Activist and host Kanwal Ahmed has recently expressed her opinion over the serial ‘Chupke Chupke’ that why ‘ghar damad’ character is an object of constant ridicule.
The 31-year-old activist took to Twitter and wrote the ‘ghar damad’ character is an object of constant ridicule.
Trust our dramas to disempower audiences by reinforcing problematic stereotypes. Such as here the ‘ghar damad’ character is an object of constant ridicule.
Only yesterday a woman on SSP was asking how she & sisters can manage her old parents as none of them can move in with them. pic.twitter.com/58F51J3Qc2— Kanwal Ahmed (@kanwalful) April 17, 2021
She referred to the character of a man who is recurrently belittled in the drama for staying with his in-laws and connected it to the situation of a woman living in Pakistani society.
However, actor Osman Khalid Butt, who is playing the leading role in the drama Chupke Chupke also responded to her tweet and explained why in the context of the drama, the ‘ghar damad’ is not the victim.
This is an interesting take; however it’s important to mention this ‘ghar damad’ refuses to work despite being offered a job in the family business, isn’t with his in-laws because of financial (or any) duress, & while he’s played for broad comedy, has his own arc.
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) April 17, 2021
After his tweet, Kanwal thanked the actor for his response then argued the character’s incompetence is to deliberately put him in a bad light to validate age-old stereotypes.
Thanks for the response Osman. My concern though is that comedy that identifies with problematic, existing stereotypes reinforces it in society. For example how many men would want to be ghar damads after watching this?
— Kanwal Ahmed (@kanwalful) April 17, 2021
So in response, Butt agreed that the take on the stereotype was not as nuanced as it should have been. The story of drama ‘Chupke Chupke’ is a family drama and a fun story. It’s a story of two families of a man, who has two wives.
