Aakhri Station — which shows the lives of seven different women and their troubled tales — has become a highly acclaimed show in a very short span of time.
The fifth episode tells the story of Tehmina (played by Sanam Saeed), who saw her mother commit suicide when she was a little girl. The trauma has left her disturbed ever since. Contrary to the previous women shown, Sanam is shown as an upper or upper-middle class woman, who is married off to a charming and understanding man, Rehan (Mikaal Zulfikar). It soon becomes evident that Tehmina suffers from severe depression, but it is almost frustrating to watch the way the matter is dealt with.
Sure her husband is showering her with love and care, but why has he not once suggested that she get some help? When Tehmina gets pregnant she is convinced that her child will also suffer from a disturbed mind as she does, because she believes she will die soon. Hearing this would have shaken any normal person, but why does Rehan not seem taken aback by her statement? Sure he might have gotten used to Tehmina’s disturbing statements over time, but does he not fear that she too might become suicidal like her mother? How is an educated smart man unable to see that empty words are not what a disturbed person like her needs?
Perhaps these loopholes were put in to show how even the most educated amongst us don’t take the plight of depression as seriously as they should. Even Tehmina’s own father admits that he believed “her behavior will change after marriage,†highlighting another common misconception in our society where marriage is often treated as a solution to major problems. Parents often marry off their children with the belief that marriage will ‘fix’ them, instead of realising they are now putting a couple through an ordeal by not dealing with the root of their child’s problem. However, it is infuriating to see the careless behaviour of all these characters, towards a person who is in dire need of professional help.
While previous episodes chronicled the complete tale of each woman, this one only showed half of Tehmina’s. We are yet to learn why and how Tehmina left and ended up on the train. The latter half of the episode also introduced as to the story of Nimra Bucha, a wife and mother of two, whose family is under serious debt but her husband is too egoistic to do jobs that he feels are ‘too small for him’. The next episode will surely delve deeper into this new story, and perhaps complete the earlier one too.
Another notable aspect of Aakhri Station is the soulful title track. Sung by Tahira Syed and Roshaneh Zafar, the lyrics of the song are deep and the melody beautiful; adding to the haunting beauty of the serial.
