No one causes more fights than house help: Saba Faisal

Not known for shying away from airing her views, veteran actor Saba Faisal revealed on Ahmad Ali Butt's podcast that when it comes to household staff, she rules her home with an iron fist.

"No one causes more fights in any home than the house help," declared that Khaie actor.

Despite what her viewers may be led to believe initially at face value, the former newscaster's uncomplimentary feelings about household staff do not lie with their cleaning capabilities or work ethic. Rather, Saba is convinced that in her experience, household staff have a tendency to gossip, backbite, and spread discord by reporting perceived misdemeanours (in other words, telling tales) about other members of the family.

As Saba's household staff will be aware, the actor has a zero-tolerance policy for gossip in her home. Her solution to eliminate conflict is to enforce a strict code of silence during all household tasks. Under Saba's reign, not only are her staff not allowed to complain about anyone to her, they are not even allowed to speak to each other whilst working. By insisting on such laser focus, her aim is to ensure no outsider sows hatred or fans the flames of gossip.

"In my house, my rule is that the house help will not talk to anyone," she maintained. "Not even to each other. And if anyone tries to break that rule, I just shut them down."

Saba's no-nonsense tone made it clear that she has no regrets or lingering feelings of guilt for her strictness. She maintained that she shuts down any of her staff who try to attempt to raise any issues with her about anyone else.

"For me, all my children and my daughters-in-law are all completely equal," she insisted. "I do not want to hear anything about anyone, so don't you dare come and backbite to me about anyone else."

In a cultural landscape heavily reliant on household help, Saba's silence-only rule may seem cruel, but she says her actions are rooted in a deep hatred for gossip. According to her, women across the nation are complicit in provoking their staff into dishing the dirt on other members of the family. In her eyes, no good can come out of such half-baked overheard intelligence.

"I say once again that if there are any fights in the home, they are responsible for it," she repeated.

More sensitive fans may question if Saba's solution is the optimal one, or whether it would be ideal to rely less on staff for housework altogether if their gossip is so abhorrent. However, this is a nation where being paid to be the house help forms the bread and butter for so many who are living below the poverty line. In light of current economics, Saba's silence-only solution may well be the fine line between continuing to rely on others without letting them break up the family.

Saba embarked on her media career in 1981, where she initially took up work as a newscaster. The following decade, Saba added to her showbiz CV by snapping up roles in television dramas as well as continuing her career as a newscaster. Since the turn of the century, she has focused solely on acting, appearing in a long list of dramas as well as telefilms. Most recently, Saba was seen in the television dramas Khaie, Pagal Khana, and Be Rung.