The drama Jaisay Aapki Marzi, currently airing on ARY, revolves around the married life of an independent young woman and a misogynistic man. The show highlights issues that are more commonly faced by women in today’s society. People might not consider it, but emotional abuse is equally as traumatizing as physical abuse, if not more so. Jaisay Aapki Marzi portrays this extremely well.
Alizeh is portrayed as a confident, highly ambitious young woman, while Sherry has a charismatic aura and can smoothly talk his way into things. After the two get married, Sherry’s domineering personality begins to emerge from underneath the facade of a charming young man he has created. Despite his toxic traits, Sherry is quick-witted when it comes to pleasing people with his actions. As a result, the free-spirited Alizeh we see in the beginning becomes constrained and starts overlooking Sherry’s toxic traits as she gradually falls for him.
If we were to break down the toxic traits that Sherry’s character embodies, we would find a patronizing narcissist. Throughout the show, we find Sherry manipulating Alizeh quite often. The term ‘gaslighting’ has become quite popular among the younger generations. But if you want to see what a gaslighter looks like, have a glimpse at Sherry’s character. It starts with him controlling things as trivial as demanding Alizeh to wear outfits according to his liking, to having issues with her being a self-sufficient woman and controlling her whereabouts.
View this post on Instagram
There is also a double standard shown in the drama, where every time Sherry’s sister, Natasha, who is also an independent woman, throws tantrums, her actions seem justifiable to him. But when it comes to Alizeh, his expectations for her are similar to that of an obedient wife.
However, in recent episodes, we see immense support from her sister and her father when Alizeh raises concerns regarding her marriage. Some may think her family is becoming overly involved in her married life, but what else can you expect when someone has a husband like Sherry? On the contrary, her mother seems the most concerned about Alizeh’s married life potentially getting damaged, which is understandable because there is still a stigma surrounding a woman getting divorced. The sad truth is women are always told to bear it. A woman must compromise on things and look past minor issues merely because apparently ‘it is better to be married and unhappy than to not be married at all.’
View this post on Instagram
Jaisay Aapki Marzi is a perfect depiction of the problems women face in society. The will to keep their marriage going is sometimes stronger than the will to be happy. Taking Alizeh as an example, even the strongest women can go through such struggles if their husband is not supportive enough. It always starts with the little issues, but once they begin accepting these minor issues as normal, the bigger ones do not seem bothersome. It doesn’t take too long for emotional abuse to escalate into physical abuse. As we’ve witnessed, Sherry’s verbal torment has now turned into physically hurting Alizeh. Nevertheless, we hope to see Alizeh’s character grow stronger than ever by the end of the show.
How do you think should Alizay take a stand for herself? Have your say in the comments’ section below.