THE WEEK THAT WAS

Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila | Hum TV, Wednesdays 8.00pm

The cat is out of the bag and everyone knows that the vile Joyi (Noman Ijaz) is the cause of Sadia’s (Saman Ansari) incessant weeping and suicide attempt. When Joyi married Nadia (Kiran Haq), thinking that she was young, pretty and gullible, he had no clue that his nemesis had arrived. Catching Joyi and Sadia together in the middle of the night, Nadia kicks up a storm and dumps him but not without revealing her suspicions about his insidious and incestuous involvements with (mother and daughter) Sadia and Sila (Yumna Zaidi). Sikandar, Sadia’s husband, is ready to throw her out while their son Hatim (Osama Tahir) is in turmoil to find out that Joyi is his real father, and Sila, a step-sister. Kashif Nisar’s direction and Bee Gul’s screenplay create a gripping story around the true-to-life characters living in Noor Manzil.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

Lashkara | ARY, Tuesdays 9.00pm

With Mohsin Abbas, Ushna Shah and Imran Ashraf in lead roles, Zafar Mairaj and Kashif Nisar team up for this serial set in old Lahore, hence the rich and colourful ambience. One brother is a tailor and the other a dyer (Kashif Nisar’s Rangreza hangover) while their daughters Bubbly (Ushna Shah) and Saima (Anum Tanveer) are like chalk and cheese. Saima is nerdy while Bubbly’s purpose in life is beautifying herself and attracting several ardent admirers, including the nouveau riche Rafique Chaudhry alias Feeka (Mohsin Abbas) and boy-next-door Sunny (Imran Ashraf). in the process unintentionally hijacking Saima’s marriage proposal. It is difficult to say who is doing a better job because both Mohsin Abbas and Imran Ashraf seem to be enjoying their roles, are a treat to watch and bring in lots of LOL moments.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 22nd, 2018