Decoding the Narcissist: Why Doctor Bahu’s Dr. Shahnawaz Struck a Raw Nerve

ARY Digital drama Doctor Bahu just onaired their last episode. Although the ending was somewhat predictable, it left a few scenes with a question mark and an unfinished story.

This serial has shown many characters going through psychological pain, all caused by a single character: Dr. Shahnawaz (played by Shahzad Nawaz), who represents a very intricate yet real narcissistic personality.

Nowadays, we hear a lot about narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder, but what is narcissism, actually? According to a standard Google definition, “A narcissist is a person who is excessively preoccupied with themselves, including their appearance and their needs.”

According to reports shared by the Mayo Clinic, a narcissistic personality might differ a bit from person to person, but it shares several common characteristics, such as grandiosity/self-importance, a constant need for admiration/attention seeking, self-entitlement, arrogance, a superiority complex, and envy. (Note: “lack of entitlement” was removed as it contradicts narcissistic traits).

In this drama, we see all these characteristics in Dr. Shahnawaz. From the very first episode, we have watched his narcissistic character unfold the worst-case scenarios one could imagine, particularly in the way he dictates the lives of his sons. Both sons are forced to live life on their father’s terms, yet both are seen struggling. Being bound by a narcissistic personality leads to self-confusion, guilt, and difficulty making significant life decisions—just like Salman. A very confused yet determined character, Salman is ambitious about his career, but he constantly struggles with anger and confusion caused by his father’s sarcastic comparisons and belittling statements.

The aspect of narcissism intensifies when Dr. Shahnawaz tries to control Sania just as he controls the other women in his house. He forcefully attempts to convince her to do her residency at his hospital instead of following her mentor, Dr. Rubina. He resorts to every tactic, from threatening to cancel her medical license to dictating her interviews:

“Beta ap aisa nahi karo gae kiyu ke mai ap ka license cancel krdo ga.” ~ Dr. Shahnawaz to Sania

“Kaisa lagge ga ke tumhare susar ke do do hospital hute hue tum kissy aur ke hospital mae ja ke residency kro, especially after knowing that we have two best hospitals in the country.” ~ Dr. Shahnawaz to Sania

The drama reaches its climax when Shahnawaz is at the peak of his oppressive attitude, trying every scheme and punishing Sania for her curiosity regarding the hospital’s corruption. On the other hand, he seizes the opportunity to act as a benefactor for Salman after his business suffers a tremendous loss, trying his best to regain a fatherly status in Salman’s eyes.

The turning point that begins his downfall is when his wife overhears his confession of admiration for Dr. Rubina. She later distances herself, devastated that despite dedicating her entire life to her husband, she hadn’t earned a place in his heart. The shock is so intense that she passes away in her sleep.

“Aik aise aurat ko apni Zindagi mai shamil kia jo mere laik nahi thee…mai ne apni Zindagi ke itne saal zaya krdiye ke mai apne life partner ko aisa banana chahta tha jaisa mai deserve krta tha.” ~ Dr. Shahnawaz

Following Farheen’s death, Dr. Shahnawaz’s character begins to break down step by step. While his ego remains at its peak on the surface, inside he is filled with guilt and shame. He experiences hallucinations of his wife and is haunted by the memory of their last argument. Simultaneously, he is hit with the reality that his son Faizan, along with Mina, is leaving him—and this time, it is forever.

To escape his guilt and shame, Shahnawaz uses the defense mechanism of projection, putting all the blame on Sania for Farheen’s death because she chose to work at Dr. Rubina’s hospital.

There is a scene on the day of the funeral when Sania’s parents and her phopo (paternal aunt) visit. The aunt takes a stand for her niece, showing Shahnawaz a social media post Farheen made before her death, in which she blamed her husband for all she had suffered. Shahnawaz quietly exits the scene because, of course, he was the culprit all along!

The final nail in the coffin—which truly acts as karma for Shahnawaz—is the hospital corruption case, which rapidly gains heat. We see him completely broken, silent yet screaming internally as he tries to salvage his tarnished name and hospital. He eventually leaves his house (presumably leaving the country to save his reputation) while recalling all the bitter moments with tears in his eyes.

In my opinion, it would have been more satisfying to see him suffer his own delusions while living in his own house, or face arrest with his property confiscated. Showing Dr. Shahnawaz escaping doesn’t fully justify the pain that characters like Sania, Farheen, and Mina endured while living in that house—torture that ultimately jeopardized Sania’s life and derailed her dreams.

I really liked Shahzad Nawaz’s acting and the way he portrayed the character. His tone and aura sat perfectly with the personality.