A very frustrating aspect of Humsafar is the sheer helplessness of Asher, whose inability to protect and save HIS damsel in distress costs him four years of quality family time with his wife and daughter. What we see throughout the drama is lack of agency in Asher's character, which is a hair-pulling characteristic of an otherwise endearing man, or so the ladies think. We start off with the cliched scenario of emotional blackmail where Baseerat commands Asher to tie the knot with the "maasoom" Khirad, who is about to lose her mother and needs a home or shelter. Asher, who is very sure about his incompatibility with Khirad, in terms of personality and educational/financial background, is unable to say no to his father:
"Mein dad ko na nahi bol sakta"
It seems almost ridiculous that no one suggested to Baseerat to allow Khirad to live in their home, as a cousin of Asher, rather than a wife, even though we see Fareeda protesting the impending nuptials. Khirad is probably the only one who asks her mamoo why she couldn't stay with them in a role other than that of a daughter-in-law who would lose her "izzat" because she'd become a burden for her cousin, who is clearly not interested in her. Asher too, despite being a Harvard graduate and a member of the forward-looking liberal-minded class, was unable to voice himself sufficiently, and that's where the drama began.
Thereafter, we see Asher being the silent spectator again when Sara is publicly mocking Khirad's background and the way she was married to Asher "aik gaon ki muttiyaar". Again, we see Asher not stepping in to put an end to the scene and lets Sara continue to ridicule his wife and later even sweep her away to show the house. Why couldn't he just go to Sara and say "Sara please back off and calm the f*** down!" Was it really that hard? Aren't best friends supposed to tell each other off?
This is not all. Asher proves to be the man again when he is caught in the web of "saazish" designed by his doting mother. He blindly believes the scene before him - Khizar was holding Khirad's dupatta in his hand, Khirad had therefore clearly lost her izzat and messed with another man, behind the handsome and broody Asher's back. He doesn't make any attempt to clear it out with his wife, whom he seemingly loves, and who claims to be "aap ki aur sirf aap ki Khirad". For a change, it would have been nice had Asher really talked to someone and express his sentiments or at least hear out someone other than the overimposing Fareeda and Sara.
And what do we see as a result of this lack of "seedhi baat and lots of bukwaas" on Asher's part? An excruciatingly long pause-of four years and no less- in which a carefully written letter gets buried, in the age of technology and no less. After which the audience can't help but say:
"Khirad tum yeh kya kar rahi ho? Khirad tum yeh KYA kar rahi ho?"
and more importantly
"Asher tum kuch kyun nahi keh rahay? Asher tum kuch KYUN NAHI KAR RAHAY!"
Can't help but look forward to the time when this man will finally stand up to his mother and do something about his family.
"Mein dad ko na nahi bol sakta"
It seems almost ridiculous that no one suggested to Baseerat to allow Khirad to live in their home, as a cousin of Asher, rather than a wife, even though we see Fareeda protesting the impending nuptials. Khirad is probably the only one who asks her mamoo why she couldn't stay with them in a role other than that of a daughter-in-law who would lose her "izzat" because she'd become a burden for her cousin, who is clearly not interested in her. Asher too, despite being a Harvard graduate and a member of the forward-looking liberal-minded class, was unable to voice himself sufficiently, and that's where the drama began.
Thereafter, we see Asher being the silent spectator again when Sara is publicly mocking Khirad's background and the way she was married to Asher "aik gaon ki muttiyaar". Again, we see Asher not stepping in to put an end to the scene and lets Sara continue to ridicule his wife and later even sweep her away to show the house. Why couldn't he just go to Sara and say "Sara please back off and calm the f*** down!" Was it really that hard? Aren't best friends supposed to tell each other off?
This is not all. Asher proves to be the man again when he is caught in the web of "saazish" designed by his doting mother. He blindly believes the scene before him - Khizar was holding Khirad's dupatta in his hand, Khirad had therefore clearly lost her izzat and messed with another man, behind the handsome and broody Asher's back. He doesn't make any attempt to clear it out with his wife, whom he seemingly loves, and who claims to be "aap ki aur sirf aap ki Khirad". For a change, it would have been nice had Asher really talked to someone and express his sentiments or at least hear out someone other than the overimposing Fareeda and Sara.
And what do we see as a result of this lack of "seedhi baat and lots of bukwaas" on Asher's part? An excruciatingly long pause-of four years and no less- in which a carefully written letter gets buried, in the age of technology and no less. After which the audience can't help but say:
"Khirad tum yeh kya kar rahi ho? Khirad tum yeh KYA kar rahi ho?"
and more importantly
"Asher tum kuch kyun nahi keh rahay? Asher tum kuch KYUN NAHI KAR RAHAY!"
Can't help but look forward to the time when this man will finally stand up to his mother and do something about his family.
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