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In the teaser for episode 26 of Geo TV’s Mannat Murad, a tense scene unfolded that has the internet abuzz. Murad, played by Talha Chahour, confronted his wife Mannat, portrayed by Iqra Aziz, demanding an apology for his mother. When Mannat refused, Murad slapped her in front of his family. The scene took an unexpected turn when Mannat retaliated by hitting him back.

Despite starting off as a romantic comedy, the romcom elements have been absent for quite some time. Mannat and Murad, who had a love marriage after overcoming various challenges, faced a situation where Murad overlooked the sacrifices Mannat made as his wife.

Despite being out of Murad’s league, Mannat found herself in a marriage where her husband failed to prioritise her over his overbearing mother.

This intense moment sparked extensive online discussions, with viewers expressing their thoughts on the characters’ actions.

Some social media users agreed with Mannat slapping her husband, saying that though violence isn’t the answer, it’s about time that the “bichari mazloom heroine [poor, downtrodden heroine]” becomes brave.

Some celebrated Mannat standing up for herself and wished it would happen in real life.

Some social media users were shocked that Murad would slap Mannat in the first place.

Violence is an unfortunately common scene in Pakistani dramas and in most cases women are on the receiving end. Though we do not support violence, we were glad to see a woman defending herself.

Some social media users had similar ideas when it came to the glorification of violence.

It is imperative to recognise that violence doesn’t solve anything and it’s wrong no matter who is perpetuating that violence.

It’ll be interesting to see how Mannat Murad tackles this issue and whether Mannat will be given the same clean chit most male leads are given for slapping their wives.