THE WEEK THAT WAS

Qissa Meherbano Ka | HumTV, Saturdays 8.00pm

We might call Meherbano (Mawra Hocane) her own worst enemy, for choosing to join a household that hates her and agreeing to a greedy abusive husband, Murad Ali (Ahsan Khan), who rapes and assaults her on a regular basis. However, this only illustrates a deeply ingrained cultural imperative to sacrifice at the altar of public opinion and, more importantly, to preserve the male notions of honour embodied by her father Abba Miyan (Mohammad Ahmed). Once pregnant, she is again trapped, till she can find another male saviour in the form of her nephew, Ayaz (Khushhal Khan).

The story is coming to a chilling finale as Murad and his mother plan to burn Meherbano alive. Mawra Hocane gives us a great performance as a woman finally breaking free of mental and physical bondage. We might hope for more from the writer Fakhra Jabeen, but not every woman speaks the language of feminism. Every human knows the meaning of self-preservation, however.

Ahsan Khan supplies another excellent portrait — equal parts charm and evil — leaving us hoping to see this skilled actor in more positive roles. Young actors Khushhal Khan and Areej Mohyudin’s arc is small yet effective, illustrating the importance of consent and how years of mistrust can be turned around with love.

Berukhi | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

The villains of Berukhi strike again. In yet another fumbled attempt to murder Sabeen (Hiba Bukhari) and Nawabzada Irtiza (Junaid Khan), they push them further into the marriage they were actually trying to prevent. Hiba Bukhari and Junaid Khan have little-to-no chemistry together but competently fulfill their roles as the good guys with the right intentions.

This drama is full of great cameos by character actors and they are the driving force behind the show. Rehan Shaikh as Mansoor and Usman Peerzada as Agha Jaan make this plot work, showing us some rare positive male characters that make good decisions. Still, a tag team of baddies, led by the wicked stepmother Shah Bano (Saba Hameed) and the evil Chachi (Iffat Umer), take turns to glam up with make-up, hairdos and designer clothes before demeaning and insulting their target for the episode.

Womaniser, corrupt businessman and possibly the world’s worst uncle Kamran (Hassan Ahmed) had his turn at attempted murder this week. This unpretentious story is actually an easy watch once a week.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Kali Kali Aankhen | Netflix

Despite some good performances from Tahir Raj Bahsin, Anchal Singh and Shweta Tripathi and a host of great characters, this series is not getting as much attention as it deserves. This black comedy turns the usual obsessed lover trope on its head, making the woman the stalker of a man who seems completely helpless because of his family’s obsessive greed.

Materialism, fatalism and the upside down morals of a corrupt society are the prime movers of this story. The script aims at easy targets like the romantic cliches of Bollywood, but avoids questioning the socio-economic and cultural factors that are responsible for the hero’s situation. Even the Arnab Goswami-like screaming, hyperventilating news anchor is given a softer, more acceptable edge, shorn of communalism and focused on corruption. After shows such as White Tiger, Mirzapur and Sacred Games turned an unflinching eye on society, Kali Kali Aaankhen seems like a cop-out at times.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 23rd, 2022