THE WEEK THAT WAS

Mohabbat Na Kariyo | Geo TV, Fridays 8.00pm

Rich businesswoman Tasneem’s (Atiqa Odho) plan to destroy her son Asad’s (Junaid Khan) love marriage with Zara (Hira Mani) — by sending Asad to set up office abroad and by planting gorgeous Rabiya (Zarnish Khan) there to lure him — backfires when Rabiya double crosses Tasneem by trapping the very malleable Asad for her own agenda of marrying a rich man. Rabiya is now pregnant with Asad’s child and Tasneem is shocked, but undeterred in her meanness.

Asad’s spoilt brat sister Nida’s (Maryam Nafees) drug habit comes to light when she asks her new husband (Salman Faisal) for a ‘dose’ on their wedding night, and he refuses to give her any, saying that she can’t do it in his house! Meanwhile, all hell breaks loose when Zara walks into Tasneem’s room and overhears Tasneem’s conversation with Rabiya on the phone, detailing all that should have been said only behind closed doors. After this serial, Hira Mani has joined the ranks of top weepers in our drama industry, for all she gets to do here is look pretty and bawl.

What To Watch Out For

Meray Paas Tum Ho | ARY, Saturdays 8.00pm

Perhaps Maham (Savera Nadeem) should have treated her cheater of a husband Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) to a good beating instead of waltzing around with him when she brings him home from police custody. Nevertheless, she cuts him down to size by declaring that he is no more the chairman of her business. Hania (Hira Mani), the nosy teacher, has fallen for her student Rumi’s (Shees Sajjad Gul) father Danish (Humayun Saeed), who from borderline wimp has become incredibly rich and polished after being dumped by his wife Mehwish (Ayeza Khan). The naïve-as-ever Mehwish suggests to Danish that they should start living under the same roof for the sake of their son, Rumi.

Now Rumi, an important character in Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s story, is shown way too clever for his age but his lines are unpalatable, however much we accept him as a dramatic filmi bacha and assume that he is a ‘thinker’ kind of a kid. But kudos to the child star for acting so well. The serial is dragging a bit and viewers are dying to know if Danish and Mehwish will get back together (after the halala prerequisite), or does Danish marry Hania while Mehwish goes down in chauvinist history as the finest example of a woman condemned for cheating on her husband?

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 12th, 2020