THE WEEK THAT WAS

Rashk | Express Entertainment, Mondays 9.00pm

Perpetually playing the cat-and-mouse game with his two wives, Haaris (Ali Josh) lies through his teeth to second wife Manaal (Saniya Shamshad) about his previous marriage being just on paper and that too with a much older woman in need of help. Manaal believes every word and dismisses the warnings about devious husbands from designer Nikki (Uzma Khan), who she works for. Much to Harris’s dismay, the demanding first wife Sabika (Eshal Fayyaz) not only wants more time from him, but a baby too. In her desire to win his heart, she lands up at designer Nikki’s and Manaal makes her look stunning in traditional attire. Oblivious of the fact that Sabika is Harris’s first wife, Manaal focuses on a huge new garments order and manages to solve a huge production issue that neither Nikki nor her marketing fellow Daniyal (Arman Ali Pasha) could handle themselves.

Band Khirrkiyan | Hum TV, Fridays 9.10pm

Gorgeous real-life fiancés Aagha Ali and Sarah Khan are in their third appearance together in Seema Munaf’s story. Sabohi (Sarah Khan) is a soft-natured artist lured into marriage with the handsome alpha male Zain (Aagha Ali) who is overly-jealous, possessive and domineering. Sabohi’s sister Midhat (Anum Fayyaz) warns her of the dangers of such a relationship and advises her to opt for the other lad in the picture, cousin Mohid (Agha Mustafa). But Sabohi doesn’t realise the dangers of the trap she’s falling into. Instead, Midhat herself gets engaged to Mohid and it doesn’t take her long to realise what a gem of a person he is. It’s sad that we don’t get to see Aagha and Sarah in romantic roles where they would sparkle with chemistry. Aagha Ali is repeatedly being typecast as the angry young man and Sarah as the miserable, subdued bawler.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

Meri Guriya | ARY Digital, Wednesdays 8.00-10.00pm

The double episodes are a mix of thrill and heartbreak but the serial is also a genuine effort to raise awareness about the gruesome rape and murder of little girls — in this case Abida. It also tackles media sensationalism, police incompetence and warped social attitudes around honour in the aftermath of the crime. While deceased Abida’s father Shahmir (Sajid Hassan) is flummoxed with the lame investigation by the police and by his wife Shahnaz (Saniya Saeed)’s pressure to find the criminal, Safeena (Soniya Hussain), the murderer Dabeer’s (Mohsin Abbas) wife, helps Shahnaz put up a video message on social media demanding DNA testing and autopsy for her daughter. Amidst the uproar in the neighbourhood where Safeena and Shahnaz are being condemned for such brazenness, a nervous Dabeer ideally wants people to forget about the murder and to move on. He tells his mother to get him a divorce from Safeena and proceeds with his plans to get rid of his wife by suffocating her with a pillow, but his attempt is thwarted by Safeena waking up at a strategic moment. Dabeer’s sister later discovers a bottle of poison and takes him to task for it.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 19th, 2018