Meerab is an
ambitious, progressive girl with a strong sense of justice, who wants to follow
in her father’s footsteps as a lawyer. Inexplicably, the Khan family seems to
have many opinions about her upbringing even though her parents are supposedly
mere family friends. The sole male heir of this khandaan (family dynasty),
Murtasim is also exasperated by the family’s meddling in Meerab’s affairs.
When a long held family secret is unveiled, it
turns out Meerab’s biological father is Murtasim’s paternal uncle, and Anwar
had given his daughter away to Waqas/Aneela as he couldn’t bear to look at her
after losing his beloved wife at childbirth. Meerab, intent on pursuing her
career goals with no heed for the interference from this pesky Khan family, is
stumped when she discovers the truth after Maa Begum (Murtasim’s mother)
selects her as Murtasim’s bride. Apparently, the marriage was the desire of
Murtasim’s deceased father, the patriarch of the family. Neither Murtasim nor
Meerab are enthused by the idea.
Meerab, feeling stripped of her identity,
sense of self and belonging, is cornered by all the elders and has to
acknowledge that she has no place to go. She agrees to marry Murtasim, and he
also eventually agrees once he understands her reasons.
As the two confront each other with their
values, desires and preconceptions about each other, their relationship is
mired with challenges from many sides. Will they accept their love and be able
to live their love, or will they be driven apart? Will theirs be a divine love
for the ages, or a longing that fades with time?
The title Tere Bin, meaning ‘Without You’,
foreshadows heartbreak for these two strong personalities even though, left on
their own, they cannot help but gravitate towards each other. As circumstances teach
them to overcome their prejudices, their understated but growing bond is
portrayed well by the versatile Yumna Zaidi as the expressive Meerab and the
nuanced Wahaj Ali as the stoic Murtasim.
With 30 of its planned 50 episodes aired
across 15 weeks, the ratings have been off the charts and the YouTube
viewership numbers have surpassed more than 850 million across all its
episodes. It’s been trending in many countries every week, including #1
rankings in neighboring political rival, India. The power of the show is
incredible.
What is so compelling about this clichéd story
with weak supporting characters and bizarre side plots? The positives are,
unsurprisingly, the same as I postulate in my opening comments.
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