtesham.  She's trying to finally be independent and live for only her son.  However, Rumi's attachment to Ehtesham isn't so easy to break and he falls ill.  It is then that we witness the most eye-opening scene of this show:  a Sania-Sehrish showdown.

Sania calls Sehrish to pass on a message to Ehtesham:  She wants him to explain to Rumi that they can no longer live together and to say goodbye to him.  Instead, Sehrish herself shows up.  Sehrish accuses Sania of using her son to keep Ehtesham in her life, while Sania rebuffs that she hasn't made any contact with Ehtesham since leaving home.  It's here that we hear what we already felt:  Sehrish tells Sania that she no longer loves Ehtesham.  Rather than fighting for Ehtesham, she was fighting for her home, because that was her place and that was her right.  She made it clear that she cannot love Ehtesham because she cannot respect the man that put her in this situation.  What was so great about this scene?  We're suddenly made aware of how dire the circumstances have become.  The great sacrifice that Sania was making was putting Ehtesham in a loveless marriage with a woman who despised him.  And really, who could blame Sehrish?  She may have created her own circumstances, but the fact remained that those circumstances had become unbearable.

Sania takes Rumi to Ehtesham to have his final "goodbye."  It's here that we witness a beautiful scene between Sehrish and Rumi.  I think this scene was necessary to depict that Sehrish was NOT a bad person.  She herself became a victim due to her "shukk" and caused her own downfall in her marriage.  Her heart-warming scene with Rumi showed her soft side and that she realized that he needed Ehtesham in his life - and realized where that left her in the equation.

The final scene was a beautiful one that really put the entire show into perspective.  We see an apologetic Sehrish who has now realized the long-term effects of her Shukk.  She realizes now that had she trusted her husband, she never would have found herself in this predicament.  She wishes Ehtesham & Sania well and willingly removes herself from the picture in a very heart-wrenching way.

"Main us insaan ke saath nahin reh sakti jisse main ab janti nahin hoon.
Yeh woh Ehtesham nahin hai jis se maine shaadi ki thi aur nah main woh Sehrish hoon jis se is ne shaadi ki thi.  
Humein waqt ka paya palat ke waapas udhar hi jaana hoga jahan se kahaani kharaab hui thi aur yeh namumkin hai.  Issliye mera yahan rehna bhi namumkin hai.

Jo mera Ehtesham tha, woh meri shukk ki wajjah se kahin chala gaya.  Aur ab yeh jo Ehtesham hai, yeh sirf tumhara hai."

In these words, we finally reconnect with Sehrish's humanity, which had been missing for so long.  We see the good human being in her once again and, more than anything, we want a good life for her again.

Special mention has to be made to the acting team of Shukk, namely Adeel, Sanam and Ayesha.  Each of these three characters were so complex, but did such an incredible job of portraying their characters that I found myself feeling sorry for each and every one of them.  I didn't want Sehrish to be left empty-handed, despite her own role in ruining her marriage.  I didn't want Sania to have to deal with Sehrish's taunts because she was a good person, despite coming into another woman's home.  I didn't like seeing Ehtesham, the once ideal husband, torn between two women, despite his own actions causing the present situation.  Had Ehtesham handled Sehrish's shukk with more understanding rather than ego, maybe the present scenario would've never happened.  But at the same time, you feel for him - as the perfect husband, he was always supportive of his wife, madly in love with her and never did anything that would cause her grief.....so why was she suspecting him?  These three actors deserve a round of applause.

Regardless of which side you were on, whether it be Team Sania or Team Sehrish (yes, I was definitely team Sania), Shukk taught us a lesson.  Sometimes we, as Pakistani women, think it's our right to keep our husbands on a leash, suspect them and keep an eye on their every move.  Sometimes we need to understand that while you shouldn't trust blindly, trust is the most important, basic foundation for any relationship.  And without trust, your marriage loses its strength.

Now after that public service announcement (haha), I hope you all enjoyed this show as much as I did.  Goodbye "Shukk."  Thanks for entertaining us over the last few months.  This is a show I will definitely miss.

Happy watching!