Pakistani actress, Mawra Hocane, has opened up about marital rape in her Instagram post. Hocane is performing in a drama serial, Qissa Meherbano Ka, and is being subjected to marital rape in the drama. The antagonist, Ahsan Khan, is playing her husband in the drama serial.
The subject became a matter of discussion after the character Meherbano (Mawra Hocane) sarcastically says that her husband Murad (Ahsan Khan) has the right to subject her this way because she is his wife in the serial. A user questioned the dialogue on Instagram. To which the actress replied: “That dialogue was a sarcastic representation of our society because that is what is believed. A traumatized woman laughed at herself in that dialogue. It takes a lifetime for women to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is our humble attempt to give a resolution while being practical and not take the dramatic license and turn the woman into a hero overnight.”
Read more: Mawra Hocane criticised for playing down harassment on live TV show
On Twitter, the actress shared the definition of marital rape. A netizen pointed out, “Same argument during Uddari. There is absolutely nothing wrong with illustrating an evil within aesthetic limits that don’t sensationalize the behavior. This is marital rape and a part of the story. Murad is Evil, not a hero.” Retweeting this, the actor wrote, “Marital rape is defined as the forceful act of consummation by the husband with his wife without her explicit approval.”
View this post on Instagram
It is #maritalrape when :
“Marital rape is defined as the forceful act of consummation by the husband with his wife without her explicit approval.”#QissaMeherBanoka https://t.co/AVYzLWsb2P
— MAWRA HUSSAIN (@MawraHocane) December 13, 2021
The debate continues on social media on whether to appreciate the serial for raising the issue or call it out for failing to give a trigger warning and showing the abuse against females.
A user wrote, “It’s Mawra Hocane’s performance that shines in Qissa Meherbano Ka, and while it is heart-wrenching, [I find it] difficult to sympathize [with] Mehru when she has always had an out and her reasons for staying in this house are feeble.”
Read more: Mawra & Urva Hocane under fire for insensitive ‘Depression’ statement
Hocane answered, “Change doesn’t come overnight. Women don’t turn into knights overnight. We have to show a practical resolution. Most women live with this reality their entire lives. We shall, InshaAllah, attempt to give a solution for that.”