THE WEEK THAT WAS

Dar Si Jati Hai Sila | Hum TV, (Last episode)

What an appropriate finale to a serial on a taboo subject difficult to portray on the mini-screen. The last episode was mainly a family jirga and flashbacks as Sadia (Saman Ansari) relates her account of how she became a victim of Joyi’s nefarious exploits.

The pivotal moment was when Joyi’s wife Nadia (Kiran Haq) walks in to declare her medical report. Surprisingly, it was the game-changer that flipped the conclusion opposite to what the viewers’ expected. Kudos to the entire team, Noman Ijaz in particular. Definitely one of Saleem Sheikh’s best performances ever.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR (OR NOT)

Aangan | ARY, Mon-Tues 9.00pm

Even after 20-plus episodes, writer Faiza Iftikhar keeps us engaged as she tackles numerous social issues through lively, believable and somewhat quirky characters of a middle-class Punjabi family. The pious Zahid (Paras Masroor), the unpredictable head of the family Mian Sahib (Qavi), the traditional daughter-in-law Hajra (Irsa Ghazal) and the forever-pregnant daughter-in-law (Uzma Saeed) provide some hilarious moments.

The unexpected twist last week shook us as we suspected Zahid to have remarried secretly but, turns out, it was Asim (Hasan Ahmed), the sanest of all the sons, whose shocking secret got exposed unintentionally by his first wife Laila (Iffat Omar). All this amidst the furore of grandson Sadaan’s clandestine nikah ceremony.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 13th, 2018