When love turns toxic, staying can be deadly. Jafaa explores the harrowing reality of domestic violence and the difficult choices that come with it—choices that could save a life or destroy it.
In the drama Jafaa, the character Zara faces the harsh reality of an abusive marriage, manipulated by Hassan’s dadi to stay with her husband despite clear signs of domestic abuse. Hassan’s behavior escalates from destroying Zara’s phone, shouting unnecessarily, tracking her movements, to ultimately caging her in a room for visiting her cousin—each a glaring red flag of domestic violence. However, the turning point in their marriage occurs when Hassan pushes Zara out of the way in a fit of rage, simply because she tried to help him reconnect with his estranged mother. Zara ends up hitting her head against the wall, resulting in a head injury. Wisely, Zara decides to call her parents to pick her up from Hassan’s house, rather than stay back and risk being manipulated again. This act of rage from Hassan brings their marriage to a critical turning point, raising important questions about how victims and their families deal with such situations.
Below are three ways “Jafaa” depicts dealing with domestic violence, covering reactions that span a range of societal responses, well scripted and comprehensively depicted:
1. Filing a Lawsuit and Walking Away
Zara’s parents make the difficult yet wise decision to take their daughter home after discovering the extent of Hassan’s abuse. Despite Zara’s father’s emotional turmoil—he is seen teary-eyed yet resolute—he stands firm in his decision to protect his daughter. He even documents Zara’s wounds as evidence to file a case against Hassan. His reassurance to Zara was heart-warming when he said, “Tum fikar na karna, court mein ghasitoonga un ko.”
Zara’s mother also deserves praise for her unwavering support. Her dialouge, “Tum toh parhi likhi ho, dependent bhi nahi ho us peh, Maa Baap bhi salamat hain, tumhe toh us hi din wapis ajana chaihiye tha beita jis din tumhe us ki tabiyat ka pata chal gaya tha,” was empowering. As a woman and a mother whom we have often seen mimicking a conditioned response: she could have tried to defuse the situation or convince Zara to stay, but she instantly decides to separate her daughter from the toxic marriage. Zara’s mother also resolutely argues with her mother-in-law that her daughter doesn’t need to be with someone abusive and disrespectful. This decision underscores the importance of recognizing one’s worth and the strength to walk away from harmful relationships.
2. Saying It’s Okay And Letting Go Because The Abuser Is Sorry
Hassan’s dadi further compounds the issue by suggesting that since her grandson has apologized, Zara should forgive him and forget the incident. Her dismissive attitude toward the seriousness of the abuse, coupled with her attempts to manipulate Zara’s parents into taking no action, is troubling. Previously, Hassan’s dadi had manipulated Zara into staying, and now she tries to downplay the abuse as a common occurrence between couples. Her dialogue “Woh keh raha hai na ghalti hogai, please maaf kar dijiye us ko khuda kay liye,” is a clear indication that she is willing to let go of what happened in her vigilance.
It is imperative to point out here that Hassan has been set apart from the usual abuser who might strike or engage in physical assault in a more direct manner. In Zara’s case, Hassan has either pushed her or resorted to breaking her phone, or locking her in a room, abuse no doubt, but one that often makes victims, and their families think if the abuser is really an abuser, or merely, committing a mistake and can be forgiven? Hassan apologizing instantly also makes his case stronger and hence, harder for victims to be convinced that he really is “red flag” zone. Jafaa must be applauded for following this approach, one that many women would have recognized as known signs of abuse – the subtlety of the message and the manner in which it was performed by both actors – Mawra Hocane and Mohib Mirza makes the scene doubly impactful.
The glaring oversight here is her failure to seek therapy for her grandson, knowing that he is mentally unstable. Her continued problematic decisions, including not disclosing Hassan’s mental state during the rishta process, have only exacerbated Zara’s suffering. This raises the question: Why wasn’t therapy suggested for Hassan earlier, instead of manipulating Zara into entering in and staying in an abusive marriage?
3. Victim Blaming And Enforcing Continuation of an Abusive Cycle
On the other hand, Zara’s daadi represents a disappointing stance in the drama by blaming the victim. She questions Zara’s actions, insinuating that Zara must have provoked Hassan to the point where he felt justified in physically abusing her. Her question, echoing a reaction we have often seen among us: “Lekin Zara ne kia kiya aisa? Agar kuch nahi kia aisa, toh Hassan kya pagal hai jo us ko is tarha mara hai! Kuch toh kiya hoga Zara ne, “ were clear signs of victim blaming. This outdated and harmful mindset—that men only resort to violence if sufficiently provoked by the woman, was balanced off well by Zara’s parents, giving us both sides of the picture and also, by default, sending out powerful messages to those who might think like Zara’s dadi.
On the other hand, despite Zara’s parents dismissing her stance, dadi’s constant urging to send Zara back to her husband just because of the fear of divorce, is a regressive yet, prevalent mindset that still exists in or society. The notion of returning an abuse victim to the very place where the abuse occurred is alarming and reflects the deeply ingrained patriarchal mindset that often perpetuates the cycle of domestic violence.
What’s Next for Zara?
Domestic violence takes a severe toll on a victim’s mental health, as seen with Zara in Jafaa. Her initial belief that she could “fix” Hassan has only led to a worse situation. As the drama progresses, we wonder what Zara’s next steps will be. Will she continue to stay in an abusive marriage, recommend therapy for Hassan, or take the step of filing a case and cutting ties with Hassan and his dadi entirely? As we approach the 14th episode, the choices made by Zara will determine not only her future but also the message the drama sends out about handling domestic violence.
Catch Up More On Drama Gup With FUCHSIA
Jafaa is written by Samira Fazal and directed by Danish Nawaz. It is produced by Momina Duraid Productions. The cast features Mawra Hocane, Usman Mukhtar, Sehar Khan, Mohib Mirza, Zarrar Khan, Farah Sadia, Nadia Afgan, and others. The drama airs every Friday at 8 pm on HUM TV.
