THE WEEK THAT WAS

Jalan | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

pregnant Meenu (Areeba Habib) overhears a conversation between deceptive sister Neesha (Minal Khan) and hubby Asfand (Emmad Irfani) to discover exactly what shenanigans are going on behind her back. Neesha wants her sister to be divorced ASAP. Taking prompt action, Meenu literally drags Neesha out of her house, but only after delivering a couple of vicious slaps across Neesha’s face, which she truly deserved. In confrontation with Meenu, horrifyingly enough, Asfand confirms that what Meenu saw and heard was nothing but the plain truth, and that he loves his sister-in-law Neesha. The sisters’ parents are shocked to find out what their little daughter Neesha has been up to, and she receives some more slaps. Wonder if the record number of slaps that Neesha gets in this phase of the serial were a part of Minal Khan’s contract. With the world against her, except Asfand, what is Neesha going to do next?

Sabaat | Hum TV, Sundays 8.00pm

After managing to successfully throw her brother Hasan and his wife Anaya (Mawra Hocane) out of the family home and business, and marrying her cute psychiatrist Dr Haris (Usman Mukhtar), the arrogant Meeral is still unhappy and all set to destroy her life. This time her psychotic behaviour is triggered off by seeing her husband in a consultation with a female patient. Meeral is insanely jealous and demands Haris quit his career and join her family business. Haris may love her but still retains his sanity, so he refuses to agree to her demands. But his efforts to patch up their marriage are in vain.

What To Watch Out For

Mushk | Hum TV, Mondays 8.00pm

Written by Imran Ashraf, who is also playing one of the leads (Adam) opposite Urwa Hocane (Guddi), the cast includes Momal Sheikh (Mehak), Osama Tahir (Shayan) and Zara Tareen as Chaachi in the main roles. More than the story, the treatment of Mushk has the feel of a powerful novel that you can’t put down, but there are some things you have to accept blindly. For instance, after studying abroad for two years, Mehek returns home to her traditional, feudal family accompanied by a random, young, outspoken, carefree woman called Guddi (Urwa Hocane) and a baby. Guddi is being paid to pretend to be the baby’s mother whereas Mehek is the real mother and the family is okay with that. While she lived abroad, Mehek loved Shayan who escapes his uncle’s captivity and is on the run. The reason for his captivity was perhaps forced marriage. Imran Ashraf looks good in an uber moustache but the character he plays remains undefined yet. Adam is smitten with Mehek and braves a storm to get her a diet cola! Intriguing, layered characters and an extraordinary plot away from the usual suggests the play has potential.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 6th, 2020