THE WEEK THAT WAS

Bharam | ARY, Wednesdays 9.00pm

Sajal (Hina Tariq) is the good girl, spiritual, focused on her studies and caring. The bad girl is her sister/cousin Ramsha (Rabia Kulsoom) who, when she isn’t watching reels on her phone, is stealing her best friend’s fiancé, or blocking a rishta from reaching Sajal.

Ramsha is a jealous type, no matter what she has, she is always looking over someone else’s shoulder for something new. The stereotypes are obvious and irritatingly facile, but the story moves at a crisp pace without any long scenes or extended toxicity, making it watchable. Sajal’s birth mother died and she has never met her father (Babar Ali), a millionaire businessman who has a new family now.

This is a tale straight out of an Urdu digest, with rich relatives, family secrets and a two-dimensional villain in the shape of Ramsha. Despite the distracting contact lenses, blonde hair and extra-long wigs, both Hina Tariq and Rabia Kulsoom play their parts well. Rabia Kulsoom is quite menacing at times and her restless, avaricious attitude is very believable, even if her character is not given any nuance.

Ghair | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

The motivations for the characters in this show were already hard to understand, and have become even more murky as the story reaches a critical turning point.

Master manipulator Tehreem Phuppo (Madiha Iftikhar) plans a “suicide attempt” for Shiffa (Yashmeera Jan) to win back Saalis’ (Usama Khan) waning attentions. Their plan works so spectacularly well that, struck by guilt, Saalis turns towards Shiffa and Wafa takes the bold step of publicly asking Saalis for a divorce. Wafa is the quintessential good girl and people pleaser, who is willing to sacrifice and hurt herself for other people’s happiness, though she has done nothing wrong. Meanwhile, Saalis and his mother (who know the truth) keep their secrets and let Wafa take the brunt of the family’s accusations and disgust.

Director Yasir Nawaz is a master at turning emotional ambivalence and weakness of character into a game of cat-and-mouse that audiences get hooked on to. Unfortunately, the resolution of this suspense may be hollow because the characters and story lack any real emotional depth. Ushna Shah does better in her new, slightly more confident, avatar while Usama Khan, Adeel Hussain and Saba Hamid carry the show. At some point, Wafa and the audience need to know whether either of the male leads are worth fighting for.

Duniyapur | Green Entertainment, Wednesdays 8.00pm

Nothing stays the same for long in Duniyapur; the police mastermind that orchestrated the regime change in favour of the Nawabs is replaced by another face in the line of power. Duniyapur is up for grabs and the “establishment” decides to divide it into two, as the only solution to stop the continuous bloodletting.

Fast-paced action combined with an ever-changing power balance make it hard to connect with the characters at a personal level. Nawabzadi Ana (Ramsha Khan) and the remaining Adam heir, Shahmir (Khushhal Khan), are negotiating and, to their own surprise, forming a subtle bond that seems to lead to romance from next week’s teasers. Meanwhile, Nauroz Adam (Naumaan Ijaz) wins over the local SHO (Sami Khan) by finding his kidnapped son. Now he knows the real enemy is his brother, Jehangir (Shamyl Khan).

An engaging, fast-paced show that leaves you hanging with each passing episode, Duniyapur belongs to its editors and director Shahid Shafaat.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Meem Se Mohabbat | Hum TV, Coming soon

A script from Farhat Ishtiaq is always a major event, and this is her first rom-com. Teasers show an office romance between a serious introvert, Ahad Raza Mir, and a fun-loving klutz, Dananeer Mobeen.

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 8th, 2024