THE WEEK THAT WAS

Badshah Begum | Hum TV, Concluded

Inspired by the twisted fates of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan’s family, this gothic story of succession came to a shocking end, with death and destruction triumphing. The last episode was abrupt and choppy but the chillingly simple ending of Pir Shahzeb (Farhan Saeed) carrying on the traditions of the past, rang true.

Good performances from Shahzad Nawaz, Saman Ansari, Hiba Aziz, Hamza Suhail, Yasir Hussain and Tanya Hussain made this show worth watching. The struggle for the throne of Piran Pura claimed many victims, and gave us a sharp, unsparing insight into the way ignorance and isolation allow hereditary pirs to manipulate their spiritual followers.

Abul Hassan, Komal Meer and Zara Noor were outstanding, rising above the commercially oriented tropes in their character arcs. Saji Gul’s intricate script wound a thread of destructive greed and ambition around the characters, slowly reeling them into their doom. Director Khizer Idrees gave us some beautiful visuals and captured the intensity of confrontations well, but may have lost focus of the main narrative. Overall, the most important lesson from this show was that change must be nurtured respectfully at the grassroots level, and reform cannot be imposed from the top down.

Pinjra | ARY, Thursdays 8.00pm

This is a much-needed drama, focusing on modern parenting and how to nurture mental health and self-acceptance in our children, so that they grow up to be resilient, stable adults.

Written by the late Asma Nabeel, this story focuses on two sisters and their parenting styles. Javed (Omair Rana) is a domineering, controlling father who maintains an iron grip on his wife Khadija (Hadiqa Kiani) and their children. Khadija is constantly degraded and gaslit, and she subconsciously repeats this behaviour with their children. While this produces good grades from the two elder children, it also fosters an atmosphere of fear, mistrust and secrets in their household. Their youngest son is the scapegoat, constantly criticised and humiliated for being artistic rather than good at the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects Javed thinks of as success.

In contrast to this authoritarian style, Khadija’s sister Wajiha (Sunita Marshal) is a single parent who works odd hours as an airhostess and has a more friendly, trusting relationship with her two children. Despite their difficult situation and a violent father, Wajiha’s children trust and respect their mother, but will that last? An excellent script combined with wonderfully natural portrayals from the entire cast are the main attraction for this show. The adults are known talents, but it is even more gratifying to see the younger generation perform so well.

Daraar | Geo TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

This story of adultery and betrayal has a slow-moving plot but, like director Shehrazad Shaikh’s previous work, Muqaddar, it provides plenty of sleazy scenes in bedrooms and bathrobes.

Wealthy businessman Shaheer (Syed Jibran) likes to play with women like toys, he has a mistress in one city, a wife in another, and is also having an affair with his sister-in-law. Wife Irha (Amar Khan) sees a perfect husband who treats her with the utmost care, Sajal (Momal Shaikh) sees a man who secretly prefers her over her “sensible” cousin, while the mistress (Tara Mahmood) alone knows his reality. How long will Shaheer be able to fool Sajal and Irha before the truth comes out? Syed Jibran and Momal Shaikh play their selfish, immoral characters well without turning them into cartoons.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Agar | Hum TV, Coming soon

This show is about two couples and how differences in age and social status affect them. So, does following conventional norms guarantee happiness? This intriguing new show stars Juggan Kazim, Junaid Khan, Hina Altaf and Usama Khan.

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 30th, 2022