Feroze Khan and Ushna Shah’s chemistry has won over Pakistani drama fans in “Habs.” Along with the lead cast, the writing and direction are a refreshing change back to realism from what we’ve been seeing on television in a time of fast-paced, instant gratification viewing. Along with the lead duo, the show also stars Saba Faisal, Irsa Ghazal, Dania Anwer, Imran Aslam, Hina Rizvi, Janice Tessa and others in a story written by Aliya Makhdoom and directed by Musaddiq Malek.
Emotions are running high in episode 12 of “Habs” on both sides. Basit (Feroze Khan) is growing increasingly exhausted of Aisha’s money-minded family, propelled by Zoya (Janice Tessa) “borrowing” Aisha’s clothes and later stealing their salaami money. Who can blame Basit, honestly? The way Zoya borrowed an expensive outfit from Aisha’s closet (gifted by Aisha’s in-laws) and Bano (Dania Anwer) found herself in an embarrassing situation giving back empty envelopes, Basit sees Aisha’s entire family as crooks thanks to Qudsia’s (Saba Faisal) deal. That deal has now fogged Basit’s mind against Aisha’s family, regardless of whether they are after his money or not….and let’s face it, Qudsia and Zoya most definitely are, even if Bobby (Hina Rizvi) and Bano are innocent.
Aisha (Ushna Shah) is struggling to find her place in Basit’s life. She has always been a working woman and while she worked out of necessity, she does not know how to sit idle. Now that Basit’s mother (Irsa Ghazal) has given her control of the household, she does not know how to “fit” here either, as Basit is not used to others doing things for him. The situations depicted between Aisha and Basit are realistic and credit has to be given to the writer and director for making Basit every bit as flawed as he is supposed to be. How many women know men like Basit, men who are internally injured, blunt to a fault and socially agitated when dealing with the emotions of others? And while Feroze Khan is a good-looking man, which makes it easier, dealing with a man of this nature is not easy – nor is it easy for Aisha.
It is beautiful to see the scenes between Ushna Shah and Irsa Ghazal as Aisha bonds with her mother-in-law. These are two women who are a part of Basit’s life, but neither are emotionally connected to him. It’s great to see that they can lean on one another and have formed a nice relationship as we often see these saas-bahu relationships in a toxic light. By the end of the episode, Basit begins to warm up to Aisha in his own way. Feroze Khan is doing a great job in a role that’s different for him. That being said, while Feroze is an excellent actor and always does justice with his characters, he seems to be having a hard time toeing the line while playing this subdued character. While playing a more soft spoken character, he’s mumbling through many of his lines, forcing viewers to rewind in order to catch his words. Now is this the fault of Feroze’s delivery or is it the fault of the audio team?
“Habs” continues to be a favorite, one of a handful of shows that is highly awaited each week. It will be interesting to see how Basit and Aisha’s relationship moves forward and how Aisha – and Fahad – handles Basit’s insecurities and jealousy.