“Sabaat” has been winning hearts all around with a different story and approach to direction. This is a show that also has been doing a good job of highlighting mental health in a realistic way through the character of Miraal, played by Sarah Khan. Episode 18 focuses mostly on Miraal (Sarah Khan) and her newly married life. With Anaya (Mawra Hocane) not being invited, Hassan (Ameer Gilani) initially refuses to attend Miraal’s wedding, but does ultimately decide to be there for his sister. While the happy couple enjoys their marriage, things turn sour on that day itself. Haaris (Usman Mukhtar) is seen joking around with his friends as they tease him over marrying Miraal for her money. A silly comment that’s clearly made in jest, Miraal overhears it and takes offense to the comment. Haaris is seen apologizing to his new wife from that moment on for days to come. It’s interesting to watch Miraal as a newlywed, because she has developed a “softer” side to her in a way, learning to give and compromise in places. But on the other hand, it’s clear that Haaris will become more aware of Miraal’s complexes soon enough as they bicker about everything from that comment to their honeymoon. Things take a more uncomfortable turn when Miraal tells Haaris they will be staying with her parents for some time when he clearly disapproves. Miraal has always been used to getting her way and it’s clear that she will continue to demand that. But will her independent-minded, practically self-raised husband follow her rules or will this cause a rift in their (very new) marriage?
Fortunately for viewers, the “Abhimaan” meets “Saathiya” (the Bollywood films) track has not been dragged out too much and is quickly wound up in this episode. Of course, new problems are set to arise. While Hassan and Anaya are seen bickering in the beginning of the episode due to Hassan’s agitated demeanor, he is more relaxed once he gets a job and the two are seen reverting back to their old selves. Unfortunately, Hassan is now working for Yasir Qureshi, his family’s sworn enemy. One finds themselves cheering Hassan on when he initially says he won’t take the job – but that doesn’t last and he does, ultimately accept, after Atif convinces him to do so. While this is good for Hassan and Anaya’s relationship, is it good for Hassan overall? Definitely not. Still, it’s nice to be able to breath a sigh of relief seeing that Hassan and Anaya are no longer at odds over who “wears the pants” in their marriage and are back to being equals.
More than Yasir Qureshi, the biggest snake in the grass is Atif. While Atif claims to be a good friend, Atif’s dislike for Anaya has reached pitiful heights, almost as bad as Miraal’s, and he’s actively working with Miraal to get Anaya out of Hassan’s life. When Atif hoards it over Anaya and Hassan that Hassan now has a job thanks to him, it only cements the feeling that Hassan needs to remove Atif from his life entirely. I can’t wait to watch Miraal throw Atif aside – and she will. Thankfully, we get a taste of it when Miraal invites and then uninvites Atif to her wedding within a minute. With Miraal, she may be absolutely unstable and in need of psychiatric help, but at least she is Hassan’s family and has a bizarre vested interest in Hassan’s life. Atif is the kind of friend who is meddling for no reason whatsoever. What does he have to gain from backstabbing his own friend? A job with Miraal? Well, one thing is for certain, he won’t get that job and we are all anxiously waiting to see this character fall flat on his face.
http://thebrownidentity.com/2020/07/27/sabaat-episode-17-cracks-begin-showing-in-hassan-and-anayas-marriage/
This episode is eventful and, more than anything, what really stands out is that Usman Mukhtar’s presence is finally felt – we finally feel that Dr. Haaris is a real character, a human being with thoughts and feelings of his own, a life of his own that is separate from Miraal. Usman Mukhtar and Sarah Khan’s acting chemistry works well this time around, because they’re bouncing off each other, unlike in previous episodes where Miraal seemed to talk at Haaris. Of course, Mawra Hocane and Ameer Gilani are great as always, but this episode does feel more Miraal-Haaris centric. The next episode promises more drama as it’s seen that Haaris knows how to give back and will make it clear to Miraal that he won’t stand for such behavior again. This couple is set to butt heads. On the other end, familial relations are only going to get worse for Hassan as he’s brought face-to-face with Miraal and his father in a meeting on opposing sides.