THE WEEK THAT WAS

Badshah Begum | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

This much-anticipated mega-serial begins by setting up the premise for a brutal succession struggle that brings to mind the legendary Mughal adage ‘ya takht, ya takhta’ (either the throne or the grave).

The action is set in a fictional area of rural Pakistan called Piranpura, where superstitions and traditions dictate that only a woman, the Badshah Begum of the Pir family, will rule. Sanam Ansari as the sitting Begum is terrifying, ordering a pregnant woman’s feet broken for daring to visit her without knowing the sex of her child, which “breaks” her supposed rule of “purdah” (veil). Her son Pir Murad (Abul Hassan), is psychopathic but his seemingly more sensible elder brother, Pir Shahzaib (Farhan Saeed), is just as dangerous, ordering the murder of an imam (prayer leader) who dared to challenge his power.

The Begum’s husband, the urbane Pir Alam Shah (Shahzad Nawaz) leads a sophisticated life in the city with his other wife’s children. The wistful, responsible Jehan Ara (Zara Noor) who anticipates her fate, the willful Roshan Ara (Komal Mir), and Bakhtiyar (Ali Rehman) who may come between them, are another track. A family bound by the lust for power and privilege rather than love is a fascinating change from the usual domestic politics on our TV screens.

Badzaat | Geo TV, Wednesdays 8.00pm

Geo TV continues the melodrama obsession with this tale of family honour and class differences. Wali (Imran Ashraf) is a tortured soul haunted by his actress mother’s past, while desperately trying to maintain the dignity of his father’s wealthy, powerful family.

The show kicks off with a lot of macho posturing and power display, as Wali threatens and growls his way through the first few episodes. Enter bholi bhali larrki (innocent lass) Bia (Urwa Hocane) and (what should be) a sweet romance begins. All of this works but the scenes of Wali pointing a gun at Bia are definitely not romantic.

Ali Abbas is the happy, friendly cousin, Danyal, but from the teasers it seems that he will cast a shadow on Wali and Bia’s relationship later. Director Siraj-ul-Haq is known for making filmi dramas but the hope is that strong performers roped in to play the leads might ground this serial, and make this masala-fest watchable.

What To Watch Out For

Baarhwaan Khilaarri | Tapmad TV (YouTube)

Released from the chains of the traditional ratings-bound model and its requisite stereotypes, this cricket-based saga shows us just how captivating authentic characters and an innovative story can be. A PSL cricket team just lost their arrogant, entitled star player and the coach is on the hunt for new talent before the season begins. Apart from favourites such as Sarmad Khoosat, Kinza Hashmi and star support from Fawad Khan, new talents Shahveer Jafry and Danyal Zafar provide us with a great reason to watch Baarhwaan Khilaarri.

Director Adnan Sarwar has kept the story crisp and engaging, keeping the very contemporary feel without losing any depth. The young men are playing cricket but this is no gentleman’s game, as the jockeying for position and the mean street edge of some of the players reveals. The first episode is great mix of bravado, competition and insider manoeuvring, with a little black humour added in for extra flavour. This serial is produced by Nina Kashif and Mahira Khan.

Aangana | ARY, Coming Soon

Wedding fans rejoice: from the teasers, this upcoming serial has at least three marriages to celebrate. This family saga starring Javed Sheikh, Atiqa Odho, Areeba Habib and Azfar Rehman is going to focus on the always popular subject of how to build lasting relationships between couples and in-laws.

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 13th, 2022