THE WEEK THAT WAS

Dobara | Hum TV, Wednesdays 8.00pm

Dobara started off beautifully with a fresh cast and challenging social subject that, if not new, still managed to pique interest with a younger man-older woman relationship.

Married against her will as a young girl, Mehru (Hadiqa Kiyani) is a widow who wants to finally be herself, breaking free of the image her much older husband moulded her into. When she falls for a younger man, Mehru’s family does their best to split the new couple, including a terrible false accusation of assault against Mahir (Bilal Abbas) from Mehru’s young daughter-in-law. To writer Sarwat Nazir’s credit, the usual black-and-white characterisations are abandoned in favour of nuanced personalities whose fears, insecurities and objections are understandable. Even Mehru’s angry, reactionary son, played to great effect by Usama Khan, has a well-developed character arc while Sakina Sammo, as the conniving Phuppo, has been a show-stealer.

While most of the show works, the one missing ingredient has been any affection or attachment between the leads. Bilal Abbas has been subdued throughout the serial with his character’s motivations too practical and selfish to be admirable, or to connect with emotionally.

Nisa – Libaas | Geo TV, Fridays 9.00pm

These stories give us quick vignettes of ordinary people and everyday vices such as materialism, not getting along with relatives and women’s issues, with a spiritual perspective that can at times be refreshingly progressive. In a culture where misogynist humour and patriarchal norms combine to tell women to stay quiet and patient if they are fed and clothed; the recent episode of Libaas stood out as a reminder that no one should have to put up with emotional abuse.

Hassan Niazi plays a domineering man, who is constantly mocking his wife for being “barren” and ugly, in order to control her. Maham Amir is the wife who realises she deserves to be respected, and not wait to be discarded for a better model. This is all great except that the show sponsor is Nisa Lovely Fairness Cream, which the wife tries to use to get a ‘glow’ to her face. While it’s good to see stories that point out colourism and fake beauty standards, it’s also disturbing to see such programmes being used to make fairness creams seem acceptable. To be fair, the wife never changes her look or colouring, but there is an inherent contradiction in promoting a cream with such a name, and the message of the drama.

What To Watch Out For (Or not)

Fraud | ARY, Coming Soon

The first teaser is out for this mega serial written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah, whose talent for writing compellingly dark tales of desire and dysfunction has played out in Bashar Momin, Cheekh and the recent hit Fitoor. This show marks the return of Mikaal Zulfikar in a major role opposite Saba Qamar, who is also back on the TV screen after a break. So far, we learn that Ahsan Khan’s character is a slick fraudster who is pretending to be a wealthy man flying off to Dubai while walking through the poorer streets of the inner city of Lahore. Some great cinematography and Khan’s ability to create fascinating villains makes this something to look forward to.

Dekh Tamasha-i-Roshni | ARY, Coming Soon

Ahsan Khan in another villainous avatar, this time from the northern provinces, is stopping Hiba Bukhari’s character from getting an education. The basic characterisations and two-dimensional writing are obvious from the teasers, but even worse are the criminally bad Pashto accents the actors are using. These clumsy accents and stereotyping are becoming more offensive than helpful when telling stories set away from the urban centres of Lahore and Karachi.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 1st, 2022