Daily Times

“Khudgharz is not a typical television drama that deals with the suffering of women at the hands of cruel in-laws,” says Sami Khan. “It is an intelligent, informed exploration of abusive adult relationships, where dependency and co-dependency work hand in hand to wreak havoc in the lives of those involved, along with those of their friends and family members.”

Hassan (Sami Khan) and Junaid (Syed Jibran) are cousins. Hassan’s father raises both boys as his own after the death of Junaid’s father. Hassan grows up to be a narcissist – cruel, selfish and vain. Junaid, on the other hand, turns out to be a friendly, warm person who enjoys love and popularity amongst everyone. Hassan is secretly married to Abeer (Mansha Pasha). The marriage is highly dysfunctional. Hassan is forced into an arranged marriage with Ayera (Amina Shiekh) by his family who is unaware of his marriage to Abeer. Unable to handle the situation, Hassan disappears on the day of the wedding, forcing Junaid to preserve the honour of the family by marrying Ayera (Amina Shiekh). The dramatic chain of events unleashes a story full of love and betrayal, trauma and suffering and crime and retribution.

Next Level Entertainment’s drama serial, Khudgharz, opened to positive reviews on ARY Digital on December 19, 2017. It stars Sami Khan, Mansha Pasha, Amna Sheikh, Syed Jibran, Salman Saeed, Seemi Pasha, and Ghulam Mohiuddin. Produced by Samina Humayun Saeed and Sana Shahnawaz, Khudgharz is written by Rida Bilal and Yasir Nawaz.

“I wanted Khudgharz to be an intelligent exploration of interrelationship misogyny, narcissism and abuse,” says Sana Shahnawaz. “Television has been around for a very long time in Pakistan. It is in a position to tackle taboo subjects in a socially aware, intellectually informed and emotionally engaging manner.”

“I think that the story of Khudgharz is very good,” contends Mansha Pasha. “The real strength of the serial, however, is its characters. All four primary characters of Khudgharz have been written and developed very well. No one is purely evil and no one is an angel. These are complex, layered characters with their own individual sets of strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities.”

‘Television has been around for a very long time in Pakistan. It is in a position to tackle taboo subjects in a socially aware, intellectually informed and emotionally engaging manner’

“A lot of television in Pakistan has dealt with the subject of marital and domestic abuse,” says Sami Khan. “Some of the plays have been truly excellent as well. Khudgharz is different. It is the story of modern-day, adult relationships. It shows why a lot of ostensibly strong people submit, willingly and unwillingly, to abuse, exploitation and mistreatment. Khudgharz examines adult relationships, both successful and failed, in a manner that has, heretofore, not been done in television. The truth about abusive relationships had to be told on television. I think Khudgharz does just that.”

“Abeer is an intelligent, well-educated woman,” says Mansha Pasha of her character in Khudgharz. “She is not the type of woman that people think would give in to abuse. Sadly, there is no one type of woman – and man – who is abused. A lot goes on behind closed doors that people know nothing about. Khudgharz sheds light on the sad, private story of abuse.”

Rida Bilal’s play is not an easy one to write. “People tend to like black-and-white stories where they can easily identify the heroes and the villains,” states Sana Shahnawaz. “It was risky to produce a serial that expected more of audiences than is typically done, but I was sold on Rida Bilal’s wonderful script as soon as I read it. Getting the very talented Yasir Nawaz to direct it was my good fortune. Add to that a cast of capable actors and you have the makings of a great serial that I expect Khudgharz to be!”

“I have been in show business for a while and have mostly played the hero on television,” says Sami Khan. “I had a few misgivings about playing Hassan who is largely a negative character. I decided to take the role one after reading the script and discussing the character with both Ridal Bilal and Yasir Nawaz. It is not an easy one to play. One needs to understand the psychology of abuse to effectively pull it off. I had to study books about marital and domestic violence for a few weeks before I felt that I had sufficient understanding to play Hassan well.”

‘It shows why a lot of ostensibly strong people submit, willingly and unwillingly, to abuse, exploitation and mistreatment. Khudgharz examines adult relationships, both successful and failed, in a manner that has, heretofore, not been done on television. The truth about abusive relationships had to be told on television’

“Codependence is not easy to understand,” states Mansha Pasha. “It forces one to maintain destructive relationships that are one-sided; however, both parties are at fault albeit to different degrees. This is difficult to understand but Rida Bilal deals with the phenomenon with masterly insight and intelligence.”

“Codependence is not a disorder or an illness,” adds Sami Khan. “It is a relationship dynamic, which is highly corrosive. We have an abuser who has personality and health issues. And, we have the victims who validate their own existence by submitting to abuse. The relationship dynamic makes it all but impossible for the victims to develop and hold healthy relationships. That Khudgharz deals with codependence in a courageous, bold and intelligent manner is the serials biggest strength!”

Two episodes of Khudgharz have aired to great review thus far. If the serial lives up to the tremendous positive buzz the episodes have generated and the expectations of its cast and crew, Khudgharz is destined to become one of the most important plays of the year.

Ally Adnan lives in Dallas and writes about culture, history and the arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at allyadnan@theafterhoursgroup.com

Published in Daily Times, December 29^th 2017.