An obsessed stalker, borderline psychopath, and a murderer; Feroze Khan as Mir Hadi on drama ‘Khaani’ is both disturbing and worrying. ‘Khaani’ is a poor attempt at trying to bring forth a man’s evolution from antagonist to a lust-for protagonist, and while no one can question Feroze’s spectacular acting, it’s his role as Hadi that is deeply unsettling. He’s a startling combination of a nutjob and a radge and is utterly menacing, and while all that is fine in an antagonist, the story is taking a turn for the worst and must be brought forth to light.

*spoilers ahead*

The writers of drama ‘Khaani’ have unfortunately attempted to romanticise a clearly unwell man’s uncomfortable infatuation for his love interest

Hadi murders a boy in the very first episode, showcasing his ruthlessness, and the drama quickly takes a turn for the worst as we see him fall for his victim’s sister Khaani, played by Sana Javed.  Just to recap, episode seven saw Khaani unconsciously thinking of Hadi in a predictable turn of events; she begins to fall for the man behind her letters (Hadi) and might just reciprocate his incredibly sociopathic nature. The mania rooted in ‘Khaani’ is evident. They push forth an acceptance that love, at the end of the day, is always enough – regardless of the dire circumstances.

Hadi is the epitome of what you call a megalomaniac, someone who thrives on power as it injects into his blood

The premise of what the drama is trying to project is laudable to a degree – those with power are utterly ruthless in Pakistan and get away with just about anything and everything including murder. Hadi’s political stature is his safe haven, and he uses it to his advantage substantially.

Hadi’s love is misconstrued as ‘cute’ and ‘passionate’ as you scroll down the Twitter feed for ‘#Khaani,’ with audiences failing to see that the man is an obsessive stalker and must serve consequences

Both characters are now shipped ardently with viewers watching the show gushing over Khaani and Hadi’s interactions. Hadi’s mind is pungent with Khaani’s memories, as he traces her physical details and envisions himself with her. Her words resonate in his head, pounding alarms, however, this is far from a wholesome kind of love. He killed Khaani’s brother – it’s as simple as that, and a love between Hadi and Khaani is frivolous and will be very wrong to root for.

“Mir Hadi mujhe nuksaan nahi pohanch sakta”

This dialogue foretells the downfall of ‘Khaani.’ This is not a healthy kind of love, it’s an all-consuming, fanatic penchant for a girl; nothing more, however, Khaani seems to slowly be unraveling herself before Hadi. An upside to the drama is that Khaani has been crafted as quite the relatable character, with tremendous responsibilities, a reserved humbleness and someone who stands on her own two feet – and it’s her striking traits that serve as fillers for Mir Hadi’s unfathomable demeanor in an otherwise incredibly flawed and mediocre story.

Feroze Khan’s role as the spoilt Mir Hadi is an uncanny parallel to ‘Gul-e-Rana’ as Adeel, the abusive drunk who marries Gul-e-Rana and endlessly subjects her to violence and emotional blackmail

All the while, despite ‘Gul-e-Rana’ too being overtly drawn out, the ending served as justice to the entire storyline; he ends up suffering his own fate; alone in the end as the abusive drunk who marries Sajal Ali’s character Gul-e-Rana and endlessly subjects her to violence and emotional blackmail.

Hadi is becoming all the more terrifying as the drama progresses, and we as an audience have seen what he is capable of despite loving someone

We can only wonder what the writers have in store for a man now drowning in an intoxicating love with no bounds. If karma does exist within storytelling stemming from reality, then it should suffice profoundly in this particular case. This particular hero should not be projected as anyone to desire.

Hadi begins penning anonymous love letters to Khaani, however, the romance in it all is dwindling because Hadi lives a life with no consequences

However Khaani is falling for the letters, and while this is a riveting twist, the possibility of the predictable mess that might befall the drama is all too unnerving.

And while ‘Khaani’ seems to be all too formulaic, we’re hoping it surprises us.

What do you think about ‘Khaani?’ 

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