THE WEEK THAT WAS

Tere Bin | Geo TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

Meerab (Yumna Zaidi) wants to be a lawyer but her life is turned upside down when she learns that she is adopted and actually belongs to a powerful feudal family. When every door is closed to her, she agrees to marry the family’s heir Murtasim (Wahaj Ali), and so begins the mass-market formula of a hate-to-love story.

This is a slow story wrapped in masala and clichés, but the undeniable chemistry between the leads and soap style production has captured the masses, even gaining viewers across the border. Geo’s signature bright lights and Indian drama style, slow motion shots might have been more effective if the producers had invested more in wardrobe and make-up.

Sabeena Farooq takes up her standard role of jealous rival, who has so far been used to fill in major plot gaps by staring wistfully at the leads or making overly dramatic declarations of revenge. Will Murtasim and Meerab work out their differences and settle down? Probably, but there will be plenty of pain and illogical twists before we reach that point.

Mere Bunn Jao | Hum TV, Wednesdays 8.00pm

This is a serious story with a strong script from veteran writer Sameera Fazal. Kinza Hashmi plays a young, insecure girl who is manipulated into giving her fiancé inappropriate pictures of herself. Azfer Rehman is excellent as the blackmailer, a portrait in sophisticated evil. He is a software developer with a job abroad, who has no qualms about using the naïve girl he is affianced to.

On the other side is Zahid Ahmed, a poor tailor who has always had a crush on Kinza’s character, and a few chance conversations lead him to pick up on the way she is being fooled. Zahid plays the family friend well, both warning Kinza’s character and reminding her what a healthy relationship actually looks like.

This show deals with important, authentic issues such as the way easily available pornography has warped views of marriage and intimacy. If a woman or man share sexual images, even if it is within the bounds of marriage, who can guarantee the sincerity of their spouse let alone fiancé, in an age where social media has made everything two clicks away from going public?

Tere Bina Main Nahin | ARY, Tuesdays 8.00pm

Murtaza (Shehzad Shaikh) and Noorul Ain (Sonya Hussyn) are in love and plan to marry, but Noor is a perfectionist who wants everything settled before they tie the knot. She asks Murtaza to put off the wedding till they both achieve more in their careers, which hurts the ego of not just her fiancé but her traditional mother-in-law (Bushra Ansari). Murtaza’s family sees Noor’s independence and education as a source of arrogance.

Despite Noor’s reassurances, the mother is particularly fearful that a confident woman such as Noor will not allow Murtaza to support his widowed sister and child, so she pushes her wounded son into marrying Teyinat (Aiza Awan). Teyinat is the good mashriqi larrki (typical eastern girl) who is happy to watch TV and wash dishes all day, while Noor is the terrible feminist out to corrupt her with ideas of a career. This could have been a good opportunity to explore the balance between work and homelife but, so far, it has been used to demonise working women.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Yunhi | Hum TV, Coming soon

Starring Maya Ali and Bilal Ashraf, this East-West love story looks like a promising new addition to the viewing schedule. Meet Kim (Kaniz Fatima) and Mr David (Daud), and join their journey to love, understanding and acceptance.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 5th, 2023