About the Series Mayi Ri
“Mayi Ri,” an impactful Pakistani drama airing on ARY Digital, delves into the intricate layers of societal issues, particularly shedding light on the pervasive problem of child marriage. The narrative, brilliantly crafted by Sana Fahad, skillfully weaves together a tale that unravels the darker aspects of our society. The stellar cast, including Aina Asif, Samar Abbas, Naumaan Ijaz, Maria Wasti, Maya Khan, Sajida Syed, Saad Faridi, Amna Malik, Paras Masroor, Usman Mazhar, and Diya Mughal, brings depth and authenticity to their characters.
Directed by Meesam Naqvi, the drama unfolds with a courageously portrayed journey against cultural boundaries. The series has garnered an IMDb rating of 6.7/10, and an impressive 95% approval from Google users, attesting to its popularity.
“Mayi Ri” is not just a drama; it’s an emotional exploration of societal norms, and its thought-provoking narrative concluded on October 6, 2023. Viewers can catch up on all episodes on the official ARY Digital YouTube channel and stay engaged with the channel’s diverse and high-quality content.
Trailer
Uploaded by ARY Digital HD
Synopsis
“Mayi Ri” unfolds within the tapestry of a typical Pakistani joint family, where the lives of two brothers and their families intertwine. The elder brother; residing with his wife and son Fakhir, and the younger with two wives; one of whom lives outside the home – and has two daughters. The narrative takes a dramatic turn when the elder brother falls ill, expressing his dying wish to witness his sixteen-year-old son’s marriage. This prompts the arrangement of a marriage between Fakhir and Qurut-ul-Ain, the spirited and academically accomplished elder daughter of the younger brother.
The coercion behind this child marriage sets the stage for a tumultuous journey as Fakhir, entangled in a relationship at school, and Qurut-ul-Ain, a young woman with aspirations, clash against the societal norms thrust upon them. As the newlyweds navigate the complexities of their forced union, “Mayi Ri” sheds light on the profound consequences and challenges stemming from the prevalent issue of child marriage in Pakistani society. The drama intricately explores the clash between tradition and individual aspirations, providing a poignant commentary on the harsh realities faced by those thrust into early matrimony.
The Review
My Overall Thoughts
Though the drama seems a bit overdone and unbelievable at first, the actor’s charm and acting chops; as well as the complex family dynamics keep you hooked till halfway through the show. However, the show starts to drag round the 30th episode, soon getting tiresome.
The Best Parts of the Series
The acting, some of the filmography and the message behind the show are its positives.
Acting
The show is populated with lesser-known, but seasoned adult actors as well as decent child actors. They manage to make the scenes give the impression of being charged with emotions. Many a time, the drama made me tear up, empathizing with the actors. Saad Zameer Fareedi playing Habib (the younger brother) played his role to a tee, to the point where you start to actively despise him. He somehow keeps getting worse throughout the drama, till the point that it’s actually cathartic to see him get his comeuppance.
Filmography
Usually, this doesn’t come into play much when I’m reviewing stuff, but it honestly caught my eye this time. There are many scenes which suit the mood or tone of the story superbly well. Such as that one scene in the last episode where Fakir and Annie step away from a closed door, it gave me chills, and fit extremely well into the symbolism of the scene. (Sorry about the vagueness guys, but I’m tryna keep this review spoiler free 😉
Acting
The message of Mayi Ri is a necessary one. I won’t discuss its effectiveness or lack of subtlety, but it is a message I can stand behind. The drama pushes female empowerment, independence, and the importance of education, besides also conveying the lesson child marriage = bad.
Things That Were Meh
The blatant, in-your-face, shove-it-up-your-nose themes. The sacrifice of male characters for female empowerment. The slow drag of the pacing. Ugh.
Theme integration in Mayi Ri
Guys, this is a pet peeve of mine. I want writers to trust their reader, like; we are intelligent enough to get the theme of a drama without having it repeated EVERY SINGLE EPISODE. Also the main character literally gives a speech with the message right to the audience in the last episode. We get it. We got it. Child marriage; bad, education; good. They made it weirdly meta for no reason; and you all know how cringe meta is unless done right. (Cue Deadpool)
Sacrificing male characters on the altar of female empowerment
As in the title, this is so not cool, though writers do this to make the women look good. I have seen this done in many films not only in Pakistan, but else ware as well (i.e. Harry Potter films where Hermione is a flawless character whereas Ron has become completely useless). This is a pretty egregious writing flaw and it makes you dislike pretty much all the male characters in the drama, even the ones you’re supposed to sympathize with.
Take for example Fakhir, of course he, like the heroine is also a kid stuck in a bad situation, but his foibles come off as huge flaws, whereas the girl comes off as a victim of oppression. The difference was that a majority of his problems seem to result from his choices, whereas hers come from the environment and she fights against them. He also seems to have little respect for his responsibilities, with his wife, or his mother always having to nag or push him into fulfilling them. If he too tried and failed, he would come up looking much better than he actually does. “
Pacing
This is just bad. The drama is wayyy too long. It drags and drags with nothing happening. The whole story could have been covered in half the episodes and with much better pacing.
My Final Thoughts
The series left me conflicted as to whether I liked it or not, all I know for sure is that it is way too long for me to watch ever again.
My rating for this series is 6/10.
Click on this link for stuff that I actually enjoyed.
Disclaimer:
This review is the Author’s opinion, the author does not claim anything stated here as fact. If you disagree with anything written in this article please do not hesitate to sound of in the comments down below. However, please keep in mind that the author is not liable for any information stated in this post. It is purely opinion.
“Mayi Ri” and all of its materials are owned by ARY Digital, and it’s various producers and Entertainment companies. We are merely using some of them in this post to illustrate a point (fair use). If you wish for your materials to be taken down please contact us and we will remove them immediately.
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