THE WEEK THAT WAS

Wabaal | Hum TV, Saturdays 8.00pm

Annum (Sarah Khan) is ambitious and dreams of wealth and luxuries, while Faraz (Talha Chahour) is a simpler, contented sort of person. When fate brings them together, Annum’s desire for a lifestyle they cannot afford threatens to drown them in debt. Author Qaisra Hayat’s habit of sermonising and unnuanced characterisations appeals to the masses but Chahour and Khan’s restrained, sincere portrayals lend enough charm and energy to make this serial palatable for everyone.

The same cannot be said of the spiritually aware or principled protagonists in the show, who come across as smug, fearful and reactionary rather than wise or patient. Aesthetics aside, this serial highlights an important issue: the way unregulated neighbourhood loan sharks use interest to take advantage of desperate people.

While Annum is seduced by the culture of consumption and living in the moment, others are caught by a sudden need for medical treatment, dowry issues and other life crises. Shagufta Ejaz, Mohammad Hanbal and Raza Ali Abid, as the negative characters, are consistently impressive; proving that evil is just as effective in its most banal, everyday forms.

Zindagi Aik Paheli | Geo TV, Daily 7.00pm

As wedding season rolls in, every channel has a “sisters in misery” serial lined up, reminding us that, no matter how terrible it is to have one daughter, having more is even worse. Mahnaz (Nimra Khan) is the eldest of three girls with a weak-willed fiancé and nightmarishly greedy in-laws-to-be. As their dowry demands increase exponentially, disaster strikes, and the girls’ father dies of a heart attack, leaving the womenfolk to fend for themselves.

This script is filled with so many obvious tropes and stereotypes it’s almost entertaining despite itself. First the writers, Dilawar Khan and Anila Syed, tell us the girls are completely unmarriageable without a huge dowry. Then we are shown two sets of people trying to force them into marriage while they weep in chorus at regular intervals. Never fear, the resolute middle sister has found a wealthy love interest in Farhad (Haroon Shahid), who will stand by her, and he has a handsome, youngish single father (Farhan Ali Agha).

The situations in the story are not impossible, and could easily have been justified with better writing and acting, but the clumsy pile-up of events makes it look forced. Writers need to move on from the plot point that fathers of girls are especially fragile and inconveniently die at every shocking turn.

Kaisi Teri Khudgharzi | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

Shamsher’s (Danish Taimoor) completely unconvincing transformation from a gun-wielding, snarling criminal to a saint who sacrifices all for true love is now complete. After his mother’s death and the loss of his father’s money, he is forced to work in a grocery store. Here, we discover the real villain of the story was the heroine Mehak’s (Durre Fishan Saleem) cousin, who spitefully drops the grocery payment on the store floor for a humbled Shamsher to pick up.

The writer, and the unfortunately, unsurprisingly huge audience this show has, have conveniently forgotten the psychotic level of violence the newly minted saint inflicted on Mehak and her family. While Shamsher’s father, Nawabzada Dilawer (Naumaan Ejaz), plots Mehak’s death, like a good mashriqi larrki [Eastern girl], she dutifully forms an emotional bond with the man who tormented and kidnapped her. With this serial writer Radain Shah and the team behind this show send out an appallingly irresponsible message about consent, brazenly normalising violence against women.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Mandi | Web series, Coming soon

First look pictures for author Saji Gul’s upcoming web series thriller, Mandi, show Saba Qamar Zaman and Mikaal Zulfikar. The story focuses on politics and the legal system.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 13th, 2022