Cinestaan Curates: Pehli Wali offers a mature look at life after divorce

Often, films that examine divorce or second marriages present characters racked with guilt, pain, suffering and loneliness. However, Sohail Javed’s short film Pehli Wali uses humour to navigate an emotional minefield.

A divorced couple are trying to find their grooves and manage co-parenting their two children. The mother (Juggun Kazim) is a working woman and has her hands full with her work and the kids, while the father, Salman (Omair Rana), has been bitten by the love bug and is excited at the possibilities the future holds for him.

Irresponsible and self-centred to a large extent, Salman gets an earful from his ex-wife, who knows that his promises add up to naught. However, when Salman wants to make a decision about the new woman in his life, he turns to the person who knows him best, his ex-wife.

Pehli Wali captures the emotional entanglement of couples which continues long after the relationship itself is over. The love-hate relationship has its ups and downs before it reaches an equilibrium.

The film also portrays very normal reactions that people feel, chief among them being the intimidation that Salman’s ex-wife feels when she is to meet his girlfriend. She rushes to the parlour and makes sure she is looking her best to make a statement!

The film has several heart-warming and endearing moments and what keeps it going is the humour. Kazim is clearly the star here as she keeps us riveted with her natural performance and effortless acting. A typical mother, she does have her moments of insecurity but also immense kindness.

Starring Juggun Kazim, Omair Rana, Sidra Naizi and Awais Suleman, the short film is a refreshing, mature way of looking at divorce and life after.

Pehli Wali was released on See Prime, a digital entertainment platform based in Pakistan.