THE WEEK THAT WAS

Prem Gali | ARY, Mondays 8.00pm

Hamza (Farhan Saeed) and Joya (Sohai Ali Abro) are happy that finally the stage is set for Hamza’s family to bring his own wedding proposal for Joya, after deliberately arranging a dozen good-for-nothing proposals that were only disapproved by Joya’s mother Shireen (Saba Parvez). But the neighbourhood is not helping, by telling Joya’s family how dodgy Hamza’s all-male family appears to be. They also tell Hamza’s family how all the women in Joya’s family are divorcees. The most unpredictable twist comes when Hamza’s uncle Luqman (Farhat Abdullah), who tutors Joya, declares that Joya is having an affair with someone, as she is always distracted by some boy’s messages on her phone. This is when Hamza makes the shocking announcement to his family that he is the boy whose messages Joya is reading. Writer Faiza Iftikhar’s sharp wit shines through her punchy lines, making Prem Gali a fun watch after a tiring Monday.

Sabaat | Hum TV, Sundays 8.00pm

So all it took for the big, bad Miraal (Sarah Khan) to come to her senses was a car accident? She emerges with some undiscussed leg injuries and not one visible scratch on her from the accident. But a scene earlier, her condition in hospital was being described as ‘serious!’ The post-accident Miraal becomes a tearful woman with a terribly guilty conscience. Every now and again, she has tears in her eyes when she sees her husband Haaris (Usman Mukhtar) or her family. She admits to brother Hasan (Ameer Gilani) that she created the terrible rift between him and his wife Anaya (Mawra Hocane). Miraal’s ex-fiance Ali (Jahanzeb Khan) flees from the accident scene, never to be seen again. Seriously, the finale of Sabaat was a tad disappointing, considering the talented and glamorous cast.

What To Watch Out For

Mushk | Hum TV, Saturdays 8.00pm

The latest was an action-packed, pacey and thrilling episode where the two main tracks of the story move forward. Urwa Hocane as Guddi is delightful to watch as she totally owns her role, and her lines flow smoothly as do her expressions. Guddi achieves her first victory against Zulekha (Zara Tareen), the Chaudhry’s mean, evil wife who had humiliated Guddi previously. Guddi takes revenge by executing a foolproof plan to help Zulekha’s daughter Roshni (Sehar Khan) elope with her boyfriend Saqib (Raza Talish). This comes as a blow to Zulekha’s honour and pride, and she ends up making a deal with the greedy Dr Rana (Raja Haider), who is already slow-poisoning Zulekha’s husband (Hassan Ahmed) in connivance with her. Meanwhile, Shayan (Osama Tahir) escapes from the cruel Muqaddar Khan (Ahson Talish) and his pressure on Shayan for a child-marriage with Muqaddar Khan’s daughter. Muqaddar Khan’s wife (Natasha Ali) helps Shayan escape because she realises how grave and unfair the situation is. Will Shayan get police help, and will Roshni be caught by strong feudal powers remains to be seen. Imran Ashraf is proving his mettle as a writer who can pen an intriguing plot.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 1st, 2020