Binodon Desk:

My New Year holiday would not have been so enchantingly meaningful, sentimentally fulfilling and emotionally engaging had I not watched the newly released drama “Anonna” on YouTube. “Anonna” is a story of a struggling working mother who struggles to strike a balance between personal and professional lives, but eventually breaks the stereotypical shakles of society.

Actors Mehazabien Chowdhury, Shashwata Dutta, noted artiste Dolly Johur and others have played different roles in the Mostafa Kamal Raz-directed project. Written by Jahan Sultana and produced by Cinemawala, the drama was released on 16 December.

Anonna, an aspiring professional, embraced motherhood for the first time after dedicating six months to the initial stages of this full-time endeavour. As her joining date approaches, she grapples with feelings of dilemma and mommy guilt. She manages to convince her mother-in-law to care for her baby. In the unapologetic professional world that she navigates, male colleagues often mock her and complicate her tasks with remorseful and humiliating comments.

Moreover, when she returns home, she finds her complaining mother-in-law in distress. Her husband doesn’t understand her struggle and thus refuses to give her any moral, emotional or even postnatal support.

At a certain juncture, Anonna decides to resign from her job as she realises that striking a balance becomes untenable in an environment that offers no space for nurturing her baby. Struggling to conform to the societal expectations of being a “good” mother, Anonna finally decides to go out of the toxic environment and starts living with her parents. She decides to establish daycare for working parents in her neighbourhood.

As time goes by, she becomes a successful entrepreneur who has 20 branches of her daycare across the city. Anonna not only achieves independence but also plays a role in empowering other working mothers. Anonna said in her speech that “a baby is not a full stop for a mother”. A mother can become anything if she gets space and support to grow! The story ends with this positive note.

There are a few intriguing nuances that captivated me so much. After Anonna resigns from her job, she randomly asks maid Moina about her babies’ care. She explains that her eldest daughter takes care of the youngest one because she has no choice but to earn money to provide proper upbringing for them. Moina wants her daughters to become as educated and independent as Anonna.

This comment deeply shakes her core. When Anonna’s baby falls sick, neither her mother-in-law nor her husband provides any caregiving support to the 6-month-old. Instead, they criticise Anonna for not taking a day off from her office. On the other hand, in the beginning, when Moina requests a day off for her ailing baby, Anonna’s mother-in-law refuses to grant it. This class struggle and the double standard attitude of our society are beautifully and smoothly revealed in the drama.

Overall, what an interesting and realistic story! Mehazabien Chowdhury nailed her role.   Shashwata Dutta plays the role of an unsupportive husband very well. Dolly Johur acts perfectly as a toxic mother-in-law. Director M M Kamal Raz portrayed every scene in its greatest precision and details. But to me, the showstopper is the writer Jahan Sultana! She writes such a captivating story of every working mother and provides solution to this longstanding struggle.

Yes, after this masterpiece, can we now expect our society to change its perspectives towards working mothers, their conjugal relationships and their shared contribution to the families? Can we expect our workplaces to have at least one healthy room for our babies to grow? Can we expect our families and colleagues to understand the bloodless battles we, working mothers, must constantly fight? If positive changes occur, the “Anonna” team will succeed!

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The writer is a PhD student in Rhetoric, Writing and Culture and Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of English, North Dakota State University