The immense backlash that Tere Bin is receiving inside progressive spheres has opened up a bigger dialog round violating one’s associate’s company and sense of self underneath the guise of marriage.

Amongst statements from the crew, an previous interview of actor Mawra Hocane has resurfaced. In dialog with FUCHSIA Magazine, the star speaks candidly about tackling marital rape as a plot level in her in style drama serial, Qissa Meherbano Ka, and the nuance required to execute its portrayal. 

Hocane detailed how, upon coming throughout the way in which the subject was dealt with, she objected and requested for extra nuance to be included into the script. “I was reading an episode [of Qissa Meherbano Ka] and I read a scene where Murad forces himself on Meherbano. And that was it – the scene took place, it was brushed past and Meherbano got up in the morning and made breakfast. I called [producer] Momina Duraid. I said that this is marital rape. We can’t just let it pass.”

Looking visibly disturbed and attempting to collect her ideas, Hocane then mentioned, “I was on set at that time and the shoot was in process. We’d already shot the scenes before and after that. It was a huge deal for me to stand up and ask [the producer] that this is marital rape and we need to build on it. I said that we can’t let it pass. How can a project backed by her and me – women who have voices – let a marital rape scene just pass. Because a lot of projects let it pass. And we are angry about that. So what are we doing differently?”

The star went on to add, “Fortunately for me, Iqbal Hussain (the director) also understood the gravity of the matter and Momina also said that we’ll call off the shoot and come for a meeting tomorrow. We were shooting, and tenth or ninth episode onwards, the entire script was rewritten, based on a scene I read, objected to and called the producer who was all in.”

Continuing additional, she mentioned, “We all had a five to six hour meeting the next day where she also said I’m very proud that you’ve brought this to me, and you’re ready to be the face of an issue like this because usually, [women] are reluctant. And I am also so proud of her that it didn’t even take her a second to make the decision to stand up against marital rape, and of course, we’ll get it rewritten. I know the kind of money that is involved in stopping a shoot and reshooting.”

In 2021, Hocane additionally shared a tweet, highlighting what marital rape is. “Marital rape is outlined because the forceful act of consummation by the husband together with his spouse with out her specific approval,” tweeted the star. 

In February 2022, Hocane shared a clip from her present, accompanied by the next caption, “While marital rape is a shameful and derogatory crime violating women since time immemorial, it is still widely disregarded as a criminalised offence and more commonly labelled as disobedience on a woman’s part. Absurd.”

She additional commented, “It’s 2022 and men like Murad freely exist in all spheres of life who not only rape their wives but to make it worse also fail to acknowledge it and mock it. In the garb of love and duty, countless women are raped all across the world. Qissa Meherbano Ka was our humble attempt to start a conversation around this heinous act. It was heartbreaking to perform but my heart is full at the response & acceptance we have received.”

As the dialog across the delicate subject continues to unfold, many are applauding the actor for the resurfaced interview. Kanwal Ahmed, the founding father of Soul Sisters Pakistan, applauded the actor, stating “This is brilliant!”  

Another tweep acknowledged, “That’s the power actors hold it’s just they have to take the initiative.”

Yet one other consumer of the microblogging website penned, “Mawra is being too humble here! The credit goes solely to her and her alone. The script was approved and if anyone had a problem with it, they didn’t bother to speak up. Bless Mawra for not keeping quiet.”

While it’s pertinent to handle the evils that decay the material of society, it is equally necessary to give very important themes the respect they deserve. Normalising and transferring previous bodily violation, underneath the guise of it being commonplace or one thing that is been seen on-screen earlier than, merely doesn’t lower it anymore. If sensitivity and nuance are elements that a complete manufacturing crew can’t incorporate, then their competence and talent to do justice to compelling narratives come underneath scrutiny.

Have one thing to add? Share it within the feedback beneath.