By Kiran Bokhari
The increasingly controversial relationship between the lead characters of hit drama serial Dar-e-Nijaat has drawn another celebrity into the debate, with former model and television host Nadia Hussain branding Zaryab (Durefishan Saleem) a “complete red flag” and accusing her of turning her husband Abu Bakar’s (Sheheryar Munawar) life into a nightmare.
In an Instagram video posted on Thursday, Hussain offered a scathing assessment of the on-screen couple, arguing that while audiences may be swayed by Zaryab’s beauty, her behaviour should not be mistaken for vulnerability or romantic suffering.
“Looks can be truly deceiving, so if we judge Zaryab’s character on her beauty, it would not be right,” she said.
Taking aim at the familiar social assumption that marriage can reform a problematic individual, Hussain said it was equally wrong to marry off a troubled woman to a decent man in the hope that he would somehow fix her.
“What Abu Bakar is bearing is beyond any normal man’s ability to tolerate nonsense,” she remarked, describing Zaryab as so toxic that she would not wish such a wife or life on any man.
Hussain also challenged what she saw as a selective understanding of feminism and gender equality, arguing that men, too, should not be expected to endure emotionally damaging relationships simply because their partners have unresolved personal issues.
“Zaryab did not need to get married to a man to fix her life,” she said, adding that therapy and self-healing, rather than marriage, were the appropriate ways to address her emotional baggage.
“They need to be told the reasons for whatever happened in their lives so that they can have their own journeys towards healing. It should be self-healing, not that you get married and destroy a man’s life.”
While acknowledging that love could help people overcome many difficulties, Hussain said it should not become an excuse for tolerating persistent toxicity.
“Relationships are fragile and withstanding such unthinkable toxicity is beyond love. This is torture. Zaryab is torturing Abu Bakar,” she said, insisting that neither men nor women should be expected to put up with such behaviour.
She argued that Abu Bakar deserved a more balanced relationship in which both partners respected each other’s boundaries and understood their responsibilities, urging viewers not to romanticise or promote toxic relationships.
Hussain’s intervention adds another layer to the heated public conversation around Dar-e-Nijaat, whose lead couple has become a recurring subject of social media debate, particularly after the drama’s weekend episodes.
The serial follows Zaryab, who struggles to come to terms with being dumped by her high-school sweetheart, Zamil (Nameer Khan). Her parents subsequently arrange her marriage to Abu Bakar, a kind-hearted and religious family friend.
The contrast between Abu Bakar’s apparently patient and accommodating nature and Zaryab’s troubled behaviour has divided viewers, with some sympathising with her emotional turmoil while others believe the character’s treatment of her husband crosses the line between personal trauma and emotional abuse.
The debate has also raised a larger question about the way television dramas portray troubled relationships: when does patience become self-sacrifice, and when does romanticising someone’s suffering begin to normalise emotional abuse?
