Doctor Bahu is a refreshing take on an problem that has quietly resided in our society – the exploitation of young women with medical degrees who are acquired more as trophy wives and daughters in-law than real people with aspiring career goals. Read on to catch the first two episodes review.
Doctor Bahu drops its first two episodes and is winning over everyone with a well-knit, fast-paced storyline, great performances, brilliant direction, and a script that weaves much-needed conversations beautifully into the storytelling.
Is Doctor Bahu the quiet story of not just young female doctors, but of many young working woman in our society? Are we empowering girls to become independent and contribute to society or making them vulnerable to exploitation by their in-laws for personal gain?
Twists that were refreshing and different from the typical:
Usually it is the girl who dreads the rishta ordeal, but in Doctor Bahu it is the guy who ditches the rishta visit and heads to Islamabad to secure investment for his new app. And usually it is the boy’s family interrogating everyone, but here it is the girl’s phuppo who keeps asking questions — and makes the boy’s family conscious about misrepresenting the fact that their second son is not a doctor.
Thoughts on casting:
Some comments online are questioning the casting of the lead couple – Kubra Khan and Shuja Asad. We believe it is time to normalise the idea that two people playing an onscreen couple may not look the same age, even if they are. It is time to value a person for what they bring to the table, rather than judging by appearances. Here the conversation should centre around how well the actors have performed their role.
It is refreshing to see Marina Khan in a light-hearted role. Bakhtawar Mazhar steals the show as Saeeda, the phuppo who is unafraid to speak the truth, call people out, and yet remains deeply loving and sincere with her brother and his family. A shout-out to the actor for adding colour to the character and bringing this role to life.
We also witnessed great performances by Saba Hamid, Mohammad Ahmed, Adeel Husain, Shahzad Nawaz and Hajra Yamin.
Not a new concept — but a newly evolved problem:
Some may say Doctor Bahu is not a new concept, but this drama is tackling the new, evolved version of the same problem. With girls being highly educated and postgraduate degrees becoming the norm, a new issue has emerged — educated girls being sought as trophy daughters-in-law. You bring home an educated bahu, but either do not let her work, limit her capabilities, or define her worth on your terms rather than letting her pursue her own career and ambitions.
The eldest bahu Minna’s (played by Hajra Yamin) treatment, who keeps taking courses but is not allowed to practice and the father-in-law’s plan to employ his next bahu, Sania’s skills as he deems fit, is a painful reflection of this reality. And most importantly, this is not just about female doctors. Any educated working woman can face the same issues.
The most unsettling reality:
Farheen telling her husband Shahnawaz, “Mujhe nahin lagta Sania, Minna ki tarha sar jhukayegi” was perhaps the most chilling moment of the two episodes. When men suppress women, it is somehow predictable. When uneducated women work against other women, it seems wrong but something you feel you can understand and fight against. But when an educated, empowered, and experienced woman surrenders her freedom and becomes an instrument in oppressing other women — that is a suffocating and deeply unsettling reality that makes every woman’s case so much harder.
Empathy for animals and pet care:
The drama opens with a heartwarming scene where Salman helps a lost dog and takes him to the hospital — which marks his first encounter with Dr. Sania, played by Kubra Khan. The moment communicates a need for all of us to be more caring and vigilant about the treatement of animals in our society. While we loved the idea and appreciate the sentiment, it is worth noting that treating an animal at a regular hospital rather than a veterinary clinic is not ideal — especially in a context where due diligence in this area is already lacking.
The educated abuser:
The drama also shows how Shahnawaz and Faizan — both highly educated and experienced men — are at their core no different from an uneducated, unaware man who treats his wife as a possession, shows no respect for her, and does not see her as a person possessing her own will and mind. Faizan is controlling and derogatory with Minna, and the same is true of Shahnawaz. It raises the question — should women stay in marriages like Minna’s? The drama presents a type of man many women will find deeply relatable.
Final thoughts:
The pace is fast and the story doesn’t bore. Beyond an engaging narrative, Doctor Bahu consistently highlights the silent and hidden biases women still face in 2026. It is wonderful to see Mehreen Jabbar’s direction return to our screens, where she and writer Sanam Mehdi have taken on a relatable and deeply prevalent issue in our society with sharp and engaging storytelling.
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Doctor Bahu is written by Sanam Mehdi Zaryab and directed by Mehreen Jabbar. It is produced by Six Sigma Productions, and airs on ARY DIgital. It stars Kubra Khan, Shuja Asad, Saba Hamid, Hajra Yamin, Adeel Hussain, Shahzad Nawaz, Mohammed Ahmed, Marina Khan and more.
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