THE WEEK THAT WAS

Aik Chubhan Si | Hum TV, Mondays 8.00pm

Naila (Sonya Hussyn) is a lucky woman; from a middle class background, she brought nothing but good luck and devotion to her husband Haroon (Sami Khan).

A goodhearted woman, Naila takes in her orphaned cousin, Maheen (Hira Khan), an ambitious, materialistic girl, deeply envious of Naila ‘s lifestyle. Maheen deliberately chips away at Naila’s self-confidence and cleverly undermines the couple’s relationship. Haroon once hated Maheen and sees through her various pretences, but prolonged access, an invitation to sexual intimacy, combined with Naila’s fall into depression, leads him into an affair he never imagined.

This story by Rukhsana Nigar is a run-of-the-mill take on the ‘chalaak larrki [cunning girl]-stealing-the-husband’ trope, and is mostly a potboiler. Fahad Shaikh is wasted as Maheen’s poor, unwanted fiancé. Where the writer does succeed is when she shows us that Haroon’s admiration for his wife was shallow and unable to withstand Maheen’s manipulations, and his failure to support his wife when she is struggling. Hira Khan plays the villain well, and the writer makes her negativity subtle enough to be believable. This show also illustrates the need for boundaries within families and relationships.

Ghair | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

Despite a strong cast (whose star power may keep it afloat) and the return of director Yasir Nawaz, this show has been a disappointment. After living a happy life with her mother and stepfather, Wafa (Ushna Shah) is suddenly thrown out of the house by her once-loving stepfather Dr Jaleel (Aijazz Aslam). Her father (Babar Ali) hates her, as she reminds him of her mother’s supposed infidelity, so, along with his new wife and family, he ignores her.

The house is full of bitter, angry people who treat Wafa with contempt at worst, and neglect at best. Then Wafa is caught in another family feud: between her cousins Salis (Usama Khan), Shiffa (Yashmeera Jan) and Farjad (Adeel Hussain), and is accused, just like her mother.

The consistently glamorous Ushna Shah fails to look vulnerable or powerless, while the constant negativity and monologues spat out by Madiha Iftikhar are tiresome to watch. All the male characters are terrible, with little to recommend them, and the female ones are spiteful and vindictive. There are many plot holes, which both director and writer have missed, but the worst part is the dated idea, embedded in the story, of looking for a saviour, instead of attempting self-reliance.

Nadaan | Hum TV, Saturdays 8.00pm

Fake pir [spiritual leader] Subhan has chosen the backwater of Jam Nagar for his business model: selling drugs such as ice as a cure to naïve followers, enthralled by his religious rhetoric. His chief enforcer is ex-gangster Tayyab (Kashif Hussain), who now plays chief mureed [devotee], but is actually the chief operating officer of a complex drug smuggling and distribution office.

The fake pir has hypnotised the local population and threatens the local legislator, whose son, along with Dr Tabeer (Ramsha Khan) run the local civil hospital, with loss of votes and worse, lynching. Newly assigned SP Haider (Ahmed Ali Akbar) is just beginning to pick apart this web of deceit. Tayyab and his pir want the hospital shut down. Can the prickly Dr Tabeer and the quietly determined policeman Haider fight them off?

Ahmed Ali Akbar, Ramsha Khan and Kashif Hussain are immediate stand-outs in this well-made first episode. Mehreen Jabbar’s slick, suspenseful style combines well with Saji Gul’s hard-hitting script, challenging the recent romanticising of the pir system on our screens.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Faraar | Geo TV, Coming soon

Laiba Khan plays another angry, violent girl whose ambitious mother will do anything to manipulate her into a position of wealth and power, in this new Geo TV drama.

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 13th, 2024