I haven’t watched all the episodes (I’ve skipped most of them) so maybe I’m missing something but I feel people are being too harsh on Meerub and giving Murtasim too much credit.
Meerab is a girl who has been raised to be independent. She had career goals, she has clear expectations for gender equality, and she is used to the people she loves (her adoptive parents) being open and honest with her and not only respecting her feelings and opinions but wanting and encouraging her to express herself.
Suddenly all of this was snatched from her. She is now told that she needs to essentially ‘shut up and look pretty’. She is now expected to give up her career aspirations, keep her feelings and opinions to herself, and blindly follow her husband (who she was forced to marry). Murtasim claims to care, but he refuses to treat Meerab like an equal partner. He is not willing to discuss anything with her. He often knows exactly what her concerns and contentions are and rather that alleviating them he reinforces his expectations for her to keep her mouth shut, be docile and follow his lead without asking any questions.
Meerub wasn’t wrong to interrupt the panchiyat. As far as she knew Murtasim was going to enforce a revenge marriage. She attempted to speak to Murtasim and ask him to send the woman back home instead of forcing her into a marriage. Instead of reassuring Meerab and telling her that he would be marrying the woman off to her cousin, he reinforced Meerabs belief that it would be a non-consensual revenge marriage. In these circumstances he is the one in the wrong.
Overall, you have a situation wherein Meerab has had all her rights stripped of her and is isolated, with some minuscule support from her parents. Then you have Murtasim and all of his family constantly exercising their power over not only Meerab but also her parents, and using that power to keep them subjugated.
742