Sadqay Tumhare : What a Finale!

It's rare that I watch the last episode of a drama twice in a row.  Such was the effect the finale of Sadqay Tumhare had on me.  Why?  Well, to be honest, it was because I initially couldn't make sense of the ending OR of my feelings towards it!

I apologize for throwing Bollywood in here, but when the movie "Rockstar" released, I watched it in theaters.  After walking out of the theater, I couldn't answer when asked what I thought about the movie.  I wasn't sure.  However, as the days progressed, with each day, I found the movie more amazing as new aspects of the movie struck me.  I couldn't put into words what I felt after watching the movie, because at the time, I felt nothing.  But new emotions hit me over and over again over the days following the viewing.

Such is how I feel about the Sadqay Tumhare finale.  After the first viewing, I was confused and was left thinking "What?  That's it?  What the hell was the point of that show exactly?  What am I supposed to take away from all of this?!"  The confusion led me to watch the episode again immediately, after which an odd feeling of beauty and bewilderment hit me.

And now here I am, trying to put into words yet again what I felt about the finale, which is somehow becoming more and more incredible as time passes.



As the episode began, we witnessed Inayat's grief at how her mistakes in the past were now coming to haunt (and destroy) her son's future.  I found myself crying with her as Khalil tried to console her, telling her that he would forget Shano eventually, a lie that neither Inayat nor the audience could believe.  Unable to handle the grief, Inayat passed away shortly after, unable to look Khalil in the eye and see the pain she felt she was responsible for.

Humaira and Shano discussed Humaira's actions and Shano, being the ever-loving friend and ever-trusting lover, told Humaira that she did not mind her falling in love with Khalil, nor could she ever suspect Khalil of betrayal.  She states that he proved that he's not his father's son.  In that moment, I thought "Well, he proved he's Abdur Rahman's son.  A stand-up guy, loyal to the end."

In the forthcoming scenes, we were given "jhatka after jhatka,"  presented in the form of Khalil's interview, many years later after he has achieved success in life.

We find out that Khalil got married.  We find out that years later, Shano also got married.  And then we get the biggest jhatka......a few years after her marriage, Shano died.

Khalil went to her janaaza, but did not make it in time, unable to see Shano's face one last time.  And of course, Shano's cause of death was her forever broken heart, suffering in her distance from Khalil.  Rasheeda ultimately lost her lover, her husband (still alive, but not quite) and her daughter, leaving her the ultimate loser in the whole situation.  In the last scene, we see Khalil meeting Shano's son, who she named Khurram - the name Khalil wanted to name his and Shano's son.  "Kh se Khurram, Re se Rukhsana aur Meem se Mohabbat.".....and the end.

There are several thoughts I have looming in my head after this finale.

• Tahira Imam as Inayat deserves immense credit for her breakdown scene after leaving Rasheeda's home, realizing that the past does ultimately affect the future.  Her acting was incredible.
• "Mohabbat ki tasneem ho gayi, kabar ban gayi" says Khalil when describing his feelings after hearing of Shano's marriage - but what hypocrisy (as aptly pointed out by the reporter), as he had gotten married as well 6 years earlier than she did.  Was this to show the male dominant society mind-set?  Khalil could move on despite his declarations of love, but Shano was supposed to wait forever....for something she knew would never happen?
• What made Shano's demise even more painful and the news of her death equally as sudden to the audience as it was for Khalil was that our final glimpse of Shano in the "present" was in her scene with Humaira.  After that, we witness everything from Khalil's point of view.  This decision by the director was highly effective, making the viewer miss Mahira's presence before even realizing Shano's outcome.
• A scene that really struck me was when Khalil was leaving Shano's home and Amin (Shano's father) stops him and says "Mujhe maaf karna."  What a heart-breaking thought that Shano sacrificed her love and happiness entirely for her father.....and he outlived her.  That's a pain that no parent should have to live through, outliving their children.
• Rasheeda was ultimately the one who was left empty-handed.  Her selfish behavior towards everyone around her, drowning in spite and revenge, left her with nothing.  She lost her lover, she lost her husband's respect and she destroyed her daughter.

In closing, I think what most irked me about this last episode and also left me in complete awe at its ironic beauty is that the ending was realistic.  This was something that would happen in REAL LIFE.  Why that can sometimes be hard to digest when watching a show, I don't know, but I just don't think that's what was expected from the ending of this show.  Now thinking back, when it was told that Sadqay Tumhare was based on a true story, I now completely believe it.

"Khurram.  Kh se Khalil, Re se Rukhsana aur Meem se Mohabbat."


What started off as a beautiful love story turned into a family drama, lost the plot somewhere in the middle and somehow, with the last episode, managed to make a huge impact, cementing its place as a drama to be remembered in 2015.  The show wasn't perfect, but it definitely was beautiful and, ultimately, deep.  A huge round of applause for the entire cast and crew of Sadqay Tumhare.