Habs aptly carries the intended message in the guise of family struggle, sibling rivalries, and a bittersweet love story.

Habs is a new addition to the contemporary drama genre, based on a pre-defined social theme that is mostly related to women and is purposefully produced to highlight and serve the causes as encapsulated by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, commonly known as SDGs.

Thanks to foreign-funded NGOs, women’s rights activists and a coterie of soi-disant social reformers, who have been making the most of the pliability that characterizes Pakistan’s media sector, earnest efforts are being made to prove the single point that the rights of the country’s women are grossly violated and they are deprived of equal opportunities available to men. Featuring Feroze Khan and Ushna Shah as lead actors, ‘Habs’ is directed by Mussadiq Malik.

Possibly because of its central women-oriented theme, Habs features more female characters than male ones as each woman seems to be in pursuit of exploring diverse ways to lead their lives on their own terms. Ayesha, played by Ushna Shah, is a young, talented girl who is now vying to pursue higher studies after passing out her bachelor’s with distinction. However, her family wants her to find a job to provide for them. During the job hunt, she even faces harassment at the hands of a recruiter.

At long last, Ayesha lands a job in a private firm headed by Basit, the male protagonist played by Feroze Khan, who falls in love with her. Despite entering a new phase of life, Ayesha is fully concerned and determined about her professional growth and career development. In so doing, she grapples with many challenges, and being a victim of office politics, she is sneered at by her colleagues, who go to the extent of maligning her reputation in the eyes of others. In spite of all these, Ayesha stands tall and single-minded, focusing on eking out a living for her family as a leading breadwinner.

Basit, on the positive side, is a strong believer in women’s rights and their empowerment. In his personal capacity, he takes every measure to safeguard the rights and respect of his female colleagues, including Ayesha, while taking unscrupulous employees to the task.

Played by Dania Anwer, Bano, who is Ayesha’s elder sister, gives her full support and protects her from the wrath of a self-centred family.

Ayesha’s mother is an egocentric and self-absorbed woman who is not in the favour of her daughter’s marriage in a little while since she is the family’s sole meal ticket.

A beautician by her profession, Bobby is Ayesha’s aunt, who lives in the same house. Being aged and single, she too faces tough times to make her business run. A case of different personas embodied in an individual, Bobby, overall, is a selfless woman.

Zoya, the younger sister of Ayesha, revels in attracting and enticing men towards her. Unlike Ayesha, Zoya tends to exchange her phone number with other boys and goes out on a date with them too often.

More than a prosaic love story, Habs stands out from the other plays because of its profound plot, intriguing storyline along with strong performances by the lead artistes. Feroze Khan, in particular, must be praised for playing a different role this time, compared to the ‘angry young man’ avatar he was earlier known for. Just another TV serial hopping on the bandwagon of women’s empowerment, Habs conveys the intended message quite vigorously that too in the guise of a family struggle, sibling rivalries, bittersweet love story, and all that jazz – no more, no less. – Ends