“Tere Bina Mein Nahi” is a unique concept (so far) in how it projects the female identity and desire to be something more than just a wife, rather wanting to be her husband’s partner. Starring Shahzad Sheikh, Sonya Hussyn and Aiza Awan in lead roles, they are supported by Bushra Ansari, Munazza Arif and others. The story has been written by Maha Malik and directed by Ali Masud Saeed.
While Noor (Sonya Hussyn) and Murtaza (Shahzad Sheikh) are childhood sweethearts, their love comes to an abrupt halt when confronted with their family’s desire to get them married immediately. While Murtaza is ready, Noor wants more time – and this request is met with chaos. Meanwhile, Tehniyat (Aiza Awan), Noor’s best friend, finds herself hastily engaged to Murtaza against her wishes.
What makes “Tere Bina Mein Nahi” a well-written show is how neither Noor or Murtaza are seen as being wrong. Noor’s way of expressing herself has not been ideal, but she has also always been the one to approach first and attempt to discuss their problems openly, believing open communication to be important. Noor wants Murtaza to be strong financially and wants to attain her own dreams as well before getting married. This isn’t a difficult request to understand, but Murtaza, in his state of mind and with family pressure, sees it as a rejection. Murtaza is unable to understand why Noor doesn’t want to commit to him despite loving him.
Now these characters are flawed as they are human beings. Noor’s dream to want to live a life with her husband in her own home free of family interference is not wrong – but it’s wrong when she knows it’s not what Murtaza wants while expecting him to not only wait for her, but also provide this dream for her. Murtaza wants to live with his mother, sister and nephew and does not see them as burdens…..while Noor has different dreams for herself. Meanwhile, Murtaza’s desire to live with his family and his realization that he, potentially, cannot live a life with Noor is not wrong. It’s not wrong to grow apart or even realize that despite loving one another, the relationship cannot work. However, Murtaza’s big crime is not choosing to move on, but to conceal the fact from Noor. Even worse, Murtaza could have moved on with anyone – why would he choose to hurt Noor doubly by marrying her best friend?
There’s a wonderful moment between Tehniyat and Noor over the phone where Noor (rightly) bashes Tehniyat for willingly getting engaged to Murtaza after hearing her speak of their relationship for years. Does Tehniyat not have a mouth? Can she not reject a proposal, if for nothing else, for the sake of their friendship? Is Murtaza the only man on earth who she can marry? And yet, there’s this interesting line said by Tehniyat where she states that if someone is to blame, it’s Murtaza – and Noor should feel sorry for her, as she’s the one being married off to a disloyal person. Regardless, sympathy lies entirely with Noor as Tehniyat could have done a lot more to show herself to be a good friend. Tehniyat’s father did give her a way out and Tehniyat should have been firmer in her rejection. Logically speaking, how does Tehniyat envision life playing out in the future as friends with Noor while being married to the love of Noor’s life? Would this ever be a normal situation?
Noor and Murtaza’s parting is tragic, because their love for one another is so palpable…..but they are so drastically different in their desires for the future. Sometimes it is possible to love someone and be absolutely wrong for one another. Sonya Hussyn is the star of this show, delivering a wonderful performance all around as Noor. Whether it’s Noor’s determination to achieve her goals, her weaknes when it comes to Murtaza, her desire to compromise or her breakdown over losing the love of her life, Sonya’s performance is just flawless. Unfortunately, the real cause of all of Noor and Murtaza’s problems, along with Tehniyat’s, have been their families and their hasty decisions, not allowing the two space to come to a decision on their own. The hasty decisions taken by their families, Murtaza and Noor will all cause instability in their lives…..but we’re enjoying the journey so far.