THE WEEK THAT WAS

Jalan | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

It must be quite a challenge to script a straightforward romance, because our writers seem to be able to only dish out awkward romance tales where the stepfather-in-law falls for step-bahu, the girl falls for her best friend’s man/ someone’s husband, or, in this case, her very own brother-in-law! Minal Khan is on top of her role as Nisha who has set her heart on her newlywed sister Meenu’s (Areeba Habib) husband Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani), and the plush lifestyle he promises. To get rid of her fiancé Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh), whom she can’t stand anymore, Nisha falsely accuses him of verbal and physical abuse. And her family blindly believes her, except for Ahmer’s sister Humaira (Maira Ali), the only clever one, who is beginning to see through Nisha’s wicked game.

Ishqiya | ARY, Mondays 8.00pm

Rumaisa’s (Hania Aamir) and Humna’s (Ramsha Khan) father, Siddiqui’s (Shabbir Jan) death took all of three episodes. What followed were a series of flashbacks as characters drifted into deep thought with no lines but just a cacophony of background music, and the classical version of the OST. Finally, there is action when Humna shocks the living daylights out of Hamza (Feroze Khan, as her university boyfriend who has been harassing her since day one of her marriage to someone else) by telling him that she has come out clean to her husband Azeem (Gohar Rasheed). Humna also tells Hamza that she had remained silent for so long because of her father who is no more, so it really doesn’t matter anymore to her as to what happens to her relationship with Azeem. Azeem confronts Hamza and tells him that he better back off or fight like a man, and not by making pawns out of Rumaisa and Humna. Fireworks galore between Humna and Azeem, and kudos to Gohar Rasheed and Ramsha Khan for totally owning the sparky scene. There is hope at the end of the tunnel for Hamza, too, as he is going to become a father.

What To Watch Out For

Hamari Kahani Season 2 | ARY, Saturdays 8.00pm

Throughout most of the 120-something cliffhanger episodes, not once did the plot weaken, nor did we manage to lose interest in this Turkish adaptation of the British television series Shameless. In Season 2, which takes the Elibol family’s story five months ahead, Fiza (Hazal Kaya) is out of jail, Granny Azra (Pinar Tore) is dead, Fiza’s best friend Yaalay (Nesrin Cavadzade) is full-term pregnant, and Fiza’s father Fakhri (Reha Ozcan) is married to Mehak (Feray Darici), a wealthy young cancer patient. So Fakhri, his young wife and the younger Elibol kids are living it up in a swank house. But mysteriously enough, the male lead Basit (Burak Deniz) is missing. This comes as a shock for Fiza, who was receiving letters from Basit in jail, which were actually being written by brother Rahmat (Yagiz Can Konyali) to save her anguish in prison. The characters are so real and lovable, you’ll feel like an Elibol yourself!

Published in Dawn, ICON, July 19th, 2020