THE WEEK THAT WAS

Mushkil | Geo TV, Mon-Sun 9.00pm

After Dulhan, writer Adeel Razzak presents us with another story about toxic friendships, rivalry and jealousy in Mushkil. Superficially, this is a stereotypical chalaak larrki versus bholi larrki competition that audiences seem to love, but the creative team has infused enough nuance into the characters and their motivations and their reactions to make at least some of the story feel realistic.

Hareem (Zainab Shabbir) is a manipulative narcissist, obsessed with fellow student Faraz (Khushhal Khan) who is irritated by her attentions. She threatens suicide if she doesn’t “get” Faraz and persuades her gullible best friend Sameen (Saboor Aly) to talk to him about sending his parents for her rishta (proposal). Events spiral out of control when a corrupt police officer with a grudge against Sameen’s father sees an opportunity and takes Faraz and Sameen in custody for “immoral activity”. The young couple’s story goes viral and, with their reputations in tatters, Faraz and Sameen are forced into a kind of marriage of convenience.

Good performances from Khushhal Khan, Saboor Aly and Zainab Shabbir and tight direction from Marina Khan are keeping this serial on the must-watch list.

Badshah Begum | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

It would be easy to blame archaic superstitions, ignorance and poverty for the terrifying dysfunction in the fictional lands of Piranpura, but Saji Gul’s incisive script lays bare the ambition, greed and arrogance that are the real culprits.

Two mureeds [devotees], Gulnar (Hiba Aziz) and Tara (Kasim Khan) are played with and sacrificed in this deadly game of succession and, despite her many good intentions, Badshah Begum (Zara Noor) becomes complicit in their destruction. Pir Shahzeb (Farhan Saeed) may not be as degenerate as his rapist brother Pir Murad, but he is just as ruthless, forcing Zuleykha (Tanya Hussain), his brother’s intended bride, to marry him instead.

This is a dark, detailed story of moral decay which needed some light, or perhaps a little more focus on positive characters such as Gulnar and Shahmir, to make it more palatable to the masses. Instead, chunks of episodes were wasted on the Bakhtiyar love triangle, as he played with both sisters’ feelings before emerging as some kind of a whitewashed saint, sacrificing everything for love. Good performances from Zara Noor, Abul Hassan and, notably, Hiba Aziz make this serial worth your time.

Woh Pagal Si | Hum TV, Sundays 8.00pm

Shazma (Zubab Rana) is a desperate young woman exhausted by her lack of means and controlled by her bodybuilder (read villainous) boyfriend Wahaj (Omer Shehzad). Together, they hatch a plan to honey trap wealthy businessman and widower Ahsan Hayat (Babar Ali) into marriage.

Ahsan has two daughters: a sensible older daughter about to get married, and a stubborn, spoiled younger one Sara (Hira Khan), who is very dependent on her father. This is a typical soap-style drama with plenty of masala and ridiculous twists, but what might make this show interesting is that, instead of the usual saint vs evil witch dichotomy, both of the lead female protagonists are ‘bad’ girls. Sara is outwardly rude and arrogant but honest, while Shazma gives the impression of a decent, hardworking girl but is deeply dishonest.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Bikhray Hain Hum | Hum TV, Coming soon

The teasers promise plenty of female rivalry, jealousy, betrayals and unhappy marriages. The one novelty may be Noor Hassan in a very Shashi Kapoor-kind of hairstyle, but only time will tell.

Kala Doriya | Hum TV, Coming soon

An update on this much-anticipated romcom: after a merry go round of cast changes, Hum TV has finally settled on Osman Khalid Butt in the lead role opposite Sana Javed.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 7th, 2022