THE WEEK THAT WAS

Ek Haseena Ek Deewana | Urdu1, Thurs-Fri 10.00pm

Mainly because of the way Urdu1 knocked out 116 episodes out of the original 32 of the Turkish Cesur ve Guzel (Brave and Beautiful), the much-anticipated last episode left a path of devastated fans in its wake.

The most beautifully produced serial which thrilled us with suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety as Kashan was shot dead, Suha went into coma, Korludag lost his memory (just to mention a few of the cliff-hangers), the last episode was mostly slow-motion imagination sequences of what Taimur and Suha planned their life would be.

A bumper last episode, plugging 115 and 116 together, offered a big last dose of climactic excitement as a grand finale.

Alif Allah Aur Insaan | Hum TV, Tuesday 8.00pm

Somewhere soon is the turning point for triple-home wrecker Nazneen (Kubra Khan) to learn from her mistakes, it has been a hell of a long journey with half-a-dozen characters (Zimmel, Shaheer, Arsalan) running back and forth with a sub-story on a track that makes no sense and doesn’t gel at all.

At present, Imran Ashraf as transgender Shammu is the only redeeming factor of the serial, and one wonders if the script got mixed up at the production house somehow!

What to watch out for

Pagli | Hum TV, Monday 8.00pm

Hira Salman as Gulrukh moves a notch higher as an actor in her portrayal of a victim of inappropriate ‘adult’ behaviour by her best friend’s father.

The clutter of support characters and their antics perhaps make it easier to swallow the grim reality portrayed in the serial which is an adaptation of Shaukat Thanvi’s novel. There is, after all, a crucial reason for Gulrukh’s strange behaviour.

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 24th, 2017