THE WEEK THAT WAS

Ishqiya | ARY, Mondays 8.00pm

After Balaa and Cheekh, director Badar Mehmood returns to the mini-screen with a star-spangled production that includes Feroz Khan, Ramsha Khan, Hania Aamir and Gohar Rasheed. Hamza (Feroz Khan) is Mr Popular at the university, and adores fellow student Amna (Ramsha Khan) who also has feelings for him. Being more submissive than her sister Roomi (Hania Aamir), who has a vivacious personality, Amna obeys her strict father Siddiqui (Shabbir Jan) and agrees to marry Siddiqui’s friend’s son Azeem (Gohar Rasheed). Guess who is going to turn into an angry young man when Amna gets married to Azeem. Also waiting in the wings is Roomi’s character that will develop into something more major as the story progresses.

Hamari Kahani | Urdu1, Mon-Wed 9.00pm

The story remains powerful and not a single episode passes without the compelling characters getting into the most plausible and engaging situations. Fiza Elibol (Hazal Kaya) is shattered to discover that her brother Rehmat (Yağız Can Konyalı) has been charging students to sit maths exams for them. Shiraz (Burak Deniz) resolves the row between the two. Their younger brother Hikmat (Nejat Uygur) is delighted to find out that his employer’s wife Yusra (Pınar Töre), whom he has a crush on, has held on to the love note he wrote to her. Being interested in Fiza himself, the jealous police officer Jamil (Mehmetcan Minciozlu) blackmails Shiraz that if he doesn’t go far away from Fiza’s family, Jamil would reveal Shiraz’s car theft secret to them, hence ruining Shiraz’s relationship with Fiza. Shiraz buys the Elibols’ house for them and they happily move back in, clueless that Shiraz has decided to go away — but only after proposing to Fiza and putting a ring on her finger. Just what is going on in his mind?

What To Watch Out For

Pyar Ke Sadqay | Hum TV, Thursdays 8.00pm

Another gripping episode where the newly-engaged ditsy Mahjabeen (Yumna Zaidi) is on cloud nine, for it means the end of studies for her which she simply loathes. Meanwhile, Shanzay (Yashma Gill), Abdullah’s (Bilal Abbas) university crush, complains to her dad about Abdullah’s persistent phone calls and who, in turn, complains to Abdullah’s horrible stepfather Sarwar (beautifully portrayed by Omair Rana) who brutally thrashes Abdullah. Sarwar can’t stop thinking about his munshi’s (Malik Raza) daughter Mahjabeen, who is 15 years younger than him, and he tells the munshi that he wants to marry her.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 16th, 2020