There are few dramas in Pakistan that have left behind a trailblazing impact even years after it finished like the way ‘Dastaan’ did. Based on the 1971 Razia Butt novel, the show was set in the backdrop of the partition of Pakistan and follows the journey of a Muslim girl Bano (played by Sanam Baloch) and the trials she faced when trying to escape India and come to Pakistan. The drama starred Ahsan Khan, Saba Qamar, Samina Peerzada, Fawad Khan and Sanam in the main roles.
This drama was also Fawad Khan’s debut project which immediately cemented him to be one of the greatest male actors currently in the Pakistani industry. Before there was Ashar from Humsafar or Vikram from Khoobsurat, the entire sub continent shed tears over the tragic romance of Hassan and Bano.
The ending scene of ‘Dastaan’ has once again been hailed as one of the best conclusions to a Pakistani drama, when Bano stabs a man at the place where she works who tried to sexually assault her. When Bano arrives at Hassan’s home, her clothes are covered in blood and she keeps mumbling ‘I have made Pakistan a pure land’ and collapses into his arms.
Even years later, social media users are applauding the way Sanam Baloch aptly displayed Bano’s mental breakdown in her search for a ‘pure’ land where there won’t be men who hurt her.
“Oscar worthy performance literally Oscar worthy. Sanam Baloch is an artist of another calibre, she outshined every single actor by her performance,” a user wrote.
Bano’s tragedy still manages to pierce our hearts because beyond everything, she was a woman who believed that there would be a safe country for women where no man would hurt or try to molest them. After escaping the jaws of death multiple times and watching her loved ones die in front of her eyes to finally reach Pakistan, she descends further into insanity after the gruesome assault at the hands of her boss which proved to her that there was no truly safe place for Muslim women whether in Pakistan or India.
“The way i sobbed and cried for hours/days I don’t remember now but it broke my heart like no other drama ever has,” another user wrote.
“Sanam baloch killing the last man is my roman empire. As it should be. My diva,” another user wrote.
