“Bandhay Ek Dour Se” stars Ahsan Khan, Ushna Shah and Hina Altaf in lead roles, supported by a strong supporting cast including Saba Hameed, Saba Faisal, Samina Ahmed, etc. It has been directed by Ali Faizan and written by Faiza Iftikhar. The show has been enjoying a good run with a lot of praise, particularly for the talented ensemble cast and the realistic depiction of dysfunctional family relationships. Until lately, that is, as things have begun taking a turn for the murky in the past two weeks.
In episode 15 and 16, things begin to nosedive in regards of the likability of the lead trio. Roshni (Hina Altaf) and Umar (Ahsan Khan) have begun having a full-fledged affair – and ironically, this is happening with the “blessing” of Maheen (Ushna Shah), Umar’s wife. Roshni has been playing both Umar and Maheen into sympathizing with her while also putting in every effort to turn the two against each other. While there was some sympathy with Roshni initially, that sympathy has completely disappeared at present as Roshni is playing a very dirty game. She made a choice herself to leave Umar and now that she has been rejected, she has come back to reclaim Umar despite the fact that he is now married to her (ex) best friend. If Roshni had an iota of sense, she would realize this is not a valid option for her at all considering Umar and Maheen are family. But is Roshni really in this for her “devotion” to Umar or is this her version of revenge on Maheen? It’s quite possible she will destroy Maheen and Umar’s marriage and simply bow out of the situation for a better option.
Umar is a character that has sunk completely and it’s sad, because he was presented as a good guy and very loyal. It’s his loyalty that has now gotten him into a mess – but it’s also turning him into a man he shouldn’t be. Maheen gently suggests to Umar that while she and Umar may be stuck in their marriage, Roshni does not have to be a part of this mess and he should cut her loose to live her life. Umar, instead of understanding this logical advice, tells her that he can’t stop Roshni from waiting for him all her life. Waiting for what? Waiting for him to divorce Maheen? Waiting to be his mistress for the rest of her life? What does Umar think is the game plan here? How does Umar think he can get away with this entire mess? Umar is not only playing with the lives of two girls, he’s also having an affair and betraying his entire family. It’s difficult to feel any sympathy for him. To make matters worse, he uses Maheen in his plans to meet Roshni, dragging a physically ill Maheen to the mall and making her wait outside the theater for hours while he has a date with Roshni. What is wrong with this man?
Maheen, on the other hand, has decided to go from a good girl with opinions to someone who simply sits quietly and goes along with the nonsense occurring around her. It’s frustrating, because she’s allowing herself to be used in order for Umar to have an affair and….cheat on her. Maheen does prove herself to be the ideal daughter-in-law, sister-in-law and is the perfect wife for Umar, but Umar is unwilling to see her that way. Everyone does a great job portraying their characters in these two episodes, particularly Ushna Shah as Maheen and Kamran Jillani, Madiha Rizvi and Saba Faisal.
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Fortunately, Nazia (Madiha Rizvi) and Mansoor (Kamran Jillani) spot Umar with Roshni in the mall and while Mansoor brushes it off with Nazia, he later confronts Umar over the situation. It’s clear that Mansoor will not let Umar get away with this behavior for much longer and will step in to deal with it soon enough. But when he does, will things have gone too far? Will Umar still be worthy of Maheen or is she simply too good for him?