Ek Jhooti Love Story - Actually a very "sachi" story.

In these trying times, I usually look for something lighthearted to watch. When I saw the trailer of EJLS, I thought maybe I should give it a try. Also, I was curious to know how has umera ahmad managed to write a webseries-worthy content, considering some of her problematic past ventures. I started watching it during my mids week to lighten up my mood and it was definitely worth it.

I was pleasantly surprised as the series had a lot more to offer than the name or the trailer suggested. It is so much more than the story two people who make fake facebook ids and talk to each other. The supporting characters and their stories are so strong that sometimes the viewer is more interested in them as compared to the lead characters. The story depicts how in these times of social media, it is so easy for us to fake our personalities and how what we choose to show on social media affects other people's self esteem. It make them feel inferior and they aspire to become like us without knowing anything about our real lives. It talks about the ideals that we've all created in our minds which we keep on chasing for all our lives but never get satisfied because afterall it is "ideal" that has nothing to do with reality. The series talks about the toxic 'rishta culture' and how it affects young girls and their families. It talks about the hypocrisy of our society that how we hate when people judge us on something but then we too keep on judging other people on the same basis. It doesn't only show these problems rather give many important messages through some very empowered female characters. It conveys that the purpose of a girl's life is not just to get married, instead she can and she should choose to continue her education or her job if she wills. And she also has an equal right of marrying the person she's interested in, as a man has. One of my favourite messages was that having "ahsas" and "shaur" is more important than having a "degree" but and being callous.

Apart from some loopholes and the first two, three episodes being a bit slow, the show was brilliant. The comedy of errors did not seem forced at any instant and it literally had me in fits of laughter at many points. The family dynamic and the protrayal of mothers was brilliant and very relatable and I loved how they showed the growth of every character from first through last episode. Of course it doesn't offer anything new if you compare it to international shows, but if you are into Pakistani content and are tired of the regressive and monotonous pakistani tv dramas, then this series is definitely a breath of fresh air. If you've watched it, do share your views.