Pakistani dramas have always been known and well received for their story, plot, simplicity and relevance for their audiences.
Lately, the drama industry has come up with some spicy and repetitive formula that they apply to all their scripts where the female protagonist (either the daughter in law or the evil mother in law) are at daggers drawn or the issue is about husband’s affairs or oppression in general and vice versa. Well, this might give the channels the boost they are looking for but a lot of serious fans and lovers of contemporary drama are drifting away and looking for some other sort of relief.
Personally, I love watching Pakistani dramas and if you are living abroad then they become your comfort binge watching material because in all honesty, they are a tool of connecting with our culture, social issues, traditions and most importantly Urdu language. With a scarcity of quality dramas these days, i have become extremely selective about the kind of dramas i watch now so here is one drama i eagerly await for and love the way it is being taken forward. There have been some episodes where i found the content similar and progress was pretty slow but overall, it all makes sense in the larger context of things and how the story is building up is surely a treat to watch.
Band Khirkiyan is a story of a young married couple that are navigating their journey of love, challenges and expectations on their own. It’s a relief to see that Zain and Sabohi who play the lead roles, are able to reach decisions on their own without any unnecessary interference or external pressure. Zain is played by Agha Ali who is often extremely clingy, insecure and an overposessiive husband who madly loves his wife but is unable to strike a balance between different relations. He doesn’t seem to take feedback very well, wants things his way and creates a big fuss if not given the attention he is looking for. Sabohi on the other hand, his wife is played by Sarah Khan and is doing a wonderful job as being a sensitive, sensible, compassionate and loving wife. Her wide range of emotions are encapsulated perfectly in every scene and frame of the drama. Her effort to keep her relationship afloat, her way of letting things go and forgiving zain after every fight shows her resilience and vulnerability at the same time.
Here are the key takeaways from Sabohi of Band Khirkiyan:
Father Daughter relationship:
Band Khirkiyan beautifully portrays the father-daughter relationship. Sabohi and Midhat are two sisters who have been raised by a single dad and he has done an incredible job at it. Especially, in the last few episodes, how Sabohi’s father stands by her side and snubs her husband for being rude is worth applauding because usually no matter what the female lead in the dramas goes through, parents refuse to believe her and simply watch them suffer like statues.
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Sisters bond:
Sabohi and Midhat are inseparable. They truly value each other and their relationship is as solid as a rock. No misunderstanding, limitations or distance can create trouble in these sisters paradise.
Love
Sabohi’s love for her husband, her father, her sister, her extended family is all a testament of loving without expecting anything in return. She seeks her happiness by keeping her loved ones happy. She desperately tries to strengthen the bond of love but finds herself getting weak as an individual.
Marriage
Sacrifice, trust, faith, compromise and support-she is putting all in the relationship to work at the cost of jeopardizing her own identity and self-worth. Her husband fails to see what makes her happy beyond his own sense of validation, he constantly tries to sabotage her being and simply cage all her wishes and feelings since he cannot stand her attention or care being divided.
Extended Family
She is not portrayed as a cunning or conniving daughter in law or a greedy cousin. She respects every relationship in her life. Again a revitalizing and less depressing trait that is commonly being obliterated in scripts.
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Standing up for herself
It was a pleasant surprise to see Sabohi’s character evolving in the last few episodes where she puts a foot down at all the meaningless and useless banter and fuss created by her husband. She finally stops tolerating his physical and mental torture and resumes her studies to follow her passion, the transformation and self-realization in Sabohi’s character is a breath of fresh air in the storyline.
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From the dialogues to the dressing, Sabohi is handling all the domains effortlessly and flawlessly. Looking forward to how the story unfolds but genuinely happy to see the shift in the leading roles for women who are now willing to put a stop at the miseries and it is indeed an encouraging change to see how their families are also showing more support towards their decisions.
With dramas like Teri Raza, Band Khirkiyan and Khudparast, a serious question has been raised about how are we raising our daughters? What needs to be done to strike a balance between family and ambition because once suppressed or not properly addressed they can either create havoc or burn their own heaven.
