“Bandhay Ek Dour Se” is an underrated show in terms of buzz and with five episodes down, it continues to deliver on its promises of light-hearted family drama. The show comes as a breath of fresh air when compared to other shows at present. Starring Ushna Shah, Ahsan Khan and Hina Altaf in lead roles, the show is an unassuming love triangle of sorts, though the focus is on family relationships. In episode 5, while Roshni (Hina Altaf) has left town with her cousin and is actively pursuing a potential proposal from him, Maheen (Ushna Shah) is left to deal with the fall-out with Umer (Ahsan Khan). It quickly becomes clear that Roshni has put enough negativity into Umer’s mind against Maheen that he doesn’t believe her words, believing her to be meddlesome and Maheen has to, ultimately, apologize. Will Maheen be blamed for Roshni’s actions later on or, even worse, will Roshni claim Maheen was lying when things don’t work out for her?
Razia and Zakiya’s fight is at its peak in this episode when Munaz (Ali Rizvi) visits Razia (Saba Faisal) to give her Maheen’s wedding card. In her anger, she gives Munaz an earful and he leaves the house. This scene is horribly relatable – who hasn’t had a relative scold them for something they didn’t have anything to do with? On his way home, he has an accident and ends up in the hospital. It is here that Razia is overcome with worry for Munaz, a boy she has helped raise like a son, and she supports Zakiya throughout his time in the hospital. Munaz does make a full recovery and this event reunites the entire family, bringing them closer together. Saba Faisal and Saba Hameed, along with Samina Ahmed, are star performers here and have made these women both crazy and lovable at the same time.
Despite some heavier situations in this episode, the show has a very uplifting feel to it that’s hard to convey in words. The characters can be in the middle of heavy verbal battles and then the next moment, they are there supporting each other through hard times, which is what families do. Faiza Iftikhar does not disappoint with her natural, seemingly effortless writing. Whether it’s the self-serving Roshni, the obedient but intelligent Maheen or the aims-to-please Umer, these are lead characters that one can understand and imagine as real people – unlike the characters we often see on our screens that force us to yell “Who does that?!”. The entire ensemble cast is doing a great job in making these bonds and tiffs both entertaining and believable. In the next episode, it’s clear that Maheen’s marriage will be canceled on the issue of jahaiz. With Roshni out of town, will Umer step in to save the day?
