THE WEEK THAT WAS

Baaghi | Urdu1, Thursdays 8.00pm

After ruling the prime time slot for all 28 episodes, the serial came to a heart-wrenching finale. Saba Qamar performed excellently, giving a new life to Qandeel Baloch leading to another, sadder death because this time around we were smitten with the character she played.

It was an immaculately written, produced, directed serial. Although viewer discretion was advised, the murder scene was horrifically long and painful to watch.

Aisi Hai Tanhai | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

What began as a pacy story, about a girl giving in to her boyfriend’s pressure on trust issues and creating hell for herself by sending inappropriate pictures of herself to him on a mobile phone that gets stolen, has now become an emotionally draining saga of misery.

The screenplay by Mohsin Ali around court cases is lost in troubled characters and sloppy direction. Lawyers with loosened collars slump around in armchairs brewing their strategy while the victim (Soniya Hussain) and her family (Saba Hameed and Nadia Khan) are wound up in heavy-duty depression. The actors are unconvincing and this is the umpteenth serial where Seemi Pasha rants as angry auntie in her one and only look (heavily-kohled eyes and hair pulled back in a bun.)

Thank God for Rahat Fateh’s high-pitched qawwali-type OST that jolts us to reality from time to time.

What to watch out for (or not)

The After Moon Show | Hum TV

Despite the uproar on his disreputable joke at the 5th Hum TV Awards, Yasir Hussain has bagged himself a whole show, coming soon on Hum TV. The title may sound corny but the show promises celebrity profile interviews, fun, entertainment, games and lots of comedy.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 11th, 2018