THE WEEK THAT WAS

Inkaar | Hum TV, Mondays 8.00pm

After an immaculate court trial depiction, great performances and sensitive direction by Kashif Nisar, Zafar Mairaj, uncharacteristically, wrote a disappointing finale. It is not the first powerful serial to conclude this way as there have been others previously.

After the victim, Hajra (Yumna Zaidi), her husband Shayan (Sami Khan) and their fathers (Noor-ul-Hasan and Rehan Shaikh) do their best to find evidence, including digging up the CCTV footage that eventually helps the court make the final judgment in the case against the criminal Rehan Chaudhry (Imran Ashraf), Hajra forgives the man whose brutal stabbing she survived miraculously.

Convinced that Rehan Chaudhry needs his mum’s guidance to mend his ways, she saves him from going to prison. Also dismissed was the fact that Shayan’s influential father had arranged the murder of one of Hajra’s prime supporters in the case. Why are our writers so reluctant to show a male antagonist being punished, and why is it that the woman in question always rises above her humanity to forgive the worst criminals?

Meray Mohsin | Geo TV, Wednesdays 8.00pm

The serial is at its climax. After marrying Soha (Rabab Hashim) in Lahore, wimpy hero Mohsin (Syed Jibran) continues to be bulldozed by his mum Khursheed Begum (Saba Parvez) in Karachi into marrying the girl of her choice, so that she can honour her commitment for a watta-satta arrangement to marry off Mohsin’s over-the-hill sister Jahan Ara (Erum Akhtar).

The two nikaahs are scheduled for the same day, and minutes before Mohsin’s nikaah, a distressed Soha, clad in her signature tracksuit, arrives at his house to confront a flabbergasted Mohsin. Can’t wait for the fireworks next week!

What To Watch Out For

Gul-o-Gulzar | ARY, Thursdays 8.00pm

She may move around in big cars, bedecked in jewels and designer outfits while piling gifts on people, but finally we know that all is not well in the materialistic, spiteful and greedy Gul’s (Saboor Ali) life. Her rich and handsome husband Adil (Omer Shahzad), whom she ran away with and got married to, has an anger problem and is violent with her. But her bestie Gulzar (Kinza Hashmi) doesn’t know this juicy secret which has made the serial so much more intriguing.

Gulzar envies Gul for her flashy lifestyle and is resentful towards her average-looking, complacent husband Jamal (Paras Masroor) for not giving her a lifestyle to match Gul’s. Eventually, Gulzar will get into trouble with Jamal for going against his wishes, and continuing to be in touch with Gul.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 1st, 2019