THE WEEK THAT WAS

Mere Humdam | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

The serial, which offers domestic violence and emotional abuse ad nauseam, should more appropriately be titled Diary of a Doormat. Sarah Khan plays Wardah, who has a nasty husband in Haaris (Gohar Mumtaz). But all’s good with Wardah who has no complaints, even when she finds out that Haaris never told her about his infertility issue while he blamed her all along for being unable to conceive. She doesn’t confront him to save him from embarrassment.

Haaris breaks his legs in an accident, thus acquiring a licence to physically hit her out of frustration and guilt. When Wardah’s office colleague Usama (Syed Jibran) points out that her husband’s misbehaviour is getting out of hand, she declares that Haaris is her husband and can treat her any way he wants to. And then she catches Haaris red-handed with his ex-girlfriend.

Game Show Aisay Chalay Ga | Bol TV, Daily 7.30pm

Blackout in the studio, countdown to 10, chanting of Danish ... Danish ... and the star appears amidst live audience applause. Sheer luck and big bucks is the name of the game as pretty boy Danish Taimoor dishes out gold, cars, motorbikes, LEDs, cash prizes and even pizza in a game show which was previously hosted by Amir Liaquat Hussain and Nabeel.

With oodles of charm and energy, Danish has quite a rapport with his audience. From two days a week to daily in the month of Ramazan, the show has no gross games (such as trying to eat cake with your hands tied behind your back) but mostly luck brings people 1300cc cars while knowledge only wins them a small-sized pizza!

What To Watch Out For

Cheekh | ARY, Saturdays 10.00pm

The demonic Wajeeh (Bilal Abbas) strikes again, chasing the pregnant Mannat (Saba Qamar) until she runs, falls and loses her baby. Perhaps the only turn where Bader Mehmood’s direction was a tad unconvincing. Mannat nips out to get her mum’s meds, walking to a nearby store — a scene shot in Sea View housing. However, the way back becomes so long that Wajeeh is driving down Bin Qasim Park and Mannat is running down the pavement until she falls and becomes unconscious. Seriously? He wasn’t driving on the pavement, and she could have just kept on walking, called her husband or used public transport to escape Wajeeh.

Meanwhile, suspense builds as the corrupt SHO Amir (Nayyer Ejaz) is summoned in the next court hearing? And who will Mannat eventually win over — her sister-in-law Haya (Azekah Daniel), her brother-in-law Yawer (Aijaz Aslam) or the driver (Asfar Khan)?

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 19th, 2019