Khaas: A Different Kind of Abuse

Hey guys!  It's been some time - I'm going to spare you the excuses and just dive right in.

Khaas airs on Hum TV, is written by Sarwat Nazir and boasts of a star-studded cast including Sanam Baloch, Ali Rehman Khan and Haroon Shahid in the lead roles.  It goes unannounced then that the show kicked off with high expectations - and boy, does it live up to them.

The story, to put it in simple terms, revolves around Saba (Sanam Baloch), a free-spirited, self confident woman who catches the eye of Ammar (Ali Rehman Khan), a man who, while being the life of every party, cannot see beyond his own wants and desires.  Saba and Ammar get married and immediately begin having marital issues.  Throw Faakhir (Haroon Shahid), one of Ammar's best friends who also falls for Saba, into the mix and you have the recipe for a love triangle......except, the show is not what you would expect.

The story for Khaas is described as "focusing on the issues of a married couple in society."  The story is not that simple.  We've seen abuse depicted in Pakistani dramas before - coincidentally (or not), one of the best dramas on abuse in a marriage is "Kankar," also a Sanam Baloch starrer.  However, here, the abuse is of a different sort. 

Ammar can be pegged as a narcissist from episode 1 itself and it's this narcissism that propels his behavior towards his wife.  Ammar routinely indulges in emotionally abusing his wife by making her feel inferior and verbally abusing her by putting her down in a joking manner.  This sort of man can be seen throughout our society, but this may be the first time that the media is touching upon the issue, depicting Ammar's character in a way that clearly shows that this carefree insulting is NOT appropriate. 

We see Ammar crack insensitive jokes on everything from Saba's unattractive hands, her curly hair, her social skills, all while praising himself for being "khaas" (special).  While watching these scenes can be uncomfortable, it's also eye-opening.  How many men and women like Ammar exist in our society?  Many years ago, "Maat" came to our television screens and took the country by storm (and shock). People couldn't believe a girl like Saman (Saba Qamar) could be so shockingly vile and self-absorbed.  At that time, the show was presented in a simple manner - a "good" sister and a "bad" sister.  With "Khaas," that same self-absorbed nature is put it into a man and we get to witness how it psychologically affects those around him. 

On the other end, we see Saba steadily progress from a self-assured, confident, bubbly girl to slowly showing signs of self-doubt and confusion.  "Is my anger justified?  Should I apologize when I don't believe I'm wrong?"  We've all had these moments, but in Saba's case, she struggles with her own concepts of right and wrong and how to apply them to her marriage (or more specifically, her husband's behavior).

At present, Khaas is 5 episodes in and my curiosity is at a high.  I'm interested in seeing how the story progresses, whether Ammar's behavior will actually receive a label within the story itself and how Faakhir will figure into the narrative moving forward.

Are you watching this show?  What are your thoughts?  Leave a comment below or on Twitter.  And as always, happy watching!