Ushna Shah applauds her drama Habs for showing how women should act in the face of abuse

Dramas often glorify women forgiving and standing by their toxic husbands despite the abuse they endure, painting a heroic picture of loyalty. What should be shown instead is women standing up to abuse and not tolerating any sort of mistreatment. Actor Ushna Shah shed light on her character in Habs and applauded her for the way she reacted to potential abuse.

In a tweet she spoke about how even the sign of incoming physical abuse was enough for her character Ayesha to walk out on her husband Basit (played by Feroze Khan). Later, she did not go running back to him either when he showed up — not until he sincerely apologised. “That is integrity. That is *Habs,”* she wrote.

The almost-slap came after a heated argument reached its peak when Ayesha mentioned divorce since Basit had gotten what he wanted through this marriage. The last episode was a two-part one that focused on the couple’s challenges in their marriage. Their relationship took a turn when she demanded to work for the sake of her family but Basit refused to let her since he can provide for her.

Things escalated quickly for the two as Ayesha applied for a job only to bump into her husband who had a meeting with the company’s boss. On their way back home, the new couple quarrelled as Ayesha said she has no right to be called his wife because he doesn’t let her in and that their contract marriage might as well come to an end. This resulted in Basit almost raising his hand on her and Ayesha taking great offence (and rightly so).

Habs has released 13 episodes so far and is very popular among netizens who are really enjoying the chemistry between the leads. The drama targets two different socio-economic groups that Basit and Ayesha belong to. It highlights their struggles, such as Basit’s need to find a wife in order to fulfil his father’s wishes and Ayesha’s family problems that require her to make a living by hook or by crook.