THE WEEK THAT WAS

Zakham | Geo TV, Daily 9.00pm

In yet another entry in the “misery porn” genre, Sehar Khan plays Areej, an innocent young girl trapped into a forced marriage with a psychotic, gangster-cum-wealthy businessman Sikandar (Aagha Ali). The show has the usual mix of a single obsessed villain, weak men who fail in their duty to protect, and an array of cruel, older women who manipulate everyone. Then there is Areej, the heroine, who dutifully refuses her one, admittedly slim, chance to escape and becomes the virtuous but angry sacrifice to save the family home. Sehar Khan has perfected the art of passive aggressively staring red-eyed into space, while Aagha Ali reels off long monologues of psychological abuse, stopping just short of actual rape. This combination has audiences enthralled, making this show a big hit with the masses. The one plus point is that while the negative characters have most of the momentum, their behaviour is clearly defined as evil and the makers have not tried to romanticise the situation. Will we see the helpless girl mature and take charge of her life despite the seemingly unsurmountable difficulties?

Mere Humsafar | ARY, Thursdays 8.00pm

The Hamza (Farhan Saeed) and Hala (Hania Amir) saga continues to fascinate audiences but after 25 episodes, it seems as if the couple’s relationship is still very fragile. Abandoned as a child, Hala has only known abuse and neglect, and now her one mistake, in seeking escape through the manipulative Khurram (Omar Shehzad), is coming back to haunt her.

Under the heat of Khurram’s threats and her mother-in-law’s constant attacks, Hala’s newfound confidence evaporates into thin air, and she is once again feeling defenseless. After surviving one attempt on her life, she is once again afraid, this time for her unborn child. In a recent interview, Saeed has revealed that even Hamza’s character was written close to the edge and he had asked for scenes of a slap to be removed. The writer has presented us a terrible but not unreasonable picture of the way traditional family structure can work to reduce and restrict women. Hala has no financial independence and her education and potential have been deliberately stunted, leaving her with no sense of her independent self. What remains to be seen, is whether the story moves on from fatalism and insecurity to empowerment.

Badshah Begum | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

“Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” sums up the situation in Badshah Begum. Unchecked feudal rule, combined with religious superstition and enormous wealth, slowly mutates the city returned Pirs of Piranpura into the monsters they once claimed to abhor. Excellent performances from Zara Noor, Komal Mir, Hiba Aziz and Shahzad Nawaz make this an unmissable serial for fans of quality dramas.

This is not pulp fiction and writer Saji Gul has spared no character from the shadows that greed, ambition and selfishness cast. Now crowned Badshah Begum, Jehan Ara (Zara Noor) pulls the reins in on her rebellious siblings, turning from well-meaning elder sister to ruthless ruler. Gulnar’s (Hiba Aziz) transformation is equally gripping, as she seeks justice and revenge for the brutal rapes she has suffered. This show is perfect binge-watch material and might have done better with two episodes a week format to reel audiences into its multilayered plot.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

A few seasons back the trend was competing sisters and affairs, this season channels are blindly investing in one storyline: obsessive stalkers. The good news is that creatives are finally responding to critique and, apart from the drama Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi, is not recasting criminal behaviour as romantic.

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 26th, 2022