THE WEEK THAT WAS

Noor Jahan | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

Saba Hamid gives us a stunning performance as a powerful matriarch and single mother, Noor Jahan, who controls her sons and daughters-in-law with ruthless efficiency.

Despite the ratings they generate, saas bahu stories such as this are often reviled as regressive, because they eat up the viewing schedule with misery porn and toxicity. This serial bucks the trend by not making Noor Jahan a “super-villain” who “wins” every time, and gives her sons’ personalities some nuance. Noor Jahan has not allowed her sons to be critical thinkers and, in a curious twist of fate, their deep obedience to their powerful mother leads them to connect with strong-willed women.

Popular stars such as Kubra Khan, Noor Hassan and Ali Rehman Khan bring energy and a touch of excitement to what could have been “also ran” sidetracks. Zanjabeel Asim has become known for her pulp fiction scripts, but this story shows some of the perceptive writing she was initially known for. Full credit goes to director Musaddiq Malek for great storytelling and for keeping the melodrama at bay.

Hum Dono | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

The naive daughter of a wealthy businessman, Wafaa’s (Kinza Hashmi) middle class boyfriend Asad (Azaan Sami Khan) disappears after a tense meeting with his prospective father-in-law (Naumaan Ijaz). Instead of connecting the two events, the supposedly intelligent Wafaa is taken in by her father’s lies about Asad, and is left heartbroken.

As friends and family search for the missing young man, Wafaa’s father admits kidnapping Asad in an angry exchange. Asad is finally released, near-death, and Wafaa finally understands the brutality and deceit behind her family’s happy façade.

Kinza Hashmi gives another strong showing as the distraught Wafaa, while Zaviyar Ijaz uses the same “arrogant rich boy “persona he has for several other shows. The show is still very watchable but, so far, has offered nothing of the depth or innovation that is expected of a Bee Gul script. Apart from using a sparer style, director Aabis Raza has not added anything new either, and in places it is obvious that melodrama is being forced into the story’s low-key style.

Ishq Hua | Geo TV, Sundays 8.00pm

Haroon Kadwani stars as Tabrez in a filmi style, limited-episode serial with plenty of masala and commercial elements to appeal to the masses.

Writer Nooran Makhdoom seems to take a bit of inspiration form the recent blockbuster movie, The Legend of Maula Jatt, opening with the double-murder of the hero’s parents and memory loss. Tabrez wants to marry off his older “brother” Bahar (Samir Sohail), a violent, ruthless gangster, in the hope that he will settle down into a more honest, stable life. Tabrez finds a distant relative, Minsa (Komal Meer), to marry Bahar, but Minsa and Tabrez develop feelings for each other instead.

Like most action-romances, the story has little connection to reality but moves along at a good pace, including humour and fantasy. Haroon plays his favourite character, an alpha male always ready for a fight, in a show styled along the lines of a Western — from the sets, costumes and lighting. The good news is that Syed Wajahat has made an entertaining serial, but the downside is that the young Haroon Kadwani still needs to work on his acting skills. So far, Komal Meer’s job has been to look pretty and get scared, but that may change as the plot unfolds.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Dil-i-Nadaan | Geo TV, Coming soon

Mikaal Zulfikar stars as yet another wealthy but terrible husband who fails to support his wife. Amar Khan plays his naive, middle class wife stuck in an abusive relationship that no amount of sacrifice can fix.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 25th, 2024