THE TUBE

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Pyari Mona | Hum TV, Thursday 8.00pm

nstead of the usual Hum TV formula on women’s rights, author Haseeb Ahmed gives us an authentic window into the protagonist’s difficulties without draining the joy out of her life.

Sanam Jung takes a risk and wins with this wonderful portrayal of Mona, a young woman whose family cannot see beyond her weight. Mona is an intelligent, working woman. She leads an independent life in Lahore, has a good friend (Mohammad Hanbal) and is actually happy. Mona’s mother (Uzma Baig) and fitness freak brother-in-law (Adeel Hussain) are constantly disapproving and see her as a liability, a stain on their flawlessly successful family. The best parts of this story are Mona’s father (Adnan Jaffar) who supports her and Mona’s own confidence in herself, which allows her to skip the mantle of victim. Mona’s skinny, “successful” sister (Sabeeka Imam) leads a good life but is controlled and, at times, bullied by her obsessive husband.

This is a spirited, enlightening serial that shows us a side of Pakistan often ignored by serials, and one that reaches beyond the cliches of middle class values and the lens of honour culture.

Samjhota | ARY, Saturday 8.00pm

Saba Faisal finally plays a good, loving mother-in-law who fills in the many gaps and weak points in her household. When she suddenly dies of liver cancer, her family is thrown into disarray. Writer Rukhsana Nigar gives us some nuance between the cliches (channel content heads insist on) to make this show worth watching.

Javed Shaikh plays the loving husband and father who becomes the family problem. Like many men of his generation, he is lost without a woman to take care of him. His grief, irritability and outbursts are very natural, as are the confused responses of his family. While his children grieve, his bahus (daughters-in-law), at times, struggle and mostly refuse to take on the responsibilities that their mother-in-law once held. The women are not cast as evil but immature and, like most people, a touch self-centred, focused on their own priorities.

With no clear authority figure, the young women bicker over duties. The stage is set for a new wife in the shape of Shaista Lodhi, who lives a lonely life as an unwanted, older divorcee. In an interesting change of narrative, the new mother-in-law will be shown adjusting to her new life and expectations. This is an interesting show that focuses on a very relevant issue.

Qalandar | Geo TV, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

Tabrez (Muneeb Butt) is from a middle class, provincial family who invest their life-savings into his education in the big city. Tabrez succeeds, catching the eye of Sumbul (Hiba Aziz), an arrogant, wealthy girl who wants a man she can easily control.

While Tabrez’s greedy family are elated over him marrying into wealth, they are also cautious enough to tie him down with a nikkah to an orphaned relative, Durre Adan (Komal Meer). Durre is a simple girl. Will her close connection to Allah get her through the tests of life? What will Sumbul do when she finds out about Tabrez’s other marriage? This could be a tiresome miseryfest, but there is some nuance in the characters, and quite a bit of deadpan comedy to make it watchable. The stars of the show are Kashif Mehmood and Asma Abbas, who provide much of the entertainment as Tabrez’s corrupt but amusing parents.