Ghisi Piti Mohabbat Episode 17: Ali Abbas Steals the Show As Basharat

“Ghisi Piti Mohabbat” has become a fan favorite with the Pakistani drama audience. Starring Ramsha Khan, Ali Abbas, Saba Faisal and others, this show is anything but dull, taking a new turn on an almost weekly basis. Written by Fasih Bari Khan and directed by Ahmed Bhatti, “Ghisi Piti Mohabbat” holds a mirror to the hypocrisies and realities of our society while also subtly poking fun at the cliches presented in our dramas.

In episode 17 Samia (Ramsha Khan) has only been home a short while when Farida (Saba Faisal) casually mentions the issue of Samia’s marriage again. Of course, this comes out while Farida is already under extreme stress due to Asmara arriving back home, but it’s no surprise that Samia does not react kindly to this proposal. She does not waste a moment in putting Farida in her place by highlighting how well her last marriage set-up went (with the now deceased Khalil). While these words did not sit well with Farida and the viewer can sympathize with her as a mother, one cannot help applauding Samia for standing up for herself. Samia is, at this point, finding herself drawn to Basharat (Ali Abbas), the new waiter at her restaurant. There is a hilarious, enjoyable scene where Basharat visits Samia’s house and makes himself at home with her family – and slowly finding a space in Samia’s heart?

Much of this episode focuses on introducing the audience to Basharat and his family. While he’s a jokester outside the house, it’s clear that he has a responsible nature as well in regards to his widowed bhabi Batool (Javeria Abbasi). Basharat fills her life with some joy by not only entertaining her small wishes, but also helping her co-parent her three children. While Batool has essentially arranged Basharat’s marriage to Ghazala, his cousin (?), Batool realizes she may have made a mistake when Ghazala makes a snide remark in reference to Batool and Basharat’s relationship. As of right now, Batool seems like a nice character who is lonely and turns to Basharat for company. Will anything else come of this? It’s not yet clear, but Batool could potentially be a problem for Samia in upcoming episodes.

Asmara is the character who comes across as a confused personality on this show. She is not clear in what she wants from life or her marriage. After the fight the previous night, Asmara casually walks out of the house with her suitcase, saying goodbye to Rubina and telling her she stayed in the house for this amount of time only because of her. While her dilemma with Shoaib’s “scent” is relatable and realistic for many, the way Asmara handled it is atrocious. Instead of kindly discussing the situation with her husband or her mother-in-law/best friend “Ruby,” Asmara chose to neglect her husband and spend all her time creating a bond with Rubina. What she has essentially done is destroy her husband’s ego and leave Rubina lonely once again. It’s difficult to feel sympathy for Asmara, because she has treated her entire marriage and relationship as a joke. The unnecessary drama between Shoaib and his mother was the low point, as Shoaib should be thinking about what Asmara said rather than brooding and fighting with his mother – and Rubina should have tried to have a real discussion with her son over the situation instead of asking him to drive her to Asmara’s to deliver cake.

The strength of “Ghisi Piti Mohabbat” is that while the situations can come across as over-the-top at times, it’s generally only because these incidents are all happening back-to-back within one family. Otherwise, the situations that arise in this show are absolutely realistic. Whether it be Asmara’s ridiculous (but realistically troubling) marriage issues or Basharat’s Bhabi relying on him and being possessive of him without directly harboring feelings for him (unless this comes later), these scenarios are ones that the viewer can envision themselves in and understand the feelings the character is going through. While this episode wasn’t particularly “eventful,” it was enjoyable nonetheless. Ali Abbas as Basharat is the highlight this week with his light-hearted, humorous scenes. “Ghisi Piti Mohabbat” continues to be a winner.