THE WEEK THAT WAS

Khaas | Hum TV, Wednesdays 8.00pm

Sister-in-law Nida (Anum Goher) visits her unrequited love interest Fakhir’s (Haroon Shahid) house to clear her suspicions about him and her bhabhi Saba (Sanam Baloch). It comes as a rude shock to her when she sees Saba stepping out of his house, especially after Saba had categorically announced that she was going to see her father.

Meanwhile, in a fit of anger, Saba’s husband Amaar (Ali Rehman) admits to her that he plans to marry Salma (Hira Tareen), his freshly divorced ex-girlfriend. Pressurised by Salma, Amaar meets her parents who, much to his surprise, express reservations about breaking up his home. And, finally, Saba musters up the courage to tell her parents about her terrible relationship with her husband. So far, the writer Sarwat Nazir has a grip on the sensitive story of how verbal abuse can break up a marriage.

Mera Rab Waaris | Geo TV, Thursdays 8.00pm

The undertones of the story remain religious as husband Haaris (Danish Taimoor) and his purdah-observing wife Ayesha (Madiha Imam) sort out their misunderstandings by doing istakhara, and femme fatale Ayla’s (Shameen Khan) lies and wicked plans to break up their marriage fail, even though she manages to fool Haaris’s mum Durdana (Seemi Pasha).

Meanwhile, Haaris’s sister Nimra’s (Anumta Qureshi) curiosity about husband Faizi’s (Mirza Zain Baig) secret love from the past might just let the cat out of the bag — that it was none other than her bhabhi Ayesha — creating turmoil for the entire family.

What To Watch Out For

Meray Paas Tum Ho | ARY, Saturdays 8.00pm

The episode turned out to have more substance than the promos revealed. Nevertheless, Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s storyline about a demanding, materialistic wife (Ayeza Khan as Mehwish) and a badgered but loving, middle-class husband (Humayun Saeed as Danish) is not new. What is nice to see is Humayun Saeed returning to TV in a role that he may seem a little old for but comfortable in.

The young married couple have one child and they are struggling with finances. Danish works in a government office with corruption all round, but he is an honest man who may just break his rules to fulfil his wife’s whims and fancies. The detailing to create a realistic ambience, such as the family’s weekend outing and Danish’s work place scenes, makes the serial look good.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 25th, 2019