THE WEEK THAT WAS

Mohabbat Tum Se Nafrat Hai | Geo TV Sundays 10.30 pm

Mohabbat Tum Se Nafrat Hai (MTSNH) has a traditional ambience reminiscent of Bajiya’s Shama, opulent sets, crisp dialogue in Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s signature style, Shehzad Sheikh, Ayeza Khan and Imran Abbas in the lead and brilliant direction by Farooq Rind.

The first scene opens with the matriarchal grandmother surrounded by her family, bequeathing her will from her deathbed with half of her wealth going to her most-hated grandson Waqar Ahmed (Imran Abbas) — who is at that very moment being collected by a loyal servant from the airport as he returns from France. The story then rewinds back into the past with a love triangle between the lead characters. But why is Waqar Ahmed hated by the entire family so much?

With so many positives going for the MTSNH, the progress in the story doesn’t quite match the stunning kick-off. And why is Ayeza playing the same impulsive, bold, brash Farah of Pyare Afzal (PA)? Ayeza’s ‘kameena’ in PA is replaced by ‘marjani’ in MTSNH, she hates the guy she’ll probably end up loving in the end just like PA and she writes a diary just like Farah wrote letters in PA. Writer’s block or writer’s jam?

Kaisi Ye Paheli | Urdu1 Mondays 8.00 pm

With Kaisi Ye Paheli, Sohai Ali Abro’s comeback jalwa is refreshing with a brand new hairstyle that suits her cutie-pie role of Meeru which she carries off quite effortlessly. All goes well in this light family drama about the happy-go-lucky Meeru, a copywriter who one fine day lands in a strange situation. When she takes a hit-and-run accident case to hospital, little does she realise that this act of kindness may cost her more than she knows.

The injured man Farhan becomes comatose while his family thinks Meeru is Milli, his love interest who they would soon have met. Caught up in the situation, Meeru pretends to be Milli. Things get more complicated when a love-triangle develops between Farhan’s brother (Azfar Rehman), Meeru and her fiancé. Penned by Seema Ghazal and directed by Fahim Burney, some interesting twists and turns are expected as Meeru weds the wrong man.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR (OR NOT)

There is a lot happening film-wise on TV through the Eid holidays. There is Bin Roye on Hum TV, Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai on Geo TV while there’s Lahore Se Aagey on ARY Digital. If you missed these on the big screen, well, now’s your chance to catch up.

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 25th, 2017