‘Aik rumaal par chand jumle likhe thee, us par itni bari saza di’: Zeba’s emotional face-off with her mother in Kafeel moves netizens

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Niche

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Kafeel is making its space, as the recent episode shows, with the quiet Zeba (Sanam Saeed) finally speaking up. The emotions boiling inside her finally overflow as she confronts her mother regarding the decision of her marriage.

After seeing Jamshed aka Jami (Emmad Irfani) with his love interest, Asma (Rukhma Akhtar), and her mother, she finds herself helpless, crying and wailing, with no way out. She had been hiding her husband’s extramarital affair to protect her family from hurt. However, Jami reveals himself with every new demand from his in-laws and now piblicly seeing a woman behind his wife’s back.

The mother (Yasmeen-Munazza Arif) confirms that she saw Jami with a woman, which finally cracks Zeba. She tells her that Jami had been interested in Asma, but the proposal was declined because he was unemployed. She adds that she was tied to him, without a thought, because of a napkin. The note with the number on it betrayed the parents’ trust and love, who said yes to the first proposal to get rid of their daughter.

She confronted her mother, who never once questioned Zeba about that “love note” and took abrupt decisions. She was given off to a man with no standing in society and had an ill character. Heartbroken, Zeba cries her heart out to her mother, leaving with mistrust in her eyes.

Her father overheard the conversation and broke down, knowing he had done wrong to his own daughter. The daughter he has raised with care is now in the hands of a toxic man, taking away the light from his daughter’s life. He then vows to himself to take her daughter out of it and file for divorce. A highly unlikely act for the 90s, he is determined to save her daughter regardless of the societal pressure to remain married.

Jami, on the other hand, is preparing the ground for his actions and calls his sister (Farhana-Rabia Rizwan), telling her that his wife is doubting him and questioning his character. This does not sit well with Farhana, and she confronts her friend, then realises that her brother is lying.

Zeba’s heartbreaking arc and her finally speaking up have taken the internet by storm. Reactions are pouring in from viewers, who are in tears after episode 8. Since the episode focuses on fate being unknown, a user said they couldn’t help but cry during the scenes. They posted on X:

Another posted:

While many are uncomfortable with Zeba’s silence, many can relate to why she responds to her situation. Calling Zeba real, a user posted on X:

One user added that many can relate to Zeba and said:

Sharing how she has been living the same life for 5 years, a viewer commented:

One added that the confrontation scenes with the mother left them broken and said that what was called was an ill decision by her parents. They posted:

Another added that these scenes were a classic example of the writer, Umera Ahmad. They posted:

Appreciating Sanam’s performance as Zeba, a user commented:

Another user added:

 

Some criticised the idea that bad decisions should not be hidden behind the pretext of fate; one must take accountability and make amends. A netizen took to X and posted:

The support her father is willing to offer has gained some traction as well, in the hope that the toxic marriage will end. A user posted to X and stated:

Another added:

Hoping that Kafeel  develops positively, a user commented: