Sinf-e-Aahan is the story about five resilient women

Sinf-e-Aahan: Let’s admit it, progressive women in the country do not watch Pakistani dramas anymore. And why? Because, females are always portrayed the super suppressed beings, a bechari, in almost every drama serial, which in this day and age, does not make sense to the new generation.

Sinf-e-Aahan

The star-studded production, Sinf-e-Aahan, features power-packed performances by Sajal Aly, Syra Yousuf, Yumna Zaidi, Kubra Khan, Ramsha Khan, Dananeer Mobeen, and the Sri Lankan actress and model Yehali Tashiya Kalidasa. Not only does the drama boast a stellar female cast but also a strong male cast which includes Usman Mukhtar, Shehryar Munawwar, Asim Azhar, Asad Siddiqui, and Ali Rehman Khan among others who play brief yet impactful characters to take the narrative forward.

Written by Umera Ahmed, directed by Nadeem Baig, the women-centric drama is a breath of fresh air from the monotonous, predictable, and tedious stories that the audience has had enough of. Produced by Humayun Saeed, Samina Humayun Saeed, Shahzad Nasib, and Sana Shahnawaz, Sinf-e-Aahan takes us on the journey of five passionate women who are out to change their lives and fate inside the Pakistani Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul. Each woman enters the academy with a personality of her own, with battles of her own, and a passion to serve the country.

The drama has proved itself to be a blockbuster already with each episode garnering millions of views and endless praise from the audience. Bringing forward an empowering message for not just women but their families too. You get to see women from various cities and provinces in the country, each one of them facing one source of backlash or another.

For Rabia Safeer, it’s her mother who wants her to get married and settle down rather than join the army. Despite being from an educated family and Rabia herself being the topper from her batch, all her mother can think of is getting her married because she believes that’s the ultimate goal and achievement of her daughter’s life.

Life is very much the same for Shaista who belongs to a conservative Pashtun family. With constant taunts on being a rather nalayiq larki (duffer girl), despite being a high achiever, she is reduced to tutoring her uncle’s son who plans on applying to the PMA too. Knowing that she will never get permission to appear in the test, she gathers the courage to run away from home and succeeds in getting into the PMA. Things then take a drastic turn in her life after her father, who originally sets out to kill his daughter for running away, brings her home with his head held up high. Not only has her father had a change of mind, but the community, as well as they, celebrate the feat.

Parivash (Ramsha Khan) despite having a super supportive father is bound by the patriarchal Sardar system. In an area like Sibbi, Balochistan, she seems to know very well that women can do wonders if only they realized their potential. Not only is her father supportive, but he also cheers her up at every step she takes on the course. Full marks for senior actor Zahir Lehri who has aced the father’s role in Sinf-e-Aahan.

Belonging from a minority in Pakistan Arzoo’s small yet content family also has financial issues, and she wants to change their lives. Her problems outside the safety of her house narrate the story of every Pakistani girl. She encounters harassment on Lahore’s streets on a daily. Her father, played by Syed Mohammad Ahmed, is old but yet he is always there to encourage and support her daughter. Marriage is not a solution for her because her boyfriend, played by Asad Siddiqui, keeps bringing her morale down by criticizing the choices she makes for her life. A playboy by nature, Arzoo’s boyfriend finds it hard to digest that she has passed the ISSB test, his ego is hurt and he tries convincing her to let go of the opportunity till the very last minute, but Arzoo knows what’s best for her.

Despite being rich and having the independence to follow her heart, Mahjabeen’s (Kubra Khan) life is still difficult. She has the money and status to move into society, but she longs for warmth and connection from her almost-broken family. Sick of the quarrels, arguments, and being underestimated at home, Mahjabben sets off to the PMA to prove herself to the world.

Dananeer is seen as the bubbly Syeda Sidra, who is fun to watch and adds a bit of comical relief to the plot, from her naively innocent questions to expressions that speak louder than words, she has outdone herself. Kalidasa as Nathmy is a surprise addition, representing both Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Sinf-e-Aahan is changing the narrative and establishing the notion that an ordinary Pakistani woman can do anything she sets her eyes on and is not fragile. It’s high time that the Pakistani drama industry shows women as a symbol of strength and ambition. The serial also sheds light on the struggles and the physical challenges female candidates go through to train for the Army and how they are just as tough as the men in the army, discarding the myths that women have it easier in the force. The drama also brings forward a rather refreshing narrative of supportive parents like the lion-hearted fathers of Arzoo and Parivash who are ready to let their girls fly even when they have a little in their pockets to survive.