“Bandhay Ek Dour Se” stars Ahsan Khan, Ushna Shah and Hina Altaf in lead roles, supported by brilliant actors like Saba Faisal, Saba Hameed, Samina Ahmed, Kamran Jilani, Madiha Rizvi and many others. The show has been written by Faiza Iftikhar and directed by Ali Faizan. Technically a love triangle, the show largely focuses on family dynamics and relationships, which is the high point of the show. The love triangle has been appealing so far, but with the latest episode, the relationship between Umar, Maheen and Roshni takes a messy turn.
In episode 12, Roshni (Hina Altaf) has inserted herself back into Umar’s (Ahsan Khan) life with a vengeance. It’s honestly frustrating to watch this play out as Roshni’s behavior is illogical. What does she want to achieve here exactly by breaking up her “best friend’s” marriage to a man she discarded of her own free will? It’s fascinating to watch a character like Roshni only because her problems are entirely self-created and yet, she will find a way to blame everyone from Umar to Maheen, but won’t acknowledge her own fault. While the current narrative is frustrating to watch, it’s not an unbelievable scenario. Faiza Iftikhar has done a great job with keeping the characters consistent with their personalities and character traits. Roshni has always been a manipulative, self-serving sort of character and we’ve seen how she has consistently planted negative thoughts about Maheen in Umar’s head. It’s no surprise then when Maheen attempts to tell Umar the truth and it backfires, especially when Roshni plays innocent and adds oil to the fire. Roshni has decided she wants Umar back and is clearly willing to go to any lengths to achieve that goal – even if that includes gaslighting those around her.
Umar’s love for Roshni has always been on an intensely loyal level and he has gone out of his way to please her, so it’s not out of the question to see him continuing to chase Roshni. His mind has not registered the “trauma” (for lack of better word) of his circumstances and he continues to be in a state of complete adoration for Roshni. It’s another thing that Umar is not a naïve child who could not have told his family that he liked someone else and fought for her on the wedding day instead of diving head-first into a marriage he’s now unwilling to stay committed to.
On the other hand, Maheen (Ushna Shah) is the real “loser” in this situation and it’s hard not to want to scream at this character. Unfortunately, Maheen falls into the group of individuals that are so empathetic, loving and caring that they will sacrifice themselves in order to please their loved ones. Maheen is one such person and while it’s understandable that she couldn’t inform Umar of Roshni’s betrayal at the right time (because she was busy in her own wedding), this will go on to be her biggest error in judgement. Because she did not fill Umar in, Umar now believes Roshni’s lies that Maheen has “bad” intentions. To make matters worse, Maheen is now guilt-wrecked after Roshni informs her that the entire episode with Nabeel was a “prank” she was playing on Umar. Unfortunately, Maheen is enough of a sacrificial lamb that she will allow Roshni and Umar to continue their love affair right under her nose. One can only hope she comes to her senses soon enough – but will Umar even deserve her at that point? Ushna Shah is doing a great job as Maheen, not only playing her well but also looking beautiful while doing it.
The highlight of the show continues to be the family dynamics. Saba Faisal’s character Razia is the star of this episode and Saba Faisal and Samina Ahmed share great chemistry as the bickering mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Madiha Rizvi and Kamran Jilani are also playing lovable characters. “Bandhay Ek Dour Se” started off on a strong note, but seems to be slipping into a dangerous arena with an extra-marital affair on the horizon. Let’s hope the show has something else in store for viewers instead of the typical stories we’ve grown accustomed to.
