THE WEEK THAT WAS

Ghughi | TV One, Thursdays 8.00pm

Based on Pinjar, a novel by Amrita Pritam, drama serial Ghughi (dove) is set in pre-Partition Punjab. The story is about a Hindu woman who is abducted from Amritsar in 1946 by a Muslim man in order to settle a family feud. Life changes for her as Partition happens.

Written by Amna Mufti (Ullu Baraaye Farokht Nahi) and directed by Iqbal Hussain, the play highlights how women’s lives on either side of the Wagah border were affected when the two countries came into being. The cast includes Adnan Siddiqui, Hamza Firdous, Amar Khan, Asma Abbas, Rashid Mehmood, Khalid Butt and Haris Waheed.

Naik Parveen | Geo TV, Mondays-Wednesdays 9.00pm

It is disappointing to see the talented Maria Wasti once again playing a two-faced evil character in a conservative setup. We have seen her in similar roles in Malika-i-Aliya and Malikan, and now in Naik Parveen it is the same crafty tricks and victimisation of naive family members amidst clueless male characters. Written by Sadia Akhtar and directed by Waqar Ahmed, the hour-long episodes, three days a week, don’t offer much.

What to watch out for

Bela Pur Ki Dayan | Hum TV, Thursdays 8.00pm

Hum TV is all set to creep us out with Bela Pur Ki Dayan directed by Saife Hasan. The gorgeous Sara Khan (Alvida) plays a possessed woman while Amar Khan (Chashm-i-Num) plays the title role. The rest of the cast includes: Adnan Siddiqui, Irfan Khoosat, Osama Tahir, Rayyan, Shakeel Yousuf and Sajda Syed. We hope there’s more to chew on than just special effects to satisfy the horror genre enthusiasts.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 18th, 2018