THE WEEK THAT WAS

Zakham | ARY Digital Saturday 8.00

If you loved Bashar Momin, Zakham is totally up your alley. Playing psycho-hubby is the newest thing with our drama industry. Dominating, chauvinistic, suspicious husband (Faisal Qureshi) behaves in a clearly deranged manner with his first wife Tehreem (Sarwat Gilani) who (saved by her guardian angel no doubt) dies during childbirthh to leave her sister Takbeer (Madiha Imam) in a quandary.

Despite a love interest in her life, Takbeer gets trapped by family/social pressure into marrying her brother-in-law. And hence begins the saga of a psychotic man and his sick, humiliating behaviour towards his new wife who perpetually wears a pained expression, punctuated frequently with tears, as she tries to control her boyfriend’s vain attempts to rescue her from her misery.

If you want to watch the mega-talented Faisal Qureshi playing Bashar all over again, don’t miss a single episode. Before she departs for her Bollywood stint — in Dear Maya with Manisha Koirala — you will see Madiha Imam miserable and crying as Takbeer. Talent can be spotted miles away but all we have to offer our stars are the same beaten-to-death roles and storylines.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR (OR NOT)

Aadhi Gawahi | Hum TV

After warming up with Urdu1’s Kaisi Ye Paheli, Sohai Ali Abro and Azfar Rehman appear in meaty roles in director Fahim Burney’s upcoming venture Aadhi Gawahi, soon to air on Hum TV.

Written by Saima Akram Chaudhary, it tackles the sensitive issue of women’s legal rights. Sohai plays a middle-class girl who takes a stand after being exploited by a politician’s son — a nasty character played by Azfar Rehman. The fresh faces to watch out for are Uzma Khan, the model-actor from Jawani Phir Nahin Aani and Ali Josh who has quite a fan following after doing the Geo TV serial Khan.

Published in Dawn, ICON, July 2nd, 2017