THE WEEK THAT WAS

Mushk | Hum TV, Saturdays 8.00pm

Mehek comes to terms with her lost love Shayan’s (Osama Tahir) nikaah to a girl-child, that she witnesses herself but, amazingly enough, no one notices her in the small gathering. Both the words and delivery of her lines continue to remind one of the ’50s tragedy queens. The story takes an interesting turn as Adam (Imran Ashraf) and Guddi’s (Urwa Hocane) romance begins, at least in Guddi’s head, because the elusive Adam, who generally looks constipated, might just turn around and tell her he was only being nice to behnji Guddi, even when he allowed her to pop morsels of food in his mouth that she had so lovingly cooked for him. In their rather long romantic scene, surprisingly no one from the otherwise demanding haveli set-up disturbed the two. Zulekha’s (Zara Tareen) ailing evil husband Malik (Hassan Ahmed), whom Guddi took off slow-poisoning medicines to settle the score with Zulekha, is now hale and hearty. But Guddi’s plan may not work because Malik is back to his old ways of exploiting women, and his next target is none other than Guddi.

Bandhay Ek Dor Se | Geo TV, Thursdays 8.00pm

Omar (Ahsan Khan) is finally coming to his senses as he can see that Roshni (Hina Altaf), the woman he thought he loved madly, is actually a materialistic, manipulative home-breaker, whereas his wife Maheen (Ushna Shah) is truly sincere with him. At Maheen’s insistence (the epitome of wifely sacrifice in our plays when the wife allows her husband, whom she madly loves, to remarry for the general peace and well-being of both the in-laws and husband), Omar’s family has agreed to his second marriage. Roshni’s unfair demands and conditions about their post-wedding life makes Omar realise, in his forever fuzzy head, what a big mistake he is making. A talented cast wasted on a typical storyline that has dragged on quite a bit, and the finale round the corner seems pretty predictable. Watch the finale on YouTube if you need to see Omar at Maheen’s feet, so you can skip the yawn-inducing thought scenes.

What To Watch Out For

Dunk | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

After blockbusters Balaa and Cheekh, director Bader Mehmood returns with most of his Cheekh cast in Dunk. Even before the first episode went on air, the serial set social media abuzz because of its controversial storyline about a man falsely accused of sexual harassment. Sana Javed (Amal) plays a harassment victim (similar to her recent role in Ruswaai). Noman Ijaz plays the perpetrator Professor Humayun. Bilal Abbas is Haider, Amal’s fiancé who stands by her side in the crisis. In a situation not clearly shown in the play yet, something has happened between Amal and Humayun, but it’s a mystery as to who is lying about it. The former has complained about being harassed while the professor has categorically denied it. There is uproar in the university, in the media and in their respective families. The serial began on an intense note with deafening background music but the direction is outstanding, particularly in the sensitive portrayal of Humayun’s family life.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 10th, 2021