• THE WEEK THAT WAS
• What To Watch Out For

THE WEEK THAT WAS

De Ijazat | Hum TV, Last episode

Sadia Akhtar’s story of Dua (Zarnish Khan), a middle-class girl marrying into a posh family, was all about tragedies crafted by the wicked mum-in-law Salma (Ayesha Sana) and Dua’s overly-ambitious sister, Soha (Ammara Butt). The saving grace of the serial was that there were no weak women here, all fighters. Dua fought social norms and the status quo, her sister Zoya fought cancer, and Soha and Salma fought their own egos. Promoted as a romantic serial, there was more separation than romance. If you are a Zarnish Khan fan, you may as well YouTube the serial because her role transitions from a nerdy girl-next-door to showstopper-stunning journalist. She acts well and looks good with Mikaal Zulfiqar, the male lead.

What To Watch Out For

Bay Dardi | ARY, Mondays 8.00pm

Directed by Ahmed Bhatti (Nanhi) and written by Shagufta Bhatti, the serial highlights the sensitive issue of AIDS. Shafay (Affan Waheed) is a ‘nice boy’ while his university friend Rohail (Arsalan Faisal) has many girlfriends and apparently a promiscuous lifestyle.

Rohail is HIV-Positive. Oblivious to this, Shafay uses Rohail’s razor and one day when he suddenly faints, tests at the hospital show that he has developed AIDS. Shafay’s mother Maimoona (Bushra Ansari) and her brother Tabrez (Behroze Sabzwari) know about but keep Shafay’s illness from him. When Tabrez goes out of the city, Maimoona marries Shafay off to Bia (Aiman Khan), a girl he likes, as mother knows her son does not have long to live. Outside the valima venue, the family runs into Shafay’s doctor who is shocked to see Shafay married. Maimoona is constantly on a guilt trip, while the newly-weds go off to honeymoon where Shafay contracts the flu.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 27th, 2018