Ibn-i-Hawa is a Hum TV drama that attempts to focus on how the patriarchy has been upheld in South Asian cultures above all else, leading to misogynistic attitudes that are often generational. Starring Shahzad Sheikh, Hira Mani, Aymen Saleem, Nadia Afgan and Noman Habib, the drama has been written by Saji Gul and directed by Syed Ahmed Kamran.

Early in the series, we are introduced to Mahjabeen (played by Hira Mani), a trusting and friendly widow who lives by herself with a female housekeeper. Due to her timid and innocent nature, the housekeeper sees Mahjabeen as an easy target and hatches a plan to rob her of her valuables. However, this plan is foiled by Zahid (played by Shehzad Sheikh), a tailor who hears Mahjabeen’s cries for help and intervenes.

While Mahjabeen appears to be a straightforward character, Zahid looks to be much more complex. His personality has a duality to it. On one hand, he decides to help Mahjabeen, but on the other he seems to have an ingrained hatred for women and does not trust them. This becomes apparent in a scene where he refuses to have female mannequins at his workplace. Furthermore, he shows little interest in Aliya (played by Aymen Saleem), who likes him. He isn’t particularly bothered about the wellbeing of his sister Naila either.

His mistrust stems from a very specific incident in his life. His mother eloped with another man, leaving him with his father and his sister Naila with their aunt. In the absence of his mother, Zahid’s father poisoned his mind and made himself out to be the victim. Both father and son hold toxic views regarding women that  border on hatred.

It is later revealed that his mistrust stems from a specific incident in his life. His mother had eloped with another man, leaving him with his father and his sister Naila with their aunt. In the absence of his mother, Zahid’s father poisoned his mind and made himself out to be the victim. Both father and son hold toxic views regarding women that border on hatred. In one scene, his father berates his sister for stepping inside his house, where no women are apparently allowed.

As the story progresses, we see Mahjabeen’s in-laws blatantly taking advantage of her and basically robbing her of her valuables while she is busy organising a wedding. They want to take her for all she’s worth and plan to ditch her as her husband is dead so they see themselves having no obligations towards her. Viewers are introduced to Shabratan (played by Nadia Afgan), who stands up for Mahjabeen whenever her in-laws do something untoward. Mahjabeen’s tragic backstory is revealed, as she went from being an orphan to being taken in by her deceased husband. He turned out to be emotionally unstable and subjected her to domestic abuse. However, despite his vile nature, she had a sense of obligation towards him. She plans to remarry for the sole purpose of performing Hajj. Things take a turn for the worse as the groom, who is her husband’s nephew, makes romantic advances towards her.

Over the course of the drama, Zahid begins to go soft on Aliya as she breaks down his defences with her incessantly positive outlook. However, it also creates a cause for conflict, since Zahid has psychological issues with women and may not be able to do right by her. In regard to Mahjabeen, it is nice to see her finding a confidant in Shabratan, even though the story hints at Shabratan having ulterior motives.

The drama has a decent storyline and characterisation so far, with a heavy focus on contrasting attitudes between characters. Aymen Saleem, in particular, is a breath of fresh air that breaks the tension whenever she is on-screen and balances out Shahzad Sheikh’s intensity. Ibn-i-Hawa is available to watch on Hum TV with new episodes every Saturday.