“Tinkay Ka Sahara” is a show that’s an emotional journey. This isn’t a straightforward storyline and there’s a lot of discussion surrounding ethics, right, wrong and the blurred line in between while watching this story play out. Starring Sonya Hussyn, Rubab Hashim, Sami Khan, Haroon Shahid and Saba Faisal in prominent roles, the story has been written by Zanjabeel Asim and directed by Zeeshan Ahmed.
When “Tinkay Ka Sahara” first began and a few episodes had gone by, I immediately pegged the storyline as being inspired by the Bollywood film “Dor.” A storyline like that and the emotional aspect of it make it perfect for a television adaptation. However, as we hit episode 18, things began to feel a bit “off” in regards to ethics. Durriya (Rubab Hashim) is now not only Qadr’s (Sonya Hussyn) best friend, but someone sees as a sister. She regards Durriya and her daughter as part of her own family, the only family she has. Qadr is physically living with Durriya and Durriya even helps Qadr rebuild her business. Durriya is exactly what Qadr needed in her life, someone to love and support her. However, with Durriya’s tactics, it all feels like Qadr is being horribly betrayed. Is a wife is doing all she can to save her husband, does that spare her the label of being manipulative and deceptive? There are some ways Durriya could have handled things differently – but did not. One almost wishes she had been written differently. Had Durriya come with the intention of meeting Qadr to have the documents signed and then struck up an unintentional friendship with her, all of this would have gone down more easily, as it wouldn’t have painted Durriya in a bad light. Unfortunately, Durriya has done everything to ensure Qadr befriends her, is reliant on her, even offering her financial assistance (money from Wasay) and now helping her start up her career again……this is not only betrayal, but also making Qadr indebted to Durriya and in a position where she cannot say no if asked to sign. This is all aside from the fact that Qadr trusts Durriya and confides in her about the case – and Durriya constantly suggests that Qadr forgive. If this is not self-serving, what else could it be called?
Imran (Adnan Jaffar) has resurfaced after falling ill in the hospital. While Wasay (Sami Khan) does encourage Adeela (Ayesha Toor) to forgive Imran, Adeela can see right through Imran. She knows what sort of a manipulator he is and how he can retaliate to get his way. And we can see that she’s right in the very next scene as he plots his revenge on Wasay and Adeela, as if he hasn’t already done enough. Imran is not a good character, but does bring up some good points in this episode. Durriya and Adeela have done a great job winning over audience sympathy (along with Sami Khan’s fabulous performance), but at the end of the day, have we forgotten that Wasay literally killed a man? He went to Durriya’s house to scare Durriya and her parents….with a gun, firing shots outside their house. Imran exclaims, while talking to a friend, that it’s not as though Wasay is innocent, he murdered a man. Isn’t he right? While Imran did everything to ensure that Wasay got the death penalty, the crime is, in fact, Wasay’s crime.
What’s great about this show is the emphasis on emotional responses. Sami Khan is playing a murderer, but we can see how Wasay has suffered in jail. We can see how he’s struggling to come to terms with his crime, fears death and even recognizes that he has destroyed lives. Durriya isn’t a bad person. She’s a woman who has struggled with abuse herself, but now wants to forgive him for the sake of their child. She isn’t wrong, but her tactics aren’t right. And of course, Sonya Hussyn as Qadr is just brilliant. She has become every bit the character she is portraying on screen and she is the one we have empathy for. Sami Khan, Sonya Hussyn and Rubab Hashim are all stellar performers and have made this show worth watching. With Imran now ready to expose Durriya to Qadr, it will be interesting (and heartbreaking) to see Qadr’s reaction.