The latest teaser of Express Entertainment’s Oye Motti ruffled feathers and sparked outrage on social media for mocking and ridiculing plus-size and heavy women, especially when it comes to marriage.
Turns out that the series does not aim to mock women but is an honest attempt to shed light on body and fat-shaming and how it affects those at the receiving end of criticism. Each episode has a separate storyline and features different women stuck in different scenarios where they are fat-shamed. However, they manage to overcome whatever hurdle comes their way.
Read more – Juggun Kazim opens up about being fat-shamed after giving birth
The latest episode, Episode 9, featuring Tiktoker Kanwal Aftab and Furqan Qureshi is what stirred outrage. It follows a woman’s horrifying experience, whose fiancé, right after their engagement, announces in front of everyone that her bride-to-be must lose 100 kgs within a year else he won’t marry her. The show has been written by Sajjad Haider Zaidi and directed by Muhammad Iftikhar Iffi.
Aftab, while sharing the teaser of the episode, said that she did this project only for those who have to face body shaming. She urged her followers to stop criticising each other for their weight and let everyone live their life the way they want.
While the show may have faltered in dealing with the topic sensitively, what’s even more alarming is that the teaser is a reflection of our society. The culture of choosing a bride in drawing rooms continues to dominate the Pakistan rishta scene with women forced to mould themselves physically as well as mentally to meet society’s expectation and fit the role of a perfect bahu.
Meanwhile, other episodes of the series feature veteran actor Hina Dilpazeer, Maria Wasti, Sabeena Farooq, and Hajra Yamin among others.