As the online discussion around Dar-e-Nijaat continues to grow, lead actress Durefishan Saleem has addressed queries about the drama’s central core narrative — especially why her character, Zaryab, seems to require Abu Bakr’s assistance in order to heal from a broken heart.
Debate has intensified following the newest episode, where Zaryab, a woman who once considered sacrificing her Harvard University admission to support Zamil (Nameer Khan), learns that her longtime partner and childhood love has wed someone else secretly.
When Zaryab confronts him, Zamil dismisses their years together as his “era of ignorance”. He says he needs a “pious, pure and innocent” partner and believes God accepted his repentance by giving him his new wife. He tells Zaryab to find someone “like herself”. When she asks whether only a man has the right to repent, he dodges the question.
The fallout soon catches up with Zaryab. She suffers an emotional breakdown, with Abu Bakr (Sheheryar Munawar) arriving to help her up and steady her.
As Zaryab’s story progressed, some viewers questioned whether the drama was suggesting that a woman needs another man to recover from a toxic relationship. Durefishan appeared to address the debate on her Instagram Stories, urging women to heal and find themselves again. “The right person always comes along, and even if they don't, it is never the end of the world,” she wrote. Sometimes, she added, “finding yourself is the love story you needed all along.”
Durefishan went on to say that she believes in women finding themselves, knowing their worth and never feeling that they need a man to complete them. At the same time, she cautioned against assuming that “our version of what is right is the only right”.
In her view, the story is “less about telling women that they can't, or shouldn't, heal on their own” and more about “questioning the double standard around redemption”.
She pointed to how easily a man can make mistakes, seek redemption and be given another chance, while women are often expected to carry the weight of their choices for much longer.
She also encouraged viewers to approach the drama as a story about something that “happened to someone”, arguing that one does not have to agree with every choice a character makes to understand their emotions or empathise with their journey.
“Human beings are complicated,” she said. “Stories should be allowed to explore that complexity without fitting neatly into a morally correct box.”
The discussion around Durefishan’s performance has also extended to the comments section of her post about the drama, where fellow actors Hira Mani, Zara Noor Abbas and Meerub Ali praised her acting. Influencers Momina Munir and Ayla Nusrat Raza also shared their appreciation for the actor’s performance.
