Pakistani series 'Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum' captures modern marriage dysfunction adeptly

It's love versus ambition. Material wealth versus emotional availability. Greed versus honesty. It's all that and more: Fahad Mustafa and Hania Aamir's modern tale of love and loss, Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, airing Mondays and Tuesdays on ARY Digital, has captured an entire cross-section of society because of its sharp grasp on relevant themes for today. Written by Farhat Ishtiaq (Humsafar, Yaqeen Ka Safar) and directed by Badar Mehmood (Cheekh, Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha), the series began its run a few months ago, with no one realising what a blockbuster it would turn out to be.

Mustafa (Mustafa) is a listless genius sailing through life without aim, care, or worry. His elder brother, Adeel (Emmad Irfani), is the perfect son who is not only financially stable but also all set to marry the beautiful over-achiever Sharjeena (Aamir) before Adeel's boss, Rubab (Naeema Butt), confesses her love for him. Adeel sees the perfect career growth opportunity as he decides to ditch Sharjeena and marry Rubab, even if it means being ex-communicado with his entire family. Adeel's father (Javed Sheikh) throws him out of the house and Sharjeena, in a state of crisis, asks Mustafa to marry her. Mustafa agrees and thus begins a saga of finding love in friendship, discovering oneself, sacrifice, betrayal and so much more.

In an age of formulaic content creation that most channels and production houses rely on to get ratings, Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum proves that with dedicated attention to detail, even a simple story like this can create immense success. Armed with Mustafa's irrepressible charm and Ishtiaq's modern style of writing and character progression, Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum has captured the zeitgeist like nobody's business. Memes, videos, ratings, what form of love has this TV show not garnered as it now comes to a close? The last episode is all set to be screened in cinemas in Karachi.

What stands out specifically in Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum is how it captures the modern marriage dysfunction perfectly. Mustafa, in his race to be financially stable, despite his wife's constant pleas that what she truly needs is his time and attention, encapsulates the male conflict of tying financial success with personal satisfaction. Mustafa grew up in a household where Adeel was favoured, preferred, lauded, and appreciated far more than 'loser' Mustafa whose genius and intelligence were never truly appreciated or tended to. He has, therefore, placed an unprecedented amount of attention on 'making it' financially so he can give his children the life he believes they deserve. Sharjeena, simply happy with being around Mustafa and his ability to enjoy the simple things in life, doesn't want any of this. She just wants him to be around.

This is where Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum becomes a chartbuster. It carefully and keenly taps into the key conflicts young couples face as they try and navigate through their relationships. Social media was rife with debate as "Musjeena" (a beloved portmanteau for Mustafa and Sharjeena used by the internet) went through troubled times. Who is truly at fault here? The man who is simply trying to provide for his child? Or the woman who doesn't want castles or diamonds, but simply her beloved to be around her as much as possible?

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