THE WEEK THAT WAS

Fitoor | Geo TV, Thurs-Fri 8.00pm

Dilnasheen’s (Hiba Bokhari) wedding is arranged with the older but otherwise eligible Haider (Faysal Qurashi), who can’t believe his luck that Dilnasheen’s family has agreed to marry off their reluctant and heartbroken daughter to him. Dilnasheen loves Hamza (Wahaj Khan), but the clueless Haider fell for her at first sight. When Hamza’s family refuses to marry him to Dilnasheen, he disappears to a friend’s farmhouse while his abandoned car is found on the beach. After Dilnasheen and her family are harassed by the police (a hilarious scene at the police station with lecherous policemen), her mother (Saba Parvez) overreacts to her heart’s content at the dishonour Dilnasheen has brought to the family. Hamza has reappeared but his family still disapproves of Dilnasheen. The OST is catchy but the story so far is insipid. The two episodes that run on consecutive days drag (with Dilnasheen sobbing and Haider pacing the room) and can be edited into one impactful episode per week.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Raqs-e-Bismil | Hum TV, Fridays 8.00pm

Despite the star cast, the story of a man from a conservative family falling for our TV version of a prostitute/ call-girl/ escort/ courtesan is not unique. The serial has undertones of Deewar-e-Shab by the same channel, and Sarah Khan playing a similar role. Moosa (Imran Ashraf ), referring to himself in the third person as Moosa, only adds to his arduous and theatrical acting with whispers and shouts in his dialogue delivery which could be toned down. The courtesan culture, where Gul-i-Rana as a bejewelled Annaji rules the roost, appears to be from another time. Moosa arranges their nikaah but Zohra (Sarah Khan) talks him out of it on the premise that, if he really respects and loves her, he wouldn’t force nikaah on her but rather send his family over to ask for her hand. After discovering that he has been chasing a woman of ill-repute, Moosa’s father Qudratullah (Mehmood Aslam) disqualifies him from becoming the next gaddi-nasheen. Zohra is now sure that Moosa will never return, as his conservative family will not agree to marry him to her. But Moosa’s heart is still set on her. Yawn, what next?

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 7th, 2021