Can a sport flourish if the proponents of that sport themselves are not united? 22 Qadam is a heart-winning story that entertains and also gives a realistic picture of ground realities and challenges faced by women in cricket.
Dreamy vs Real
While we expected a dreamy and perhaps idealistic story of a girl following her dream where the villain will be only the men and the system, 22 Qadam takes an entirely different route and shows us how women within the sport might become the hindering force. It also maps a very well sorted journey of Fari to come to the final conclusion; that is, to create a team of your own. Are Liza and Junaid just friends? Was it jealousy that made Liza show the ultimate nakhras to Junaid? We can’t figure it out. Tell us what you think?
Junaid’s Journey Keeps It Balanced
The fact that the narrative also allows us to follow Junaid’s journey, keeps a larger audience invested in the drama and it doesn’t just become a story about a girl’s dream, but also, a well-balanced tale of what really goes on behind the scenes in a sport.
Multiple Messages
On one side, the drama highlights how impossible it is for a girl to follow her dream if she wants to play cricket professionally, on the other, it also highlights the age-old worry of parents to get their daughters married at any cost. The parents have not spoken to the boy whose proposal has come for Amber, despite several attempts. A guy cannot be that busy to not be able to make a call or a Zoom meeting just for 15 minutes with his prospective in-laws. Either something is majorly wrong, or he is not interested. But his family’s large house and Audi (which can belong to anyone btw, and he just took a picture next to it) has blinded the parents to overlook logic.
The battle between street “Urdu medium” players vs “English speaking ones” and subsequent harassment is played out impactfully. Fari’s visit to multiple cricket grounds and their reasons for rejecting her reflected what young girls experience in the real world when they set out to do things without formal training. support or influential backgrounds. The narrative, very astutely, covered multiple bases upon which girls often fail to get a chance to realize their dreams.
Something Amiss?
However, we wish that, keeping up with the spirit of fresh and progressive content, 22 Qadam had not stereotyped all sports persons as not having any interest in studies and bunking classes. A more balanced approach would have been ideal. Because at the end of the day, no matter how talented one is, we cannot underestimate the importance of education and the right role models must be represented with care.
Normalizing Women In Public Spaces
Fari is a spirited, fearless soul, determined to achieve what she sets her mind on. 22 Qadam offers many lighthearted moments that make us smile. Many of us would relate to putting up posters of their idols on the walls and facing those raised eyebrows or comments.
Witnessing our female actors being physically active and carrying out a few comic stunts that are reflective of street lifestyle is a refreshing watch and it helps normalize girls being viewed as a part of daily public activities; on a cricket ground, in the streets, being able to conduct their lives out and about freely and not necessarily in a fancy car or protected by an entourage of men.
