THE WEEK THAT WAS

Gentleman | Green Entertainment, Sundays 8.00pm

Superstar Humayun Saeed is back with a bang as Iqbal Munna, opposite Yumna Zaidi (Zarnab), in a much-anticipated script from Khalilur Rehman Qamar.

Zarnab is a journalist who is fed up of the gangsters overrunning Karachi, so when she meets local goon, Munna, the dislike is instant. A master of the art of storytelling, director Haissam Hussain gives us one of the sweetest scenes, moulded with the lightest touch, as a dazed, confused Munna tries to understand what has hit his heart after their confrontation. The audience is pulled in on the joke, understanding their man has fallen, and fallen hard.

The usually suave, sophisticated Adnan Siddiqui plays Munna’s elder brother, paan-addict Rehmati, who makes him promise never to fall in love while handing over the “business”. The star cast includes Ahmed Ali Butt as Munna’s sidekick Dilbar and Zahid Ahmed as Assistant Commissioner Faris, the man Zarnab is aiming to marry. Munna is just the hero we were missing on our screens — deadpan humour, hard-as-nails with the bad guys, and a lamb with the ladies.

Shiddat | Geo TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Like most Zanjabeel Asim scripts, Shiddat began with an intriguing premise, but lost any claim to authenticity in commercial cliches and cartoonish villainy for the masses.

Wealthy Asra (Anmol Baloch) falls for her middle class friend Hala’s (Fajar Khan) brother, the enigmatic Sultan (Muneeb Butt), whose ambition and perfectionism make him seem like a catch. A wiser woman would see through his manipulative, self-centred ways, but the sheltered Asra finds his hard-edged displays of male dominance attractive. Once married, Sultan begins a campaign of psychological abuse, shredding Asra’s personality and turning a happy young woman into a self-doubting depressive over 28 episodes. A serial adulterer, Sultan likes controlling women, but Asra is finally beginning to understand how she is being manipulated.

Meanwhile another victim is on the road to recovery and laying out a plan to catfish Sultan to teach him a lesson. To the writer’s credit, she has mapped out the motivations behind Sultan’s dysfunction and childhood trauma well, and allows her female protagonists to rise above the usual toxic nand-bhabhi dynamics. Muneeb Butt has put in the hard work and makes a magnetic villain, whose screen presence makes him the main attraction of the show.

Burnes Road Ke Romeo Juliet | ARY, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Freeha (Iqra Aziz) and Farhad (Hamza Sohail) fought against the world to be together. Once married, they naively thought their families would forgive and accept them, but both sides abandon them to struggle through life in a big city of Karachi. Despite the hurdles, the young couple find a place to live and Farhad finds a job. Meanwhile Farhad’s sister is suffering constant physical abuse from her new husband, the “appropriate” man chosen by her parents.

Farhad and Freeha’s love story has a predictable but sweet trajectory, but is missing the intensity that is the engine of romance. On the plus side, the sidetracks are actually more interesting. Shaheera Albasit, Zainab Qayoom and Shabbir Jan give us an outstanding portrayal of generational trauma, showing us that, sometimes, even an abuser is unaware of his actions, because society gives them a pass.

Another great track is the mature romance of Freeha’s aunt, who has been written off after a love marriage and divorce, but finds a new life. Director Fajr Raza’s execution is smooth and nicely structured, but does not quite capture the intensity and excitement of young love.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Jaan Nisar | Geo TV, Coming soon

Danish Taimoor and Heba Bukhari return in Jaan Nisar, the sequel to their blockbuster hit Deewangi. g

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 19th, 2024