Khaas concludes on a progressive yet unconvincing note

With an array of socially relevant drama serials (Ruswai, Darr Khuda Se, Naqab Zan) tackling tough issues on the small screen lately, there have been some that are attempting to break stereotypes. Subtly touching upon key concerns that are often neglected in our part of the world, these dramas are making room for constructive dialogue on subjects that matter.

One of them is the recently concluded serial, Khaas, which highlighted that emotional abuse in a relationship has serious repercussions on an individual and can get very traumatic over time. In our society many women, who are in a romantic relationship, find themselves in this toxic situation where they start questioning their worth and feel they aren’t good enough.

This was the story of Saba, female protagonist in Khaas, essayed by Sanam Baloch, who marries a narcissist named Ammar, played by Ali Rehman Khan. He thinks he is God’s gift to women; he finds fault in everyone except himself and doesn’t miss any opportunity to praise himself. He shatters Saba’s self-confidence and soon she is no longer the person she used to be before marriage.

Men and their families usually don’t find anything wrong with this behaviour; in fact they further endorse male dominance and expect women to compromise. However, it is not as easy as it may appear to them; to one’s delight, Saba doesn’t give in and refuses to put up with this mindset. She is vulnerable and loses hope at times but she dares to speak up for herself, expressing disgust over how she is treated.

Ammar, who never admits his mistakes and rather makes the other person feel guilty, continues with his ways. Leaving Saba in pain, he flirts around and decides to marry his college friend and old flame Salma, played effortlessly by Hira Tareen, who he always admired; typically misogynist, he blames Saba for leading him to this. Saba ends up marrying Fakhir, who was initially Ammar’s friend, after going through some tough times.

Fakhir is an artist who always adored Saba and saw in her his mother, who was mistreated by his father. He always sensed whenever Saba was in trouble and was there for her. Though not finding it appropriate all the time, Saba spoke her heart out with Fakhir occasionally while she was married to Ammar.

Saba finds her soul mate in Fakhir, who empowers her and encourages her to be herself. He restores her belief in men, in relationships and above all, in herself. Ammar, on the other hand, gets a taste of his own medicine with Salma, who is no different than him; she disrespects him and his family and eventually cuts all ties with him.

Khaas garnered praise and rightly so, after the first few episodes, for not presenting emotional abuse as something ‘acceptable’. The pace slowed down a bit after that, with Saba dealing with her failed relationship and the behaviour of her parents, who too went against her. It was difficult to digest that her family didn’t trust her when Ammar accused her of cheating on him but believed her friend, who later explained them that Saba wasn’t at fault.

Fast-forward to the final episode, Saba gives birth to a baby boy but before seeing him, Fakhir dies in car accident, leaving Saba alone to raise the child. However, after a period of grief, Saba finds herself strong enough to nurture her kid and take up other responsibilities on her own, without really needing the support of man. Fakhir had left her with so much that she even refused to marry Ammar again when he sent a proposal for her.

At a time when feminist movements are on a rise, we understand that the drama wished to endorse that a woman isn’t always in need of a man and she can be self-sufficient. However, we feel that Fakhir’s death was unnecessary and was just forced to make a certain point. Given Saba’s journey in the drama, she managed to pull herself out of a toxic relationship and was finally in a place she wished to be. With men like Fakhir around, women are more likely to raise children – be it daughters or sons, who are self-sufficient, self-confident and tolerant towards others. And the last few words by Fakhir during the last episode suggested just that.

Nonetheless, Khaas did set a benchmark and initiated fruitful conversations on social media during its run while the performances made it worth watching too. The drama concluded last week and will be replaced by Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir starrer murder mystery-love story Yeh Dil Mera, that goes on air tonight!